IC(Ignitus, Rerus, and Xadah(on board the Inika)): For the first time since I'd met him, Xadah didn't appear to have a drop of liquor in his system. When sober, I realized, he was actually pretty clever. Rerus, on the other hand, was just like he always tended to be: a stone, stoic and unchanging. Were this most card games, that would worry me, but this was one where showing emotion probably wouldn't be too disadvantageous. Speaking of which, I thought to myself, who in Karzahni invented this game anyway? I had never been a huge fan of card games - they usually involved gambling, and money was one thing I generally didn't have much of - but sailing through an empty and seemingly infinite ocean, boredom tends to get the better of you. Thus, when JL had presented us with a something to break the monotony, I had been quick to agree. That's not the real reason, a part of me said. The nightmares had been getting worse; they came whenever I slept now. The last one had shown, in gruesome detail, a torturous prison run by Radriar's men. That had been three days before. I knew it was only a matter of time before the rest of the crew realized how sparingly I'd been sleeping, or worse, until it caused a dangerous mistake on my part. I needed sleep; I remembered how good it felt to stop worrying and just rest. At the same time, though, I couldn't bring myself to face the memories it brought forth. I forced all that out of my mind; I was here for a simple game of cards. I heard JL tell us time was up, thus snapping me back to reality. I hastily picked a card - The secret sauce - and revealed it. Likewise Xadah and Rerus revealed their cards - A copy of "A Gentleman's Guide to Ga-Koro" and The real deal, respectively. it, JL, what have you done? OOC: I'll edit in a Moeru post later tonight for the Dasaka expedition.