[Ajax’s knight lunges, taking his bishop—a daring strike, one that reveals Ajax’s willingness to manipulate the board to his favor at all costs. But in doing so, the knight is now a solitary figure, bold and reckless, drawn far from its comrades. A smirk tugs at Zhongli’s lips—such audacity demands a response.
His fingers move with deliberate grace, reaching for an unassuming pawn. The movement is slow, almost teasing, as he places it in a position that shifts the dynamic of the game entirely. The pawn cuts through the heart of Ajax’s formation, its path carving a line that threatens the rest of the pieces left unprotected behind the knight, a knight of his own set up to attack the knight if it were to go back. It is not a defensive move—this time, it's offensive. A counterstrike. Followed through by the smallest of the pieces, no strong knight, no cunning queen, but a line of the pawns still remaining poised to strike back.]
A knight can be formidable, [Zhongli murmurs, his gaze flicking up to meet Ajax’s with an amused glint, watching how there's some sort of hunger there in the edge of his lips.
Zhongli's foot find Ajax's underneath the table,] but it is still only one piece. Boldness must always be tempered with strategy, lest it leave the rest of the field vulnerable.
[A good player will notice that at the back, a single steady rook somehow looms over the whole board, unmoving still, but its placement commanding, a line of attack ready to intervene if necessary, but still remaining tucked into the corner of the board. Ajax’s knight, though victorious in its previous move, is now stranded, unable to aid in defending the rest of the forces left exposed. Zhongli rests his chin on his wrist, his posture relaxed yet his eyes keenly watching Ajax’s reaction.]
Well? [Behind the measured calm, there’s a flicker of warmth—Zhongli’s delight in this exchange, in the thrill of matching wits with someone who embraces the game with such passion.
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His fingers move with deliberate grace, reaching for an unassuming pawn. The movement is slow, almost teasing, as he places it in a position that shifts the dynamic of the game entirely. The pawn cuts through the heart of Ajax’s formation, its path carving a line that threatens the rest of the pieces left unprotected behind the knight, a knight of his own set up to attack the knight if it were to go back. It is not a defensive move—this time, it's offensive. A counterstrike. Followed through by the smallest of the pieces, no strong knight, no cunning queen, but a line of the pawns still remaining poised to strike back.]
A knight can be formidable, [Zhongli murmurs, his gaze flicking up to meet Ajax’s with an amused glint, watching how there's some sort of hunger there in the edge of his lips.
Zhongli's foot find Ajax's underneath the table,] but it is still only one piece. Boldness must always be tempered with strategy, lest it leave the rest of the field vulnerable.
[A good player will notice that at the back, a single steady rook somehow looms over the whole board, unmoving still, but its placement commanding, a line of attack ready to intervene if necessary, but still remaining tucked into the corner of the board. Ajax’s knight, though victorious in its previous move, is now stranded, unable to aid in defending the rest of the forces left exposed. Zhongli rests his chin on his wrist, his posture relaxed yet his eyes keenly watching Ajax’s reaction.]
Well? [Behind the measured calm, there’s a flicker of warmth—Zhongli’s delight in this exchange, in the thrill of matching wits with someone who embraces the game with such passion.
Ah, it truly has been a while.]