video; un: steak.

[battlebound]

( 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. )

Comments

[battlebound]

( 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.

[ilqaras]

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.

[battlebound]

( 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?

[ilqaras]

[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.

[battlebound]

( 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.

[ilqaras]

[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?

[battlebound]

( 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. )

[ilqaras]

[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]