< Lizzie Lemontree | Personal Story
Written by dacryzoid
It’s not like Leona was doing this out of getting a challenge. There’s no point in playing chess underwater, they play other games down there. Fights are not done in the ocean in the design that could make chess relevant. Lizzie didn’t play chess ever since she was a child like he did, and it showed even though she had interest in his favorite game, and he taught her in return.
But even so, it was a pleasant time. He wouldn’t mind creating little puzzles for her to figure out how to check and so, but she wanted to play with him, and he had taken a fairly good nap earlier. He wasn’t too weighed down, that is to say, to give her the attention they both wanted to.
Although it had been fifteen minutes of her going back and forth, even with him going easy and even letting her eat so many of his pieces for the sake of teaching, because Lizzie refused to let it end in stalemate. “I don’t want to end in a draw when I could end with a check!” She frowned, boring a hole in the board with her eyes.
“It’s no big deal.” The sides of his lips still pulled up, entertained.
He had taught her how to start the game, beginning tactics to take control over the center and protect the king. He is quite sure he also taught Lizzie how to check with a queen or a rook. Yet there she was, searching for him all over the board, afraid when his king comes her rook’s way and pulling it out, unable to figure out how to keep him in actual check.
Begging him to redo a move because she made a mistake. Well, he only lets her redo it because it’s her, reminding her this isn’t online chess. “I never played online chess.” Lizzie squints at him, knowing he’s teasing her, but falling for it anyway. It’s because it’s with him, that she enjoys learning it as she does.
And maybe because he’s rooting for her to realize what to do. Sue him for believing in her.
Leona knows what he taught her, so he knows she can do it if only she remembers. She groans at another escape the king does, and he doesn’t remind her that this way would still lead to a stalemate.
“Y’know you don’t have to keep guardin’ the king like that. It’s a powerful piece in the endgame.” He reminds her. “And I did let you eat my other pieces, my king isn’t going to jump yours.” She frowned at how he admitted to let her do it, but Lizzie did learn how to go this far. He wouldn’t have let her go so far if she didn’t show the work for it. She finally picks up the queen by the king’s side, measuring where would it be better to place it.
From f1 to upward, she eventually places it on f7. Leona smirks. “Check. Good girl, Lizzie.” Lizzie blushes at his words, and he teases her further with some headpats. She takes them flustered, but there’s a small smile seeping out in her eyes that shows she likes it actually. It’s just, well, embarrassing.
But it’s just him with her, so it’s fine.
This isn’t the ocean.
“You don’t have to be afraid of taking risks. Just pay attention to the hanging pieces.” The breeze that hits is as soft as his smile at her. They quietly put the pieces back. “Are you tired yet?” Their fingers brushed sometimes, intimacy sparkling in the middle of the silence.
Lizzie ponders. “No, I would like to play another game.” Days like this don’t come so often. The scent of the warm dust is background, enhancing the feeling further.
It’s never cold at Savannaclaw, unlike what Lizzie is used to. It evokes hardship, the animal skulls here and there, surviving and not being picky, eating to the bone. They aren’t willing to prey on each other like some underwater, although they still do in their own ways. Slowly shaving off the stronger as they live like small fish.