Your Move
By fool_on_the_hill
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Blue eyes narrowed intently at the square battlefield.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
A shift in weight; a plan was formulating. The cogs were beginning to turn.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The opponent on the other side of the field would certainly never see this next attack. The wheels were spinning now. It would be over in one fell swoop...
"Are you going to make a bloody move or not?"
Brows furrowed in consternation.
"Honestly, you have the patience of a two-year-old..." Hill sighed. He raised the white knight in his hand and struck. For a moment, there was no reaction, and then his opponent leaned forward in his seat blinking rapidly.
"How in the hell did you do that?" November 11 asked.
As I thought, Hill took a swig of coffee. He let the other man revel in disbelief as he savoured his drink. Once he was sure November was boring a hole in his head with the look of disgust he was receiving, he set his cup down.
"Well?"
Hill gave a tiny smirk. "You never think ahead. That's how."
November blinked in succession yet again. And then, his expression morphed into one that clearly said, "Shut it less I shut it for you, you insufferable bastard." Hill's smirk grew wider.
"You're enjoying this a little too much," November 11 folded his arms over his chest.
Hill took another sip of his drink. "Only when I'm playing against you." He downed the rest of the coffee.
"Har, har," November rolled his eyes as he observed his remaining troops. "Let's see you smile after I...move here."
He looked up to find his companion not in his seat.
"Huh?"
November turned in his seat only to spot the man pouring himself another drink from the coffee maker.
"Hey!"
Hill tilted his head. "Oh, is it my turn?"
"It is," November answered sourly.
Hill calmly returned to his seat, a fresh cup in his hand. He gingerly took a sip. When he noticed November 11 incessently staring at him, he shot back a quizzical look.
"What?"
"That's about your tenth cup today..."
Hill blinked. "And?" He genuinenly looked nonplussed.
The blond sighed. If it weren't for that honest face he was wearing, he had half a mind to beat Hill upon his shaggy head.
"Will you just make a move, please?"
"Alright, alright," Hill took a quick chug.
He rested a hand on his knee and surveyed the battle at hand. Was his partner really making such lax moves? He absent-mindedly scratched at the hair on his chin.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
If I surround him here, it'd end it... That'd be too boring. This is going to end soon either way, but I'd like to get a bit of fun out of it.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Oh, if only he was a decent player. Yomiko's a fair better, but she can't get her nose out of a book long enough for a full match.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Hmmm, perhaps I'm in need of a shave...?
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Oh, will you STOP that infernal tapping! It's quite irritating, thank you."
November 11 removed his fingers from the table. "Only if you promise to make a move in the next, oh, minute or two."
Hill eyed him darkly. "My God, man, you really have no patience for this."
"Only because you take a near decade to actually do something..." November muttered.
"You're supposed to be Mr. Cool; how about acting like it for a change?"
"I don't have to put on an act for you! And besides," he ran his hands through his hair, "I only lose my composure against you. You really are quite the snob at this game."
"Its not my fault you suck," Hill spat.
"WHAT WAS THAT?" November was on his feet.
Hill rose to his own full height (which was, admittedly, a hair shorter than his companion's). "You heard me."
"ENOUGH!"
Both men flinched as they heard the slamming of a book. Yomiko rose from her seat on the couch looking very, very cross. November 11 actually gulped.
"Either play nice or take it outside! I can't concentrate on my reading with you two barking at each other." Her glasses tinted dangerously in the sunlight pouring from the open window blinds.
"Er, Yomiko, haven't you read that book fifty times already?" Hill pointed to the copy of Sun Tzu's Art of War in her hand.
The woman wordlessly closed her book and opened a small briefcase. She raised a fresh stack of printing paper threateningly. The men shrank back.
"Sorry," the two replied at the same time. Hill eyed November and gave him a gruff "hmph".
Satisfied, Yomiko sat back down and recounted her place in the book.
Hill sighed. A drink would calm him down. He picked up his cup and brought it to his lips.
"Something wrong?" a sly voice asked.
Hill had stopped mid-sip. He turned the cup upside down. The coffee was frozen to the last drop.
"Ah, ain't that a shame... You won't be able to drink that for hours."
"YOU FUCKING WANKER, I'LL KILL YOU!"
The two Englishmen finally finished their game somewhere around midnight. This was, of course, after they were forced to buy a new copy of the Art of War, a chess board, and replace the front window after it had unceremoniously shattered when said previous gameboard was sent crashing through it. Said board had nearly nicked November 11 square on his cranium.
Needless to say, that was the last time Hill and November played a rousing game of chess with Yomiko in the vicinity.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Blue eyes narrowed intently at the square battlefield.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
A shift in weight; a plan was formulating. The cogs were beginning to turn.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The opponent on the other side of the field would certainly never see this next attack. The wheels were spinning now. It would be over in one fell swoop...
"Are you going to make a bloody move or not?"
Brows furrowed in consternation.
"Honestly, you have the patience of a two-year-old..." Hill sighed. He raised the white knight in his hand and struck. For a moment, there was no reaction, and then his opponent leaned forward in his seat blinking rapidly.
"How in the hell did you do that?" November 11 asked.
As I thought, Hill took a swig of coffee. He let the other man revel in disbelief as he savoured his drink. Once he was sure November was boring a hole in his head with the look of disgust he was receiving, he set his cup down.
"Well?"
Hill gave a tiny smirk. "You never think ahead. That's how."
November blinked in succession yet again. And then, his expression morphed into one that clearly said, "Shut it less I shut it for you, you insufferable bastard." Hill's smirk grew wider.
"You're enjoying this a little too much," November 11 folded his arms over his chest.
Hill took another sip of his drink. "Only when I'm playing against you." He downed the rest of the coffee.
"Har, har," November rolled his eyes as he observed his remaining troops. "Let's see you smile after I...move here."
He looked up to find his companion not in his seat.
"Huh?"
November turned in his seat only to spot the man pouring himself another drink from the coffee maker.
"Hey!"
Hill tilted his head. "Oh, is it my turn?"
"It is," November answered sourly.
Hill calmly returned to his seat, a fresh cup in his hand. He gingerly took a sip. When he noticed November 11 incessently staring at him, he shot back a quizzical look.
"What?"
"That's about your tenth cup today..."
Hill blinked. "And?" He genuinenly looked nonplussed.
The blond sighed. If it weren't for that honest face he was wearing, he had half a mind to beat Hill upon his shaggy head.
"Will you just make a move, please?"
"Alright, alright," Hill took a quick chug.
He rested a hand on his knee and surveyed the battle at hand. Was his partner really making such lax moves? He absent-mindedly scratched at the hair on his chin.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
If I surround him here, it'd end it... That'd be too boring. This is going to end soon either way, but I'd like to get a bit of fun out of it.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Oh, if only he was a decent player. Yomiko's a fair better, but she can't get her nose out of a book long enough for a full match.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Hmmm, perhaps I'm in need of a shave...?
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Oh, will you STOP that infernal tapping! It's quite irritating, thank you."
November 11 removed his fingers from the table. "Only if you promise to make a move in the next, oh, minute or two."
Hill eyed him darkly. "My God, man, you really have no patience for this."
"Only because you take a near decade to actually do something..." November muttered.
"You're supposed to be Mr. Cool; how about acting like it for a change?"
"I don't have to put on an act for you! And besides," he ran his hands through his hair, "I only lose my composure against you. You really are quite the snob at this game."
"Its not my fault you suck," Hill spat.
"WHAT WAS THAT?" November was on his feet.
Hill rose to his own full height (which was, admittedly, a hair shorter than his companion's). "You heard me."
"ENOUGH!"
Both men flinched as they heard the slamming of a book. Yomiko rose from her seat on the couch looking very, very cross. November 11 actually gulped.
"Either play nice or take it outside! I can't concentrate on my reading with you two barking at each other." Her glasses tinted dangerously in the sunlight pouring from the open window blinds.
"Er, Yomiko, haven't you read that book fifty times already?" Hill pointed to the copy of Sun Tzu's Art of War in her hand.
The woman wordlessly closed her book and opened a small briefcase. She raised a fresh stack of printing paper threateningly. The men shrank back.
"Sorry," the two replied at the same time. Hill eyed November and gave him a gruff "hmph".
Satisfied, Yomiko sat back down and recounted her place in the book.
Hill sighed. A drink would calm him down. He picked up his cup and brought it to his lips.
"Something wrong?" a sly voice asked.
Hill had stopped mid-sip. He turned the cup upside down. The coffee was frozen to the last drop.
"Ah, ain't that a shame... You won't be able to drink that for hours."
"YOU FUCKING WANKER, I'LL KILL YOU!"
The two Englishmen finally finished their game somewhere around midnight. This was, of course, after they were forced to buy a new copy of the Art of War, a chess board, and replace the front window after it had unceremoniously shattered when said previous gameboard was sent crashing through it. Said board had nearly nicked November 11 square on his cranium.
Needless to say, that was the last time Hill and November played a rousing game of chess with Yomiko in the vicinity.