In lucem ac tenebras

I nod and smile a little "then call me Lazarus" no need to give her my real name or the one i gave my friends "Ahh here we are" coming to a stop in front of what looks to be the captains cabin from an old galley set on land i open a door and step aside to allow her through "the yard arm" I leave out the title of 'freshes kalimari in the nightside' just to see if she gets the special of the day

She smiles, a twitch of a lip. "Lazarus; dead man walking." She looks him up and down. "Your parents were cruel, or you have a story. And so long as we eat..." She looks at him expectantly as they're lead to their seat, a corner booth at her request. She takes the side facing the door before inviting Liam to sit opposite.

I can't help but laugh "the story isn't just mine to tell, let's just say i am old" as i slide into the other booth and over by the wall "your smart i will give you that." motioning to her choice "how did you come to be busking in the nightside?"

"From what I hear, there are no shortage of people looking for something to follow or believe in." She glances out a window to the street, "And I have needs and ambitions." She lovingly brushes a hand against the violin in the leather bag.

"true enough especially in this city, just remember yourself or you may loose yourself to the very thing you least want to emulate" the words have a bitter truth to them but i do my best to keep it out of my voice the waitress comes a false smile and one of the worst fake squids on her head like some macabre hat " I will have the southsea kalimari miss" i start as she opens her mouth to ask "and a Coke" the woman closes her mouth with a scowl and looks at adriana expectantly

She stares at the waitress with a disproving eye. "I'll have something that doesn't move and could be considered adequately cooked." She glances at Liam frostly. "And something hard and sweet to drink."

after the waitress leaves "if you aren't careful they have a tendancy to charm you out of your most prized possessions" i say "so you order quick and avoide being talked into something you really don't want to be" it was a hard lesson to learn when dead i can only imagine what it would be like alive "so don't scowl at me about it" leaning back in my chair, "how about we play a game winner buys?" pulling the small chess set from the side of the table " and for each piece taken we get to ask the other a question, then it is fair" smirk it has been a while since i have played "the cook usually take a while with sushi much less anything cooked"

Pulling a wry face, Adriana, takes the white queen and examines it before setting it in its place on the board. "Your terms are acceptable," she smiles as she takes up the others and places them, leaving the king's pawn out on e4. "Though I pray you won't make it too easy."

I laugh at her snark "We will see but I learned when they still used a round board." Before taking my knight and moving it to F6 at least she starts with a bold move, not that of a wilting flower

Smiling, Adriana pushes her pawn forward another space, crowding Liam's knight; in turn, he removes it to rest next to her pawn, out of harms way. The next pawn moves, the queen's pawn, forward to spaces to rest in front of the knight, which Liam follows up with his own queen's pawn to d6. Smiling at the challenge, Adriana shifts her King's knight to protect her exposed pawn and leans back to watch Liam's response, her eyes darting to the entry for a moment as the tiny, silver bell rings over the door. Pawn to g6; pausing to study the move a moment, she moves her King's Bishop to harass the exposed knight, forcing a reactionary move to b6. Smiling at the small success, she slides her bishop back to b3 and crosses her arms, leaning back in her seat. Liam moves his King's Bishop to g7, causing Adriana to curse softly under her breath before moving her Queen's knight to d2 to offer protection to the queen and king. Sullenly, she watches as the expected castle before leaning forward to examine the board. Staling, she pushes her pawn to h3; at the opposite corner, Liam moves to a5, only to be blocked in turn by Adriana's pawn to a4. Shrugging, Liam takes first blood with pawn to e5, and Adriana scowls...

"Your question, Lazarus."

2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 g6 5.Bc4 Nb6 6.Bb3 Bg7 7.Nbd2 0-0 8.h3 a5 9.a4 dxe5

"who was your music teacher?" The question is a simple one, but it should give me a hint about where she is from, as she moves her pawn from d4 to e5 taking my pawn. "your question" i say moving my knight from b8 to a6. she scowls as she castles, my response to move my knight ftom a6 to c5, she moves her queen to e2 after which i move my queen to e8. allowing her some time to think on her answer.

She fingers the black pawn, tumbling it through her fingers as she thinks. "My father taught me, when ever he wasn't playing down by the river. Only thing he ever paid time of day was to teach me to hold that bow." She toys with her Queen's knight and sends it to harry the black knight at c5. "Do you walk up to invite strange girls to dine with you often, Mr. Lazarus?" She tips an her head to indicate his move.

10.dxe5 Na6 11.0-0 Nc5 12.Qe2 Qe8 13.Ne4

"I havce done it Twice in my long life" is my simple answer "and both times they were a songstress who seemed to be new to a place that even makes deamons tread lightly." I say calmly. eventually she moves her knight to e4, after which my move my knight from b6 to a4 taking her pawn. "sounds like a hard life, was the river his inspiration or his vice?" she promptly takes my knight with her bishop on b3. "next question.

"Vice, virtue, inspiration. Said his first love would rise from those waters to bless his life again." She huffs. "Mother never could hold him longer then a night." She hands the knight to Liam. "So I remind you of this first singer and that why you took me under your wing?" she prods, frowning as he takes her bishop with his next move and searching the board for her options.

"Same talent, almost yelled at you when because i thought you were her at first glance. but you get a lot of that here." I shrug her fathers first love was from the river, please gods let the stories be coincidence. as I move my knight from c5 to A4 taking her bishop "Have you found a favorite place in the Nightside yet or just being a tourist?" she moves her rook from f1 to e1, and I move my knight to b6. her bishop is then moved from c1 to d2 and my pawn from a5 to a4.

"I've played the stations and the docks..." she says, pushing her queen's bishop to g6, "And since there doesn't seem to be a legitimate street plan for the blasted place, I try to keep my movements small." Liam pushes his far pawn forward to challenge the bishop and Adriana pauses to remove her piece from harms way, giving him the opening to bring his Queen's bishop to bare at f5. She moves a pawn to address and Liam draws back his bishop a space. Adriana moves her King's knight to an attack posture, focusing on the bishop causing Liam to pause a moment to examine the board before finally drawing his bishop parallel to Adriana's King's knight, protected by his own on b6. Seeing a substantial risk to her queen, Adriana shifts it a space to her left. Liam chooses this opportunity to bring his queen to a more strategic positions, ending up in d7 in an attempt to halt the movement of the knight between the queens. Sighing, Adriana moves her Queen's rook to stand behind her queen and looks up expectantly at Liam, who shrugs and moves his King's rook a single space to his right.

Pawn to f4, King's bishop to d5, Queen's knight to c5; Liam moves his queen back behind the line of pawns to c8, causing Adriana to smile as she advances her own to c3. Pawn to e6, King to h2. Knight to d7, Knight to d3, pawn to c5. Groaning softly, Adriana moves her King's knight to b5 which Liam follows with a challenging move from his queen. She moves the knight a final time, resting it between the queen, a knight, a bishop and two pawns, with only a single pawn on e5 for support.

Nbxa4 14.Bxa4 Nxa4 15.Re1 Nb6 16.Bd2 a4 17.Bg5 h6 18.Bh4 Bf5 19.g4 Be6 20.Nd4 Bc4 21.Qd2 Qd7 22.Rad1 Rfe8 23.f4 Bd5 24.Nc5 Qc8 25.Qc3 e6 26.Kh2 Nd7 27.Nd3 c5 28.Nb5 Qc6 29.Nd6

I move my queen from c6 to d6 taking her Knight, "what was your fathers name? if he was so talented as to have taught you as well as he has it would be nice to know if in my life i have heard him or of him." Her pawn takes my queen.

"My father's name was Betrys, though I doubt you heard him. He kept to himself and his own in the latter parts of his life, and only played to bring in enough money to supplement what we couldn't grow ourselves." Thinking a moment, she queries, "What did you expect to be when you grew up?" A sly smile crosses her face even as she watches him take her queen.

Qxd6 30.exd6 Bxc3

i smirk at her question "A soldier is the closest to what you would call what i was, as well as what i wanted to be" is my simple answer my bishop moving to take her queen g7 to c3, her response is to take my bishop with her pawn b2 to c3, and I move my pawn from f7 to f6. "how long have you been in the nightside"

"I've been in London for six months. The Nightside, less but still substantial. It was my aim, after all, or I would have stayed where I was." Studying the board, she moves her pawn to danger and allows his on h6 to take it. "What strange urge lead you to the Nightside, Lazarus? You're to normal for this place."

31.bxc3 f6 32.g5 hxg5

"I have been in the nightside for many years, it is really the only place i have belonged" i say taking her pawn only to have mine taken by one of hers. " you said the nightside was your goal, most who come here are only after self destructive ends, you don't seem like most, what is your angle?"

"Followers." She stares at him. "The questions were your idea. Why are you being cagey?" She watches as he moves his pawn out of harms way with out taking hers. She drops her remaining bishop back a space and he moves his king to f7. Smiling, she moves her knight. "Check"

33.fxg5 f5 34.Bg3 Kf7 35.Ne5+

"followers are a tall order, and I am 'cagey' as you so eloquently put it, because that is how you survive here" My knight takes hers d7 to e 5 which is promptly taken by her bishop. "there are no end to the factions within the nightside, none should be taken lightly. let us move to lighter topics then, what of your siblings, if you have any that is." to forstall and angry retort "after if you wish i will tell you of mine"

"That would be acceptable," she smiles, "Though I fear you got the worse end of the deal." She watches as he moves a pawn forward and she moves her rook to the right a space. "I have no sibling, and to be frank, its a wonder I was born." She lets him push his rook to the far corner before tapping the table with a forefinger. "So what about you're siblings?"

Nxe5 36.Bxe5 b5 37.Rf1 Rh8

"two died in battle my older brothers, one of my sisters apparently married well and has a good family, and my adopted sister was recently returned to my life, it was like she came back from the dead" I chuckle, my rook moves to h8, her bishop moves to f6, my pawn to a3 her rook to f4, my pawn to a2, hers to c4,which my bishop takes from d5. "How is it that you almost didn't exist?"