Bringing the Game to a Whole New Level

Fane never really liked the game chess, but it seemed to be the only one he ever played with his family. His father loved the game with a passion, loving how it required strategy and thought, and for the twins, it was usually the only game that would get them to calm down and sit down, even though it was always boring being a third wheel in chess, either watching or being watched. At least he knew how to play and was given a small portable set for him to take to school to play with the friends his parents ensured him he would make. Fane scoffed at that notion, he didn't need friends! Though, he wouldn't have minded bonding a bit with his cousin over chess. However, he found it impossible to pin the older boy's location, half of the time, and when he did, Oz was always making excuses, so he was left to play alone.

He sat at one of the tables in the Grand Hall, being that it was between meals, few people were hanging around and there was only a low murmur of voices floating around him as he set up the little figures. When everything was set up, he waited, looking around him, to find someone to play with him. A smirk appeared on his face as he recognized a long dark haired girl. He waved towards her, motioning for her to come over.

"Afternoon, your majesty!" He said, when she got close enough. She acted like she was from some noble family, and though she might be rich, as much as he was or possibly more, he wasn't nearly as snippy as she was. "Care to play a game of chess with me?" He grinned mischievously up at her, hoping to entice her interest. "If just chess is too boring for you, we can always make it a bit more interesting." His lips sealed then, vowing to not say what he meant by that without her asking him. This was his way to trap her into playing with him.

Odette had just been taking some time to crack open a good book and relax. She was tired from the day of school work, things had been so difficult with coming to the school it was nice to get time by herself for a change. Just as she found her destination in the Great Hall she noticed someone waving for to come over, it was Fane. She rolled her eyes a bit at the but went over regardless. He had a knack for irritating her, and was fairly skilled at the task.

"Chess...you say?" She asked him a little confused. She'd always liked chess and was fairly good at the game. She started to agree when said. "We can always make it a bit more interesting." raising her eyebrow she was a bit confused and decided to sit down and take a listen. "What do you mean...?" She asked him curiously, walking right into his trap.

Fane smiled charmingly at the girl as he watched her ponder it over. "Surely a lady of your standing is familiar with the game?" He suggested, a taunting smile on his lips. If the thought of something to gain from playing with him wasn't convincing enough, he'd next argue that she didn't know how to play and was afraid to lose.

He smoothed out his dark hair with a hand as she took the seat across from him. He leaned back in his chair some, playing it cool, and fiddling with one of the black chess pieces between his fingers, pretending to be awfully interested in looking at it. "Well, what if we made a bet?" He suggested, smiling to himself. "Whoever loses will have to cut their hair short," Fane laid it out. He placed the black piece back on the board where it belonged. "And the winner," he laughed, "Not only gets to taste sweet victory, but gets to cut the losers hair." He grinned to himself imaging taking a pair of shears to the girl's long black hair.

Odette raised an eyebrow and bit her lip at his questions. "Well...I know how to play.." she blinked and rested her chin on her hand as she continued to listen to him. As he started to on about the stakes, she bit her lip harder. He'd roped her in this far, she could just imagine him taking the scissors to her long hair...she was really nervous she didn't want to have to explain the tragedy of loosing her long locks to the cocky rich boy. However she could tell that he was mocking her with his eyes. "Well....I...." she debated her options and shook her head in disbelief of what she was going to say. "Do it..."

Fane wondered just how attached the girl was to her long locks, curious to see if she was so shallow that she would actually start crying once he made the first snip with a pair of scissors. He liked his hair a bit more on the longer side, a seeming trait of the males in his family, but wouldn't be too upset if it was cut. In the least, it would only be humiliating to watch the young girl chop all of his locks off. However, he knew that in time, it would grow back.

He grinned like hyena finding an abandoned dinner as she agreed to his game. "I am so glad that you agree," his eyes glinted with mischief, though he was perfectly set on playing completely fair. After all, he wanted to know that he was better than her, without cheating.

Leaning back in his seat and folding his arms across his chest, Fane pointed towards the board and said, in a mockingly polite voice, "White moves first." Allowing her to make the first move.

Odette could just imagine him cutting her long hair, she was attached to it, so she knew she just had to win. She hesitated a little after she had agreed, seeing the malicious grin spread across his face. She raised her hand over the knight and moved it C3. She seemed pretty confident in her move, but it was still the first of the game, so it could not hurt that much.  Sitting back she nodded and waiting for Fane to make his move. He would go down, if she had anything to say about it. She refused to loose her hair to this cocky bimbo.

Fane smiled as he watched the determination rise on the girl's face. She wasn't much of a talker, but her face made her such an open book that was so easy for him to read. He didn't know why, but he really liked messing around with her. Probably because she was the only one that acted upset by him besides Osmund. The difference between her and Osmund though was that Osmund could land him in the infirmary in less than a second, whereas he'd actually stand a fighting chance against her.

He nonchalantly ordered his piece to move and watched it slide across the board. "You know, you've never told me you're name," He stated, making another move after she had done so. He always found the first few moves of the game to be boring, because that's when things were just getting started and pieces weren't getting knocked out yet. "Y'know, that's how you make friends. You introduce yourself." He wasn't sure whether or not he actually wanted to be the girl's friend, but he did know that he wasn't going to stop playing with her, either way. She was just too fun to bother to stop. "I'm Fane, and you are?" He moved another one of his black pieces and ordered it to strike, his green eyes lighting up as he watched his piece literally destroy the other one.

Odette narrowed her eyes as the game continued She knew what was at stake. She smirked as she made her move and the piece destroyed his, but he was on her tail and his piece quickly took care of her pawn. She rolled her eyes when he asked her, her name. "Because you want to be friends with me." She retorted sarcastically. "But if you must know, my name is Odette D'Angelo." She told him with a sigh. "And you Mr. Hollow's step brother, yes? " she asked questioned knowing the answer, as she moved her bishop to take out his rook that was wide open. With a little satisfied smirk, she raised her eyebrow almost to ask. 'What are you going to do now?'

Fane chuckled at her hostility. She reminded him awfully of his cousin, who was quick to antagonize people, usually without much reason. He didn't really know what he had done to piss her off in the first place, which made it all the more funnier to him. She was just that touchy that little to nothing got her going in the beginning. "What makes you think that?" he replied and gave her a challenging look, one that questioned how she would interpret what he meant. What made her think he wanted to be friends with her? Or, judging by the tone she had used when she said it, what made her think he didn't want to be friends with her?

Fane made another move, just trying to get his pieces into motion again, after she had taken out a few of his, and played with his lip between his teeth as she spoke again. "Yes, do you know my dear cousin?" He asked. "He's a bit of a downer, isn't he?" She sure knew more about him than he did about her, though the name D'Angelo rung a bell. Osmund had spoken that name before, regarding a boy though, a friend of his.

"Well you see, Ms. D'Angelo, the whole point of the game is for you to figure that out on your own," He smiled nicely at her, before ordering another one of his pieces to take out her knight. Now this was more like it.

Odette glared as he took out her knight, gritting her teeth she shook her head slightly. She should have seen that coming. She took a deep breath and studied the board ignoring her opponents low commentary. She studied the board. What could she do there was no moves that could really let her win th-....then she saw it. She had to move her queen and her bishop blocked the kings move along with her rook. She'd win and she'd get her sweet revenge on the boy.

Moving her queen and gave him a smut smirk. "Check Mate." She giggled and winked at the boy who looked completely stunned by her victory, he had looked so determined and sure that he was going to pull through with a victory...to loose. Pride was such a nasty thing..she laughed and shook her head. "Hair cut time." She chimed.

The game went on as Fane made casual conversation. Usually when he played with the twins or his parents, he was quiet as a mouse, not usually ever having much to say to the people he saw all the time and was usually focused on the game. Odette was different though. She was someone new to play with and he wanted to get her to talk. He wanted to know more about her, mostly, he wanted to know what really got to her. He wanted to know what would annoy her and what would drive her completely off of her edge. She was a bit of a bitter tempered girl, he learned from their encounter in the pub, but she was also awfully silent. She hardly answered him as they played the game.

His king was trapped before his time and Fane's face had fallen for a moment before he pulled a smile, a rather forced one. "Fine," He said, almost bitterly. Then recomposed himself. "You think I look good now, wait till you actually see my face," He said, smoothing out his long bangs for perhaps the last time in awhile.