NOTHING'S GONNA CHANGE MY MIND ☆ mt

[michael t.]

YOU NEVER GAVE UP ON ME; WHY DON'T YOU?
I'LL NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU SEE; WHY WON'T YOU?

The monthly task that Michael had been given was to round up the Blackjack Rats and play a game, and... frankly, he had no problem with that. He liked setting up social events – hence his division of expertise – and he had the perfect game in mind. A gambling endeavor, of course. That didn't mean that everyone needed to bet their houses or anything, but the dealer thought things would be a bit more fun if there were some kind of stakes, and he thought his fellow Blackjack Rats would agree. In addition to this, the game he had in mind was fairly simple, requiring only five 6 sided dice and a cup to shake them around in. Both were fairly easy to find inside the tavern, so it wasn't long before he had his supplies, grabbing himself a table as well to set up in front of the tavern. Once it was set up, he laid out the dice, the cup, and a piece of paper for him to keep track of things on, a small smirk gracing the male's muzzle.

He called out cheerfully, sounding more relaxed than he had in a while, "Hey, Blackjack Rats! We're gonna play a little game called Threes, alright? The game itself is pretty simple, so listen up and pay attention." He waited until a few familiar faces had gathered around before he began his explanation, "Threes is a gambling game, where you can bet anything you want. How the game works is that you roll five dice. All threes on the dice count as zeroes, and everything else counts as their face value. You always need to keep at least one die every roll, until eventually you run out of dice to roll. Your goal? Get the lowest number that you possibly can." He glanced down at the dice in front of him, shifting them a little with his paw before he continued, "Obviously if you already have a higher roll than the person in front of you on say, die three, that means you're out and anything you bet is forfeit. It's a game of luck, and also a bit of skill, since you need to carefully decide which dice to keep." He loved games like these, where one could also be extraordinarily lucky, but there was also some skill involved.

Looking down, Michael gathered the dice up into his cup, shaking it around before he rolled them and spoke in a hum, "I'll go first, since I already put a couple of my bracelets down on this. See my first roll? Two threes, two twos, and one five. I'm going to keep the two threes, since they count as zeroes, and then roll again..." He gathered the three remaining dice up in the cup, rolling them again before he winced and sighed, "And now... I have a one, a two, and a five. I'll keep the one, I suppose..." He continued rolling, until eventually he was out of dice. Turning to the crowd, he spoke with a pleased little hum, "So now, my final score is a three, which is pretty damn good for this little game. Of course, that doesn't mean you guys can't beat it, especially if you get more threes than me. After all, if you get five zeroes, you automatically win, since that's a zero score."

He then tilted his head to one side, humming thoughtfully, "We'll end the round when... hmm. Three people after me have gone. That seems fair enough. Now... bet what you want, and then roll." He pushed the cup and the dice towards whoever stepped up first, a broad grin on his face.

( we'll be playing this game legit, since you can use the site here for your rolls! just consider whatever dice you chose to keep as "out" when you roll it again, and ignore their numbers! )

— Reggan

[Grimm]

Instances during which aloud was remake made on the various frivolities rather far and few between, among them similar pass times. Preference had been cultivated towards those more inclined to the use of cards, though old hand was he at those with dice, this not familiar, however. Little his care for the tavern, likewise the occupants often a rather mixed bag of both crewmates and new faces seeking temporary refuge, the set up given a brief glance. It was upon the recognition of the organiser once more gaze fixed on the gathered rabble, few now but enthusiastic all.

Blackjack rats. Rather fitting a name, apparent their connection by that which glimmered upon the edge of numerous ears, attentive as begun the instruction. With such concluded, and the beginning of the round begun, the beckoning call rang forth, piqued his interest as it seemed any and all were invited. Downwards vision flicked, brief his ponderance. Known to some his face, others more weary for reasons he would not begrudge them, his worry extinguished when his approach was not met with jeering remarks, quiet grown the onlookers. The issue of that he may bet arose, nothing on hand in this moment and little he held did not bear sentimental value.

"Have dagger, skinning-" paws moved in a mimicry of the proposed task, unnecessary though all the same performed, almost thoughtless as he continued "-not here, but have." Explanation done with he reached forth for the dice, miniscule compared to his rather sizable paw. None made a move to stop him, thus they were taken up, a few attempts finally leading to all being deposited into the cup. Rough his shake of it, the clatter as they fell leaving them rather spaced out, over each his eye roving. A three, two sixes, a two, and a four. "This one." Against the three a claw tapped, the rest once more dropped into the cup.

Better this hand, though lacking the sought three, rather a trio of ones and a two sat before him. Two of the ones were deposited beside the three, the others given another vigorous shake. "Vier." One more than Michael had ended up with, joined the taken pair of ones by a two.

© LEXASPERATED