SOTF Archive/SOTF Classic

"It's exactly as bad as all that," Raidon said apolgetically, sliding out a bishop to take one of William's pawns. "I don't know why, I simply...I simply can't see a way to completely trap a foe. Keep my king from being trapped, sure. You'd think it would go both ways, but..."

He trailed off, eyed William. The boy, just as Simon had, responded by talking about Finals. About school.

Was it just him, then? Did no one else feel so peculiarly directionless? So lost?

At which point Michelle reached out to stroke his hair, and Raidon suddenly found himself terribly uncomfortable. He looked at her for a moment, his body froze.

Not without my...permission...

Raidon felt a very sudden urge to leave. He simply wasn't very comfortable with girls--he hadn't been on a single date in his whole high school career, and now a girl with whom he had no prior relationship had just barely managed to restrain herself from stroking his hair.

Right.

Raidon closed his eyes.

"It's fine," he said flatly. "Though I'll be damned if I know what you find so intriguing about my hair."

Michelle look at him and was slightly surprise.

"Well it just I like hair. It just like someone clothing if you think about it. People's hair are shape to match what they want. Some let it remain natural while other try to change it. More or less I love your natural hair. It just so... beautiful Raidon and I'm glad you at least take care of it. It be a shame if you let your hair go to waste..." She said. Michelle felt Raidon wasn't too keen on the subject and especially when he's in a match. "It just I'll be blunt at say I really like you hair. You make me think of Zhou Yu, a chinese tactician... He was known to be beautiful and a genius. While William makes me think of the famous American general, William Sherman." She finish.

Michelle pause for a moment and felt maybe she was too much of a distraction. "Am I being too much of a bother? Do you wish for me to leave?"

"William am I bothering you? Is my presence causing you to be nervous?"

William glanced at Michelle, "Ah, no, it's just that I don't usually have audiences to games, that's all." He said, then turned back to the game.

"I don't know why, I simply...I simply can't see a way to completely trap a foe. Keep my king from being trapped, sure. You'd think it would go both ways, but..."

"Maybe you just have a more defensive style of playing?" William suggested. "I've seen some people who play really offensively and can trap someone in a few turns, but if that fails are doomed." He added, moving a rook to threaten Raidon's bishop.

Glancing back at Michelle, he then noticed her reaching out for Raidon's hair and then looked back at Raidon freeze.
"Hoo boy..." He muttered to himself, things just got awkward.

"...While William makes me think of the famous American general, William Sherman."

"William Sherman?" William asked, more to himself than anyone else. He found it somewhat odd that someone was comparing him to a historical General, and wasn't exactly sure how to take it. This girl certainly was an oddity.

"Am I being too much of a bother? Do you wish for me to leave?"

"I.. err..." He said, looking at Raidon to see what he thought of their guest. He didn't exactly want to be rude, but he was a bit nervous about Michelle at this point.
"Raidon, what do you think?" He asked. She had tried to touch his hair after all, it was only fitting he get to decide.

"Your choice," Raidon muttered, running a hand through his hair self-consciously. She liked his hair? Why did she like his hair so much? Did he have good hair? Well, he supposed it was possible, he'd never really considered it...

Zhou Yu? I could do a lot worse than Zhao Yu...was always a bigger fan of Zhuge Liang or Xiang Yu...

He was getting off topic.

He cleared his throat.

"Seriously," he said, a little gruffly. "Your choice."

She made him nervous, but he wasn't entirely sure that was a bad thing.

William shifted somewhat uncomfortably. Normally he didn't have the patience for this sort of thing, but this was more awkward than anything.

"Your choice."

"Well... I suppose I don't have a problem with you staying. I'm not going to make you leave in any case." He said to Michelle. "It is a free country after all." He mumbled, more to himself than anyone. As long as she didn't start going after his own hair, he figured he could hold out.

((Let get this going people))

Michelle nodded in approval to there agreement and smiled about it. For once in her life she was slightly excited for something and now she would get the chance to watch it. Turning to William about his strange reaction to the general she compared him too she felt like explaining the reason to him.

"Yes William Shepard. He was a amazing commander if not for his nervous side just like you. Do add you share names." She started saying "Maybe you're his reincarnation Williams." She joked in her own odd way. Turning back to Raidon she wondered if he question her choice. "And the reason your Zhou Yun is due to your mix of beauty and brains. I mean sure there other amazing Chinese strategist but Zhou Yun was supposedly beautiful. I would of love to have met the man..." She said in a quiet tone. She then started back at the chess game to see it's progress.

It was odd. William was slowly finding that Michelle's presence was becoming less of a distraction to him. This only registered to him as odd because he was used to trying to avoid people, so being comfortable with a stranger watching his every move was certainly unusual for him.

"Yes William Shepard. He was a amazing commander if not for his nervous side just like you. Do add you share names."

That was true, they did have the same first name. William had to chuckle a bit at that. What were the chances that he'd be compared to a famous general with whom he shared a first name?

"Maybe you're his reincarnation Williams."

William had to laugh at that one.
"I wish, maybe I could schedule my life better if I was." He joked.

[My apologies.]

"Beauty and brains...?" repeated Raidon, his eyes on the board. His mind was not on the game, however; it was on the girl's compliments. Beauty and brains? Did he have beauty and brains? Simon always accused him of failing in his duties as a man...perhaps this was what he meant?

He hesitated, then slid his rook across the board.

"I believe that's check," he said quietly.

William's attention snapped back to the game. "C-check you say?" He asked, suddenly realizing he had essentially backed himself into a corner in the game. "Uh-oh." He muttered quietly to himself.

"If I do that- no, no, that won't work... Maybe if I...? Nope, that'll just make me lose faster." He sighed, tapping his finger on the table nervously.

He bit his lip slightly, then slid a bishop slightly in a feint he hoped might keep him in the game for a couple more turns if Raidon fell for it.

Ah, the bishop. Raidon frowned at it. That might well hold him back awhile, if it moved into position; he wouldn't be able to maneuver around it easily, and anyways his Knight was--

Hold on a moment.

He glanced up, saw Will biting his lower lip, then looked back down at the board as his frown intensified. Biting his lower lip...he was nervous. Why? Because he'd done something he didn't want Raidon to see though. Moving the bishop into place was a good move--he was blocking Raidon's rook, after all, no danger. So why...?

Pulling the knight away.

Raidon smiled, moved his knight closer. "I think I'm two moves from winning," he announced. "Save any surprises you pull, which I won't disregard."

Michelle was enjoying the game now. She look as Raidon successfully puts William in check. She look at William to see his reaction to the move. Not good. He really did deserve the nickname William Shepard. He was starting to get nervous. He started to mumble his strategy out loud in which Michelle could only shake her head to. The poor boy has lost his cool. He then proceeded to tap his fingers against the table. Several signs already that he was panicking. Raidon on the other hand seem perfectly calm.

He then moved his bishop into an defensive spot. It seem like a good defense from her point of view. Of course William tapping at the table, nervous mumblings and most of all he was biting his lower lip was obvious signs he was nervous. Obviously something was wrong but she couldn't see it. She didn't play chess. Of course Raidon on the other hand saw it after a few seconds. He move his knight forward and then announce victory in two turns. Michelle had a faint smile at Raidon declaration of victory. He was the total opposite of William. While both were intelligent, William was morally disorganize while Raidon was cool. In Michelle mind it was over. While William might be able to hold it off he was too much disorganize. Unless he could calm himself he would definitely lose.

"That's a bold statement Raidon. We shall see if your right or not. Remember not to get overconfident or else you might just fall into a trap..." She warn. Looking back at William she was slightly worried. It be a shame for a match to finish so soon.

"Williams your panicking. Take a deep breath and calm down general. Your letting a small check take over your focus. Don't let psychological warfare take over you. William Sherman stood right back up after his nervous breakdown. I mean a check is like a lost battle... But you haven't been checkmate yet so you still have a war going Williams and your men need your orders and guidance." She said pointing at his pieces. After her small little speech, she relax back into her chair and watch to see how William would react. Either he snap out of it and fought back or he was doom. How would he act?

"I think I'm two moves from winning,"

William groaned, his feint hadn't worked, and it looked like he was about to lose.

"Williams your panicking. Take a deep breath and calm down general. Your letting a small check take over your focus. Don't let psychological warfare take over you. William Sherman stood right back up after his nervous breakdown. I mean a check is like a lost battle... But you haven't been checkmate yet so you still have a war going Williams and your men need your orders and guidance."

"Huh?" William asked, getting snapped out of his panic for a moment. He glanced at the board, shaking his head, he didn't have a chance to win, but, that didn't mean he would just give up. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself a bit.

"Alright then, I'll do my best." He said, nodding a bit and moving a pawn.

"That's a bold statement Raidon. We shall see if your right or not. Remember not to get overconfident or else you might just fall into a trap..."

"I already said it depended on what he did," muttered Raidon. "Doesn't it always depend on what they do?"

Will moved a pawn. That was odd, why would he move a-

He saw it, then.

The pawn was now threatening his queen. Which wasn't an issue, if he sacrificed the queen, he could-

No, the queen was keeping Will's other rook from advancing, and if that rook could advance...worse, the pawn was guarded by another, which meant...

Hmm.

He checked his watch.

"I," he announced. "Am out of time. Which is really too bad, because you just extended the game by another ten moves." He got to his feet. "Ten moves, at least," he amended. He extended a hand, smiling. "Very nicely done. I wouldn't have seen the pawn, myself."

William stared at the board, looking at all the possible moves. He sighed in relief as Raidon considered his own move, it appeared as if William had managed to buy at least a little time. "That's good.." William muttered to himself.

"I am out of time. Which is really too bad, because you just extended the game by another ten moves."

William looked up at him. "Really? Shame, that game was getting interesting too." He said, watching Raidon get up. "Let's do this again some time." He added, standing and shaking Raidon's hand. "It was really fun." He added, smiling a bit.

Michelle lightly clap her hands in joy. The match was entertaining and she enjoyed watching the two play. William also seem to have done well to defend himself from Raidon's attack.

"Bravo to both players! You both did well in my personal opinion" She said, while getting up herself. "I do hope to see you two play again if that's alright with both of you or if I'm allowed to ask that maybe we could play a game featuring three players? I would enjoy playing against both of you even if I'm not such a great player." She asked. With this she wonder what to do afterward. Part of her was planning to go home, relax and read a story but this game actually manage to inspire her to do something. Obviously Raidon had to be somewhere but maybe William was available for something.

"Apart from that William do you have to go somewhere? Maybe we could do something together if your not busy." She asked