[ Time passes mostly without him noticing, which is new, because he's concentrating so much on the game. It's the sort of challenge he's never gotten to try before and Romulus takes to it like a duck to water and follows the metaphorical pathways opening before him every time Shai makes a move. As his understanding of the game grows while they play longer and longer, he starts getting—not fancy, but more intricate in the hopes of remaining enough steps ahead.
It isn't so much about winning or losing to him, so much as succeeding at this challenge of learning something new. When the last piece is played and he comes to the realization there's no further move to make, that he is the one who made the final play, he sits back in a bit of stunned silence. It occurs to him, then, that he's defeated the one he was playing against and he looks up at her carefully. Not quite fearfully but... uncertain. Even the other slaves, when playing their games and getting involved, could get rather passionate about a loss. ]
no subject
It isn't so much about winning or losing to him, so much as succeeding at this challenge of learning something new. When the last piece is played and he comes to the realization there's no further move to make, that he is the one who made the final play, he sits back in a bit of stunned silence. It occurs to him, then, that he's defeated the one he was playing against and he looks up at her carefully. Not quite fearfully but... uncertain. Even the other slaves, when playing their games and getting involved, could get rather passionate about a loss. ]
Um... I... I liked it.