Slapbet

• thump* *thump!* *THUMP* *THUMP!!* *S-L-A-P!!!*

"...AAHHH!! !#$&*@!!!"

With a running start a goblin slaps Rocky hard across the face, only to howl in pain and expletives.

The grey Sith, for his part, blinks, and after a moment, gently reaches out a hand, presses it against the goblin's cheek, and shoves him a few inches to the side. The surrounds gobbers cheer and chatter, coins and slips of paper changing hands. Rocky sighs, and peers around. "I do not understand this game."

"It's KrampusSlap, what's to understand?"

"Did I hear someone say KrampusSlap?!"

The voice is excited, as are the pale grey-green eyes of it's owner, one Skyler Skywalker. Wearing his 'off duty' clothes of snug leather pants, a flowy shirt, and a fitted jacket with his usual cold weather addendum of orange-and-purple knit hat (with ear flaps, of course), he flicks a copper at one of the goblin dancers, and walks over to where Rocky and his companions play their game. "Can I play? You'll have to be gentle, I've never done this before!"

"Hey, deal me in." One of the patrons, nominally a gentleman in black armor that has the markings of one of Vardama's own on it, says and flops down into a chair with a wicked gleam in his purple eyes. He's got a tall glass of beer in one hand and he takes a long drink of it before setting it down. "I'll play a round. It's been too long since I had a bit of fun."

Far, far too long, and Aragos - the Vardaman - is itching to have a good time.

Rocky nods politely to the two humans. "This one is new as well, does not understand details. But I think I am winning?" Straightening up, the grey scaled sith half bows to each in turn. "This one is called Rocky, in the trade tongue."

The goblins eye the new arrivals a moment before chattering among themselves. Rules were a bit fuzzy to start, but three big people bring a new level of complexity to consider.

"Skyler." The redhead gives Rocky a disarmingly charming and terrifyingly thought-free grin as he sits down in one of the goblin-sized chairs, his knees rising halfway to his chest from the size difference. Were there human sized chairs? Probably. But he's trying to get into the vibe of it all! He glances around, and spots the other human, and points at him. "Round robin! My go!"

And once he's gotten approval (consent is sexy, yo) he wiggles his fingers and then slaps!

GAME: Skyler rolls weapon0: (13)+7: 20
GAME: Skyler rolls damage0: aliased to 1d3+1: (2)+1: 3
GAME: Aragos rolls Constitution: (14)+2: 16
GAME: Aragos rolls weapon0: (7)+12: 19

Aragos keeps a stiff upper lip about being smacked in the face by Skyler, but it's true that the blow puts him off a bit because when he goes to smack Rocky... his own blow goes a bit awry and seems to not even phase the sith-makar at all - in fact it doesn't land at all. Aragos takes a drink and makes a sour face. "This game's going to get sour fast if we play like this." He mutters.

GAME: Rocky rolls weapon0: (11)+10: 21
GAME: Rocky rolls damage0: aliased to 1d3+3: (1)+3: 4
GAME: Skyler rolls con+4: (1)+con+4: 5
GAME: Skyler rolls constitution+4: (2)+2+4: 8

Rocky is a rock. Not technically, but for practical purposes one could as well be striking a statue. His own blow, however, is... solid. The sith looks somewhere between alarmed and ashamed at the blow. "Saaa. This One does not think is a game for IronSides. Or maybe non IronSides. Or maybe not mix of both?"

At Rocky's blow, Skyler goes ass over appetite back off his little, rickety seat and lands on his back. While there are arguments to be made about there being a light on and no one home at the best of times, for a brief moment it's like someone switched off the power.

But then he's giggling and getting up, rubbing his jaw with a broad grin. "I think I lost this round." He says cheerfully, pausing and spitting a tooth out, "We doing elimination, or do I get to smack you again?" Beat, and he squints at Aragos, "Didn't quite catch your name, friend. I'm Skyler."

Aragos laughs at Skyler shaking his head. "I think I'm out myself. I don't want to be hit by that ton of bricks! And you hit me hard enough for my liking outside a row." He offers his hand in friendship instead, a handshake that is. "My name's Aragos. Sharath. Though most folks just call me Aragos. Nice to meet you Skyler."

Rocky nods again to each. "Skyler. Aragos. And Rocky. Maybe is better to drink to bad idea than to continue bad idea?"

The goblins have broken into a brawl/slapfight/mosh pit. While it started over rules with an ironside, the topic seems to have shifted at least once. The word 'snails!' has been shouted several times.

GAME: Skyler rolls athletics: (13)+1: 14

"It's just a tooth." Skyler protests, despite having been undoubtedly the one with the worst loss. In fact, his eyes are still a little unfocused from the blow from Rocky, but he shakes his head, "You two gotta see who's the winner now. But I'll cover the first round, and whoever loses can get the next!"

And he lifts a hand to wave for a round of drinks, only pausing to grab a goblin by the scruff of the neck and yeet him off the table he'd been thrown into, "Hey, sir, I think you lost this!" The goblin doesn't quite hit the intended target, instead hitting the wall face-first and sloooooooowly sliding down.

Aragos looks at Rocky, then laughs and laughs. "Alright, alright. Lay one on me big guy. If I don't flinch you pay for the next round aye?" He arches his eyebrow at Rocky. "No arguments! If you lay me out though I'll patch myself up and buy the next round myself." He grins.

GAME: Rocky rolls weapon0: (5)+10: 15

Rocky hesitates. This might be the first time someone has ASKED him to hit them. Another moment of consideration, and he winds up and swings again. But his heart clearly isn't in it, and his hand whiffs. The sith sighs, then rumbles. "Enough hitting. Or trying. Is drinking and other things to see."

Like the wart covered dancing girls? Maybe not.

"This one does not come into city often. You have not been here long time? Why come to Alexandria? For service of gods?"

Giggling as he takes a sip of his ale, sucking the foam off the top, Skyler doesn't quite catch the comment his way. But eventually it catches up, and he perks, looking over at Rocky with a foam moustache. "Huh?" He says eloquently, before wiping it off with a handkerchief that appears seemingly out of nowhere. "Oh! I'm fairly new, yes. Settled in a week or so back. Mostly came for work."

"You ask a lot of questions there Rocky." Aragos notes quietly, emptying his own glass and leaving it to be filled by a nearby goblin waiter. Which it is quickly done. He seems thoughtful, moreso than previously and he shrugs. "Can't say I came here for serving the gods no, but that's a fair bit of what I've been doing. Nothing here's been at all what I expected it to be."

He offers a faint half-smile but it's a bit morose and unhappy for a moment and he glances toward the door as if half expecting someone to come through it. No one does. Aragos sighs and wiggles his glass in his fingers. "I've been here a while though, unlike Skyler here. I don't travel much though. You'll find plenty of work to be found here in Alexandria Skyler. That much is true. The city is always in need of hands."

Rocky nods. "I am a font of curiosity. To ask is to learn." Obviously not the first time that's come up. "Was brought to city by clutch-sister. Born of same generation, raised together, as is our way. Stay to help guard, help city that has become home. Is much work in city, but find more with caravans traveling outside of city. Always much to see, much to learn. Bandits are rare, stay away from guarded wagons, but sometimes is fighting. Is danger, but is good life."

"And I have! Exciting stuff, too." Skyler says with a broad grin, "Fiendish cattle and devil men, killer stuffed animals, and even giant child-eating snakes! Exciting!" His enthusiasm is apparently, as he takes a deep drink of his ale, "Even got a bout scheduled to wrestle a champion of Angoron while we're on fire!"

Aragos arches his eyebrow at Skyler, snorting loudly and taking a deep drought of his drink. "I think I need more ale because that does *not* sound like a good idea. The rest sounds interesting though. Hope you killed it all." He lifts his drink in salute to Skyler. "I need to find me a good job. The last one I had was some weird thing where half the people needed convincing there was a job to be had at all." His complaint is followed by a deep drought of his drink.

Rocky bristles. He doesn't have fur, but if he did, it would be standing on end. "Fiends and devils. Am glad they are dead. Or sent back to hells at least." He blinks. "While on fire? Think know that champion. Is one of- ...is sith'makar?" He looks to Aragos. "Half did not know? A hidden monster?"

"Oh, we killed the cattle and the guy setting stuff on fire, but his Nightmare kinda went.." Skyler hooks a finger through his cheek, and makes a popping noise, "Back to hell. Pretty sure someone said the guy was dead, though?" He frowns, glancing down into his ale before shaking his head against the concept of 'thought'. "Well, whatever happened to him he left pockets that we emptied. Not a lot of loot for the bluster he made."

Regarding the champion, he nods. "Yes! Sith'makar. Little guy, big ol' ass? Loincloth? Alewyn, I think it was? He's famous enough to have mascots dancing around the Temple district, at least." He chuckles, "I'm sure he's going to absolutely *thrash* me, but we only live once, yeah?" Beat. "I mean, technically if you got the coin you don't, but still."

Aragos shrugs at Rocky. "Some sort of hidden monster yes. I'm not sure of the details because it seems capable of removing itself from the memories of certain people. Not everyone, but some people. I seem to be not one of those people. Lucky me." This seems a bit of sarcasm. Still, he cheers a bit hearing about Skyler's fight, smiling a bit. "Sounds like a right fight. Don't know about the fire bit, but a fight's a fight and those are always a bit of fun right?" He grins.

Rocky rumbles and nods. "Coin is not enough. Not alone. Mountains of coin, and some will never come back. Others, their time in the Great River of Life is not over. They come back." To Aragos he nods. "Have heard stories of beasts not remembered. Have never met one." He takes a pull from his ale. "At least, do not remember doing so."

"Honestly, most days I have to remind myself to change my socks, so I wouldn't be surprised if I had encountered something like that." Skyler says cheerfully, as he takes another drink of ale. He then pauses, frowns, and asks, "If people can't remember it, how do they remember to pay you? Or even request the job? Gah!" He waves his hands in the air dismissively, "Gunna give myself a concussion thinking too hard about it. If you didn't give me one already." That to Rocky, with a grin made all the more mischievous by a missing tooth.

-End