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Stepping into the common room, the location of the missing humans was finally found. Now, though, was a new mystery…
What in the Gods’ names are they doing now…? Koro thought to himself.
Many of the humans assigned to their joint mission were gathered to view a peculiar scene in the center of the common room. On a table was an incomplete stack of wooden blocks. A few of the humans stood closer to the table while all the others sat or stood a good distance away.
It became clear to Koro that this wide berth was due to the delicate nature the humans reserved for this stack. At first he assumed they were building the stack, but as he watched one human tense and grow closer to it, he found it was much more complicated than that. This human - “Spartan Buck” - carefully pulled a block from the middle of the stack, then slowly placed it at the top. Taking a few steps away from the table, he released the breath he had apparently been holding in and grinned.
“That’s the last of the safe ones,” he announced. “Now the game really begins.”
Behind him, Spartan Tanaka lightly slapped him on the shoulder. “Pssh, don’t give us that when we can see you sweating!”
“Hey, of course I’m sweating! This is a stressful game!”
From another side of the table, one of the marines smiled. This was Anzu Takamura of Moonlit Squad. She was squatting with her hands on her knees. That is, until she directed one to pull from the stack with ease.
“Stressful, Spartan?” she taunted, before placing the block on top.
One of her teammates clapped her on the back. However, this had the added effect of making her twist and bump into the side of the table. It shook and made the wood stack wobble. All the present humans gasped and stiffened, eyes locked on the table. Miraculously, it soon stabilized itself. They all sighed in relief.
“Jesus Christ, be careful!” Moonlit Squad’s leader, Danny Mann, hissed at his marines.
Meanwhile, Spartan Buck glanced back at the others of Team Osiris with a wry look.
“You think we should call foul?” he asked them.
“Foul?!” Corporal Mann echoed. “That nearly made us lose, how is that foul?!”
“Well, it does put us at a disadvantage for our next move…” Spartan Locke answered.
“Oh goddammit!”
That was when a voice sounded behind Koro: “What is going on in here?”
They all turned around to see Shipmaster N’tho ‘Sraom had asked the question, with Usze ‘Taham and Xyha ‘Felkor flanking him.
Koro bowed in respect. “Shipmaster, I’ve located the humans-”
“Holy shit, how long was he here?!” One of the marines nearly jumped back into Private Takamura, only to be more forcefully pushed away for the safety of the table. His companions hissed and grumbled at him.
“We haven’t been causing any disturbances for your crew, have we Shipmaster?” Spartan Locke asked. His previous playfulness was dropped.
“Only curiosity.” Shipmaster ‘Sraom tilted his head at the scene. “What is this?”
“A game,” Spartan Vale explained. She stepped around the table. “We call it Jenga. It’s a human classic.”
‘Taham crossed his arms. “And what is the goal of...Jenga?”
Nearly 20 minutes had passed - partially due to the break where they explained Jenga to the Sangheili, and partially due to the careful consideration put before every move. By this point, more Sangheili onlookers had joined the crowd, including the remaining human crew.
The structural integrity of the wood stack was barely existent, as well. Each turn saw the blocks sway and wobble, yet somehow not topple. There were periods between turns where the humans would just watch the tower move until it stilled. Pretty soon, the players’ luck would run out. Either Spartan or marine would cause the Jenga tower to fall.
And somehow, just being an audience member was one of the most tense moments of Koro’s life. It made no sense! This was a mere game - not a matter of life or death. He wasn’t even one of the ones taking part in the game! He was just watching! Why was watching this so stressful?!
His fellow Sangheili also seemed captivated by the spell of the Jenga game. He constantly heard the telltale signs of their breaths stalling. Although, in comparison to the humans, their reactions were subtle. In fact, they could even appear calm or unphased in the eyes’ of the humans.
Still, this experience they all shared could not last forever. After taking a few minutes to inspect the poorly-looking stack, Private Jones of Moonlit Squad finally made his decision. Dozens of eyes watched his fingers grasp a block, then pull...like all other turns before him, the tower did not make it easy for him. At first, it moved alongside his motions, following his pull. Taking a moment to breathe, he started his attempt again. This time, however, he kept his motions to small bursts in the hopes it would lessen the shaking of the Jenga tower.
Private Jones’ turn seemed to last forever. Several individuals forgot to breathe as they watched - including one Sangheili. Quiet cheers urged Private Jones on from both teammates and audience while the Spartans simply stared in silence. And, in spite of the difficulty, the wood block came free. The Jenga tower swayed, but stayed in place. There was but one thing left to do.
Inhaling from his nose, Private Jones gingerly placed the block at the top of the tower. There was no movement from it in response. A few seconds passed. Still nothing.
Joyful yells and whoops erupted from most of the humans in the audience. The rest of Moonlit Squad pulled Private Jones back while smiling at him. Against all their expectations, he had survived.
Team Osiris would not be as fortunate. Spartan Buck went next, and despite his efforts, the tower fell forward when his chosen piece was halfway out of its grasps. Cheers overpowered the groans of the losers and their supporters. Meanwhile, the Sangheili offered simple nods and affirming grunts.
Koro himself crossed his arms, allowing his lightheadedness to disperse with each deep breath he took. Even after watching that whole game, he still didn’t understand…
Oh, he understood that basic entertainment was needed every once in a while, especially amongst soldiers and warriors. Sangheili sparred all the time without any formal challenges, after all. But this...this somehow seemed more painful than the bruises after training.
At least it’s finally-
“So, any of you wanna take a crack at it next?”