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Rishi	Rishi's mansion is just as it always is. A large hall, full of couches and tables with everfull bowls of food and wine freely available. Rishi looks pensive as she waits for Ammy to arrive, looking at the automaton sitting in a chair and the unassuming game box lying on the table. It looks well crafted, but not ostentatious...thought it is neither of those things. What she is, is hungry.
Amethyst	THere's a veritable torrent of rushing wind outside that ends in the distinct sound of wingss as the fae dragon lands and steadies herself. She grins, and makes her way inside of Rishi's mansion, ears perked. Then as she spots Rishi, there's a happy little trill and a giggle, "Hey Rishi!" Then her ears fall with her expression, as she notices Rishi's face, "Is everything alright?"
Rishi	Rishi also perks up when Ammy arrives, then she looks over at the table, frowns and hastens Ammy outside. "I was calling you here to be doing something that is being ...dangerous. Not to you, but, if you are not wanting to be doing it, I am understanding." She looks down. "The demon I was doing the summoning of to be helping in the war... I am not wanting to be sending her back to the hell...unsatsfied. So, I would like for you to be doing the playing of her in the Gateway. As long as she is getting the "good game" she should be the satisfied, no matter whether she is doing the winning or the losing. You were telling me before that you were good at the game, so I thought you might do the playing of her. And I will be doing the handling of the stakes."
Amethyst	Amethyst takes a momment, and processes what her love is asking of her. "So wait, you want me to face a demon in a board game?" She looks a little surprised and unsure, "I mean, I can. I'm pretty good at Gateway yeah, though I never was able to actually beat my father at it, but I think he cheated. And I was still a mortal back then too." She rubs her chin. "What do you mean by stakes?"
Rishi	Rishi tries to play it casually "Oh, it is being not a big thing, but she is insisting on some stakes to make the game to be the "fun." Fortunately, as I am being her master, I can be arguing her down and helping some of the people too. So, I am wagering some few years of my most lengthy life and in exchange, she is releasing some of her captive souls. But you are not going to be doing the suffering and I can be losing a few of the years, so do not be worrying."
Amethyst	"So you want me to play in your stead, with your betting part of your lifespan against a few souls that this demon has, to make the said demon happy when you send her back to hell?" Amethyst asks, she narrows her eyes and pulls her ears back a bit. Rishi is not one to deceive her, but this is still baffling to Amethyst. So she asks, "...Why?"
Rishi	Rishi looks a bit nervous, looks away, then looks back and says "...I am not doing the lying. It is not being most ..wise to be upsetting one of the Demons of the Second Circle. And she is turning those who lose against her into her playing pieces, so saving some of those people is being ...most worthwhile." "...But you are being correct, those are not being the real reason I am doing this thing. I would... prefer to be telling you after the game is being over. While, I don't think it is being bad...I am thinking you might be the upset with me and I would prefer to be having that conversation after the game is being over. If you will still be doing the playing of it."
Amethyst	The alchemist sighs, and looks Rishi straight in the eyes, "As long as you promise me it's not going to hurt you for me to win this game, I'll do it." She figures that Rishi wouldn't hurt someone she loves or cares aabout nor would Rishi do something that could hurt Amethyst. "Don't worry about what happens if I lose, I won't." She has a cheeky grin on her face.
Rishi	Rishi looks pensive. "...It would be hurting me more to not be doing it. It will not be hurting you at all." Then she moves away and you may both proceed into the building. Sitting at the table is a genderless automaton, before an unassuming wooden box. Rishi says "My friend has agreed to play. The game will be Gateway and the stakes will be as we agreed earlier." Rishi places her hand on the box, winces slightly, and then a Silver chip sits upon it. A feminine chuckle comes, not from the automaton, but the box itself. "Very good! Very, very good! Then shall we begin Player?" And the box opens up on bone hinges, as panels move and shift, briefly revealing the muscles behind them. Yet more pieces and panels flip out from what looked like solid wood a moment ago. Until, all that is left is a Gateway board. "So, which variation shall we play? You may go first."
Amethyst	"We could do the navel variant, a classic of House Peleps." Amethyst says, taking her seat across from the demon. "What exactly are we wagering today? I wanna know the stakes I'm playing for." Her ears are back with a hint of a smile. She brushes her hair to the side and grins at Rishi before looking more stern towards the demon.
Rishi	The box clears her throat and then ...pauses. If Ammy looks back over at Rishi, she's looking up in what she clearly thinks is a very nonchalant way. The box says "...My Master told you, did she not? Some of her years for some of my pieces." She chuckles. "Don't worry, she won't lose anything. As long as you win." You get the distinct feeling that she's smirking at you. Meanwhile, the board has shifted and reset to match the naval variant of the game. "Your Move."
Amethyst	Amethyst hmphs just a little. So much for asking the demon what's really going on. None the less, she centers herself, and focuses, emptying her mind of her concerns and fears and instead putting them towards one simple idea: Victory. Nothing will matter if she loses. And in this game, she should have the advantage. She looks carefully at the pieces and opens with a rather unorthadox play, but she's clearly leading somewhere with it. The dragon has a plan.
Rishi	After each of Ammy's turns, the automaton reaches over and dutifully moves a piece. There's no banter now, Ammy gets the sense that she is very ..intent on this game. After several moves, it's clear that Ammy is in a superior position...but something about her hellish strategy may still bear unsettling fruit.
Amethyst	Her anima gently comes to life as she moves the pieces, faster and faster as her mind eliminates possibilities that couldn't possibly work. She's outmaneuvered the demon game for now, but to hold her lead, she must think carefully and decisively. Their strategy worries her, so she plays more defensively rather than trying to fully capitalize on her advantage.
Rishi	As the game evolves further, the demons strategy seems even more bizzare and goes farther and farther from winning. Possibly she simply hadn't expected you to be this good and she's trying to psych you out and make you miss a play. ...or possibly she has an even deeper strategy. You won't know until the game finishes.
Amethyst	It's unnerving. Yes the demon is skilled, on par with how she used to play before the blood of the dragons flowed through her veins. And now that she has this power, it's time to fully unleash it. As she plays her anima grows and grows, until the icon of her anima, a great sea lion, follows her final play. It's all or nothing.
Rishi	After her final play, the demon's final piece topples over. "Heheheh. A very impressive gambit, I'll have to make a note of it for next time. Would you like a rematch, dear? I can provide you s-" "No, this is not being the time for the tournament. ...But I may be calling upon you once more, should I have need of your services. I will, of course, be trying to be making it the interesting. For now, see to the stakes and the forfit." "...." The box somehow looks aggrived, but settles down and smoothly says "Very well. You wished for my most recent Five Pawns." The box snaps open, revealing a gaping maw as five playing pieces fly out, standing next to the table. "They are now yours." The pieces slump to the ground, distorted shapes and body plates shifting, pulling back, until eventually five people are lying on the ground, unconcious. Rishi quickly lifts them up to various couches and checks on them. "They shall recover shortly. As for the other matter..."
Amethyst	For her part, still glowing bright enough to melt wood and lesser materials, Amethyst looks satisfied and relieved. Ears drooping as she smiles. "Good game, you're pretty good. Maybe we should play again sometime." And then come the pieces. She pulls her ears back and holds her chest as she watches them turn back into people. "Oh dear gods, how do they end up like that in the first place?" ..."And what other matter?" She turns back towards Sigereth, with a questioning posture.
Rishi	"I can provide many things to people, but they must offer stakes of equal value. Those who no longer have anything else to bet may freely wager their lives. If they win, then they gain back all that they lost and more. If they lose, they join my game, until someone else bets for their life. Which brings us to that other matter." The Automaton reaches over and drops the silver betting token in Ammy's hand. "For the bet of five mortal lives, I demanded a similar span of her years, a tenth of her life. You won the game, so now they are yours. May you have many fine games with them." The token suddenly burns with silver essence, vanishing into smoky light, coiling around Ammy, drifting up like smoke, until the next moment she breathes in where it is suddenly all sucked down her throat.
Amethyst	Her anima flares out in protest as the weight of her sorcerous power roars to life, but only for a moment. Willing or not she sucks down the essence, gasping afterword. She collapses onto her knees in shock, her face is red and she looks very upset, perhaps betrayed.
Rishi	Rishi is there, helping her up, and checking on her. She gives the demon a look and the demon chuckles before dematerializing. Ammy is helped over to a couch to lie down. A drink of water is provided. "....I'm sorry, but I was not thinking you would be accepting it, if I was simply doing the giving of it to you. And she will only be giving such things to those who are winning."
Amethyst	With a moment Rishi can feel the most intense sorcerous power from Amethyst she's /ever/ felt, so thick and real that it feels almost like the ocean itself is bearing down on top of her as anima is sent flying around her. Amethyst curses her out in Flametongue, "What the hell Rishi? Weren't you the one who just fucking talked about doing stupid and silly things with our essence and our souls and doing that which is considerably dangerous without making sure that others are around to help? If this went wrong for one reason or another we'd both be much worse off than we were before, and not /only/ that but this wasn't fucking necessary!" She continues her tirade in flametongue, "I am sure that through sorcery and alchemy I could already live a plenty long life and it's already one of my goals as Age-Staving Cordial is worth a small fortune! Why did you not at least consult or talk to me about this before you start trusting demons to do such dangerous workings?!" The dragon stands somehow taller than normally, likely form her anima steaming with her attitude. She is /not/ happy, and one could cut wood with that glare.
Rishi	Rishi wilts under the onslaught, the crushing weight of Ammy's anima knocking her to the ground. She mutters "I deserved that" in her native flametongue, before continuing, in a louder voice, "......." she sighs "You're right. I can try to justify it to you, but you're right." She's huddled down under her wings and the weight of Ammy's disregard "but... I'm aware of just how many years I might live, and just how empty those years would be without you, Pearly, and Frosty. When I learned of Siggereth's powers, summoning her to help with the war and to do this... it sounded perfect. From what she told me, I lost a tenth of my years... but you just doubled yours. I...I should have told you, but trading empty years without you for full ones with you...I will make that trade happily!"
Amethyst	Amethyst holds her glare for just a bit longer, then relents. "With Age Staving Cordial I could have doubled my years anyway, if not more. Do you remember how long the Empress lived without seeming to age a single day? I'm saying there were safer ways to do it and now you've lost some chunk of your many centuries. But that won't matter if we figure out how to become immortal, now will it?" She grins and offers a hand to her love.
Rishi	Rishi smiles and accepts her hand up. "I was planning on regaining those years anyway. And, well, if we die in the next several years from opposing the Realm, it still won't matter." Rishi suddenly pulls Ammy close and kisses her. "And that was an amazing duel my love. I am most amazed and impressed! Not many people can manage giving her a defeat!"
Amethyst	Amethyst gives a little kiss back. "Next time you do something like this, talk to me about it first?" The exasperated dragon slowly tires as she leans against her love. She did just use almost all of her essence on a board game.
Rishi	Rishi nods. "I will, I will. Shall I show you up to bed? And...do you think I should do the same thing for Pearly?" Rishi lifts Ammy and carries her up stairs, past the unconcious people. "...Once they wake up, I'll try to find out who they were and how long ago they were taken. Some of them, we might be able to send back home. If not... I suppose we can try to set them up here?" She hrms. "Well I'm sure we can figure out something. I think Silk will give me a loan of some money."
Amethyst	"If any are seriously displaced, they could work for me in my shop." Amethyst suggests, "But for now, I think that..." With each word she gets quieter, and with the last one, her anima fades and she seems to fall asleep there in Rishi's arms, her tattoos returning to their natural midnight blue they have when the young alchemist is unconscious. It seems everything really did take it out of the dragon. She used up all her energy.
Rishi	Rishi smiles and kisses her again, before carrying her up to bed.