Eli Rowntree/Supports

**Dionysia:** If I move my bishop here, then my queen could… No, but then you’d just…

**Eli:** …

**Dionysia:** Aha! Alright, your move.

**Eli:** …Checkmate.

**Dionysia:** Wh-what? Damn it! How did I not see that coming?

**Eli:** It happens.

**Dionysia:** Not to me it doesn’t! This can’t be happening…

**Eli:** What can’t be?

**Dionysia:** Someone’s… someone’s… Augh, I can’t say it!

**Eli:** ?

**Dionysia:** Someone’s *better* than me at something!

**Eli:** Oh. Is that all?

**Dionysia:** Is that all? Is that *all?* I don’t think you understand how serious this is! Nobody’s better than me!

**Eli:** It’s just chess…

**Dionysia:** It’s just chess to you, but not to me!

**Eli:** But you barely ever play chess. You never even touched the game until you found out I liked it…

**Dionysia:** That… that is true… but *still.* Ugh!

**Eli:** Why are you setting up the board?

**Dionysia:** Because we’re playing again! And again, and again,
and we’re not stopping until I finally beat you!

**Eli:** Alright… This is going to be a long day…

*C support achieved.*

### **B:**

**Dionysia:** Hey, Eli! You seem bored. Wanna play chess?

**Eli:** …I think I’ve figured it out.

**Dionysia:** What’s that?

**Eli:** You’re trying to wear me out by playing chess all the time, so I end up getting sloppy and let you win.

**Dionysia:** Gross, no. That’s not what I want to do at all. I need the full satisfaction of beating you in a fair fight.

**Eli:** Fine…

**…**

**Dionysia:** Augh! Why? Why do you take so much joy in beating me?

**Eli:** I don’t. *You* would, but I just like playing the game.

**Dionysia:** Grr…

**Eli:** If you want to beat me, maybe you should play against some other people… maybe work your way up to it…

**Dionysia:** I don’t care about how anyone else plays the game. I need to figure out *your* strategies.

**Eli:** …Have you ever considered that, maybe, I’m figuring out your strategies too? You always bring out your queen once most of your pawns are captured, and once you do, you use her almost exclusively. It’s not hard to get rid of her, and once I’ve done that, I’ve pretty much already won…

**Dionysia:** …Do I? Wow. I never noticed… maybe I *should* try against someone else…

**Eli:** Please do… I can only play the same game of chess so many times.

**Dionysia:** Hmph. Fine, fine, I won’t ask again. You can play against people who don’t bore you.

**Eli:** Hey, that’s not… *Sigh*.

*B support achieved.*

### **A:**

**Dionysia:** Hey! Hey, what’s that?

**Eli:** Oh… It’s a board game from Aljana called Nardshir. Prince Sudhana gave it to Isolde when he visited, but she didn’t want it so she gave it to me. I thought that we could play it together, if you wanted… I mean, neither of us have tried it before so we should be evenly matched, right?

**Dionysia:** You’re sick of chess too, huh?

**Eli:** What? No, I just thought this might frustrate you less.

**Dionysia:** Well, I’ll give it a try, since you went through all the trouble.

**Eli:** …I have a question for you.

**Dionysia:** And I have an answer! What’s up?

**Eli:** You insist on being the best at everything, and you get angry when you’re not, but I never see you do anything to improve yourself. Why’s that?

**Dionysia:** When people are gifted with double doses of natural talent, they don’t need to!

**Eli:** …

**Dionysia:** The whole chess thing is just a fluke. And a seriously ironic one…

**Eli:** How so?

**Dionysia:** Er, never mind. Forget I said anything.

**Eli:** …I don’t know if that sort of mentality is the greatest idea.

**Dionysia:** What, the mentality that I’m capable of doing anything? I think it’s a lot better than holding myself back. And it’s *definitely* a lot better than never trying anything new out of fear of failure, like you!

**Eli:** …Ouch. That hurts.

**Dionysia:** Then don’t accuse me of never trying to better myself when you don’t either!

**Eli:** Maybe you should take a minute to cool off…

**Dionysia:** …Okay. Okay, maybe I should. I’ll be right back. …Sorry.

**Eli:** Take your time…

*A support achieved.*

### **S:**

**Dionysia:** Erm… milord…?

**Eli:** …Why are you calling me that?

**Dionysia:** I thought that, uh, since I was pretty rude earlier, I should treat you with more respect now.

**Eli:** While I appreciate your thoughtfulness, it’s really uncomfortable. Please don’t.

**Dionysia:** Okay. Eli, then. Anyway, I figured it was pretty dumb for us to fight since we always have to be together, so, uh… this is me apologizing for earlier.

**Eli:** Why are you apologizing? Nothing you said was incorrect.

**Dionysia:** Maybe, but it’s not in my place to say it. You’re a prince. Besides, nothing you said was wrong either, but I reacted… immaturely, I guess.

**Eli:** It’s alright. I didn’t care.

**Dionysia:** Yeah, you rarely do… You confuse me, y’know. You asked me to be your retainer, but you don’t seem to like me very much. To be fair, you don’t seem to like anyone very much, but I feel like I should be an exception.

**Eli:** Th-that’s not true! I…

**Dionysia:** Yeah?

**Eli:** That’s not… how I wanted to make you feel at all… When I asked you to be my retainer – ugh…

**Dionysia:** What’re you trying to say?

**Eli:** Come *on…* I could pick one person to be with me for the rest of my life, and I picked you. Can’t you extrapolate?

**Dionysia:** I could, but pretend I can’t. Spell it out for me.

**Eli:** Please don’t make me say it first…

**Dionysia:** C’mon, be brave!

**Eli:** But I’m not brave! I’m not, and why are you so close to my face?

**Dionysia:** I’m making it easier for you!

**Eli:** That’s not- …

**Dionysia:** !!!

**Eli:** …

**Dionysia:** See? You can be brave!

**Eli:** I can’t believe I just kissed my best friend…

**Dionysia:** Took ya long enough! And *I* can’t believe you’re doing it again.

**Eli:** Wh- mmph!

*S support achieved.*