All For Fun
by LGear
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"She's a monster!"
"Unbelievable..."
"I have become taco!"
This motley assortment of voices did not fail to attract Hyuuga's attention as she made her rounds, ears perked up in attention. The Chief Researcher for TRIST had excellent hearing back as a human on Earth, and it had only been improved with the unique physical enhancements provided by her new elongated ears. Said hearing of course was useful in all sorts of ways, from tuning machines to hearing the latest gossip whispered behind her back. Or as she suspected in this case, people doing something they really shouldn't.
With a deft hand she silently opened the dusty wooden door, making sure she didn't make a sound, and slowly entered the wooden warehouse. As the original structure upon which TRIST was founded, the Warehouse held a certain sentimental value for Hyuuga, even if nowadays it was mainly used to store objects too bothersome to be placed elsewhere within the grounds. It was also far enough away from the main R&D labs to provide a reasonable degree of privacy for whatever vices the various Fae and Tristanians working under them would do.
"This can't be happening!"
"How many times has this happened already?"
"You two are being too loud, keep your voices down!"
The first voice of desperation belonged to the Imp Yuuta-kun, assistant head of the fledging Steamworks division, and formerly known by his ALO handle Dark Flame Master before asked to be called a much more... respectable name. Personally she liked his alias, though on the other hand it was a pain to call him that in both official meetings and documents.
The second bewildered voice was Fujisaki-kun, head of the Domestics Products Division, whose breakthroughs in recreating "ordinary" amenities they had taken for granted on Earth here in Halkegenia had earned the Gnome legendary status among the Fae. Hyuuga certainly didn't want to go back to the days without two-ply toilet paper.
And the third voice of caution was definitely Nishizumi-chan, head of the newly formed Armored Warfare Division, responsible for introducing advanced warfare technologies. Though a hopeless otaku, the Salamander was nevertheless impressively skilled when it came to mechanics, and her Spanish Bread was to die for.
Finally, there was a 4th voice, a soft but spunky laugh that she couldn't place from here, though it sounded very familiar.
Hyuuga's division heads in such a seedy place... her interest in what they were trying to hide only became much stronger. Depending on what it was, the punishments she was ready to mete out were already churning in her head. She turned round the corner past one of the many crates piled high, and finally saw the owner of the last voice, sitting on a small crate as it spoke:
"I'd love to bleed you guys dry some more, but I fear we've already been discovered."
Said Captain Agnes Chevalier De Milan, the Crown's liaison to TRIST, and currently in a happy mood, surrounded by three wide-eyed TRIST division heads who looked like they saw a ghost. Hyuuga took a step more, and finally saw what this particular group had been hiding:
Between the 4 participants of this late-night endeavor was a square table, upon which lay walls made up of small, varnished wooden blocks - no, tiles- each one engraved with different symbols. The material may have been different, but Hyuuga most definitely knew what this was.
Hyuuga managed a smug grin, she was VERY interested now. "Care to explain yourselves?"
Fujisaki spoke up. "We were simply carrying out... internal testing of our new product." For a man who looked and sounded like he could bolt out of here at any moment, he certainly kept his explanation cool.
"Internal testing I see..." Hyuuga's hand found her chin, causing the other Fae in the room to visibly gulp. She eyed the small, heavy-looking untied pouches by the edges of the table. "Does internal testing also involve gambling away your money?"
"N-n-no pain, no gain," Yuuta stammered, "we felt it'd our... erh, testing results would be more accurate when, uhm..." he really struggled to find the words, "real-world conditions are involved".
Hyuuga stared down on the last unspoken of the cabal, who shrunk into her seat with an audible 'eep'. "W-we didn't know what to do with our free time, so we pooled our money together to have this made! We've been playing for two weeks now..." Nishizumi-chan certainly was honest to a fault, that adorable girl.
"They wanted a 4th person who they can teach the game to." Agnes shrugged with a smirk, despite the fact that she didn't have anything to explain for. Hyuuga's eyes wandered to the tiles on Agnes' side, and for a moment a sense of awe overtook her, which she could only describe in three words:
The sun rises.
"Does a game like this exist anywhere in this world?" Hyuuga asked the Musketeer, a hint of awe in her voice.
"First time I've seen it," A sincere Agnes shrugged, "though a few more games and I could retire as a rich woman." The musketeer threw a smirk at her three gambling companions, causing them to recoil with much fear. This woman not only appeared to be skilled, but blessed with much luck as well, if she could manage such a feat within just two weeks of learning the game...
"How many games has she won, Dark Flame Master?" Hyuuga let herself smirk as she saw the Imp flinch.
"... all of them."
A warm feeling rose within Hyuuga at that moment, one she had not felt since she was challenged to unlock the mysteries of Albion's "advanced" cannons. She took one last glance at the arrangements on the table, finding who the weakest one was, and her mind was set.
"Nishizumi-chan, move." Hyuuga commanded the nervous young Salamander, who hurriedly got out of her makeshift seat. "You three have such nerve to create something so fun and not invite me."
The Chief Researcher of TRIST reached into her pocket, affixed her monocle to her right eye, and stared down at an amused Agnes across her, lips forming a predatory grin. "I'm afraid I'll have to break your winning spree Miss Agnes, for the honor of the Institute. Now, let me teach you what mahjong is all about..."