That guy looked too tall to fit the description, and that one too old... That boy, maybe? "Excuse me. Are you Bart Decker?" she asked.
"Ah, yes! And judging by that mark you must be Serafeyna, right?" Her Guild tattoo was easily visible under the hem of her short and frilly skirt, and Sera nodded.
"Just Sera is fine." He mispronounced her full name anyway. Bart extended a hand for a handshake, and Sera took it before sitting down across from him. "So, you're really in such need of good chess partners as to go to a guild, huh?"
Bart nodded. "You'd be surprised. I find wizards are often the studious type, though, so it's more fun to play with them than your average joe."
Sera thought about her roommate and longtime friend and had to exercise a fair amount of self control not to laugh. Instead, she simply explained, "I know a few wizards who are more natural talents than studious, to be honest."
"Sure, but they're not likely to take my quest," Bart dismissed with a shrug. Sera supposed that much was true. Mia could be a bit of a meat head, but she knew her limits well and was pretty adept at choosing her battles. Even if that was sometimes too many battles, hehe. "But let's get started, shall we?"
"Of course." Sera helped Bart set the board, and he made the first move. Hmm, if he was starting like that... Sera had no clue, she didn't play chess enough to know real strategies or anything, she just responded in the moment heh.
For a few turns, they played in silence, but Sera was starting to feel a little understimulated and finally tried making some small talk. "So... Your parents must be really proud of you being such a chess prodigy, huh?" He looked a bit younger than her so she felt it a safe assumption he still lived at home.
But Bart frowned, to her dismay. "You would think so, but they kind of expect it..." he admitted. "If not chess, they'd be on my case to be a stand-out at something brainy, so at most this just kind of keeps them satisfied."
Sera winced. "Oh ow." She debated a moment, then offered, "I can relate, though. My dad always expected a lot from me, too. Following my own dreams always made him so mad. He wanted me to go to business school or... I dunno, marry into nobility or something." She made a disgusted face.
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WC: 506 / 1000