museboxofmuses | bitty fluff

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bitty fluff

The room was very quiet - or rather, it would be more accurate to call it tense. A clock was ticking loudly from where it was mounted on the wall, and the silence was broken only by the rustle of Yamato turning a page in his book.

The young Hotsuin's face was set into a rather unfriendly look, his lips pressed together in a thin line, and his eyebrows furrowed, eyes skimming over the lines in the books with uncanny speed. He looked more than a little disgruntled, and by how tightly he was gripping the edges of th ebook, looked like he wanted to throttle the poor thing within an inch of its life.

Why was he so annoyed? Well...

Alcor was the name of it. Well. Despite the strangeness of the boy, he was not a bad person. It was just that Yamato wasn't very appreciative of the invasion of his personal space, and although he wouldn't dishonour the Hotsuin name by being rude to the guest and kicking him out, he could sulk about it while under the pretence of reading his book (and thus being very obvious about his displeasure, and being rude anyway, even if indirectly).

However, despite his intense focus on his book, he did have on eye on his guest - just to make sure he didn't go touching anything and breaking it. Yamato had realised that Alcor was a very curious individual - asking odd, inane questions, or touching this or that, or remarking and pondering about such and such... it was tiresome.

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The young guest himself, meanwhile, paid no attention to the tension in the room. If he was aware of how much he was bothering the Hotsuin heir, he showed no signs of it. Instead, he wandered around, looking curiously at this or that. However, his host was being unusually quiet, even Alcor could tell that much.

"...Is something the matter?"

Yamato's eye twitched a little at being caught, and he quickly refocused his gaze back onto his book entirely, holding it up higher as if to hide behind it. He realised how ridiculous this was quickly though, and lowered his book with a sigh, closing it on his lap.

"No," he muttered after a pause, his mouth twisting irritably. "I am merely wondering if you ever sit down. You have been pacing about my room for almost an hour now."

Edited 2013-08-05 00:44 (UTC)

Alcor let out a little, light laugh, as if he found Yamato's comment immensely amusing.

"Of course. All humans need to sit down, as a part of resting."

Despite his statement, he looked at the floor for a moment, as if he wasn't sure. Nevertheless, he edged closer, walking over to Yamato's side.

"But I will sit with you, if you wish."

Because...that was clearly what he was trying to ask. Clearly.

Yamato's irritable look shifted into something more unreadable, and there was a slight, disquieted pause before he picked up his book again, opening up onto a random page. He pretended to read, even if he wasn't taking in the words any more.

"Do what you like. You are a guest, after all," he muttered, his voice low and quiet.

Alcor perked up at the admission, not quite picking up on Yamato's irritation. However, when he was near enough, right behind Yamato, he spotted something on the desk, the very same desk Yamato was reading his book before.

A chessboard.

Well, it was the pieces themselves, black and white and finely made, that caught his attention.

"Do you play chess?"

Yamato looked back up at Alcor, that unreadable expression on his face. It seemed like a bit of a silly question to him. If he had a chess board, then yes, he obviously played chess. He saw no point to have it for mere decorative purposes.

"...yes," he said after a pause, mulling over his words. Then, somewhat awkwardly, with an air of someone who wasn't very adept with small talk; "Do you?"

"No," he admitted, quite frankly at that. Alcor didn't seem ashamed of admitting his ignorance in the least.

"...I've never played chess before. Or many games, for that matter."

Although an idea was brewing in his mind, given that statement. Yamato knew chess, Alcor didn't. Alcor was curious about chess. Put two and two together, and...

Yamato stared at him for a long moment. Perhaps he was merely becoming accustomed to the boy's strangeness, or curiosity, but Yamato could already predict what was going to happen when Alcor's sleepy expression turned thoughtful. He closed his book and lifted it up and down, as if unsure whether or not to place it down.

"..."

He honestly didn't like this boy invading his space, but...

"The rules are simple," he said grudgingly, "Even a fool could pick them up in the span of one game."

Alcor perked up once again, glad that Yamato caught on so quickly.

"Then...may I ask for your assistance in learning them? I am no fool, at least."

...Others may beg to differ, but the boy was much sharper than his cluelessness about certain topics let on.

"...if you want. You are the guest."

The book was set down, and Yamato rose up to move to the desk with the chessboard. The pieces were laid out in their respective places, glinting with light streaming from the window. He motioned for Alcor to come closer.

"The white side always goes first, so you may be them, if you wish."

"Very well."

Alcor heeded Yamato's motion, and sidled even closer. He took the seat opposite Yamato, on the side of the white chess pieces, and prodded at some of them. The king piece, the queen piece, the bishop, and so on, touching each of them carefully, fingers exploring every groove.

Yamato watched Alcor explore the pieces with a small frown. It was odd to observe - Alcor appeared so fascinated and intent as he touched and explored each and every centimetre of the pieces. He was like a child.

Well. He was a child, but... for Yamato, who was taught that childishness was reserved for ignorant civilians only, it was quite the novelty.

"That's the rook," Yamato finally said, tilting his head towards the final piece Alcor was fiddling with. "It can move in vertical and horizontal lines only, for as many spaces as you wish."

"I see."

Alcor gently prodded the rook forward and backwards, side to side, experimentally moving it.

"And what about the others? I know that the pawn and the king are the least mobile, while the queen is the most..."

He had some sort of rudimentary knowledge of chess, it seemed, although his knowledge was less knowledge and more hearsay. Mostly from watching his siblings play, while he himself was not exactly allowed or welcomed to partake in such games.

"Hm..." Yamato looked down at the chess pieces, before carefully picking one up. It was the pawn - may as well work from the bottom up.

"The pawn. It can move two spaces from the starting point, but after that, only one. It can move only in a forwards direction, but can claim other pieces one square diagonal to it. Once the pawn reaches the opponent's side of the board, you may bring back a piece that had been knocked from play. An example would be, exchanging your pawn for a taken queen."

He set the pawn down, his expression contemplative. "It is the weakest piece in terms of power and mobility, yet if you use them correctly, they're invaluable. Without them, victory is a far off dream."

Alcor nodded, taking the information in. He smiled to himself, thinking of the pawn's plight. The weakest, yet it held the potential to be the strongest.

Potential.

But before he could talk the boy's ears off about that certain topic, he decided to allow Yamato to continue his lecture.

Unaware of the bullet he had dodged, Yamato turned his attention to the next piece; the knight.

"This is a unique piece, in that it can only move in a specific way. Three squares in any horizontal or vertical direction, and then one square to the left or right. Here..."

Yamato picked up the knight and demonstrated, moving it in the variety of ways it could.

"The knight can move over pieces because of this, both enemy or ally. However, it means it is difficult for the knight to capture pieces, because of this. If the enemy piece is where it would otherwise land at the end of its movement, it cannot capture anything."

"I see. Why does the knight move in such a way?" he asked.

He noted the curiousness of the L-shaped movement of the knight. Perhaps it had something to do with the horse motif going on, as if to show greater mobility at a certain cost. Or perhaps there was another reason. Either way, he doubted Yamato cared, but asked nonetheless.

"I don't know," Yamato said, his tone dulling a little in irritation. "Is it relevant?"

The answer was obviously 'no', because he set the knight back down in its original place, and picked up the bishop. "This piece, the bishop, can move only diagonally," he set it down and picked up the rook. "Again, this can move only forwards, backwards, and side to side."

He set that piece down, and his fingers skimmed over the top of the Queen. "This is the Queen. She may move in whatever direction she wishes. She is undoubtedly the strongest piece on the board. In contrast..."

Yamato then touched the king, and his expression became... odd. It was filled with something like wry amusement. "The king. The most important piece on the board, and the one that you are protecting. If the king is placed in checkmate, then it is game over. Yes, the king is very weak... it can only move one space in any direction, and achieve nothing else. Yet all the pieces scrabble to defend such a useless thing. It seems unfair, doesn't it?"

Alcor blinked, confused about the sudden inquiry, and about the change in demeanor.

"...I suppose. But it is part of the objective," he replied, keeping his tone even and neutral, as if he had no strong feelings about it either way. In truth, he didn't really. It made him think, yes, but he was more focused on the game.

He clapped his hands together, and set them in his lap, before gazing back at Yamato. It seemed that his lecture was done, and for the most part, he could remember the rules correctly.

"Yes, the objective..."

Yamato rocked the piece backwards and forwards, his brows furrowed in something like thought before his expression cleared. He lifted his hand and leant back in his seat, his gaze pinning Alcor down with something akin to calculating.

"Let's see how well you can remember those simple rules. Start."

"All right. I hope not to disappoint."

Doing as told, Alcor began the game, hand hovering over a pawn, all his pawns, really, until selecting a piece that wasn't any of them, and moved a knight instead. Not a very common opening move, but it was a testament as to just how oddly his mind worked.

Yamato just tilted his head, but said nothing on it. He moved a pawn, two spaces, on the farthest side of the board, and settled in his seat in a very statuesque manner once done.

He was watching Alcor closely. The boy was just strange to him, very alien to what Yamato knew. From what he had observed and witnessed, Alcor was something of an outcast within his family, vastly overshadowed by his siblings, neglected and practically invisible. Yamato didn't know how one could forget him so often though. He certainly made an impression on Yamato.

An irritating, too curious for his own good impression, but still...

"Why are you ignored?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Alcor asked. There was no resentment, or bitterness, or anything negative lingering in his voice at all. He was honestly curious as to whether Yamato had noticed, and it seemed that he indeed had.

Alcor moved a pawn forward.

"I am too different from my siblings."

Only his twin, Mizar, cared for him in any sort of capacity. As for the rest...if it was found that they were lacking guest one room in the Hotsuin manor for their young brother, it had little to do with them.

"That isn't a satisfactory reason."

Yamato was frowning, genuinely disgruntled. Different? That was a lacking excuse. Different normally meant interesting. Different normally meant a new viewpoint. Different normally meant potential for something better and greater. That was what he believed. Normality was for civilians who dwelt in their stagnant nature, not wishing to rise above in case they lost their comforts.

"Being different is something that should be welcomed. It opens up new opportunities."

Alcor let out a small laugh, and moved another piece when it was his turn. He made all sorts of strange moves, such leaving one out in the open, ripe for the taking, or moving a piece to a spot that was seemingly not advantageous in the slightest. Did he even have a concrete plan in mind, or was he simply trying out the pieces and remembering the rules...?

"It does not help that I defy their wishes."

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