jikan_network | video; un: steak.

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food fantasy: steak

video; un: steak.

( Hey, Nippon network! It's been a while since you've seen this face, hasn't it? Not that you can actually see Steak's face at this moment in time, because the camera is focused on a towering pile of wooden blocks.

That's right: Steak's playing Jonga.

And we're at a tense moment, where his opponent — identity obscured, thankfully for them, by the pile of wooden blocks — is trying to make their move without toppling the whole thing.

Carefully, carefully... If you're holding your breath watching this, that's okay, because both Steak and his opponent are too.

And then comes the tumble, the crash. The destruction of all their dreams.

And Steak whooping and laughing as his victory shines before his eyes. )

HAHAHAHA— AS EXPECTED, I AM THE CHAMPION. ( And a sore winner. The camera finally pans to his delighted looking face as his opponent slinks off, and in the background, you can see a banner reading JONGA CHAMPIONSHIP. ) If anyone thinks they can defeat me, come to this bar! Or are you all too afraid?

( Please defeat him. He deserves it. )

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[while lamenting on the fact that Dohalim had lost several people in Nippon over the last almost-year he'd been here, he's delighted to see Steak on the network, even if it's for something as ridiculous as... Jonga, was it?

either way, there's an amused look on his face]

Is this game really that intensive? I have to say I'm rather curious about it.

[it seems simple, don't knock over the blocks while nudging or pulling them out. perhaps he'll take on the challenge...]

( To be fair, there is a lot of tension to waiting for the crash! But mostly Steak is just... Like This. )

Then come challenge me! See for yourself how much skill this takes.

Oh, I don't deny that it takes great skill. Anything with balance does. But I suppose a friendly competition wouldn't hurt anyone.

[and he could go for a drink, really. alright Steak, you've twisted his arm]

I will see you in a bit, then.

[and true to his word, Dohalim does eventually come around to the bar. glad to see this "championship" is still ongoing, he joins Steak at the table. there's a small smile on his face, mostly because he's just happy to see the other Food Soul, and to spend some time with him, even if it's doing something silly like this]

Hello, Steak. I trust the evening has been treating you well.

( Drinks are also very good, but Steak is going to be holding off until he's confirmed the Jonga champion of the night.

Still, he lights up when he sees Dohalim, a smile crossing his features before he leaves his chair to envelope the man in a hug. )

Of course! Everyone has fallen to my strength.

( Seriously, please kick his ass. )

Do you still want to try to best me?

[the hug is a welcomed thing, as Dohalim reaches around to embrace him back. he lets out a soft, but hearty chuckle at Steak's overconfidence; it really wouldn't be him if he was anything but]

Oh, I'm sure.

[as they pull away, Dohalim takes his seat and looks at the blocks]

I'll give it a go. However, you will have to explain the rules to me as I'm unfamiliar with the game.

( As far as Steak is concerned, he is exactly the right amount of confident. He's been winning all night long, and why would that change? )

Ah. It's simple! ( Okay, we both know how to Jenga yes? I can just handwave that he goes into a couple of sentences about how it works, right? In the meanwhile, the tower has been set up by one of the bar's workers, and Steak gestures to the seats as he finishes talking. )

Challenger goes first.

[Dohalim simply nods as he's told the rules, eyes flitting along the stacked blocks]

This sounds simple enough.

[simple, but it's as he said earlier: balance takes skill. now, it's just a matter of what block to remove first.

perhaps the fact that they're wooden, on top of a wooden surface, that helps in this situation as Dohalim can almost feel every grain, every discrepancy in them. that isn't to say he's going to cheat, but it's hard to ignore that some blocks are cut a little more unevenly than others, and thus will be easier to remove. he can tell which direction the tower is subtly leaning, so it's just a matter of counterbalancing that lean. is Dohalim strategising his first move a little too much? maybe. his gaze moves back to Steak, his smile turning into a grin]

Shall we put down a wager of our own? Let's say... Loser buys drinks for the rest of the night?

( At least Dohalim strategises. Steak isn't going nearly that far in the bid to win this tournament. He doesn't need to. It's served him absolutely fine to just work off instinct so far.

When you're a food soul of several hundred years, your instinct is a fine weapon, honed perfectly. He has no worries about any of his potential competition, and so Dohalim's offer just sounds like an excuse to get very drunk, to which Steak grins right back. )

Excellent idea! ( And, thinking of it, Steak gestures to where their familiar friend is sat, pretending he doesn't know Steak. ) That includes Red Wine's bill.

( That's a hefty price. Red Wine drinks a lot. But Steak is confident in himself. )

[Dohalim glances over at Red Wine with a fond smile on his face; he's not surprised he's here with Steak. he lifts his hand up in a small wave, before turning his attention back on the other Food Soul]

This is a fine wager, and one I will accept.

[joke's on Steak, Dohalim is also a heavyweight in drinking. now he really intends to win, just to humble the redhead a little]

With that being said, let's begin.

[Dohalim reaches up to a block in the middle, finger prodding at it until it easily slips out from its confints, before placing it on the top of the tower. oh, this will be a very easy game]

[you know, she should probably lay low a little bit. Alas... Lilja has a soft spot for taking overconfident men down a peg or three, and boy this sure is a display. There's nothing but a challenge accepted reply to the video, and then... it's just waiting.

Waiting for the distinct clack of heels on the ground, signaling the approach of one relatively tall lady, made even taller by the heels she's wearing. Every step has the ruffles of her skirt swishing against her legs, and it's not long before she's dealt with any sign ups and approached the rebuilt pile of blocks (and the blockhead with them).

The pink haired vampire gives him a little wave with her fingers - more of a menacing wiggle of long-nailed fingers - and a bright little smile.]

Let's see what you can really do, shall we?

[sitting down across the table, she crosses her legs and lets the fabric of the skirt fall around them. Stiletto nails shimmer in the light as she laces them together, peering pointedly at the shorter man.]

( Steak has learned his lesson about underestimating women he doesn't know many a time. Vodka's arm wrestling skills being but one in a long list of reasons he doesn't say anything when she arrives, instead choosing to offer a respectful nod and extend his hand for a handshake. )

I won't go easy on you, either.

( He has a championship rank to defend here! But since rules dictate that the opponent gets first pull, Steak lifts his arms away from the table so she can make her move in peace. )

[handshakes aren't anything new, at least, and Lilja exhales a little laugh as she takes his hand. It might be awkward when she leans forward to also kiss his cheeks, the motion quick and polite.]

I should hope not.

[now, though? The game. The Jonga blocks look and feel about the same as the real thing, and she doesn't really hesitate to choose yet. Her first block is from roughly the middle of the stack, on her left side. The other blocks shift just the slightest bit before settling.]

( It definitely takes him by surprise, despite how long he's been here in Nippon. Maybe that's an advantage for Lilja, unsettling him a little bit.

Though once she makes her first move — a sensible choice, without being too dull. She's confident and he can see it — Steak's focus slides wholly to the pile of blocks before him, and he slides out a piece on the opposite side, a couple of rows beneath her own.

It comes out without too much fuss, and he slips it neatly at the top of the pile. )

Hmph. Easy.

[Honestly, it's just how she's been going about it for so long that it didn't even strike her as possibly strange. She doesn't even watch him after long enough to notice it really.]

We haven't begun the hard part yet. Don't get too cocky.

[There's amusement in it, and she waits just a beat for blocks to settle. Her next choice is a block a few rows above her first, on the same side as his, slipping it out delicately between her nails.]

( Oh, he knows they haven't, but he's defeated some nervous nellies already. She, on the other hand, strikes him as the kind of person who will make this an interesting fight. But currently, Steak doesn't need to hesitate too badly before making his move.

That middle piece, a couple rows from the bottom, looks loose, and proves to slide out easily once he pushes it towards her. )

Very well. Your turn.

[It's a relatively safe pick, she thinks. Logical, since there's no sense in just rushing to tip the top. She does like to play a bit dangerously, though - her next piece is an edge piece from the row above his, and she watches the blocks as they settle.]

Alright. Your move.

( There isn't much strategy to Steak's picks, beyond "this looks like a relatively sure thing". He watches her choice, riskier as it is, and though it feels a little like a goad, he manages not to rise to it.

Maybe he's growing up a little bit here in Nippon.

Instead, Steak does as he has done, and finds something that already looks loose — it just happens to be the piece one row below and on the opposite side.

Slowly, they're edging away at the integrity of this construction, and things will get harder from here. )

[Maybe on occasion, she makes to goad him, but mostly? Lilja is just a thrillseeker. She's always enjoyed the efforts of it, the chance to learn something. And this... admittedly, it's a chance to hone her skills, too. Hearing wooden blocks among the rest of the sound around them is an interesting time.

Piece by piece, the tower begins to lose its integrity, pieces swaying and wobbling worryingly with each new one removed. The chatter has died down a bit, attention drifting to the spectacle of the two. Now, Lilja's moves are more calculated, careful choices that are made slowly and steadily to minimise wobbling.

There's even a soft exhale after her latest one, the tower shifting concerningly before ultimately settling down. No words then, just a nod to Steak as she sets the piece aside. Not much more now, she suspects... as to who'll win? That depends on how well she'd read the tower and her opponent both.]

( It's a close race. Already several rows have been completely removed, each time with Steak biting his tongue and hoping for a favourable result.

Now, he stares at the waving, wobbling pile of blocks, the balance precarious, asking for one wrong move to topple it all to the ground. He won't let that happen.

Right now, he'll play it safe, removing a block from near the top with gentle, ginger movements. He doesn't go for the bold, decisive play, for once. He's learning.

Sort of. Almost. There's a definite twitch in his facial muscles when the tower trembles, when one wrong move could bring this all crashing down.

One moment's distraction could cost him this match. )

[It has to end sometime. There are only so many pieces that are safe, so to speak, and by now the din had grown relatively quiet around them.

After all, how often does a game like this go so long?]

You know, [Lilja remarks as she grips a piece with her fingertips, pulling slowly and smoothly forward.] I can't remember the last time I played a game without stakes. It's surprisingly enjoyable.

[The piece gives a faint scrape as it's pulled free, and she remains cool as the tower trembles again. If his next piece doesn't cause this to fall, she thinks, it might just be her loss.

Which honestly is a pretty intriguing thought. She rarely loses, and her games are rarely this long.]

... Is that right?

( Honestly, his last few games have been such an easy sweep that if, by chance of this next move, he does lose, Steak won't be entirely upset. Much like his arm wrestling contest with Vodka: he'd been so impressed by her strength and skill that the loss would have been fair.

So, he takes a minute to look at the wobbling pile of blocks, and gently pushes his choice.

It shifts.

His finger twitches.

The pile of blocks comes tumbling down. )

... Shit!

( Okay, so it was a fair win, but he can still be annoyed that it wasn't his. )

Mm. There hasn't been much time for it where I came from.

[It's all she says as Steak puts his attention on the game again, practically holding her breath now. She's not without some measure of conceit, after all, and losing after this much effort would be... frustrating.

And... it topples, the sound of wood clattering in wood and tabletop drawing out a single, triumphant cheer, Lilja's hands curling to give a cute little fistpump.]

Ah, finally. You almost had me going there... now I'm a little sad there wasn't a wager.

[She's good-natured about it, pleased with both of their performances as she offers a smile.]

Well, that looks like a boring game designed for children.

are you afraid i'll beat you?

I'm afraid you'd bore me.

tch
if you can't see the strategy in a game like this, you won't be very good at it.

I'm not an idiot.

[ absolutely suggesting you are, though ]

You're such an idiot.

you're right here! say that to my face!

And let everyone here know I'm associated with you?

everyone already knows we're dating, you idiot.

That isn't the point.

then what is?

( Isn't their association perfectly clear already? )

You're embarrassing.
And also, I could beat you at this game.

tch
if you really thought that you would have tried already

If you think you need more practice losing then I'll take you on.
But it looks like you have plenty of people willing to give you the same lesson.

hmph
you wish you could beat me at this.

( Hey, at least he said at this, it's a tacit admission that Red Wine does, indeed, beat him sometimes. )

Shall I take that as a challenge?

bring it on 😈

Fine.

[And a couple of minutes later, a half full glass of wine is set down on the table and Red Wine is looking down imperiously at his (boyfriend?? lover??) partner(??) as he rests his fingertips next to the glass.]

Set it up.

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video; un: steak.

video; un: ilqaras

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un: nailedit, text but really it's just action lbr

ehehehe

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text; un: g

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text; un: redwine

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