Private Word of Salvation

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Astorea
Unclaimed Dungeon
Late Afternoon

Guided by a Handler-Ling, Ronja and @Luthien ventured deep into a dungeon. One that has been cleared a while ago, and that had its recent denizens hunted down by both the Magia and the Elf. It was a dungeon that hasn't been claimed by any beast ever since the goblins that dominated that place were wiped out by other Starcalled forces. The place was rather big, and it was almost a maze, perfect to keep something safe within it... Both for no one to reach it, and for it to not escape.

Ronja felt bad, somewhat. The girl they were trying to keep safe didn't seem to have ill intentions, but Ronja wasn't going to afford to be naive and cause destruction by accident. She meticulously controlled the amount of energy the girl could recover, with a few excuses of not having much magic source to help her with it, so to leave her with energy enough to do her own thing, but not enough to fight her way out or find an exit if she desired. Of course, she knew the girl would be partially defenseless like that, so War-Lings and Spider-Lings made sure to patrol the area, and keep it safe from any other intruders.

Eventually, the duo reached a room that was guarded by four War-Lings, and a few other Spider-Lings that watched from the ceiling and high up at walls. That was enough to bring a relieved smile to Ronja's lips.

"Yisdia, we are here!" She greeted, approaching the door carrying a basket, nudging her way past the War-Lings, that opened space to welcome the girls in.

The Magia girl they were keeping in the dungeon seemed to snap out of distraction, apparently piling up stone bricks and making fun structures with it. Next to the structures, the bag of cores was carefully kept, but open and turned at the direction of the structures.

"Ronja, Luthien. Hello!"

She turned around to face the two after placing down the last brick she had on hand.

"You've been enjoying yourself, huh?" Ronja's eyes clicked, peering over the brick structures while placing down the basket somewhere, and already starting to unload her backpack with tools, gadgets and such.

 

[Luthien]

The remains of Sven’s lab had provided shelter in a pinch, but it was never meant to be a permanent solution. The discovery of an unknown dungeon by Ronja’s aidlings had solved their “housing” issue for the rogue magia and the cores she cared so deeply about, and Lúthien had taken steps to ensure its location never made it into any of the reports from the League.

"I wonder what else lies hidden in this maze…" Although they had mapped a good part of it many corridors and hallways still lead to places unknown, and if any life form still remained within them it had made sure to steer clear from the newer inhabitant and visitors of this place. "Maybe it’s the last dragon in Arcia slumbering atop its pile of gold~?"

They were greeted by Yisdia as usual, her attention drawn away from the brick structure she’d been working on as the pair entered the room. "You sound full of energy today~" Lúthien had noticed her friend’s control over Yisdia’s slowed recovery, though the blonde had never verbally addressed it with Ronja—she trusted the brunette’s judgment on this matter.

A few flicks of her hand had various bottles materialize in the air, carefully placed by the basket and other things Ronja was unloading, before the blonde walked closer to Yisdia. The leather bag she had used for the cores remained close to the magia girl as always, kept in the best condition Yisdia could despite the obstacles her living arrangement provided.

"Sooo… whatcha been working on this time?" She was mindful to keep an unspoken distance between them, unwilling to cause any undue distress for Yisdia as her head nodded towards the structure the magia had been working on.

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

"Ronja plans to explore it further in the future, but for now, she decided to only make sure the surroundings were safe enough to keep her." Ronja responded to @Luthien's curiosity with quite a bit of curiosity of her own, a curiosity that was not voiced only once, but twice when her elf friend asked what their 'captive' magia was working on.

Some strange clicking came from the girl's head, with her two antennae perking up just like the ears of a joyful cat.

"It is a game, one where you must pile up as many bricks as possible, trying to make the most fun shape without letting it fall. They like to play it, but since they can't at the moment, I figured they would like to watch me playing it for them."

Ronja peeked at Luthien for a moment before smiling slightly. "A most intriguing game." She said, finishing to unload her backpack, and then opening the basket that was filled with colourful fruits of all types.

She pushed it closer to Yisdia, but the fellow magia made no movement to approach it yet.

 

[Luthien]

A pity really that their limited time hasn’t allowed for additional explorations the way she would’ve liked, but at least it was something the pair could look forward to in a hopefully not too distant future. "Let me know when you do, ‘cause I wanna see what secrets this place is hiding too~" Who knows, maybe when that day came they’d be joined by their friends… and perhaps the rogue magia they’ve become the unofficial caretakers for?

The basket filled with an assortment of colorful berries had been ignored, its fate shared by the closed bottles of varying drinks that Lúthien had also picked out for Yisdia. Whether it was due to dislike or simply because the magia hadn’t truly noticed them was up for debate, her excitement currently focused on the unique activity she was explaining.

"Sounds fun~" It’s easy to guess who are the ‘they’ the magia is referring too, and Yisdia’s words bring some insight as to why the bag and its core lay in their current spot. "Are you the best one at this game Yisdia, or is one of your friends the reigning champion?"

She made sure to avoid any past tenses in her question, pretending the cores the magia so obviously shared were as physically present as Ronja and even herself. A thought crossed her mind then, and the elf quietly shifted her position to make sure the brunette was within view while she spoke to Yisdia.

{ Hey, Ronja… } The constant use of her telepathy had made Lúthien a capable multitasker, and keeping her unique form of elven comms open between them wasn’t terribly draining thanks to the proximity shared. { Do the Handler-Lings like games? }

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Ronja nodded with a smile. "Of course Ronja will do. Exploring this place without a company would be a bad idea anyway, and Ronja would rather do that in good company." She affirmed, with her eyes soon flickering back to the basket and the drinks @Luthien had prepared as well. Honestly, Ronja was unsure if Yisdia had a taste application in her senses, but if she didn't, Ronja would make sure to transfer it to her so she would enjoy the food.

She did maintain Yisdia's energy low so far to keep her in check, but Ronja was ready to start putting some trust on her, and by that, she needed to make sure the Magia was well fed.

"My friends are the reigning champions. I'm not that used to this kind of game." She admitted, looking at the pile of bricks while calmly letting go of it. The pile was static after a moment, allowing her to pause in relief. "But it isn't that bad. It was a good way to spend my time while waiting for the two of you."

Ronja felt a pang of guilt at the fellow magia's words, letting out a sigh before she peeked at Luthien as her words reached her. Her eyes clicked, and she clasped her hands.

"Why don't we play together then?" She said, catching Luthien's hint. "The three of us can play it together, and Ronja's little friends can play it too." She gestured to the Handler-Lings.

 

[Luthien]

"Really? Can’t wait to see them play then, it’ll probably be a match to remember~" She had quietly crouched beside Yisdia as the magia finished her move, the structure standing steady and unmoving before them. It didn’t take long for Ronja to follow the blonde’s train of thought, albeit in a slightly different direction than Lúthien had planned, as the brunette joined their conversation.

"Actually, I was thinking of a slightly different game—but I think it’s one Yisdia is gonna enjoy a lot." Her hands fluttered carefully through the air, the motions slower than what the elf usually performed as she was mindful to not accidentally startle the android. "Had these made a little while ago as a present for Finn and his friends, and figured it wouldn’t be a bad idea to hold onto a few."

A small and rectangular wooden box materialized into her hands before Lúthien pressed an end to the ground. She was careful while lifting the container, the bottom end now serving as a flat and even surface, as a little tower of varying warm tones was slowly revealed.

{ Planned on surprising Nico and you later… but I think Ysidia might need these first.} There was an apologetic tint to the words that echoed in Ronja’s mind, hopeful that her friend would understand.

"It’s a famous game in our world, and I think you’ll like the similarities it has with your own." The few sticks that were slightly out of place were gently pressed into the proper position, before Lúthien allowed the rogue magia a moment to inspect it. "It’s called ‘Jenga’."

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Ronja's eyes clicked as she looked at @Luthien with curiosity as she mentioned thinking about a slightly different game. For a moment, she was surprised Luthien even had in mind some sort of game about piling up bricks, which she couldn't fanthom what it could be for a moment, but as soon as the wooden tower was formed, she smiled.

"Oh! That!" She exclaimed.

"Jen... Ga? That..?" Yisdia leaned in to look at it. "Intriguing, it is a structure made of simple pieces, but it is more complex than it looks."

"Ronja sees you have a good eye, Yisdia." Ronja nodded firmly, resting her hands on her hips with a beaming expression. "Jenga is very fun and relies a having a good notion of physics and balance. Even geometry, mind you, if you want to go that far to understand what to do in your next move!"

Ronja didn't seem bothered in the slightly for having the surprised 'ruined' for Yisdia's sake. She actually looked a bit more excited than the usual.

"... And... How does it work?"

 

[Luthien]

It was amusing to see both reactions to her little surprise, Ronja’s eyes lighting up as she recognized the game while Yisdia peered curiously at the pieces.Her friend’s appreciation for the subtle intricacies involved with Jenga were right what Lúthien expected, and reminded her about what a terrible disadvantage she’d be in against two magia opponents…

Oh well, it’d be fun all the same.

"The rules are fairly simple, we’ll each take turns to remove a piece from any layer except the topmost one of the tower…" Her hands gently picked a piece from one of the sides, sliding it out of the formation with little issue. "... and place it atop the tower to continue extending it."

The block was placed down in the middle, crossing all the blocks underneath it. "Each layer must be ninety degrees from the one below it, so you can’t place your pieces down diagonally and whatnot." She didn’t release the hold on it however, moving on to explain another element of the game.

"You can only use one hand when making your move, and you have ten seconds to change your mind." She tapped the surface of the wooden block with her nail gently.

"If so you can pick a different block to move instead… but only after you’ve successfully returned the first one properly." The wooden piece was carefully slotted back in it's original spot, before Lúthien picked the one from the opposite side and placed it atop the tower. "The last player to place a block successfully on the tower before it collapses is the winner~"

A glance was given to Ronja, allowing the brunette to share her own two cents in case Lúthien had missed something or for Yisdia to voice any possible questions she might have about Jenga.

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Ronja was already aware of the rules, so she simply listened to @Luthien's explanation while Yisdia paid attention. The magia seemed intrigued by the rules, it felt similar to the game of piling up bricks, but at the same time it felt far more complicated.

"So not only one must be careful with piling up the pieces, but must be careful on removing pieces too..." Yisdia pondered for a moment, giving it a deep, deep thought. "It is full deconstruction of a form. How about when it all fall though?"

She still sounded intrigued, but at the same time curious about it.

"After it falls, we just put it all back again, in no particular order though, it doesn't need to be exactly the same Jenga tower." Ronja added, knowing full well that a Magia like her could think they needed to put it all back like a puzzle.

"Just like the Theseus's Paradox."

"Yes, just like..!" Ronja paused for a moment, blinking and staring at Yisdia.

 

[Luthien]

Jenga was one of those games that was deceiving in its apparent simplicity, and it wasn’t uncommon for first time players to underestimate the game as a result. However, unsurprisingly, it looked like Yisdia already had a good grasp on how the game’s rules worked, and a better understanding of the hidden challenges Jenga held.

"Mhmm, at the end of the day this is meant to be fun~" There was no specific order for each block in the default tower structure at the start of the game, and the game also lacked an official rule on clock or counterclockwise rotation for players. "All that matters is that there’s three blocks per layer, and that each layer is oriented ninety degrees from the one below it."

""Just like the Theseus's Paradox.""

The top two layers of the tower came tumbling when Lúthien’s hand accidentally smacked against them, courtesy of the unexpected surprise she’d felt when an unexpected string of words came out of the rogue magia. Ronja’s own pause confirmed her elven ears hadn’t been playing tricks on Lúthien, the blonde quietly clearing her throat as she carefully assembled the tower back up.

"R-Right then, how about we start off the first round?" A storm of questions continued to brew inside her mind, but the ranger was unsure on what approach to follow for them… so instead Lúthien defaulted back to the game at hand for now. "I’ll go first…"

　

1d10 = 6
Jenga | Luthien | 🎲

Her lack of focus showed when the tower shook slightly as Lúthien reached for a block, the wooden piece unusually stubborn as she tried to dislodge it from its current location. The structure settled back down moments later, with a new block added at the top towards the rightmost part of the new layer.

❰ Stability Meter ❱​

❰ 9 ❱​

-1 Stability​

---

JENGA RULES ​

At the beginning of the game all player rolls are done with a single d10.
When the tower's stability reaches [ 6 ] player rolls will be done with a single d6 instead.
Once the tower's stability reaches [ 4 ] and lower player rolls will be done with a single d4.

Players with advantage [ adv ] will roll two dice on their next turn, and keep the higher result.
Players with disadvantage [dis ] will roll two dice on their next turn, and keep the lower result.

The tower always starts with [ 10 ] stability.
The tower will collapse if a player rolls a [ Nat 1 ] on a d4, or if they cause the tower's stability to hit [ 0 ]. The last player to place a block successfully on the tower before it collapses becomes the winner.

d10 Dice Results
Nat 10
Player's next turn has [ adv ]

7, 8, 9
No change

4, 5, 6
-1 Stability

2 & 3
-2 Stability

Nat 1
-3 Stability
[ 1.1v ] -2 Stability
Player's next turn has [ dis ]​

d6 Dice Results
Nat 6
Player's next turn has [ adv ]

4 & 5
No change

2 & 3
-1 Stability

Nat 1
-2 Stability
Player's next turn has [ dis ]​

d4 Dice Results
Nat 4
Player's next turn has [ adv ]

3
No change

2
-1 Stability

Nat 1
Game Over​

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

Spoiler: Tower Stability Tracker

Players must keep track of the tower's stability meter at the end of their turns. Be sure to modify the necessary parameters to match current results when copying the code below.

❰ Stability Meter ❱​

❰ 10 ❱​

[BOX2][CENTER][SIZE=3][B][FA]fas fa-gopuram fa-lg fa-fw[/FA] ❰ Stability Meter ❱[/B][/SIZE][/CENTER] [CONTAINER][FLEXC="0 0 90%"][metercolora=0|0.1|0.2|0.3|0.4|0.5|0.6|0.7|0.8|0.9|1]orange[/metercolora][/FLEXC][FLEXC="0 0 10%"][CENTER][metertext=1 to 3 = #F54449|4 to 6 = #F78632|7 & 8 = #FFC145|9 & 10= #28C74D]❰ 10 ❱[/metertext][/CENTER][/FLEXC][/CONTAINER][/BOX2]]

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Ronja ended up being way more distracted than she should after the fellow magia's words, and when it was her turn after @Luthien, she almost did the disaster of making the tower tumble in her very first move. That was enough to snap her out of her thoughts, and to make her senses click for a moment before the tower stopped swaying.

If it wasn't the start of the game, the tower would've fallen for certain.

She sighed, smiling awkwardly. "Sorry, Ronja is a bit rusty in this game." She apologized, then gesturing for Yisdia to go ahead with her turn.

The Magia looked at the tower for a moment, then reached for one of the pieces, plucking it out and making the tower sway very slightly. She watched it intently until it stopped, then, she placed it on the top, with the tower being perfectly still after that.

"It is harder than it looks."

Rolls

1d10 (1) - Ronja
Total: 1 (-3 Stability)

1d6 (3) - Yisdia
Total: 3 (-1 Stability)

❰ Stability Meter ❱​

❰ 5 ❱​

No Change​

 

[Luthien]

Oh dear… The elf quietly winced as the structure almost toppled over on Ronja’s turn and, while she couldn’t read other people’s private thoughts, Lúthien was certain she knew what had her friend so distracted.

"Yup, quite the tricky little thing…" Her voice was back to it’s usual playful tones, covering or so Lúthien hoped at least for the inner thoughts that plagued both of the players’ minds in front of Yisdia. "… but I guess that’s what makes it pretty fun~"

　

1d6 = 4
Jenga | Luthien | 🎲

The elf found herself having an easier time on her second turn, taking into account the missing blocks around the tower to find a piece loose enough to move without much issue. This time her block was placed in the middle of the new top layer, ensuring that the structure's weight was evenly distributed among the now empty spaces in the lower layers.

{ Well, that was unexpected…} She would wait until it was Yisdia’s turn before her voice quietly slipped into Ronja’s mind. { I wonder if one of her friends taught her about Theseus’ ship? }

It was the more logical assumption considering the large bag of cores that Yisdia was so very protective of... Come to think of it, the ranger wasn’t even sure if landers could actually produce cores upon dying the way starcalled seemingly did?

After all, surely there was no way that Yisdia was a starcalled herself… right?

❰ Stability Meter ❱​

❰ 5 ❱​

No Change​

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

A bit more concentrated, Ronja followed with her turn, gently moving the pieces. This time, the tower didn't sway at when she made her move, to her relief. The mild tension of moving the pieces helped to push her thoughts away, even if for a moment. "Yes, and the longer the match goes, Ronja finds it more fun."

She smiled, then looked at Yisdia, who seemed to be in a deep concentration, analyzing the tower.

"..."

Ronja's eyes then shifted to side glance @Luthien. { Really unexpected. It could be one of her friends, indeed. But then it would mean her friends are Starcalled, right? A Magia would befriend a Starcalled? } It sounded weird to Ronja, with her lips pursing slightly.

{ Or she could even be a Starcalled herself... But... } She looked at her and then at the bag of cores.

What exactly was going on?

"Oh! The tower only tilted one micrometer, seven nanometers and two picometers to the left!"

Yisdia clapped a couple times, seeming satisfied by the result.

Rolls

1d6 (5) - Ronja
Total: 5 (Success!)

1d6 (6) - Yisdia
Total: 6 (Success! Advantage in the next roll)

❰ Stability Meter ❱​

❰ 5 ❱​

No Change​

 

[Luthien]

"Oooh~" She lightly teased their magia companion, the seriousness in her expression replaced by joy as her focus gave way to excitement. "I see someone’s getting serious now!"

{ I mean… } Unsurprisingly Ronja’s thoughts and her own were somewhat aligned, and there were too many possibilities regarding the current conundrum they faced. { Wouldn’t be the wildest thing we’ve witnessed here to date, right? }

Yisdia wasn’t the only one stepping up her game, however. Ronja had barely caused the tower to shift in her turn too, and their exemplary performance easily lit up the competitive nature of a certain blonde elf.

After all, who didn’t like winning?

　

1d6 = 6
Jenga | Luthien | 🎲

"I can’t calculate movement as precisely as our Yisdia here…" She decided to go for a block right in the middle of the tower, the piece positioned in the middle of its layer too.

A nail carefully tapped one of the ends, the action slowly dislodging the block and causing it to start protruding on the other side. Once enough surface had been exposed Lúthien pulled it free without issue, before being settled in the very middle atop the tower once more.

Human eyes would’ve seen no change in the structure as Lúthien’s turn ended, and even her own perceptive gaze barely caught the faintest of shifts in the tower. "... but I do have pretty good intuition~"

Unfortunately, said intuition wasn’t giving her much answers when it came to Yisdia’s past. { Not gonna lie, kinda assumed all cores were from starcalled… } The actual research behind them wasn’t exactly her area of expertise, and Luthien's main focus had been specifically on Meriam's core and the golden egg at that time.

{ Maybe an early UI lock…? } If Yisdia was indeed a Starcalled then her protectiveness towards the cores made a lot more sense, perhaps they’d been a group of young IRL friends that simply ended in the wrong place at the wrong time? { It’s obvious they were all close from the way she speaks about them. }

❰ Stability Meter ❱​

❰ 5 ❱​

No Change + advantage on next roll​

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Yisdia smiled at @Luthien's words, and so did Ronja. Though she still exchanged some worried glances to her friend. { Far from it. There were so many weirder things we had to deal with, I even lost the count of how many of these situations occurred so far. }

It didn't make the situation any less complicated though.

Ronja tried to pluck the piece out of the Jenga when it was her turn, but the tower reacted to her not-so-swift movement, and thankfully it somehow managed to keep its balance. Relieved, Ronja placed the piece on top. "This was close, Ronja almost ruined it!" She giggled slightly, and Yisdia begun to focus once more.

{ UI Lock. From my time in MIT, UI Locked partially losing their memories isn't unheard of. And those so called 'death afflictions', it could even be that such an affliction makes her firmly believe she is a Magia. } It sounded a bit over the top, but that game was the pure definition of that sentence, if anything.

{ The nature of the Cores are uncertain, however. We are still studying about them. }

"Your turn, Luthien."

Yisdia interrupted their mind talking, gesturing at the unmoving tower once again. The precision of the Magia's movement was showing her cold and calculating nature, that was mostly disguised by the joy she was showing toward the little party game.

Rolls

1d6 (3) - Ronja
Total: 3 (-1 Stability)

2d4kh1 ([S]3[/S],4) - Yisdia
Total: 4 (Success! Advantage in the next roll)

❰ Stability Meter ❱​

❰ 4 ❱​

 

[Luthien]

Eyebrows quietly furrowed as she mulled over Ronaj’s telepathic message. She wasn’t sure from where her assumption of the cores being Starcalled related had stemmed from, though if the elf had to guess it was probably due to her own personal involvement when it came to Meriam.

"Oooh, careful there…!"
"This was close, Ronja almost ruined it!"

Thankfully the brunette had noticed in time and, aside from some swaying, the structure remained upright… for the time being at least.

{ Y’know what? Somehow I’m not surprised to learn that. } Considering the nature of this game, and the way players gained access to it in the first place, the confirmation of it messing and even erasing memories didn’t shock Lúthien as much as it should've. { I wonder if they’re something we’ve always carried inside… or if they manifest only once a Starcalled has become UI locked? }

"Your turn, Luthien."

Her focus was brought to the game at hand when Yisdia spoke, an amused whistle slipping to her lips as Lúthien noticed the magia’s move. "Getting bolder, I see~" It seemed like whatever weaknesses Ronja’s move might’ve introduced to the tower’s foundation were of little consequence for their mysterious friend.

　

2d4 [adv] = 2, 3 = 3
Jenga | Luthien | 🎲

"You’re quite the natural at this game, Yisdia." Her first choice proved to be a trap in disguise, revealed when the blonde gave it an experimental tap to try and dislodge it like before. Thankfully resetting the block was simple enough, before Lúthien opted to slip one of the side blocks from the higher layers and set it atop with little issue.

"Your friends are in for some pretty tough competition~"

❰ Stability Meter ❱​

❰ 4 ❱​

No Change​

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

The game started to become more and more complex and advanced. The options were more narrow, and the tower's shape was incomprehensible by now. It was where the skill gap was going to start to show, and Ronja was already faltering once more, with the tower trembling slightly at her move.

{ The afflictions? I'm not sure exactly what they are, but if I were to bet, I would say it is something akin to a heavy trauma response. Nearly dying is an experience that is traumatic enough, but actually dying must be much more, on top of the process of returning to life. } Ronja explained.

"She is really getting bolder, Ronja is surprised considering she is a first-timer." She giggled.

"I'm getting a better understanding of the game, that's all. It is all physics, but only knowledge isn't enough, dexterity is required to follow the theory with perfect practice."

She said, watching the tower and reaching for the pieces, moving them around without disturbing the tower's balance.

A satisfied smile crossed her lips, and she looked at the bag of cores.

Rolls

1d4 (2) - Ronja
Total: 2 (-1 Stability)

2d4kh1 ([S]1[/S],3) - Yisdia
Total: 3 (Success!)

❰ Stability Meter ❱​

❰ 3 ❱​

 

[Luthien]

A quiet chuckle escaped Lúthien as the elf realized she’d left out an important part in her telepathic speech to Ronja. "Careful there, or our dear first-timer might beat us both~" Thankfully it had been just as the brunette finished her turn, and thus easily disguised as a reaction to Ronja’s swaying tower.

{ That’s my bad actually, I should’ve specified it was about the cores. } It’s not like Ronja could actually read her mind after all, but keeping track of two different conversations was bound to cause a few slip ups. { I wonder if they’re something everyone in this world has from the very beginning… or if they form under specific circumstances.}

After all, she could feel a heartbeat in her chest and had never thought to question it before… Now she couldn’t help but wonder if the sound didn’t come from an organ like in the real world, but from a core like the ones piled up inside her old adventuring bag.

　

1d4 = 3
Jenga | Luthien | 🎲

"Well said, Yisdia." She shouldn’t have been surprised at how quickly the magia had figured out their little game, but her words showed Yisdia had full understanding of it now. "Knowledge is good, but without the proper dexterity your moves are bound to fail."

A point proven by the elf as she freed another block with minimal swaying from the structure, before depositing atop the tower to start a fresh new layer.

❰ Stability Meter ❱​

❰ 3 ❱​

No Change​

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

"Beat us both? Ronja thought Jenga was a co-op game?" Ronja blinked, surprised at the words. At least she played that way with Lena. But if it wasn't a co-op game, then she couldn't take it so lightly.

"In that case, Ronja can't lose!" She declared defiantly, snatching the piece from the middle of the tower... Which was honestly not a hard choice to make, considering there were very little options to take at that point.

When @Luthien elaborated what she meant, Ronja did her best to not show a sudden surprise on her face. She had never stopped to think about it. Well, in her case, it was obvious that she had a core. After all she already was a Magia to begin with. But the core itself, what exactly it was? { Maybe it is a consciousness materialized... Or just a memory data... }

Or...

{ ... A soul— }

A sudden sound of scattering wood could be heard, with a mess of tiny pieces going to all directions of the room. It interrupted Ronja's thoughts, and as she looked at the source of the sound, Yisdia was holding a single piece of the tower, while everything else was utterly ruined.

"..."

Yisdia looked at the disaster briefly.

"Demolition accomplished."

Rolls

1d4 (3) - Ronja
Total: 3 (Sucess!)

1d4 (1) - Yisdia
Total: 1 (CRASH!)

❰ Stability Meter ❱​

❰ 0 ❱​

CRASHED!​

 

[Luthien]

"A co-op game…?" An eyebrow rose high as Lúthien repeated the words, both in an attempt to process them and also question her friend. "That doesn’t sound right, Ronja. After all, according to the rules only one person can win in Jenga."

The revelation seemed to spark the brunette’s competitive nature, giving Ronja the confidence to pry a rather difficult piece as if it’d been nothing. A faint chuckle escaped the elf, before her brows quietly furrowed as Ronja shared a few thoughts related to their telepathic discussion—

*CRASH!*

"Oh my…" That particular topic was placed on hold as the sound of wooden blocks clashing together echoed between the trio, the already questionable foundation of the tower finally crumbling when Yisdia had taken a piece.

"Demolition accomplished."

"Spectacularly so~" A playful quip as Lúthien surveyed the remains of their tower before she continued. "And, since Ronja was the last to make a move without crumbling our tower, that means she’s the winner."

Expected considering both of her opponents were magia, though part of the blonde had thought Yisdia would’ve been the one to snatch the win. "How about a little break?" Her gaze shifted from the rogue magia to Ronja and back, before the elf reached for the basket of fruits her friend had brought.

"So, how was it Yisdia?" She picked a colorful one from the bunch before offering the basket to Ronja, and lastly to Yisdia so she could pick one as well. "Did you enjoy the game?"

She had assumed the magia was too engrossed in her brick structure to notice the berries at first, but there was always the possibility that she might’ve been hesitant to take something offered by her “saviors” too. Hopefully seeing them eat some of the fruits would ease whatever worries Yisdia might’ve had in the case of the latter scenario.

@Ronja Bubblyfoot