[X] Ritsuko
[X] 1st Lt. Ibuki, technician
You consider the list of people you know and find it's rather depressingly small. You decide to stick with the familiar by inviting Ritsuko. Moreover, you've been seeing a lot of Ibuki lately, so you invite her too. It turns out Rei is under the care of Ritsuko, and Ibuki, as Ritsuko's right hand woman, often acts as a proxy for her. You were unaware that either of them had medical training, but apparently Ritsuko has an M.D. after her name in addition to the Ph.D. You keep meaning to ask Ritsuko for some more details regarding Rei's medical status. Every time you see her flinch in pain only to insist stridently that she's "fine" breaks your heart a little.
You spend an evening back at your apartment poring over a rulebook for mahjong. Mahjong has…a lot of rules. Like, a lot. The rulebook is over two dozen pages long. You haven't played since university, and you wonder if you're even equipped to explain this to Rei. Still…it should be fine, right?
Finally, the magic day arrives. You show up a little early with Rei to give yourself time to explain the rules. You start with the names of each tile, and then explain that a valid hand is four sets of three tiles and a pair (except the two times where it isn't) and go on from there. Rei gives you a blank stare the entire time but doesn't seem confused or ask too many questions. It makes you kind of nervous. As if on cue, once you finish your little lecture Ritsuko and Ibuki arrive. Ibuki seems pretty jubilant to be away from the office, whereas Ritsuko seems a little exasperated. Both of them are surprised to see Rei at your left.
Rei says she now knows how to play mahjong, to which Ritsuko responds that she will not be going easy on Rei, regardless of her novice status. Rei nods. Ritsuko looks at you and says she won't be going easy on you either. You belatedly remember that Ritsuko used to absolutely destroy you at this game. You feel a sense of foreboding. Ibuki says she plays sometimes with Aoba and Hyuga during slow days. The sense of foreboding grows stronger.
The table sets up your first hand. Rei is dealer. You feel a little bad for her. She has less time to get familiar with what she's got, and in her first game. Still, at the very least, you might not be as bad at mahjong as Rei. So maybe today won't be a complete humiliation in front of Rei and one of your subordinates.
Please God, give me a good hand, you think to yourself. More evidence of God's absence presents itself after you turn over your tiles. Grimacing, you look at Rei, hoping maybe she had a worse draw. She's frowning in concentration. She opens her mouth a couple of times as if to ask something, but thinks better of it. Ritsuko looks bored, while Ibuki seems a little concerned for Rei.
You ask Rei what the issue is. Rei responds that the table must be broken. You ask for more detail. Rei says that the goal in mahjong is to form a hand of four sets and a pair by discarding, drawing, and calling tiles, right? You nod, unsure where she's going with this. Rei says she doesn't understand. Her hand is already four sets and a pair.
What. You demand Rei show the table her hand. Rei initially tries to argue that you're trying to cheat, until Ritsuko gently but sternly also asks her to do so. Rei reluctantly reveals she has a winning hand. Your mouth gapes open like a fish. It is the legendary hand that many players go their entire lives without ever seeing.
Tenhou. The Blessing of Heaven. A hand so rare it is automatically worth the maximum number of points. And Rei got it on her very first hand. Rei doesn't even seem particularly pleased about this. It's a waste.
So perhaps there is a God, He's just working very hard against you, apparently. Each of you look at each other with the tired sense of resignation only mahjong players feel, and pay Rei her 16,000 points each, for a total of 48,000. You glower angrily at Rei before you all shove your tiles into the center of the table for the next hand.
You finish the first game in fourth place. Unsurprisingly, Rei is able to coast by just on the points she got from her first hand, so the rest of you get to fight over the scraps. Ritsuko finishes in second, Ibuki third. Well, okay, but Rei had beginner's luck. You start the next game.
Three games later, and now three beers later, you're convinced the table hates you. Maybe even the very game of mahjong itself hates you. Rei has been doing pretty much fine on her own, and has been coming in a very narrow second to Ritsuko. The game has mostly devolved into you and Ibuki scrabbling to not come in last while Rei and Ritsuko duke it out for first. Both have an unusual intensity about them as they duel. Ritsuko has prevailed every single time in the end, though. The score differential has been narrowing increasingly.
It's the last game. The scores are actually pretty close. Finally, you've got a ready hand. A sweet, sweet hon'itsu. You just need that last 4-man or 7-man tile to complete your hand. There's 3 left of both. You have a good feeling. You declare riichi.
Ron. Everyone looks at Rei, who has called your discarded 2-sou. She turns over her hand. Tan'yao, sanshoku doujun, pinfu, dora 1. Mangan. 8,000 points from you, please. You are going to cry.
With that, Rei manages to tie with Ritsuko. But Rei's got the better seat, so she wins the game. Ritsuko slumps back in her chair in bemused defeat. Rei sips her soda nonchalantly, seemingly admiring her handiwork. Ibuki just laughs at your misfortune. Mahjong is a game of skill, but also luck. You whine about this, and Ritsuko merely looks you dead in the eyes and tells you that luck is also a skill.
Some people are naturally unlucky. You down the rest of your drink.
After the game, Ibuki and Rei take their leave. Ibuki thanks you for the invite, in a great mood. You grunt goodbye, to which she giggles and tells you she's looking forward to a rematch. Rei waves goodbye, and also expresses her desire for a rematch. While looking at Ritsuko. You can tell she had a good time, although evidently she's disappointed with your poor performance. She has Ritsuko buy you another beer in gratitude. Thanks, Rei.
You have some time with Ritsuko, and you've been meaning to ask her a few things. What do you want to focus on?
[ ] Rei's health and background
[ ] NERV's latest projects
[ ] Your friendship
