Quoted By:
Apologies for disappearing, a combination of heavy workload and insomnia kept me from writing
You lift the cup and make a face as it reveals two Travelers and two Guiding Stars. Still, two pairs is two pairs, even if they're low value ones.
"Rolling three," you add a token to the pile.
"Rolling five."
"Rolling three."
"Rolling seven," Gavin's luck is almost impressive in how bad it's been so far. Or maybe he's just bad at Journey.
There is a rattle of dice being shaken around in their cups.
"So what's it like working for Valsen?" you ask abruptly when everyone slams down their cups.
There is an immediate and palpable jump in tension in the room.
"I mean, the guy did ransack my home," you shrug in the face of three wary gazes. "Even if he actually does pay back for the damage, it's still a pretty shit thing to do, yeah? So I figured I'd ask - does he do that kind of thing often?. Oh, and rolling two," another nut joins the pile.
"First time he went that far..." Virrir mutters uncomfortably.
"But he pushed things before, from the way you say it," you press. "Harassed people about joining? Pressured them? Maybe... coerced them?"
"Dunno 'bout that," Zeeg rumbles. "Ain't heard nothing certain. Rolling one."
"But you heard things," you insist. "And that was the rep Valsen was getting. And now Valsen will get a rep for breaking into people's homes. And here's the thing: you're with him. So his rep is your rep, yeah? Doesn't even matter who specifically did it, what their names are. What's important is that they're Valsen's people. That's what everyone will say from now on: Valsen's people go around breaking into homes."
The expressions of the three other players turn distinctly sour and suddenly there is a lot of rattling of dice.
"And if I'm to join with Valsen like he wants, that means making his rep my rep. And from where I'm standing, his rep is kinda shit. So what I'm asking is: where's the worth? What do I get out of it? Calling it," you push three tokens into the pile.
"Cede."
"Cede."
"Match," Zeeg pushes his tokens across. "Rolling one."
"Valsen taught us things," Gavin says quietly. "Like, you know. Psionics," the last word barely rates above a whisper.
"He told us we have a very special talent," Virrir supports him. "That we deserve better than what we have."
"Four Fates, three Starships," Zeeg grunts, revealing his dice. "Show yours."
"I'll be honest, I dunno if that does it for me," you shrug. "I don't think Valsen can teach me anything I want. And I'm fairly happy with what I have. So no, I just don't see the worth in trashing my rep like that."
"You'll have to talk to Valsen," Gavin insists. "I'm sure he can offer you something you want."
"Show your dice," Zeeg repeats.
(cont)
