Kahi 2012/04/07 (Sat) 03:08 No. 43009 ▼ File 133376809717.jpg - (138.73KB, 850x600 , Demon Queen Karaoke Night.jpg)
You amble casually up.
"Ticket, please." Jack says, holding out a hand expectantly and without hesitation. There's an authoritative note in his voice hinting that he isn't even questioning that you'll hand it over, because that's just how it goes, and everything is in order.
Your hand almost starts to twitch to your pocket before you stop it. My, he's good.
"No, I don't think I'll be doing that, Jack." You say dryly, voice's tone echoing mildly through your own.
He pauses, and frowns, seeming to consider you more closely.
"... I don't know you, do I?" He says, thoughtfully.
"Is it important?" You counter. "More to the point... I can appreciate a clever little arrangement like this. Really. But it would be... a shame, wouldn't it, if something went wrong. Like someone stood about and just ever so casually let people know that so and so isn't actually an official and just one more competitor. Just for example."
"That would get uncomfortable rather quickly. And I'd be right to say, then, that you're implying you could... prevent such a turn of events?"
"It's nothing personal. I can appreciate the effort, after all. But maybe you should consider... giving me a reason to keep silent?" You hint.
"... No dice, mate." Jack says, grinning, and stretching his neck as he let down his hood. "You picked a bad time, is all. It's nothing personal, and I can appreciate the effort. But I was just starting to think about calling it a day and heading in myself. You've just given me another reason, is all."
He unzips the hoodie and takes it off, carrying it over his shoulder and giving a cheeky little wave as he heads inside.
You, for your part, grit your teeth a little at failing to accomplish anything of worth.
"Better luck next time dear, I suppose." Rebecca says, slight hint of amusement in her tone. "Coming?"
"I shall wait here, milady. I have the strong feeling that the interior is only strictly intended for competitors." Duncan says, taking up patient vigil outside.
You enter the building, keeping close to Rebecca.
It's kept cool, and there are a few hallways to traverse, but there are signs to guide the path and you make your way through them to the main chamber of the building. There are a number of people already, and a few still trickle in by ones and twos, and far more seats than are, you suppose, strictly speaking, required. Or perhaps a number of people will discover that failure to be punctual has drawbacks.
The clock above the stage, to the front, ticks almost ominously as minutes pass. Then, at the first chime of noon, you hear the doors to the building slam shut, all at once, from a distance. Eleven more pass, before the clock goes silent.
Then the curtain slides open. The Demon Queen herself is standing there, microphone in hand, with a large and fanciful looking wheel, similar to those used on game shows, standing beside her, along with a large computer-thing.
"Weeeeelcome, contestants~" She says, into the microphone. "To my little Game of Chance~"
There's some muttering, but it quiets down when she continues.
"The rules are simple!" She says, as some of her hooded assistants wheel pictures past her, as a graphic representation of her words. "In this event, you may choose to spend your loot as you please, to arrange the Wheel, and Spin for your chance at a prize! You are of course not required to participate, but my, it would be so boring to opt out now, isn't that so?"
.... She rambles on for a while, seeming to greatly enjoy the sound of her voice, as you line up the rules in your head as you pick them out of her circuitous words and blather.
1. You may pay a Ticket or a Token to spin the wheel.
2. You may use as many or as few of these as you possess. No more than you possess, however, and you need only decide to abstain from making the attempt and then you needn't spend anything at all.
3. The Wheel has 13 slots for prizes. However: one of the slots is marked with a skull icon. Should you spin the wheel, and it land on the skull, you get NOTHING.
-3a. The different slots are randomly stocked with four icons: an M, a ?, a X, and an outline of a yukkuri. Of these, M will earn you a random amount of Money, a - will give you a Mystery Box, as though you had purchased one from the stands. You recall that it isn't guaranteed anything will be in them. A 'X', however, is guaranteed... to give you nothing, just as though you had landed on the skull. The yukkuri outline, it seems, will give you a randomly-selected Yukkuri from a confidential prize list set for this purpose.
4. You can pay, in tickets or tokens, to change the items on the wheel. One ticket or token will change anything but the skull icon to any other of your choice.
4a. There is also a '!' Icon, emblazoned over a yukkuri outline. It costs two tokens or tickets to place, but it allows you to specify a specific breed in advance, pre-spinning. You could, as such, specify 'Marisa', and provided you landed on the slot, and provided there is at least one Marisa on the prize list, the random selection will be limited to 'Marisa' Yukkuri. This holds true for all the other types as well.
It's a simple set of rules, really, though she does her best to wordily make it seem complex. You have... nine tickets, and one token. You'll have to think about how to use them, if at all...
"And now! Today's special rule...."
There's a drumroll somewhere, as a sign is wheeled out with a drape over it, and after a nod, the drape is pulled wide open to reveal an image of a Token, with a smaller 'x2' aside it.
"... Double Token Value!" The Demon Queen declares. "That's right. For today's purpose alone, a Token is worth two tickets, and as such... Can spin the wheel twice, can place two normal icons, or place a single Special icon! And now, for our first contestant~"
This doesn't change much. If you had a lot of tokens, of course, you guess it would be a pretty large game-changer... oh well. You keep thinking, as one by one contestants are called up. Few seem to have many tickets or tokens, most only one or two. Some spin, others just abstain from spending them after considering their wheels.
Too soon, it's your turn up on the stage. You inspect your wheel closely...
There's the instant-death skull icon, of course. Aside from that, there are... three money icons. Four mystery icons. Three no-win icons. And two random-yukkuri icons.
Better than many, actually, with only a total of four failure-icons. Good odds of a spin getting something, if not neccessarily what you might want. You'll have to seriously consider how to set up your wheel, given this start-up, and then how many times to spin it once it's ready.
Or you could abstain and save all of your tickets and single token for another day, you guess.
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12:41 PM
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