eyemind | event } you can jive

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event } you can jive

WHO: Open to all passengers!
WHAT: A visit to New Ecrillion, and all the music your ears can handle. Plus, bonus new partners!
WHERE: Anywhere in the city of New Ecrillion, or Navi.
WHEN: June 19 through July 10
WARNINGS: Add these to your comment subject lines as needed! And if you end up partying literally to death, please record it on the death page.

Hello, passengers! Hope you're all ready for an announcement, 'cause Navi's voice is getting beamed into your head right about ... now:

Attention, passengers.
We'll be docking soon at the city of New Ecrillion, on the planet Zegnolia, where we will remain for approximately three weeks, local time.
Please stand by.

From the announcement until landing, to help everyone adjust to the new environment, Navi will gift all passengers with a a faint hummed melody.

Upon docking and disembarking, passengers will find a bank counter just past the terminal, where your new windfall of Navigems can be exchanged for credits (the universal currency). Try not to spend it all in one place!

Now, go get your groove on! Just remember to take breaks to hydrate.

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I. The city that never sleeps ... IN SPACE

If there's anywhere that this place could stop in that would make Gen nostalgic for the place - it'd have to be somewhere that faintly reminded him of Vegas, wouldn't it? Maybe this was all up to eleven - because apparently they're on a spacecraft now - but Gen felt instantly transported back to his youth. Way back to when he was a young teen and visiting America for the first time.

It was exhilarating.

Gen was wearing a purple t-shirt, with a black long-sleeved shirt over it, his black jeans and boots, and a black long coat over all of that. On his wrist was his flower bracelet and glinting on his neck was a certain necklace - indeed a match for another passenger. But between all the layers he had plenty of places to hide whatever he'd like to, considering Senku was wearing the Arms Band.

Well. While they were here ... he might as well make hay in the sunshine.

He'd recognize someone from the ship departing the craft beside him - his smile was crafty, inviting. "Are you in the mood for some entertainment?"

II. What happens in Space Vegas ...

Gen wasn't an idiot. He didn't want to end up in space-jail for completely sweeping the pot in poker or blackjack. So he'd just win a little, and lose enough, so his modest profits looked earned, instead of calculated. Sure, could he figure out a way to game the system and pull in a larger jackpot? Of course. But, again, space-jail. He's the one who would probably need to swindle other people out of that kind of situation, he couldn't do that if he was locked up.

Still, a sharp eye might be able to spot that Gen had a particular skill when at the tables that had nothing to do with luck.

Later that night, Gen would decide he's plenty bored - so anyone with ears would be able to hear him trying out some karaoke instead. And, hey, he's not half bad! It could help that he is entirely and stubbornly sober, of course.

III. Try your luck - be amazed!

After winning some more money - shopping - karaoke - more shopping - Gen felt a little antsy.

After all ... he didn't love Vegas for the way it entertained him.

So, for any local - or passenger - who was curious? He'd have a table set up in the entertainment district, and a hand-written sign. (Where ... where exactly did Gen find glitter pens and glue?)

THE GREAT MENTALIST GEN ASAGIRI

FORTUNE TELLING - CARD TRICKS - LOVE ADVICE

KNOW THE FUTURE.

Kaz had been making his way down the entertainment district when his eyes came across what appeared to be a fellow passenger and a sign that was admittedly hard to miss with all the glitter. He stood back for a moment, considering, before his curiosity got the better of him and sent him limping up to the table.

"How much for a card trick?" he asked in his rough tone, leaning on his cane and looking impassive.

Now, if this whole planet made him feel nostalgic for his teenaged years - the earlier of a three-card-monte game had made Gen feel wistful for his childhood. Or, well, probably wistful was the wrong word. It had been achingly familiar, the dance of hands over cards, remembering his cherubic face easily convincing strangers to hand over their money, his father's watchful gaze behind him. He had half-expected to hear the low, cajoling voice praise his skill.

Instead of wincing, he had smiled, and walked away.

This stranger was one of his passengers - none of whom Gen was able to properly meet before getting herded off onto this planet. His smile to those marks had been convincing. His raspy voice sounded real. It was a little like looking in a mirror, Gen thought.

Except this man was still running these cons, of his own free will, even plucked from his home and everything he knew, stuck in space.

They were not the same, Gen knew, they had very different motivations.

Even now, Gen smiled, playful and innocent, watching Kaz lean on his cane. No longer was he smiling and friendly. Now, indeed, he looked a little sinister.

Interesting.

"For you?" Gen mused aloud. "How about a trick for a trick?"

Funnily enough, it was a similar feeling that had drawn Kaz to the table. Everything else he'd done on this planet so far was for the sake of profit, but the draw here was for more deeply personal reasons, like the unwanted call of a siren pulling him in. When he was young, he loved to watch the magicians on the street, studying them with rapt attention and returning home to practice the tricks tirelessly. To this day, he still found himself wondering if things would have turned out differently if he hadn't wanted to see the magician that day.

Though he was a very changed person now compared to who he was then, he never lost his interest in sleight of hand and magic tricks. Try as he might to snuff out that last piece of his past self for good, it still lingered on. Of course, the card tricks, like most everything else in his life, had lost their 'magic' a long time ago, and these days they were little more than puzzles to be deconstructed and solved, secrets to be collected. It was for this reason that he approached not with awe and excitement, but with coldly impassive inquiry. He could feign enthusiasm and engagement when it served a purpose for him, but he had no interest in keeping up the charade outside of those moments and cared little if people found him unpalatable.

Now, he watched Gen smile and listened as he pitched his counter-offer, which caused his brow to quirk with interest. For a while, his face remained impassive, continuing to fix Gen with that piercing, unrelenting gaze of his.

Then, the corner of his lips quirked into what just might be a smirk. Interesting, indeed. Where Gen seemed to enjoy performing and entertaining, for Kaz it was more a personal hobby and fixation. Being a showman held no appeal for him, but this had definitely piqued his interest.

"Oh? I might have a few tricks up my sleeve." Of course, he was being purposefully modest, and judging from the way Gen had reacted to him, Kaz expected that the other man would suspect as much. He might have remembered someone who looked similar passing by the monte table earlier, but he'd been more occupied with the people who approached him, so it was hard to say. Still, it was possible.

"Excellent, I'm pleased to hear that," Gen gave Kaz a friendly, if slightly slanted smile. He knew that Kaz knew that he must have seen him earlier. Instead of growing defensive and openly distrustful - Kaz was playing along. Gen appreciated the ability to have an opening.

Despite the fact they surely had very different motives for what they did? Someone with the cleverness and certain set of skills required to run that kind of con would be very useful. It'd take a pretty long play, Gen recognized, to find out just what would motivate the stranger, however.

He took one of the decks of cards beside him and opened the pack. This wasn't his custom set - that was reserved for fortune-telling. No, this was a standard deck. He lay them all out face-up in a long spread, displaying to Kaz the deck had all of its cards, before gathering them to begin shuffling them.

"I can't help but sprinkle in a little of my fortune-telling in my card tricks," Gen told the stranger, leaning his head forward a little - conspiratorial. "I'm a Mentalist, not a mere magician. Given my luck with forecasting the future, it's only prudent that I fold that into my performances."

He shuffled the deck as he spoke - then set four cards face-down. Gen then offered the remaining cards to the stranger.

"These four cards already know which one you'll choose," Gen told Kaz. "Pick any card, then place it back here, if you'd please."

The smirk on his lips played around for a few more moments before fading away, though his eyes maintained that piercing gaze. Kaz was more than happy to oblige him and grant him an opening, for reasons both personal and pragmatic. Of his personal interest, he had long since seen and learned all the tricks Ketterdam had to offer, so was he was admittedly curious to see something this unfamiliar world and stranger had to offer. More practically, he had a vested interest in learning more about the other passengers and what skills and traits they possessed, so anything willingly offered he would gladly take.

As for Gen, he'd definitely made a first impression as a person of interest, a potential puzzle to solve. A good magician was a good conman, as far as Kaz was concerned, and that was enough to suggest the man across from him would possess marketable skills. Aside from that, there was also the question of what his angle was here.

It was only when the cards were produced that Kaz let his gaze shift away from the mans face, dropping to watch as he presented and shuffled the deck, studying the cards silently and intently. As Gen leaned in and offered his explanation, Kaz spared him the briefest glance of acknowledgement before directing his gaze back down to watch the cards at play. Up until now, his hands had remained firmly planted on his cane, and it was only when the remaining cards were offered to him that one hand moved from its perch. At first, he raised the gloved hand to his head, idly running his fingers through his hair, before reaching down to select one of the offered cards.

His hand hovered thoughtfully for a moment, before pulling a card out and glancing at it for a brief moment before shifting his gaze to make eye contact again. He'd pulled the 8 of hearts.

"And if I don't like my fortune?" he asked, holding the card with it's back to Gen for a moment before finally flipping it face down and replacing it with the rest of the cards as instructed. It was a mostly rhetorical question, as Kaz didn't hold much stock in fortune-telling and destiny. If he didn't like his fortune, he'd make his own luck, just as he'd always done.

Edited (phrasing!!) 2021-06-29 20:14 (UTC)

"Oh, don't worry, my dear," Gen assured him. "You asked for a trick, so I won't be reading you. This is just going to predict what card you'd drawn, so if I do this correctly - that's the sort of fortune you'd be expecting."

He winked at Kaz, his smile just as conspiratorial, as he shuffled the deck now that - from all appearances - Kaz's card was placed back within it. Instead of catching it, controlling it, and eventually palming it as he spoke. He didn't look at his hands at all - maintaining eye contact with the stranger.

Kaz could watch as much as he liked. He wasn't worried. For Gen, cards were his bread and butter - especially after the world was petrified, once paper was re-invented. Card tricks were the easiest for him to do without any other supplies. And when your only tool was a hammer ...

Gen laughed. "Of course, I could still read your fortune after, if you'd like."

He set the shuffled deck to the side, and gestured to the four he lay down in the beginning. "Now, let's look at the cards, see if they show what you picked. Was your card red or black, my friend?"

Edited (typos!) 2021-06-30 16:03 (UTC)

After replacing the card in the deck, Kaz let his gaze drop to study the cards again, hand dropping to rest on his cane once more. As always, his eyes sought out the moment of deception, the crack in the illusion, memorizing the man's movements so he could mentally go through it again later. Idly, he did admire Gen's skill with the cards, noting that he definitely wasn't an amateur.

Kaz was certain that Gen was someone who potentially possessed a number of skills that could prove useful in the right situations, if he could ferret them out.

It wasn't until the deck was set to the side that he finally lifted his gaze once more, that piercing stare once again fixating on Gen's face.

"I prefer to make my own fortune," he finally replied, fingers tapping idly against the back of the opposite hand. There was another brief pause, his expression thoughtful, then he finally answered, "Red."

Kaz's eyes were cool, his expression much like the bird on the cane's head - piercing, sharp, not missing a single thing. But also, much like a bird - largely unreadable to most people. Gen was good at watching other people's tells, but he already knew this stranger was not someone he'd get into a game of poker with on a whim.

Though he might appreciate the challenge.

"I can respect that, my friend," Gen smiled and picked up the first cards he lay down - before turning over the first one, setting it face-up on the table. "Five of Hearts! Red, exactly like your card. Hmmm ... was your card odd or even? Keep in mind, if your card was a face card - Aces are as odd as I am, Queens are even, Jacks and Kings are odd."

He looked prepared to lay down the second card, awaiting his answer.

Perhaps the most notable observation was that, even under Kaz's unrelenting scrutiny, Gen didn't flinch or falter. It was clear he was a talented magician, and as far as Kaz was concerned, a good magician was a good con man. Though he kept his expression guarded and impassive, the wheels in his mind were turning, trying to work out what possible angles and motivations Gen might be harboring behind that smile of his.

As for Kaz's tells, he certainly had a few, but most people never thought to look past the obvious setback of him being a cripple to find them. Usually, it was the subtle changes in his eyes that could give him away, but currently there was nothing to be found there but that cool, calculating stare.

His fingers continued to idly tap against the back of his hand for another moment, before coming to rest still against his cane. All the while, his eyes kept trained on Gen's features, then finally glanced down at the spread on the table. "Even."

Someone crippled wasn't someone Gen would look over so easily. Perhaps that's a bit due to his wide and varied experiences, between the stone world and his voyage on the voidtrecker. Though, being who Gen was, he wasn't even certain if it was an cane Kaz actually needed, or simply playing the role of wounded prey.

He set down the Four of Diamonds. "Ah, this card is also even. Now, this could be a lovely little coincidence, my dear - but I'm inclined to believe from my experience that I just can't escape my abilities to forecast the future."

Gen winked at Kaz. He knew this man realized this was a trick, a performance - but that didn't mean that he would cease to give him a magician's performance. Why fail to give another professional anything but his best?

"Two more cards to go. Hm. So - was your card a spot or a face card?"

As Gen rightly suspects, Kaz Brekker is a seasoned confidence man despite his young age. Depending on what he was trying to achieve at any given moment, he had no qualms about donning costumes or sliding into different characters. It was a series of games that Gen was likely familiar with, and as such, he was right to be dubious.

The irony here is that the man standing before him now is simply Kaz Brekker, a fellow passenger and street magician who now finds himself mutually sizing up the man across the table from him. Though he wasn't the most responsive or expressive audience, he was certainly a very attentive one, taking in all sorts of minor details from the way Gen handled the cards and sleights of hand required to the way Gen tried to engage him.

Indeed, performance or not, Kaz was content to simply let it play out. His curiosity had considered the possibility of trying to interfere with the game, wondering how Gen would react and adapt if Kaz were to lie or attempt to switch the cards out, or if Gen would be keen enough to see the deception if he had attempted it. He didn't indulge these curiosities though, and merely respectfully watched and stayed honest, though he was thinking all the while.

"Spot."

"Seven of Clubs!" Gen lay down the third card, eyes wide with false amazement. "That certainly seals it. Surely, then, when I lay down the final card - it will point out where the card you selected is, my dear friend. I'm certainly excited to find out which card you picked."

While due to the circumstances of Gen's life, and the tragedy which befell his world, he was nearly four thousand years old - he'd only been aware for twenty-two years of that, so that would be a more accurate age for him. But his lies, his performance, his slightly flirty and playful smile - they're all with experience most don't gain until their thirties. Much like Kaz, Gen had gotten a head start by learning many of his skills at an early age.

And having a natural talent for deception.

With a flourish, he lay down the last card he was holding - the card that he ostensibly set down before Kaz even selected his cards.

It was the Eight of Hearts.

Gen spread his hands with a flourish, letting his sleeves ride back a bit with the tension in his elbows, to show both his hands and wrists were completely bare. "Is this your card, my friend?" he asked.

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event } you can jive

Gen Asagiri | Dr. Stone - VT CRAU | OTA

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