jikan_network | 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. )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( 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.]

video; un: steak.

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