entranceway | ➶ three (video)

➶ three (video)

-land's influence on you. [ Good morning from the tired and faintly exasperated countenance of Robyn, who hastily replaces a wayward braid behind her ear before actually attending to the broadcast. She smiles wearily, clearing her throat before addressing the mansion. ]

Hello, Wonderland. In case we've yet to meet, my name is Robyn Cousland of the Gr- [ She cuts off momentarily to glance away, frowning, and speaks to someone or something off-camera. ] Stop. Sit.

[ There's a low whine, but she returns to the device with a satisfied, short sigh. ]

When I arrived, I... found, if it can be called that, a mabari - a Ferelden hound - in the wardrobe of my room. He isn't nearly as well-behaved as my own, unfortunately; he seems much younger, though I've just been thinking it might be because of the way that this place seems to affect us all. Though, luckily, we haven't all been taking little things from other people and hiding them away.

[ TALKING ABOUT YOU, OREN THE DOG. ]

Which... brings me to my point, which is that the dog has apparently been taking things that don't belong to him. Some of them have names written in them, some books, but most of these things have been difficult to return. I know for a fact that he confiscated possessions of an Emily Bennett, Evelyn O'Connell, and Cullen Rutherford. Also... [ At this, the Warden sifts through the pile as she speaks: ] Several boots, gloves, and gauntlets, mostly leather. A... necklace, I think, made of bone, a clay flower pot, some kind of- [ Maker's breath. She looks momentarily pained and spots of pink rise into the apples of her cheeks. ] Something... called Busty Asian Beauties, and several other things I've yet to identify.

[ The picture on the cover of that particular piece of reading material is overwhelmingly embarrassing and she hastens to end the broadcast. ]

Andraste's grace. Please stop by room thirty on the first floor if you've been missing something, or just tell me what you've lost and I will return it once I've made some sense of this mess.

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It's- [ She hesitates, then smiles and admits a little laugh. ] It's new, but I have a... similar dog back at home, and he does this sort of thing all the time. Usually on command, but sometimes he gets it in his head that he should just... fetch. Without command.

[ Calen is a good boy, though. ... And so is Oren! Usually!! ]

Huh.. yeah, I get that. Rex 'd get it into his head to run off and find something to bring back all on his own sometimes.

[But Rex was a special kind of cyberdog who would also charge headlong at cazadores he spotted half a mile away until he realised Dan was hoofing it in the other direction.]

Oscar ain't done it yet, but we'll see.

It must be all dogs, then, and not only mabari, or... my mabari. [ She laughs lightly, glad and grateful that he submits that little piece of information, which makes her feel slightly less guilty. ]

Oscar may be waiting to surprise you. [ Robyn suggests lightly. ] I hadn't noticed that Oren was taking all these things until today. He hid them in a little nest somewhere I don't usually go.

Y'know, if he's gonna surprise me, I'd prefer he don't do it by makin' off with other people's belongings.

[He smiles, a crooked half-grin that makes him look all too mischievous.] You got card games where you come from? It's about the safest form of entertainment for folks like me.

I don't think any of us would prefer that. [ It's been a big hassle for Robyn and a grand old time for her hound. ]

Card games? [ She smiles, albeit a little uncertainly, but nods. ] Of course. Do you know Wicked Grace?

[He shakes his head slightly, then glances at the array of stolen goods still laid out in the young woman's room. Idly, he hopes that no one has given her any trouble over this.]

If you've got my deck handy- [He's pretty sure she does.] I'll show it to you. It's for a game called Caravan.

[A grin quirks his lips.]

I'll tell y' mine if you'll tell me yours.

Really? [ She seems surprised, but excited by the prospect, and once she retrieves the pack, she hands it over. ] I... would like that, if you have the time.

[ Robyn beckons him with a little inclination of her head toward a large, wooden table in the room and settles into one of the chairs. ]

Yours first. [ The Warden urges, smiling brightly. ]

Aha, alright.

[He checks the pack - not damaged, miraculously - and accompanies her to the table, where he sits down and draws the cards free.]

Y' don't get this game in casinos. They don't like it 'cuz there's no set deck to play with. [He spreads the cards out in a line across the table, flips them over then scoops them back up, lazily shuffling them between his hands.] Jus' caravaners that play it, the guards, anyone who heads up and down the Long 15 a lot. Ah-- that's a trade route. My pa taught me how t' play.

[Dan rifles through the cards and draws a few out, showing her the symbols on the backs of them.] See this one? This is from the Tops set. This one is the Gomorrah set. Then this one, this is from the Lucky 38. Those're casinos on the New Vegas Strip, where I come from.

[Okay, how to best explain. He shuffles the cards back into the deck.] Y' can have two matching cards from different decks in yer own deck, but no duplicates. When y're playin', yer deck needs to have at least thirty cards.

Aim of it is t' build up three bids of numbered cards. We call 'em 'caravans'. If y're playin' in a bar they usually have the names scratched out on the tables. [This explanation could get long, he's not sure how deep he should go into it.]

T' win, y' have t' get at least two of yer bids up close as they can get t' twenty-seven without actually goin' over, and havin' better bids than your opponent. Y' with me so far?

Casinos? [ She questions, but then shakes her head quickly to dismiss her own query; considering that he's about to explain the entirety of a card game, she thinks it best to let the simpler thing go for now and to listen through to the end. Which she does, following his hands with her eyes, nodding occasionally, mouth slightly agape. After he asks about her understanding, she admits a little smile and bobs her head in affirmation again, eyes falling onto the deck. ]

I think so. [ She's followed closely enough for now, anyway. ] So, you're aiming for as close to twenty-seven as you can, closer than your... opponents, but not more than that number.

[ There's more to it, of course, as he's offered a lot of the game's names and phrases, but she'll digest it slowly. ]

What next?

[He can explain casinos later. Always interesting to come across someone who has a word entirely lacking in their vocabulary.]

Right. Y' go over, y' gotta pull that pile out. Y' can use some of the face cards - that's these- [He holds up a King to show her.] -to push your opponents cards over, or to change your own deck in your favour.

Once you got two caravans better than what your opponent's got, you win.

[There's more to it than that, but they would really need to play for him to get into all the intricacies of the rules.] I can split up this deck if you wanna play a round. Should have enough.

Only if you want to. [ She replies, smiling almost hesitantly. ] I wouldn't want to impose after you've already been so patient.

[ Her dog had nearly eaten the cards, and now he's offering to take the time to teach her a game. ]

It sounds like fun. [ Robyn admits, watching the cards as he picks some up and shows them to her. ] How many people would you normally want involved with a game?

Ain't imposing. I offered.

[No one else here knows it, so if she can pick it up.. it's just a little piece of home that he can rely on. Besides, it's fun.

He looks down to split the deck evenly, making sure it's fair.]

Jus' two people in a game, usually. Starts gettin' complicated if y' try t' add more.

All right. [ She notes, nodding. ] Well, then, we have the perfect number for a game.

[ That does make it a little easier to start up a game, considering. ]

Have you taught anyone else to play? Anyone here, that is?

No one's asked.

[He shrugs one shoulder, shuffling his cards up again. It's starting to look more like a nervous habit than something he actually needs to do.]

So, y' get the honour of bein' the first. [Dan lays out his first three cards - a five, two and ten - and nods for her to do the same.]

Well, then, thank you. [ And she does lay out three cards - a two, jack, and seven. ] ... What do we do now, again? I don't want to mess things up, since this is the first time you've gotten to play here, and all. It's inaugural.

[ And maybe she's forgotten some of the rules already. A little bit. ]

[This is where the learning as you play comes in. He taps one finger to the top of the Jack.]

Don't worry 'bout messin' up. Yer jus' learning. This card don't have a value.

[He picks it up, holding it between two fingers.]

Y' put a Jack on top of a card t' remove that card, an' any other face cards attached to it.

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➶ three (video)

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