[ for the moment that makoto stands to face him from the window, silhouetted by eternal sunlight, dextera is struck with an almost dizzying sense of déjà vu.
the mind reader has told him before that he sought his brother in the archangel, and he knows of himself that he looks to others for guidance on how to be himself. it isn’t a bad thing at all, then, for the comfortable ease of makoto’s smile with a chessboard ready to be set to bring him to a time that’s never existed—but one he’s fantasized about so endlessly that it might as well be real.
he’s happy now, because he knows he would have been happy if the moment had been lived. a small, subtle delusion. something so harmless it can barely be called a baroque, it goes unnoticed by dextera himself, and he instead responds to makoto’s challenge by crossing the room to sit on one of two chairs that luckily came with the table. ]
Heh.
[ his laugh is more like a breath with some force behind it, only distinguished from a sigh by the look in his eyes, and he shows makoto a white piece before he goes to put them all in their proper places.
he doesn’t have to say anything: he’s offering makoto the leisure of playing white, because he’s just that sure. ]
( if he had known, makoto would not be offended to think of dextera using him as a substitute for having this experience of playing chess with another given person. he had, after all, extensively used that same tactic to keep himself entertained while working for datenshou — he had fantasized about J, either by way of mental substitution or (barring that as a possibility) had focused instead on how he thought being with J might be different, might be far better and more exciting.
so, no, he doesn't mind being a stand-in, even unknowingly. he sits in the other chair with a silent, sly smile, thoroughly amused by this new, confident dextera that sat across the table from him.
he raises an eyebrow at the proffered white piece; were it someone else, he might have thought of this gesture as a slight, like it was being assumed that he would need whatever tiny handicaps the game could give him. but this is dextera, and he can read from his laugh and his smile that he means this more as a continuation of his own self-assuredness in this regard. in that case... more so than anything regarding himself, makoto wants to reward his gumption. and he wants to see just how justified it is. he reaches out to take the white piece, helping to arrange it and all of its brethren on his side of the board. )
I'm enjoying this new side to you. So, please. Don't hold back.
( to someone who has spent enough time with makoto as dextera, the way that he plays might come across as perfectly characteristic.
there's something to the first few moves that seems unpracticed; as if he feigns being a novice in order to entrench someone into the mistake of underestimating him. but he has awareness to the game and what future moves might come as others are committed that someone new to the game certainly wouldn't be able to manage. much as he does personally, he seems to be trying to provoke him into something daring or risky, regardless of whether or not he might be equipped to deal with it in kind.
perhaps he just wants to see dextera do something daring and risky. )
[ dextera, likewise, doesn’t have a playstyle that seems terribly different from the person he is in the day to day. he’s not too quick about his moves, treating each one—even the ones from makoto that seem green—as if they’re each worthy of consideration. he knows what he’s doing, and he shows it in a different way from makoto, but even caution doesn’t look like hesitation. ]
…
[ the latest move accomplishes what makoto seems to want; dextera could continue to play mildly defensive, or he could take what he’s learned of makoto’s approach so far and dive into the riskier play that’s being asked of him.
always a little restless, even when or especially because he’s having fun, he digs under his fingernail with the divot of the bishop he’s clearly thinking to use. he follows through on that idea just a moment later, placing it in prime position for sacrifice. dextera knows what he would do in response, if he were playing white, but he’s curious if makoto is going to take it.
the disadvantage is dextera’s, regardless; he’s merely following the clear urging to keep their game moving, and he glances up at makoto’s face from the board for the first time in a while to check his expression. is he having fun? does he recognize the play? what will he do next?
( mute as he is, dextera gives the impression of his personality in other ways. it's something of a beloved fascination of makoto, and one that feels nostalgic where it roosts in the hollow of his chest, so he has to assume he felt similarly about the other young man in horos before this. dextera is an individual, in makoto's mind, characterized by an earnestness that is somewhat contradictory in how it is bold and yet fragile all at once. this is a picture that he has pieced together of him over the past few weeks, assembled by his demeanor, his reactions to makoto's (more than occasional) provocation, the brief cascades of conversation they find themselves entertaining one another with. the way dextera plays chess is yet another non-verbal lens with which he can peer into his psyche, and he takes to it eagerly; he always is when it comes to opportunity to better understand him.
there are many that would take these moves at face value; there are just as many that would underestimate or take for granted dextera or his positions based on their own personal misconceptions. one thing that he took to heart when better learning this game in Hell is that, in chess, you do not play the pieces on the board — you play the personality of the person sitting opposite you. it is a contest of wills abstracted through the game's rules and restrictions; it's why he had learned to play so differently against J than datenshou (and why he can't even imagine kieran, or maybe even fjord, having the patience for a game).
makoto knows how to play the slow, cautious game. he's done so many times, and they could continue to plot out the steps to that laborious waltz, or they could accelerate things just to see what happened. he responds only with a subdued arching of a brow, giving a similar thoughtful pause as he considers what to do next.
he senses dextera's eyes on him, so he looks up to hold his gaze for a long, unblinking moment. then he gives him a faint smile, reaching out to take the bishop that had been so tantalizingly offered to him; whether or not he recognizes the play and plays into it knowingly or not is just as hard to read as the demon is by default, but one thing is for certain: he is having fun. he doesn't particularly mind if he loses, especially if it's in the event of playing a little loosely — all the better to tease out a bold dextera, a risk-taking dextera, one that he can basically sense inwardly glowing with contentment.
he is very fond of this version of him, he thinks. )
[ the bishop is taken, but that really only means so much. what dextera likes about chess is the myriad ways a game could go with every new move. a perfect game is possible, but it isn’t fun—like a greater metaphor for the world in which he lives, what makes the game a game are the human foibles that lead to imperfect, rational decisions. ]
…
[ dextera lets out a small exhale, less a sigh and more a release of pressure, another wordless sign of his pleased restlessness.
the move that follows the sacrifice of his bishop is quick, and dextera seems happy with himself for pulling it off. it puts his queen into play; the game, with makoto’s acceptance, has finally turned aggressive. he’s drawn into the board, eyes back on the game after looking down from makoto’s smile, and there’s the slightest smile set on his own mouth curtained by his hair. ]
I know what you want.
[ flirtatious, almost; as much as dextera has ever gotten, at least, when it comes to makoto. ]
( there is no one move that wins or loses a chess game. there can be a cascading array of misplays or opportunities left untaken, but there is almost always room for one player to take the upper hand or for another to allow their hubris or thoughtlessness to take theirs from them. if one were to play chess purely on logic, with little more than mathematical precision and probability to guide their moves, it would be a soulless and artificial experience. the spark of humanity, of something that is so emotional and irrational and unpredictable and alive, is one that flashes brightest in the moments when it behaves outside of how one might expect. to risk big and to open oneself up for an immense victory or a crushing defeat...
though makoto has been slow to start in this game, teasing and provoking at his opponent, this is often the tactic he devolves to. he believes the game is most fun, after all, when it is at its most dramatic. indeed, just like in life.
the demon's response to dextera's ensuing move is just as quick and decisive as the move itself; a smile spreads across his face like wildfire, bright and sharp, to see the daring of dextera moving his queen into play. exactly the sort of move he likes to play at a critical junction himself, though it's just as enjoyable to have it reflected back towards him. )
I have no idea what you're talking about.
( he says, blithe, as he makes his next move. he is not reckless, yet... but gone is his own protracted passivity and defensiveness. the shape of his strategy is animal canniness, quick and clear, subtle and reactive, with teeth bared to snap at dextera in the instance of any perceived weakness or uncertainty.
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the mind reader has told him before that he sought his brother in the archangel, and he knows of himself that he looks to others for guidance on how to be himself. it isn’t a bad thing at all, then, for the comfortable ease of makoto’s smile with a chessboard ready to be set to bring him to a time that’s never existed—but one he’s fantasized about so endlessly that it might as well be real.
he’s happy now, because he knows he would have been happy if the moment had been lived. a small, subtle delusion. something so harmless it can barely be called a baroque, it goes unnoticed by dextera himself, and he instead responds to makoto’s challenge by crossing the room to sit on one of two chairs that luckily came with the table. ]
Heh.
[ his laugh is more like a breath with some force behind it, only distinguished from a sigh by the look in his eyes, and he shows makoto a white piece before he goes to put them all in their proper places.
he doesn’t have to say anything: he’s offering makoto the leisure of playing white, because he’s just that sure. ]
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so, no, he doesn't mind being a stand-in, even unknowingly. he sits in the other chair with a silent, sly smile, thoroughly amused by this new, confident dextera that sat across the table from him.
he raises an eyebrow at the proffered white piece; were it someone else, he might have thought of this gesture as a slight, like it was being assumed that he would need whatever tiny handicaps the game could give him. but this is dextera, and he can read from his laugh and his smile that he means this more as a continuation of his own self-assuredness in this regard. in that case... more so than anything regarding himself, makoto wants to reward his gumption. and he wants to see just how justified it is. he reaches out to take the white piece, helping to arrange it and all of its brethren on his side of the board. )
I'm enjoying this new side to you. So, please. Don't hold back.
( to someone who has spent enough time with makoto as dextera, the way that he plays might come across as perfectly characteristic.
there's something to the first few moves that seems unpracticed; as if he feigns being a novice in order to entrench someone into the mistake of underestimating him. but he has awareness to the game and what future moves might come as others are committed that someone new to the game certainly wouldn't be able to manage. much as he does personally, he seems to be trying to provoke him into something daring or risky, regardless of whether or not he might be equipped to deal with it in kind.
perhaps he just wants to see dextera do something daring and risky. )
no subject
…
[ the latest move accomplishes what makoto seems to want; dextera could continue to play mildly defensive, or he could take what he’s learned of makoto’s approach so far and dive into the riskier play that’s being asked of him.
always a little restless, even when or especially because he’s having fun, he digs under his fingernail with the divot of the bishop he’s clearly thinking to use. he follows through on that idea just a moment later, placing it in prime position for sacrifice. dextera knows what he would do in response, if he were playing white, but he’s curious if makoto is going to take it.
the disadvantage is dextera’s, regardless; he’s merely following the clear urging to keep their game moving, and he glances up at makoto’s face from the board for the first time in a while to check his expression. is he having fun? does he recognize the play? what will he do next?
each question is as important as the other. ]
no subject
there are many that would take these moves at face value; there are just as many that would underestimate or take for granted dextera or his positions based on their own personal misconceptions. one thing that he took to heart when better learning this game in Hell is that, in chess, you do not play the pieces on the board — you play the personality of the person sitting opposite you. it is a contest of wills abstracted through the game's rules and restrictions; it's why he had learned to play so differently against J than datenshou (and why he can't even imagine kieran, or maybe even fjord, having the patience for a game).
makoto knows how to play the slow, cautious game. he's done so many times, and they could continue to plot out the steps to that laborious waltz, or they could accelerate things just to see what happened. he responds only with a subdued arching of a brow, giving a similar thoughtful pause as he considers what to do next.
he senses dextera's eyes on him, so he looks up to hold his gaze for a long, unblinking moment. then he gives him a faint smile, reaching out to take the bishop that had been so tantalizingly offered to him; whether or not he recognizes the play and plays into it knowingly or not is just as hard to read as the demon is by default, but one thing is for certain: he is having fun. he doesn't particularly mind if he loses, especially if it's in the event of playing a little loosely — all the better to tease out a bold dextera, a risk-taking dextera, one that he can basically sense inwardly glowing with contentment.
he is very fond of this version of him, he thinks. )
no subject
…
[ dextera lets out a small exhale, less a sigh and more a release of pressure, another wordless sign of his pleased restlessness.
the move that follows the sacrifice of his bishop is quick, and dextera seems happy with himself for pulling it off. it puts his queen into play; the game, with makoto’s acceptance, has finally turned aggressive. he’s drawn into the board, eyes back on the game after looking down from makoto’s smile, and there’s the slightest smile set on his own mouth curtained by his hair. ]
I know what you want.
[ flirtatious, almost; as much as dextera has ever gotten, at least, when it comes to makoto. ]
no subject
though makoto has been slow to start in this game, teasing and provoking at his opponent, this is often the tactic he devolves to. he believes the game is most fun, after all, when it is at its most dramatic. indeed, just like in life.
the demon's response to dextera's ensuing move is just as quick and decisive as the move itself; a smile spreads across his face like wildfire, bright and sharp, to see the daring of dextera moving his queen into play. exactly the sort of move he likes to play at a critical junction himself, though it's just as enjoyable to have it reflected back towards him. )
I have no idea what you're talking about.
( he says, blithe, as he makes his next move. he is not reckless, yet... but gone is his own protracted passivity and defensiveness. the shape of his strategy is animal canniness, quick and clear, subtle and reactive, with teeth bared to snap at dextera in the instance of any perceived weakness or uncertainty.
just like makoto. )