7081/GATE: The Deep Minds of Mahjong

GATE: The Deep Minds of Mahjong
Date of Scene:	13 February 2020
Location:	The Gold Saucer, Eorzea
Synopsis:	Amelris, Raha and Majima take part in degenerate Mahjong gambling
Cast of Characters:	N'raha Tia, 7055, 7180

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N'raha Tia has posed:
    The Manderville Gold Saucer is not really all that busy on a weekday afternoon, but that doesn't mean people aren't here and milling about. Though, there's at least one larger crowd in the main hub of the Saucer. Over in the Mahjong corner, a small crowd has gathered up to watch a rather fascinating spectacle.

    An offworlder has been running the boards off and on today.

Majima Goro (7055) has posed:
    "Riichii! Neeeehahahah!"

Majima has been playing this game for actual decades. Usually in smoky, illegal, underground places, where games tend to end in large brawls. Of course, sometimes you go to the legal clubs, where you're just amassing a bunch of theoretical points in order to obtain cool prizes. The point is, this is his game.

And his 'rank', according to the Gold Saucer, means he's up against people who just learned about the game a week ago from the Doman immigrant. He doesn't even actually stand out that much in the crowd of adventurers playing, in his outfit.
"Aiyyaaaah. Where's the drink service in this place, eh?"

N'raha Tia has posed:
    And it's one of those adventurers that's shuffling over to check out the commotion. One N'raha Tia, making his way over from the prize redemption counter carrying a stack of wrapped Triple Triad Cards.
    The Catman's looking a little worse for wear today, after delving into the depths of a living hell prison for an actual Elder Primal corpse dungeon. But that's besides the point. Today is a relaxation day, and also... "Hoy, Majima. How's it going?" He lifts an arm, and... well. There's more than a few grumpy faces in the crowd as the table clears out following that obliteration by Mister Majima. "...I see."

Majima Goro (7055) has posed:
    Majima leans back in his chair. He's tipping it. He's a chair-tipper. The next game hasn't started yet, so he has time to put his feet up on the table. He's an obnoxious git, sometimes.

"Eh? Oh, N'raha, ya play tiles?" He asks, tilting his head. "Ya didn't strike me as the type. Somethin' bout the big-ass axe, ya know?"

He cranes his head around to look more properly--first, it seems, as if he's looking towards the Warrior, but then-- "Hey, bunnygirl! What's it take ta get some of those...ah, fuck, Coerthan Frozen Spirits, eh? Ain't that's what's popular round here?"

N'raha Tia has posed:
    There is in fact a bunny girl. And it's not even one of the ones wearing fake ears. The Viera lady blinks a bit, looks at Goro, and then shrugs, saying something in Golmorran as she shuffles off with her tray.

    The catman yanks over a spare chair, being just as rude as Majima in that respect, but the Masters tables aren't being used at this time of day, anyway. "Ah! No, not the tiles, I'm trying to pull some decent Triple Triad Cards for tomorrow's little tournament. That I didn't tell Seifer about, because he'll just yell about it." The catman settles in, adjusts the tie on his little suitcoat, and then starts to unwrap the cards. "Also going to be getting gifts for my lady friend."

    The Viera lady slides back over with a frosty fruity girly drink for Majima, as requested.

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
     Amelris Belthrone likes the Goldensaucer. It probably helps that he DID make a prize or two here. Gambling's all fine and good when you're not working with actual money to worry about losing.

     However, the conversation on MAHJONG have piqued his interest. He's always meant to give it a look and a try but always managed to get distracted away from it. Today, is the day this changes. The commotion there helps on that front.

     "Well hello there!" The Red Mag, wearing his usual outfit, steps up to the table. "So this is the infamous MAH-JOHNG, then, is it?"

Majima Goro (7055) has posed:
    Majima does not normally use this ash tray for smoking in, but it seems like a good time. He pulls it out, along with a pack of cigarettes. One is lit, as he takes his drink.

"Ah, that shit. I got a little bit inta it, but I ain't got the time for /every/ rabbit hole. Fuck if I get how Seifie does, eh? Works harder'n even I do." There's a sip of his drink. Yeah. This is absolutely a fruity girl drink. Made out of fig and banana. What the fuck, Eorzea. What the fuck even are you.

And then there's a second adventurer suddenly there. Majima takes a puff of his smoke, tapping it out on the ash tray for a moment. "...Yeah. 'round here it comes from that Doma place, eh? But, ya know. I was playin' this shit back when I had two eyes."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    The viera rolls her eyes at 'rabbit hole' on her way away from the table. Also none of the newbies seems to be stepping back up to play Majima just yet. A pity.

    Amelris gets a wave, as Raha settles in with the slow and methodical practice of pulling cards from packs, and grumbling about commons. "I do this because I collect the damn things, for some godawful reason. I'm garbage at playing it but I like the collecting part." A shrug, and he looks around at the thinning crowd. "I can tell you've been playing this forever, I think you've scared everyone off. Good work."

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
     Amelris returns the wave and an apologetical smile at the Viera, before he turns over to the table to take himself a chair to sit down.

     "Yeah, when I arrived, the place looked pretty cleanly split between this table and the rest of the area. Like this place is on a quarantine or something." Belthrone says, taking off his hat and placing it on his lap, letting his feline ears breath a little with some wriggle. "Yes, the Doman Refugee brought this game along with them. I take it it's similar enough to your own version, then?"

Majima Goro (7055) has posed:
    There's a long drag on his cigarette. Majima lets the smoke out slowly, looking between the two. "It's identical. There's a few rules more common in Kamurocho, few rules more common here, but same thing. That's just how this shit works, eh?"

He reclines again. Has another drink. "There's a reason first thing I did when this whole 'unification' thing happened to me was hit up as many Japans as I could.'

N'raha Tia has posed:
    N'raha sighs a bit at 'unification'. "I really didn't get the chance to do that myself. Get out of Eorzea. Well."
    He makes another face as he pulls a Moogle. Dammit. "I ought to have done so, but there was just a LOT of garbage happening here. And when you're..." He looks over at Amelris. "When you're one of a few people who chan handle certain problems, you just sort of end up being dragged around to solve those problems."

    A grim smile. "And then you become the bad kind of 'indispensible'. The kind that can't leverage that out of duty."

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
     "Mmmn, that's interesting. I wonder how that came to be. There must not be a lot of games where you can say it's 100% the same even accross different worlds that had no relations with one another before." Amelris muses, leaning back against his chair to get a bit more comfortable. Thanks you, Mr. Manderville for making chairs that are comfortable for people with tails.

     The Red Mage returns the glance over at N'raha, lifting an eyebrow at his comments. "Well, now you ought to. Lots to see, lots of people to talk to and lots of stuff to drink. The Alliance can handle itself on many things. They HAVE been telling us to take a bleeding break now and then. They've got our Linkshell, you know?"

     He straightens on his seat. "So! I'm here to test this game out."

Majima Goro (7055) has posed:
    "Heh. I know whatcha mean. Maybe not in the same /sense/, but someday the Omi Alliance is gonna come down, and.." He leans forward, looking oddly serious for a minute. "Sure, I'll bring the Concord down on 'em like a bag of hammers, but I ain't sure they won't drag in their own Elites, ya know? It's gonna be a real shitshow someday. That's why I'm gettin' all of this shit," He waves his hands around.
"Outta the way -now-. Who knows? Maybe it'll be you two fightin' longside that pant-stealin' asshole someday. Heh."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    N'raha lets out a snort, as he shuffles around to move out of the way for Amelris, so that he can actually sit down at the Newbie Table. "You know he's going to only give you one game before he kicks your ass, right?"

    He also waves down a Drinks Bunny to get himself a gin fizz. "...Also, Amelris, I need to talk to you about uh... other stuff when you get done here." A glance to Majima. "Scions stuff." No apologetic look on that one. Work stuff is work stuff, and he's not talking work at the table.

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
     Amelris gets up then sits down at the Newbie Table. "Hell yeah I do. That's how you learn a game, man. You watch the people that kickass and then you butt heads with them." Also voraciously read the scrolls and books that's on the subject but he's not going to vocalize that one outloud.

     He waves at the drink Bunny for a drink himself as he sits down, getting comfortable. "Yeah. I figured. Just poke me when we're both out. No problem." He answers.

Majima Goro (7055) has posed:
Majima shakes his head slowly. "This isn't a game you quite learn like that, eh? I like ya style, though. This is the kinda shit ya need ta...voraciously read up on, ya know? And that's me sayin' that."

N'raha's insistence that Majima not hear of 'scion talk' gets a proper cackle. "Neeehehehahaha! I think I know what the fuck ya on about, yeah. I ain't hurt." He slams back the rest of his drink, letting out a contented sigh.

"I hear the Antecedent ain't half-bad lookin', though."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    With an absolutely straight face, N'raha looks stright at Majima.

    "Would you like her linkpearl address? You could talk with her all you want."

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
Amelris lifts an eyebrow at Majima, then gives him a shrug. "Hey, I'll take your word for it. I'll look up for some books, then." More books, Amelris adds internally.

     The conversation shifts, the Red Mage taking his drink -- it seems like something fizzy, too. Orangy, at that, looking up.

     "She's pretty cute." Belthrone admits, sipping his drink.

Majima Goro (7055) has posed:
Majima raises his brow, as N'raha literally offers the equivalent of her phone number. "Nehehehehaaa! That's a fuckin' trap if I ever saw it. Nah, I'm just sayin' for sayin's sakes. Come on. Ya want me drinkin' up in your fuckin' Scion Bar or whatever?"

There's a dismissive hand wave, and at some point he got another drink. "Used ta do this for money, back when I was buildin' up the cabaret clubs in the eighties. Tell ya, it's a lot more interestin' with real money on the line, but this ain't bad."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    N'raha siiiiiiiiips at his gin fizz. "I'm just saying, she likes to talk to people. She's a people person. Very outgoing and very talkative." He shifts a bit though, and then tosses a handfull of MGP over on Amelris' pile for GAME MONEY PLAY TIME. "I think you might need it."

    "I'm still not sure what this place runs on, other than like... there's got to be a catch. If it's not the actual tokens and stuff, there's something else." A frown, and he looks at one of the dancing Senor Sabotenders over in a corner, dancin' up a storm for a crowd of little rugrats. "It's not the games, that's for sure."

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
     "You don't say?" Amelris comments, sipping on his drink. This shit is expensive. YOu don't just gulp it down like a godamn barbarian. You ENJOY that shit. The Red Mage snaps out the MGP out of the air, nodding. "Hey, I'll take your pity tokens." Belthrone grins, setting them down on the table to add them later.

     "Honestly? I'm not sure how profitable it IS but Godbert Manderville is some sort of genie when it comes to gold. I'd imagine new people buying things, the services and the event it starts is what attracts the money and people spends it if they like things here. Have a good time, they'll want to stick it out longer."

     He lifts his drink. "Besides, the man's some sort of Goldsmitthing god, I swear."

Majima Goro (7055) has posed:
"Neheh! I saw that guy, eh? Ya get a bead on someone like that. I betcha he's a real hoot in a fightin' ring, least from what I saw of 'im. He's got that -real- confidence. Kiryu kinda confidence, ya know?" Majima cracks his neck.

"If I were gonna ask myself how this place makes money, though, I'd be lookin' at the cost of the food and the drinks. I'd be lookin' inta who's bettin' on the chocobo races, and what the deal is with those crates those big guys keepin' lugging around, as a starters."

He has another drink. "But, ya know, what the shit do I know 'bout makin' money, eh?"

N'raha Tia has posed:
    N'raha snorts at Majima about 'what do I know', as the tiles are dealt out to Majima and Amelris, sipping on his beverage. "Sure sure, and I just hit things with an ax." He sighs a bit, shoulders slumping a bit.
    "I dunno. Mr. Manderville doesn't seem the type to be like... a crime boss, but you have to be somewhat on the take to run a place like this and not have everyone come running with their hands out for uh... taxes."

    A beat. "...I need to get Inga something nice."

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
     "He's got a seat on the Syndicate in Ul'dah, so, you know." Amelris says, waving a hand, checking at his tiles. "That's quite enough to show he's got the money and influence in circles to be ON there."

     He drums his fingers on the table briefly, peering at the tiles. Okay. This is what this means. He's got this just fiiiine. "Get one of the plushes. I'm totally not speaking because I made a few of them and I'm advertising for myself." He says, blandly.

Majima Goro (7055) has posed:
    Majima looks thoughtful for a moment. He drums fingers on the table. "...Somethin' nice, eh? Arright." There's a slow, steady gaze towards the Warrior.

"Arright. Pocket-watch, but ya want it ta open up into a locket that's got a picture of you and her on the inside, cause you'll 'always make time for her'." He says coolly, lighting up another cigarette.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    The mice in Raha's head turn a bit as he considers both of those, and nods. "Right. I think i can handle those..." His face seems to be doing mental maths, as he considers.... yes. He knows people who can do both of those.

    Another sip of his drink and then he leans over to watch play start. "And Red, I gave you my chips because I can assure you it'd be slower than me just handing them to Majima, which is all that would happen." A frown. "This game's got too much going on."

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
     "Oh, that's a good idea." Belthrone says, rolling his little straw in his drink to mix it up. "Small, nice and thoughtfull. That's the stuff."

     The Red mage gives N'Raha a brief look, lifting an eyebrow. "I don't know. It don't seem too bad on the busyiness front."

Majima Goro (7055) has posed:
    "Hm. Ya ever play poker?" Majima says, toying with some tiles in his hand. "It's basically poker, but ya draw a card, and ya discard a card, and the round ends when someone makes a winnin' hand," He explains. "And ya build your hand based on how the discard pile's looking."

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
     "No, actually." Amelris says, tapping is fingers on some of the tiles. This do have a nice textile feeling to it. The ivory-like sensation is nice. "Sounds like something to try."