Chapter Text
{...}
{You wake up, groggy.}
{Where are you?}
{Well, you're sitting at what looks to be a pool table of some type.}
{As you go to move your hand to get up, your immediate first realization is that your hand is strapped onto... something , attached to the table.}
{You look up to see your surroundings and...}
{ Is that Sif? }
"Sif? Is that you?"
{Sif looks up at you, now. They seem equally confused as you are.}
" Isa? "
{Both of you jump when what looks to be Crafted mirrors shine behind each of you.}
{Someone appears on them.}
"Hey... Hey! Look at me! Yeah, look at me.~"
" There you go! ~"
"Now, I wonder..."
{They lean back in their chair.}
" Do you have what it takes? "
{ What it takes..? }
"You see, you two..."
{They pause.}
"...are going to play a little game."
"And whoever wins ..."
{They pull out a small figurine of the Change God, and start walking it like a toy.}
"...gets to walk on outta here alive~"
"So pay attention! "
"Because it's life..."
{They snap the figurine in two at the neck.}
" Or death! Hee hee hee~ "
{They mutter something under their breath that you can’t quite make out.}
“Do you like cards?”
{Two playing cards slide out to your side of the table. One is face down, the other face up. It’s the same for Sif.}
“...’Xcept, we don’t bet with chips around here…”
{A spotlight shines on both your hand and Sif’s…}
{...and a miniature guillotine erects over both Sif’s pinky finger and yours..!}
“ If you catch my drift. ”
{The Crafted mirrors return to a shade, but with a glow.}
{Sif looks back to you, clearly hyperventilating.}
“ Isa… they said that they’d let the winner go… ”
{?}
“ What do you mean, Sif? ”
“ What do you think, Isa? Do you believe the- ”
{Sif is cut off by the person’s voice returning, even though the mirrors haven’t changed.}
“ And now, I’ll explain the rules of the game! ”
“You both have played Blackjack, right?”
{You have, when you were a defender still, but you aren’t sure about Sif.}
“You just draw cards, trying to add up to twenty-one!”
“Go over twenty-one–and you lose! ”
{Sif tries to pull their arm out of the guillotine, to no avail.}
“ Wait, wait! This is blinding crazy! ”
{The person ignores them.}
“ So! Say your prayers and let the games begin! ”