The Game
"Well considering this is the first game in a long time, it is a great help for the boredom suffered here. Red corner piece forward corner."
"It's your turn now" She says with a smile as the music turn to beethoven's Ode To Joy.
"Upper right pieceupper jump front" He says as the piece takes place at the end of the white line.
"Why do you have them jump?" Mystery asks curiously. "Upper left piece forward corner. They don't seem to like it much. Do you like killing things?"
Axl gives a meaningful look. "Why not? He replies. Life is life, and they are no more alive than I, however I am not them. Therefore if they must work harder or die to fit my desires so be it. It is nature to kill, only friends and loved ones hold superior value to myself." He says taking a breath to let it sink in.
"An easy way to see it is a chain." He makes motions with his hands putting one under the other as he say the names. "Loved ones-me-them. All equal yet each think each other expendable."
"Seems simple to me."
"Indeed."
"Then take the rest of my pieces. If you were smart then you would have already seen this isn't checkers, but a war. Take a look at what thier wearing for example."
With wave of her hand a large magnifying glass appears at his end of the table.
Axel peers down through the glass at the people on the board through electric green eyes with a shiver of surprise. He sees them wearing 1800's style clothing and the two "pawns" in front holding drums.
"Yes I assume you know what war this is then, yes? You may have been versatile seeing through my moves but you've killed thousands in the process. This is the civil war." She exclaims.
"Yes I see, such a fun conflict interesting..." He replies smoothly having seen he was bested.
"Well I guess that you've managed to fail this test then." She sighs "Oh well.. you still have another chance." She waves the war away from the table with a flash and looks into the man's eyes searching for his greatest desires.
Sensing he was being analyzed, he returns the look to her. Were it not for the intense mysticism clinging to her artful figure, her thoughts would be easier to find.
Aha an opening.. Some of his greatest desires are within my reach. Lust may not win him over but he has a great desire for wealth and accomplishment. This may be his greatest weakness but also his greatest ally.
Mystery begins to think about how to use this to her advantage when suddenly it comes to her..the cards! The king and queen never fail her but this might be a special case.
Now on the edge of anticipation, Axel watches warily as Mystery began to weave around the cards again. Could this be the final round?
Mystery begins to stack them into a house of cards. "Axel would you mind helping me? I can never seem to get them into the right places."
"Having never built one myself, I don't see where I'd be of use. but nothing ventured nothing gained." He said, now laying the thin cards into delicate stacks.
"Do you ever wish to be a king Axel? They get all sorts of suitors, plenty of wealth, and a kingdom to call thier own" She says seductively.
"Not a king for reasons as such, I wish to be of importance, of difference, someone to be remembered like heroes of old, though villians may be heroes at times. The two are quite the same once you step out of the realm of opinion." He replies a slight sternness in his gaze.
"I can get you all that you need and more Axel." She wavces her hands over the cards setting them up perfectly with the king and queen and joker at the top. The cards shiver for a second and become a miniature castle with a hologram of Axel and his friends Roxas and Xion with him at the top pier. "Isn't this your dream?"She says voice dripping in venom and lust.
"Yes." He replies "Yes it is however that is not how I wish to obtain it, I'm sorry my dear, but I must decline. When I achieve my dream it will be because of my own work and toil. IT will not be because sombody gave it to me." He threw the words back as of he thought them deadly." Luck may be the prize of some he thought but he'd be damned if he accepted such a proposal.
Slightly offended with those words spat in her face the image melts from the tabel leaving only the cards to be blown down. "well.. What if I were to give you all ability to do so? No disease to befall you..Nothing to stand in your way..Perhaps your own magic like those of the fallen heroes? Try on this hat." With a wave of her hand a hat much like her own appears floating in front of him. A card tucked into the side. "Just a taste of what may come."
"My abilities will be of my own doing as well." He says. "But, can't hurt to try new things." He finished and accepted the hat , slightly larg yet well fit he topped it on his head and instantly felt a gust of energy through his veins.
"Yes feel the power! Isn't it soothing and so invigorating? Don't you wish to keep it for your own? The power of the ancients could be yours. Health of a horse, strength of an ox, the magic of charm..." She tempts.
Invigorating though it felt he couldn't fit the frame of power not earned, felt it wrong, and doing that he tossed the hat from his head."No thank you Mystery." He said shortly and handed the hat back to her promptly as normality returned.
Mystery took the hat and plucked the card from the brim letting it dissolve and dissapate into the air. Feeling bitter and desperate she got another brilliant idea. She began toying with her hair and spinning it pulling a few strand out as she did so. Taking them she began twisting them into a thin line and stretching them out until she made it into a gun from her era... a colt rifle. "It seems you have bested me. Take this as a gift for your commendment. You can even kill me if you wish. It will b e of no penalty of course. after all I am... your enemy."
Axel accepted the rifle, turning it over in his hands. "Wasn't the prize for winning the chance to free you and stay with you?"
"Yes it is, but I have found you have a liking for killing things, however the game isn't over. Not 'till the piano stops playing."
"My dear, after having met and spent time with someone as interesting as you, I would never dream of such a thing." He replied warmly, holding the rifle aside as a cane. "I like your style and I dont mind your power, the game isnt over yetso lets move to the next phase shall we?"
"Just as well, you would have looked a little funny shooting a gun with no bullets or powder." She walks a little closer and takes of het hat setting it down upon the table. "I can't think of another game to play...Wnat to set up some dominoes and review our failures and successes?"
Red in the face he accepts and takes a seat down at the table again.