All is Fair in Love, War, and Checkers.
Chapter 1: The Attract Gambit
- Narration/Malune -
It was deep in the frosty mountain of Bittercold, in an opulent castle, down a grand hall, and stairs. Into a library, where seated at a table were two individuals, deep in thought. Fairy, and Dragon, seated on opposite sides of their chosen method of warfare and passing the time, a strategic and deep game, of skill and wit; Checkers. It was here that one might see, the ever so faint signification that Malune, the Sylveon on one side of the board was thinking, her blank and placid eyes bore into the board. Trying to find a way out, she seemed to be trapped... She had Garth, the Garchomp opposite of herself wrapped around her paw, but despite how easily twisted and molded to her whims he was, he still retained his fierce competitive spirit. Malune was not spared by the brunt of it, dealing with a very tactical and thorough mind when not bogged down in combat by pride and arrogance. Her manipulation had backfired in only this specific instance. Garth saw her to such a high standard and light, almost like a divine figure. It caused him to play at his absolute best for fear of disappointing the cherished fairy type... She had an option to beat him with other means. Thinking with the utmost tranquility in her mind as she smiled gently when Garth looked over with a happy expression, it was easy to manipulate him, her work was masterfully done. She decided to enact her clever ploy, and when a piece moved, and Garth looked over to her again, she shot an amorous smile with her innocent expression, using a subtle attract. She could see him turn scarlet as the move struck true, like an arrow of Cupid firing straight through the drake's chest. She still hadn't said much, she did not talk so much as she listened, offering the most effective sets of words to keep her prey talking, and this did change even now. For she was still silent as she peacefully watched Garth stammer and lose his train of thought, a feeler moving to sip a cup of tea, setting it down with a little clink. She then offered a suggestion when the Attract had reached its peak in the dragon; "I think if you moved your piece forward it would help." So said the plotting Malune...
- Garth POV -
Garth was enjoying his day, it was a slow day, the lazy sort of days that you just wanted to spend time with your lover, and so he did. He was playing Checkers with Malune, shooting glances at her when she made a move, encouragement, and happy little smiles, he felt so warm and fuzzy around the fairy. Just a joyful feeling, positively merry. He was, however, a bit curious. She probably had some hidden trap even he couldn't see, some clever gambit that would let her win because as it stood... She was losing, it was not Forced Jumps, and he was not showing much mercy. He had to win, to show off to Malune, his pride demanded no less. However, after he looked up with that same coy and joyful little smirk he felt his heart beat much faster in his chest and he blushed furiously. She shot back a very soft smile that seemed to convey some lovely feeling to him, her eyes did not change from their ever-calm expression, but even that slight upturn had left him reeling, why did he feel like that? It was just a smile, he blinked twice, looking at the board, why was he looking at the board again? He completely lost his train of thought. Was it even his move? He felt very happy and content to just watch Malune play... Wait, that was nonsensical, it was literally a two-player game? And then he heard it, like a lighthouse in the night on stormy seas, his mind a ship, lured to its incandescent light."Move your piece up" she said, like an angel. It was such a great suggestion, and he didn't question it for an instant, looking red with not only attraction but sheepish embarrassment now as well, since it was so clearly a good move... He just didn't remember why, far far too busy sneaking glances at his beloved to look that well at the board. Putting his piece literally right against her own on the very back row. Lining her up for a double jump... She took it and Garth looked shocked. His move in response simply took back, he was still winning but now it was far far less of a lead he had... He was still having trouble thinking and his face felt like it was burning, he sipped his tea trying to still the drumbeat of his heart, he needed to get some cold water... He needed a second to recover from this feeling. Saying with no small amount of stuttering, practically tripping over his words as he kept peeking glances at her and pausing, making awkward spaces in his words.
"I- I need... I need to get some water, I'll be right- ...Right back..!" He eventually bit out, standing and walking to the kitchen for some water, his tail swaying rapidly.
- Malune POV -
Malune watched serenely as Garth stammered his statement out, and walked briskly off, she took another sip of her tea as she simply arranged some of his pieces to be more favorable for herself... Taking time to look at a book she had on her lap, reading it calmly while waiting for her target to recover from her Attract. She was certain to win, she would have nothing less...
- Garth POV -
He ran some of the cold water over his face, sipping some. Breathing deeply, he slowed the beat of his heart with those deep breaths... She just smiled uniquely, WHY did he feel so good seeing it, enough to literally distract him to such a genuinely dangerous degree? He smacked his cheek lightly and dried his face off with a towel. Closing his eyes, getting his thoughts together. Unbeknownst to him, the gentle sparks of pink were still present when he thought of Malune, but they had dimmed, enough to function at least. Stepping out of the kitchen, walking around his dining table, making his way to his library. He felt his heart skip a beat when he met Malune's eyes, but he only reddened minutely, sitting back down and smiling at Malune, a steely gaze meeting her own... He wanted to win, his competitive spirit... Before looking at the board, furrowing a brow. Wait, was it always like this? He remembered clearly he was winning.
- Malune POV -
She had seen him walk back, meeting his gaze as he came down the ladder, and she noted the moisture on his face. Clearly, more than a drink of water, Malune wagered he felt the attract fiercely and wanted to calm himself... She watched as he examined the board, the furrowing of his brow indicating he remembered the position enough to question it. She was hoping the attract would've thrown him off enough to forget. But she cleared her throat as he looked over, a tiny squint. Did he suspect her? She had the same innocent expression and asked in a tone steeped in allure, and some measure of fairy energy; "Is everything okay? You did very well so far." She sipped her tea again after saying the honey-laden words. She knew he was susceptible to the praising words, and combined with Alluring Voice, she was positive it would affect him enough to forget about the pieces moved and continue playing...
- Garth POV -
Garth was reeling, he heard the alluring resonance of Malune's words, her voice seemed to tickle some part of his brain, it was like her divine voiced elicited sensation in the pleasure centers of his brain. He was exceedingly weak to sound based moves when he isn't prepared for them due to his sensor stalks, and this was doubly so to the charming aspect and fairy energy that Alluring Voice uses, which Garth was also weak to, coupled with the praise she offered, it left him completely spaced out. Garth had a small blissful smile, briefly stunned, confused. The embers of that prior attract had also emerged to impart significantly more effect to the sublime tones that Malune had entranced Garth with. He had no idea what just happened, blinking as he came back to awareness after some indeterminate amount of time, Malune was still primly sitting there, reading... It wasn't a long time? He was still here, Malune would've surely said or done something if it was a long time... Right, he wiped an ever tiny trail of drool from the corner of his mouth since it had just hung open when he was... Unconscious? Was he..? He completely forgot what just happened for... However long it had been, he should buy a clock... He looked over at Malune, she made her move, his go... He shook his head and continued playing, moving a piece while blinking every so often, trying to fight back the urge to just flop over and sleep. Why was he suddenly so tired? His move was still okay at least, far from the best move available, but he was still... Hanging on, if only by a mere thread. Malune capitalized on how subpar it was, a triple jump, he completely missed the third jump. He could still gambit with 3 down, but it was far more difficult, especially with his sluggish thoughts. He was having trouble thinking about the game at all, the urge to just shower Malune with gifts and praise and affection was taking a lot of his thought processes... He could wait until after. Yes, focus, focus on the game...
- Malune POV -
She was mildly confused, tilting her head at Garth, seeing him slumped over his chair and just dumbly smiling and staring into space. Was Alluring Voice that effective? She just wanted to distract him, not make him just collapse, she tested her theory, softly murmering with the Alluring Voice, he twitched and slumped further down onto the plush chair. She brushed a feeler over him, trying to gauge if he was even conscious. When he provided minimal response barring a subtle purring sound. She simply moved the feeler away and began to rearrange the board further. She noted that his stalks twitched in his sleep, she knew this was uncommon, so she intuited the voice aspect of the move is what made him react so intensely. Once she was done, she debated waking him up. Before realising that might well make him realize that he had been stricken with something. She would play the long game and wait for him to come to awareness naturally, and play it off as a mere bout of exhaustion on Garth's part that would be nothing to worry about. And so she waited, for the sleepy and charmed dragon to awaken once more. Beginning to read her book, eating a pecha berry she had in a bowl to her side on the table...
- Garth POV -
He was starting to feel a little less sluggish, his moves were no longer bad persay, but still not great. He was slowly making ground, using the fact that he had a couple of pieces in a defensive little corner to prepare to play the long game, to force Malune to give up pieces. He saw her eat a Pecha Berry, unworried. He looked at himself, he was tired, playing poorly. He was so grateful to have such a graceful, elegant, and collected partner... He loved Malune so much, he would wait until after the game to tell her! Malune made her move, and as he moved a piece, she brushed a feeler over his claw, and looked deeply into his eyes. He felt lost in her gaze, gulping. He looked down, what. His move? Did he already make it, he rubbed his cheek with his claw where Malune brushed the feeler over him. Sighing contentedly... Was he really losing? Malune was offering little treats of physical contact, and like a mon, starved in a desert, even those tiny morsels of contact had made him feel incomprehensible levels of happiness, savoring each time it happened like it was the first, and at the same instant his very last.
- Malune POV -
Was he still affected by Alluring Voice? All she did was just peer into his eyes with a softer stare, and he got so distracted that she just... Moved the piece for him, was he alright? She hadn't even used a charm yet. She was poised to win now, at least. It was only a few turns, though Garth was making it a bit difficult... Moving his king back and forth constantly, he was trying to force a draw with the famous position, he had gotten it right in the correct position to just move back and forth, all the while taking it was impossible... Drawing him was not a win, she would not let her prey tarnish her image with the idea that she could ever lose at anything, it might make conditioning ever so slightly more difficult after all! She decided to use one of those last unused moves in her little bag of tricks. Drawing Garth's attention by shifting in her seat, sitting down a bit lower so Garth would be staring down at her, the angle making her seem more innocent and beautiful, all the while she gazed up and asked pleadingly, Charm lacing the actions and words; "Move your piece please, it's your best move, Garth..."
- Garth POV -
He looked down at her, she was like an angel, practically hypnotized by her charming beauty as she asked him so nicely to make the move, he didn't even remember making the move, but he knew; That was the only option he could ever make. Anything else was inconcievable, but... Did he lose? He looked at the board, confused. What just happened, that was the best move... All of the emotional manipulations those moves did, all did a number on him, he was swaying in his seat, feeling warm and floaty, but immensely exhausted. Like his mind was moving through molasses. He looked back at Malune, who seemed a bit concerned, asking softly if he was tired and needed to sleep. He did, and went with Malune to cuddle up on his throne, closing his eyes and having fluffy dreams that involved being in love with Malune.
- Malune POV -
She just watched him collapse after cuddling up to her on the throne, thinking. It was good to know that he was even easier to manipulate after Alluring Voice was used, and she had won, but that was never in the question. Of course she had, after all;
The Lady's loss was inconcievable, an impossibility, she was simply not going to lose to one of her pawns, it was
Game, Set, and Match.