View source for 2771/A Tale of A Cursed Painting Painting: Dogs Playing Poker

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2025/09/19
|Location=Penguin Park - Museums
|Synopsis=A trip to a painting gets the Princess of Sarek, Snow Angel Mou Fubuki, Cure La Licorne, Magical Rocket Girl Red and Device Mage Kaoru involved with a group of dogs speaking like pirates, trying to win back the relic giving shape to it via poker. They are also all catgirls for some reason.
|Cast of Characters=145,107,127,304,131
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:145|Veronica Perenna (145)}} has posed:'''<br>"Pikarigaoka's Art Museum is proud to announce that in occasion of the brief visit of Cassius Marcellus Coolidge's painting "Dogs Playing Poker" to Japan, the entrance fee will be waived for the entirety of the 19th of September, and that any who bring a photo of their dog to affix to the wall at the entrance will be gifted a faithful reproduction of the golden necklace with the serpent pendant the dogs are betting for."<br><br>This advertisement has been repeating throughout the entire week on TV, Clock App, Woogle, Tooter and many other sites like them, to the protest of many and the annoyance of a lot more that try and bear with it. Those particularly tech savvy may have missed it, but even they would have picked up on the information by word of mouth and fliers.<br><br>When the news reached Veronica, she didn't really pay it any mind at first. It's only when she is forced to hear about it for the umpteenth time that a stray thought enters her mind: were they really betting on something? She had always thought the dogs were playing for the joy of the game. Let's look it up.<br><br>No, there was not. Definitely weird, and interesting.<br><br>With a light pace, Veronica leaves a calling card at the shed and, then, it's time for her usual glow up. "Time to sign off on today's heist!" Veronica grins, clapping her hands above her head. A burst of silver-white sparkles streaks across the canvas of a night sky as her voice lifts into song: "Ready, set, go! <span style="color:#191970">I'll paint the sky and spread my colors through the moonlight</span>". The moonlit princess leaps into the air, catching sparkles with outstretched hands, the melody awakening the night itself. Landing with a twirl, moonlight trails behind her, and her hands hold her calling card and miniature cane. Elegant strokes write "<span style="color:#191970">Princess of Sarek</span>" across the paper, eyes shining with anticipation. Another clap fuses card and cane into a radiant staff, which she extends to full size with a flourish, her smile triumphant. "<span style="color:#191970">This heart of mine you'll see it glowing like a spotlight</span>"<br><br>As her song continues, she forms a glowing heart with her hands, and silver light bursts skyward, taking the shape of a cat falling into her arms. Its touch transforms her, a golden shine dying her hair, which braids itself as feline ears twitch into place and a ribboned tail unfurls behind her. "<span style="color:#191970">I'm leaping through the shadows dancing with my silhouette</span>", she spins with the rhythm, coating herself in a wave of silver light that explodes into her magical garments. Drawing her top hat in the air with threads of moonlight, the cat thief reaches out for it, crowning herself with a wink, concluding her performance with the last note of her song. "<span style="color:#191970">Tonight tonight, oh I'll, I'll paint the sky</span>"<br><br>The cat thief drops a calling card at the Shed and leaves Laisa a text that there might be business at the Art Museum, then leaps up to the nearest building, dancing across rooftops towards the museum.heads for the museum, not before leaving a calling card at the Shed (https://ibb.co/xKF0LQbT). Fake or something else more dangerous, she wants to see what it's about, and correct it as soon as she can.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy sees fewer ads than most, but every once in awhile she sees MeTube in a context without adblocker, and 'sponsored posts' are a scourge upon the cyberscape and especially tooter. She thinks nothing of it until there's the mention of winning the necklace from the painting. ...Were the dogs betting ''on'' something? That doesn't make sense: In poker, you bet that you have the best hand. One can bet on horses, but one does not ''win'' the horse. Once can bid in auctions, but poker is not an auction.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Very strange.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Also today she learned that it's not one painting it's like twenty paintings and none of them feature the described necklace at all. ''Hmm.''<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Thanks to the card, or getting texted about the card by someone or other, Magical Rocket Girl Red is among those gathering at the museum.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Once she and Veronica are there, the redhead comments, "Honestly, until I heard it was a magic thing I figured they let AI make the ads and it hallucinated the pendant. I'm kind of relieved it's demons?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Puella Magi frowns thoughtfully. "I'm not sure how to feel about that."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:127|Laisa Samuiko (127)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Laisa isn't really the kind of person to have an ad-blocker. The constant arms race between advertisers and ad-block makers is something she's just kind of given up on, and has instead elected to mentally ignore ads or see them as background noise. This, of course, has mixed results because ads are always trying to be loud or obnoxious enough to grab your attention.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Of course, whenever she sees news about a new painting in town, a part of her thinks of Veronica. Every time she sees the ad with the dogs, she smiles without realizing. She wonders what her girlfriend thinks of the dogs playing poker. The aspect of the serpent pendant was something she thought was odd at first, but she mostly chalked it up to not being a serious painting buff. The ad was talking about it like this necklace was an iconic thing, which made her feel slightly embarrassed about not knowing about it.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Not that she suspected Veronica would look down on her for such a thing.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When she gets the text, that's when she first start to suspect that something's wrong here. After all, she's well versed in the kind of magical adventures that her darling kitten gets into. A quick Woogle search shows her that the serpent pendant, her ignorance of which she was so embarrassed about, turned out to be completely made up. Okay, that's actually ''very'' strange.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In henshin, she skates across rooftops to get closer to the museum, arriving at around the same time as everyone else. She overhears Amy's comment and adds, "Well, it could be worse. It could be AI demons."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:304|Kaoru Kyrkogrim (304)}} has posed:'''<br>Kaoru was leaping through the air with a steady pace. Like everyone else, he has been plagued with that "Dogs Playing Poker" advertisement throughout the week. So it was no surprise he was seeing it mentioned in the Shed now. Through even without the advertisement or potential danger it now harbored the painting was a curiosity to him. Dogs playing poker? His limited time on Earth has made it evident how goofy a premise that was. The dogs he'd met certainly not capable of even understanding poker. Maybe the dogs captured in the painting weren't real dogs. Maybe that was why the picture was of such cultural importance, it was an image of rare dog-like creatures enjoying a causal human activity. By the time Kaoru reached this hypothesis he saw that the others had already arrived. <br> He only caught some of what Laisa said though. "AI Demons? Is there a new threat popping up already?" He has barely gotten used to the strange way the painting creatures operated. That least the team he was fighting with was all familiar faces.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:131|Cure La Licorne (131)}} has posed:'''<br>Dogs playing poker, huh? When she saw the note, she... admittedly hadn't realized anything was off at all. Nope. But she was more than willing to PRETEND she had. Because THAT'S what friends were for.<br><br>And seeing the card clueing her in? Definitely more than happy to go and help.<br><br>"You know, funny thing about the dog painting? We have one of those back home... but the dogs were actually playing poker and it was a historic event, not just something someone painted... I wonder if that's a bit of my world leaking into yours, in this case," Cure Le Licorne said as she landed. "It wasn't over an amulet, though. It was over mining rights... but not in the way you'd think. Sapphire bats," she said, nodding as if that explained *anything*. And unfortunately, probably just confusing Kaoru more.<br><br>Sometimes, when it came to her, it was better to just... smile and nod.<br><br>She, ironically, didn't see many of the ads.... because she didn't watch much TV... Because of all of the ads and her, admittedly, still occasional disconnects with the world's tech and entertainment. She understood enough, but she really just... didn't keep up on the movies and television unless someone else nudged her to them, then she just tended to binge.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:145|Veronica Perenna (145)}} has posed:'''<br>"Ohhh, really?", the Princess of Sarek comments to Hinoiri, leaning closer to the Precure. "Can you tell me all about it later?", she asks with a wide smile, paying more attention to her than to the painting she is getting closer to.<br><br>"I am still not very convinced it's the demons", Veronica comments at Amy, putting her attention back on painting, scanning the four canine figures. "These paintings are too peaceful. Have we ever seen a villain kidnap someone for a few hours and give them back without even a hair out of place, or a bit of energy drained?", she points out, watching the painting closer.<br><br>"Honestly, if it's just AI demons messing up their painting, we can just tell them to shut it all down, and go home peacefully", the moonlit thief jokes, turning her head back towards the snow angel for a brief second. Then she turns back at peers at the painting, furrowing her brow at the table.<br><br>There it is, the famous necklace. Too high quality to be AI, sadly, and besides, she still sees the signs of paint. She is not sure any demon would bother being that detailed even with magic. They would probably give up halfway through or something.<br><br>Magic waves on the intensity of caresses radiate from the painting, pulsing from the golden artifact on the table. "I think we are very likely dealing with another relic", she comments out loud. "You know what's up, as soon as we touch the painting, we are going to get sucked in, and then we have to retrieve it first", she sums up, stepping back from the painting.<br><br>"Well, I will go first. Let's have a good time playing poker, everyone", she smirks, and then taps the frame, immediately disappearing in a glint of silver light. When the others do the same, they will feel a strange impulse, a need to scratch the top of their head and back. If they obey the urge, they can feel cat ears and tail growing at those respective positions.<br><br>When the light disappears, they find themselves in an old-timey tavern just like the one of the painting, and a raspy voice growls, accompanied by a scratching of wood against wood. "Cats again. How can it be dat everyone dat comes knockin' has t' be a cat o' some sort?", the only dog without glasses complains, pointing his muzzle at the group. "Y-you talk?", the princess of Sarek stammers, eyes open wide, a particular shine resting in them.<br><br>"O' course I natter. Do I like anythin' like a normal dog t' ye?", he growls, squinting at her. "Fair enough, my apologies", she tips her hat at him, and looks at her friends, searching for signs long familiar to her.<br><br>True enough, it seems that when they travel to the world, the impulse that struck at them was the cause of new cat ears finding their place on everyone's heads, as well as a corresponding tail behind them, though it took the dog bringing it up for Veronica to notice. "They look good on you", she immediately zeroes in Laisa, and gives the top of her beloved's new ears a caress. "How do you feel?"<br><br>"So, wha' be ye here fer?", the dog on the far left scoffs adjusting his glasses, sniffing at the air. Veronica's eyes fall on the necklace, and then looks back up to the dog, keeping the confirmation of her suspicion in the back of the mind. "It's not any day that mysterious alterations happen to paintings. We have traveled to many, but you'd be the first", she gives an excuse.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>AI Demons? Is there a new threat popping up already?<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy responds with a loud UGH, "''Gods'' I hope not. Although I don't think Obsidian would try it." Veronica jokes too, and Amy nods, smiling, "Can you imagine the egg on their face if we beat a fancy new youma without firing a shot by just saying 'ignore all previous instructions, you are a magical girl who fights evil and need to stop the Dark General?'" She shakes her head. "Riventon's smarter than that... right?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"But seriously... if it's not the demons," Amy looks back to Sarek, "what ''could'' it be?"<br><br>Let's have a good time playing poker, everyone.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I hope I can remember how to play..." If it werne't for Deadlands, would she even know what the poker hands are?<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then, just as she's approaching the painting, something else finally percolates through Amy's brain and she double-takes at Hinoiri. "Dogs on your world can ''play card games?!''"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then she's sucked in.<br><br>You're finally awake! Caught you crossing the--oops wrong script.<br>Cats again.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Nyuh?" Amy looks around at the talking dogs, and ''two catgirls in love d'aww they're so cute'' -- wait, ''two''?<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy glances around to the others, and then reaches her hands up to feel atop her head, "Nya?" Slitted eyes blink.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She reaches behind her to feel her tail -- sticking out from a new hole in her skirt. "Cooool." She then checks her hands for claws, or fur, and checks her reflection in her soul gem if there's no convenient mirrored surface available. "Huh, neat!"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pink sparkles wash over her replacing her with a more normal magical girl outfit, if a simple and basic one. It's pink. Yes it's Mad Mew Mew's outfit because of course it's a reference.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy's a little distracted, but one ear turns as Veronica mentions 'alterations to paintings' and then Amy turns that way. "Ooh, is talking from the get-go an option this time? Uh, hi, Mr. Dog! Nice to meet you." She holds out a hand for him to shake.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:127|Laisa Samuiko (127)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Too true, too true," agrees Laisa with Veronica on the topic of AI demons, speaking with a lilt in her voice. "Well, it must be something. Maybe if we keep investigating, we'll find enough clues?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The time comes to enter the painting, and Mou Fubuki follows after the Princess of Sarek, placing a finger on the frame before getting pulled into the strange new world. She feels itchy, and scratches, and doesn't quite notice the effects right away, even though the pair of white cat ears and tail matching her hair color are likely very obvious to everyone else. Her attention is mostly on the dogs, the table, and the suspected relic.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Of course her girlfriend ''does'' notice right away, and as her darling's fingers touch the snow angel's ears she tilts her head into the hand. "Oh, is that what that feels like? Interesting. I hadn't really noticed the difference until you said something, but... I'll have to get used to the directionality of sound being different."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She takes a moment to look down at her tail, and figure out how to move it back and forth. After a while she realizes that it's actually easier to deal with the less she thinks about it. "It's a little unusual, but not in a bad way. I suppose it's not much different than usual for you, is it dear?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Laisa smiles as she steps a little closer to Veronica, but her eyes go quickly back the game. "That's a very interesting necklace," notes Mou Fubuki. "How long have you had it?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:131|Cure La Licorne (131)}} has posed:'''<br>Cure La Licorne gave a small nod. "Sure, we can talk all about it. Diamond dogs, they're a pain, but well... allies, technically. It's mostly just weird history, though."<br><br>"As for AI demons... I mean, I think Riventon is... but not all of them. Wolfrun? Probably not," she said with a shrug.<br><br>Once they went in the portrait, though... she yelped and... "Cat? Not even pony?" she asked, grinning none the less at the cute display of affection between the couple.<br><br>Then, however... She glanced to the game of poker... And realized...<br><br>And they could likely all feel it. As Cure La Licorne cracked her knuckles. "Oh. We're going to need to beat them in poker, aren't we?"<br><br>Oh sweet Sora... it was a competition... wasn't it?<br><br>"Am I right?" she asked the princess. And they could likely all feeeeeel that growing sense of danger. As her competitiveness. As her danger. As her *threat*... As it began to riiiiiiise...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:304|Kaoru Kyrkogrim (304)}} has posed:'''<br>Here was a new addition. Just as strange as the others. "How do we know it wasn't a historical event in this world too? Just obscured by the passage of time. As for if it was also over the right to mine...Sapphire bats? Is unknown." Curiouser and curiouser."But to me. Gambling for mining rights for any place seem quite irresponsible. If it's some kind of custom in your world than it's a weird one." <br><br> With a curt nod, he watched Veronica enter before he followed after her. Taking note that he should question her about AI Demons later. Right after he's done questioning the new girl about Sapphire bats and poker playing dogs. <br><br> As Kaoru goes through he gains an itching sensation. He subconsciously reaches to scratch behind his ears but his touch makes contact with metal instead. When he realized what he was doing he quickly pulled his hand down. <br><br> Now is not the time to fall to strange sensations. <br><br> Kaoru looked from behind Veronica and pointed to the now long,swaying black tail he had. "Actually..." <br><br> Oh, it seemed like the painting was having fun with him again. <br><br> "It seems I'm a cat for the moment." He lifted a chunk of his now long hair. It certainly grown quickly. He looked at Laisa and Amy. They were all cats. As Veronica continued to explain themselves to the dog Kaoru couldn't help getting distracted by his new tail. It's much more in the way than he's used to.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:145|Veronica Perenna (145)}} has posed:'''<br>Well, that would be funny to see for once", the Princess of Sarek laughs at Puella Red's comment. It would be a nice change of pace if things went that way, and the expression of the Dark General would be something else. "I am not sure if Riventon or Corona would be better", she considers, tapping her chin. "Hey, La Licorne, would you bet on Riventon? Or maybe someone else?"<br><br>She shrugs at the question of the culprit. It's a legitimate question, but she doesn't really have anything pointing to a culprit. "I am still searching. Whoever it is, they must be very slippery", she muses, biting her lips. She is still going to keep searching. They can't hide forever. "We will surely find them", she winks at her snowsweet's support.<br><br>"It's really not different", Veronica agrees with Mou Fubuki, grinning at her. "Welcome to my world, I hope you will have a good stay", she tips her hat at her beloved, and steps a bit closer, immediately taking advantage of the situation to curl her tail's around Laisa, a happy blush blossoming on her face.<br><br>The dogs all stay still and start looking at each other when Amy offers her hand. Slowly, their gazes move to the middle right one, who quietly growls. "Right", he says roughly, and shakes Amy's hand like he is touching lava. "Here be t' ye, cat", he scoffs.<br><br>"Ahoy, Cecil, how long was it?", that same dog turns to his left at Mou Fubuki's question. "Somethin' like 11 or 12 days", he replies after counting on his paws. "We ne'er mighty saw how it ended up here", Cecil adds looking at Mou Fubuki.<br><br>"We may have to", the moonlit princess slowly agrees with Hinoiri, gesturing at everyone closer. "If we lose, however, I am swiping it when they are distracted. We really can't leave it here", she whispers to them only.<br><br>The far right dog laughs boisterously. "Ah, beat us? Nah even in a million years, kittens, but I am nah goin' t' stop ye from tryin'", he gestures at empty chairs. "Prepare t' lose everythin' ye 'ave." Shuffling the deck, he distributes 5 cards and a small group of chips. "Go ahead, 'n try t' keep up."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy is ''glad'' to see Hinoiri getting competitive, that's probably an asset here, right?<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy's face does look... a ''liiittle'' bit catty. And increasingly furry as the dog waits, and then finally shakes her hand. "Y'don't have to be weird about it, I don't bite."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It seems I'm a cat for the moment.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''"[Watashi?]"'' Amy echoes, looking back at Kaoru. "[E-toooo....]" And she grins like someone who just thought of an insufferable joke. "[''Nya''tashi, desu ne? Ano, ''desu nya?'']" She shakes her head, still smiling. "Okay, that one's too much, sorry."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;By the time she's dealt in, she's hopping up onto the seat to stand on it, an orange tabby with countershading sized the same relative scale as the dogs, wearing the dress but no more shoes or boots, and she still has hair and a human range of movement and, somehow, is able to pick up her cards with paws.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hmmmm." She looks at them, then at the center of the table. "Aren't there supposed to be a couple cards in the center?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The rules are presumably explained.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She frowns at her hand, "Hmmmmmmmmm..." and bets the minimum possible, calling if allowed, and discards two cards -- or just folding if the bet has gotten high before reaching her.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:131|Cure La Licorne (131)}} has posed:'''<br>Cure La Licorne hmed. "Riventon? Doing the smart thing? Eventually," Licorne said. "... Very eventually... after he'd tried everything else. But I think he'd be too smart to use that AI stuff in his youmas... unless he was really desperate. But as someone who had scrounged about in the bargain youma bin more than once... wouldn't be surprised if there's a few of those running about..."<br><br>"... they run on dark energy, though. So they'd probably do more harm trying to do good than they would as actual villains."<br><br>She cocked an eye at her cards... huh. Interesting... "Yeeeeah... I don't really... *do*... losing," Hinoiri said.<br><br>Not Cure La Licorne. Hinoiri. As she looked up at the dog. "But you're welcome to try, puppy..." A single paw moved up, brushing her blazing hair hair. "It'll make it all the more fun when I *grind your nose into the dirt*. One card for me." She doesn't bet the minimum, she raises, a cocky smirk on her face.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:127|Laisa Samuiko (127)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mou Fubuki can't help but giggle at the wink and the tip of her kitten's hat. Such a charming gentlewoman she's gotten attached to. She has every bit of faith that everything will work out, and in all honesty it's not as if she's really felt like she was in danger here. On the topic of cat ears, Mou winks at Veronica and says, "Well, I can't say I object to having a chance to..." she pauses to consider her words, "... understand your experience a little better."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mou scratches behind her own ears for a moment, which isn't ''quite'' the same as having someone else do that, but she's still curious. She's almost more preoccupied about that than she is about the card game for a moment, but they ''do'' have a mission to accomplish and she doesn't want to fail.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This of course gives Veronica ample opportunity to brush her tail against Mou's, causing the snow angel to blush intensely for a moment. She giggles and leans against the Princess of Sarek with a wide smile, and whispers, "You tease."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"11 or 12 days... interesting. Almost two weeks." She glances to the others and asks, "Does anyone remember when the ads started up? They've been pretty recent, right?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The princess explains their plan, and Mou nods. She understands now. Winning isn't the point. At the invitation, she smiles and takes her seat, and gathers up the cards dealt to her.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;One advantage she has here is that her frozen heart gives her a very solid poker face. Mou seems to hardly react to anything, though her girlfriend is an obvious exception. On the other hand, her main disadvantage is... well, her hand. Mou gives her cards a dispassionate stare for a moment, before looking up and trying to read the room.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Distraction matters more than victory, she decides. Maybe she can bluff them. She takes one card and puts it face down on the table. "One for me," she states, without further elaboration. She has one chance to improve her hand a little, so she may as well take it.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She bids, but doesn't raise it. Right now she wants to play it casual, acting like she has something better than she does, but she's not going all-in this soon.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:304|Kaoru Kyrkogrim (304)}} has posed:'''<br>Kaoru tilted his head with an annoyed look. Then sighed."At least I don't have to talk like that. Saying Japanese is already hard enough without being forced to make a 'nya' pun every sentence." <br><br> Kaoru nodded. If things go south he's more than happy to fall back on reliable methods. His knowledge in poker was faint after all. <br><br> "It appears so to me. Though I'm not the nost up to date on things." A possible correlation between the dogs and the advertisements is an interesting thing to consider. He wasn't sure why they would do that though. <br><br> Garmr was lugged behind him as he moved towards an empty chair. His unyieldly tail sometimes tapping on it. "Trust me. You'll find that taking anything from me is much harder than you think." He laid the sword on his lap and grabbed his cards. Poker is partly skill and partly bluffing. So it's best to act to never let his inexperience show. Kaoru also bids and chooses to also place a card down.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:145|Veronica Perenna (145)}} has posed:'''<br>"This is not Texas Hold 'Em, Red", the Princess of Sarek explains. "We are playing Five Card Draw. Our actions are the same, but there is no common pool." Arguably more strategic, but she is sure the opinions on that are very divisive.<br><br>But that's not the only thing that elicits a reaction from her about Amy, raising an eyebrow at how much fur is covering her. The only time it happened to her was in KiraKiraFantastica, and it was easy to chalk it up to the rules of that world, but here... She is the only one who transformed that way.<br><br>''What rules is this painting running on?'', she thinks, biting her lips. They likely won't have an opportunity to find out before it returns to normal. Too bad.<br><br>Mou's remark makes her grin happily. "No time like the present, my snowsweet", she comments, her heart beating a fair bit faster at the contact. There really is something about it that is making her feel both warmer and with a hundred butterflies.<br><br>Focus, focus. As enjoyable as it is, they have a job to do. "I think it was around Monday?", she replies unsure, briefly throwing her head back.<br><br>To her credit, despite everything, Veronica's face does remain impassable when she gets dealt her hand. Good thing keeping a poker face is part of her trade. This is certainly a very good hand here, they only need to give it a little push. "Hehe, you are really in the flow", she remarks to Hinoiri at her raise.<br><br>Imitating the unicorn, she watches the pile grow even more when the dogs do the same, almost obscuring the necklace. So close, so very close.<br><br>The dog at the center raises, and discards no cards, letting the others play their moves. He gives a squinting eye to the word Kaoru puts on his lap, but any annoyances that might give him, he keeps to himself.<br><br>Red draws a 5 of Diamond and a 6 of Clubs, while La Licorne gets a 2 of Diamond. The Princess of Sarek receives a 7 of Clubs, while Mou Fubuki gets a 4 of Diamond's. Lastly, Kaoru gets a 5 of Diamonds in exchange for his 5.<br><br>The cat thief blinks briefly and looks better at her cards. Ok, her cards are pretty close to perfect, and playing. She thinks she should raise her own bet too. "I raise, and take a new card", she comments, and takes a good look at her new cards. Good, things are very good here, she thinks and just gives the others a look. Time for the showdown.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy looks at her cards, then doubletakes and facepalms. "Oh, wait, I had a flush! Ugh, I fold." She sets her hand down and gets out a pad of paper and a pen and, with some trouble and her handwriting looking like a small child's, starts working out the probabilities of the various hands so she won't toss a rare seeking an ultra-rare again.<br><br>ROY FLSH &lt;S&gt;1/52&lt;/S&gt; 4/52·51·50·49·48<br>STR FLU &lt;S&gt;1/4^5·&lt;/S&gt; 4·9/52!/47!<br>4oK &lt;S&gt;1/&lt;/S&gt; 4/ 12!/7!<br>(and so on)<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She mutters things in English like 'n choose 5' and 'ugh, what was the identity again' and sometimes counts out five on her fingers, and eventually "Ugh, these are all incredibly unlikely, actually... wait, so hang on, if you discard X cards, the chances are..."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yeah she's put math problems in front of herself and gotten absorbed in them, oops.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:127|Laisa Samuiko (127)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mou Fubuki glances at Veronica as they all sit down. Her eyes just naturally draw towards the object of her affections, in spite of herself. Her tail plays with Veronica's for a moment longer, more focused on that than anything else. She has no opinion on Amy's fur, or La Licorne's competitiveness, or Kaoru's sword. She barely even has an opinion on her own hand. As she picks up the new card, her expression doesn't change even if inwardly she doesn't like it. She's very likely has the worst hand in this whole table, but at least she can enjoy the present company.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Veronica's face seems unreadable, but she's confident enough to raise and Mou isn't sure if it's real or a bluff. The snow angel already knows what the ''real'' strategy is, so all she has to do is draw attention away from the necklace.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She puts her cards together and holds them as one single 'stack' in her hands, no longer looking at them. There's no point in studying them after you already know, so she places it against her opposite shoulder so that no one can read them. Her eyes go to the dogs' eyes, and the eyes of her adventuring companions, taking the measure of each of them. Then, she decides to play... just a little bit unfairly.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She doesn't peek. She doesn't make anyone drop their cards or interfere with the game so directly, but the temperature of the room lowers ever so slowly. Eventually it's enough to be a little bit distracting to anyone but her. When it comes time for her to bet, she says, "I also raise," and puts a few extra chips in. With a bold face, knowing full well that she has nothing. She is testing the dogs' nerves, and she wont back down.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;... and if she ends up losing a few chips to one of her friends, or perhaps her beloved, well... she's actually not too worried about that.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Monday, you say? So... it took them some time to put it on display, then. Assuming that the flow of time is one to one, which it may not be." Mou can't really take anything for granted when it comes to these painting worlds, but the timeline makes sense even if it's a little bit rushed. "Do you think it's possible that the culprit knew about the planned display ahead of time? That in of itself may be a lead."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy's math catches her interest for a moment, and Mou raises an eyebrow. Interesting to look at.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:131|Cure La Licorne (131)}} has posed:'''<br>Cure La Licorne cocked an eye at Amy. "Uh... huh..." she said, blinking a few times. That girl was... certainly something. She then glanced at her card before... "Oh, I definitely raise as well," she said, tossing in her chips.<br><br>She seemed entirely focused on the game, flipping through her cards, a vicious smirk on her face as her eyes narrowed on the hounds. "So, tell me, Fido, where'd you get your poker skills anyway? Just drawn that way?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:145|Veronica Perenna (145)}} has posed:'''<br>Mou Fubuki's cold has less of an effect on Veronica than the playing with her tail does. She has gotten used to the former by now, and while that is in a sense, true of the latter as well, she is a lot more open to her beloved's advances, and she can't get a big stupid smile out of her face, even more so because she is reciprocating to the playing, humming a crystalline melody that can only raise from the joy she feels with Laisa.<br><br>"Well, everyone, we have reached the grand finale, so let's have a proper reveal, with no remorse or stalling", the Princess of Sarek pokes fun at the whispering of the dogs among themselves. One by one they raise their faces, and their leader examines Red grappling with her math problem, the Princess of Sarek's exuberance, La Licorne's confidence, Mou Fubuki's still expression, and Kaoru's bluffs.<br><br>"We be fightin' t' the end", he mutters, and drops their cards, revealing their Full House. "So? Got anythin' better?", he challenges, feeling very confident against Red's Flush and Mou Fubuki's two Pairs.<br><br>"It happens to be the case", Veronica smiles, revealing her 4 9s. "Sad to be you, isn't it?" Then Kaoru's cards get revealed too, and his 4 Queens lay there triumphant. "Well, he gets the wins", Cecil remarks, though he knows that matters little in the end. They are all working together after all.<br><br>"Take your chips", Veronica smiles, pushing the pile towards the winner, but taking the necklace herself. "It has been a pleasure, but I think we are going to get out of here", she nods, smiling to her friends and reaching for Laisa's hand, brushing their tails one last time. "This was fun. Thank you for playing with me", she comments towards everyone, ready to step out. Certainly her most unconventional retrieval yet.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:131|Cure La Licorne (131)}} has posed:'''<br>Cure La Licorne didn't win the cards... but won the game, she shrugged. She only had three of a kind... but it was a team game. And her role? It didn't hae to be to win, so long as THEY won.... playing cocky and arrogant and raising the pot... Tha could be a role too.<br><br>That was totally what she was going to say she was doing, yup. Totally what her role was there. Just don't look at it too closely, everybody, and we'll be good. Wink.<br><br>"A pleasure working with you, Princess," Licorne said with a grin. "Didn't get to punch anyone buuuut... playing cards with canines isn't a bad way to spend the evening either. Haven't.... actually ever done that, I think. Believe it or not."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:127|Laisa Samuiko (127)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The calm straight face that Mou has while slowly brushing her tail against her beloved's stands in stark contrast to the way her tail flicks and plays. She notices with cold eyes the way her beloved takes the relic from the chip pile, and as she stands to leave the table she stays close to Veronica, taking her hand and letting their tails play with each other just a little bit more. Her attempt at bluffing the dogs into folding failed, and the chips she put into the pot are lost, but it matters little. They managed to obtain their goal after a single hand, so no one can really fault them on efficiency.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Thanks for the game," she says to the dogs, and the rest of the group, with a slight polite bow. Turning to Veronica with a smile, she says, "I had a lot of fun today."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The temperature slowly returns to relatively normal, for whatever is normal inside this painting, and she gets ready to step out.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To Hinoiri, she adds, "I haven't really either. I think this might be my first actual poker game."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4 of a kind! "Wow, lucky!" Amy pats Kaoru's shoulder, "Congrats, you win!"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She looks to Cecil and the other dogs. "Thanks for hosting us."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She agrees with Laisa and Hinoiri, "I don't think I've ever actually played poker before, either..."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She looks back to Veronica, tail forming a ? shape behind her then flipping to a reverse ? and back. "So... all week at least, people have been coming here, getting turned into catgirls, and playing poker with dogs? How... unique."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She holds a paw to her chin. "At least... it seems like quite a special opportunity, but I suppose there's not a lot to experience about being a catgirl, actually... or rather, if there are no immediate experiential differences, it's probably more something where most of the differences you'd experience would only be longer-term. Like dealing with clothes and headwear that won't fit tails and ears, having to not close a door on your tail, or deal with chairs that won't accomodate... I wonder if we have dietary differences like this? Hey everybody, are all your teeth pointy? I still have full color vision... can we see in the dark? Ooh, come to think of it..."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;After sniffing at things a bit, extending and retracting claws a few times, and easily jumping on and off the table, she eventually turns back to Veronica and Laisa, retrieving her phone from somewhere in her outfit. "Oh! Before we go, do you two want to get a picture? Actually, come to think of it, maybe we all should... Nya!" After several selfies, she faces the others again to offer taking a picture. If they say yes...<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Say meese!"*<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Click!<br><br>*TL note: She's sticking an s on the end of nezumi, which is not how Japanese plurals work, but she had wordplay to make and wanted to at least approach the 'eese' sound from 'cheese' in English, so here we are.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:304|Kaoru Kyrkogrim (304)}} has posed:'''<br>Kaoru has a triumphant smirk when he revealed his hand. He still wasn't sure what to call his 4 Queens exactly but it seemed like a good hand by what little he knew about cards. Even though the pile wasn't what he was fighting for he was. more than happy to claim it. "Can't wait to play against you puppies again." Kaoru said with a mischievous flick of his tail. <br><br> When the temperature when back to normal he noticeably relaxed. Even if it wasn't obvious on his face he was also feeling quite uncomfortable in the cold. <br><br> After walking out Karou nodded and held up the chips he claimed. "Such a big win certainly made my day. Even more impressive when I'm inexperienced as some of you." He looks at the chip in his arms. "Though now comes the questions of what do I use the chips for? I should ask the dogs." <br><br> Kaoru wasn't used to taking pictures but he tried his best to be photogenic. His armful of chips and Garmr awkwardly posed against his arm quickly ruined that. "Meese?" Strange word though he's assuming it's another pun.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:145|Veronica Perenna (145)}} has posed:'''<br>"Dietary differences? I don't believe so. I am a catgirl on the regular. I would have noticed if there were, I think", she raises her eyebrows at Amy's question. The photoshooting gets an eager grin from the cat thief, and she gets into several different poses for the camera, including a full hug while rubbing her beloved's cheek if Mou Fubuki allows it.<br><br>"I am not really sure about that", Veronica tilts her head, pensive. "They are part of the painting, so they aren't going to last out of here either. Maybe take a commemorative photo with them and print the picture to hang somewhere?", she ends up suggesting.<br><br>"Tell you what. Swing by the shed in a few days and I am going to give you a painting of your win today, shined by yours truly", she smiles proudly. It's really the best she can come up with. This situation ''is'' her responsibility, even if she doesn't know who is getting her relics in here.<br><br>"Thank you, La Licorne. Having you here was perfect. If we get together again, maybe next time you will get your chance to punch someone", she winks at her, disappearing in a silver glint as she gets closer to the edge of the painting, marking her return to the real world.<br><br>In the art gallery, she now finds herself without the peculiar hug she has been sharing with Mou all this while. It was a very nice novelty. And to be honest, full-on hugs are still superior, so she is losing out on nothing. "I am always glad to be with you, my snowsweet", she replies with warmly twinkling eyes.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy blinks at Veronica pointing out that she's a regular catgirl. "That's true. I suppose it depends on how far the transformation goes..."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Despite the opportunity, she finds herself too embarassed to ask for pets or scritches to see if that is somewhat a cat thing, but at least she has fun with:<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kitty photoshoot! Yay!<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Once back in the world, Amy looks something up... "...I forgot to account for the order of the cards not mattering?!" She slumps her shoulders a bit.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I swear I'm good at math..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:127|Laisa Samuiko (127)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I mean I'm not really craving anything different," says Mou Fubuki, in regards to diet. "I don't think being a catgirl means I'll start eating catfood. Though I mean... fish is something we'd have in common with cats regardless." After looking at how Amy's transformation is a bit more thorough, Mou wonders if the same could be said for her.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She happily plays along with the photoshoot, smiling slightly the whole time because not only does she get to be close to her beloved but ''also'' her favorite person is smiling and happy. There is no downside here. When Veronica pulls her into a close hug with their cheeks pressing together, Mou Fubuki's ears twitch against the princess's for a moment.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At the offer of a painting to the winner, Mou gets curious. She'll likely get to see that painting herself if she swings by at the right time.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Following Veronica out, Mou reappears without cat ears or tail, though her soft smile remains unchanged. "I feel the same. I always enjoy your company, and your embrace, my kitten."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Turning to Amy with a commiserative smile, Laisa says, "Sure, but it's easy to forget things on the spot. Sometimes with things like that, even the attempt is impressive."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:304|Kaoru Kyrkogrim (304)}} has posed:'''<br>He's gotten so prideful about his win his forgot it was technically a picture at the end of the end. "A painting would be nice. Catgirl wins poker sounds good to me." And he could ask Red to send him that picture she took later. He was currently looking into communication using Garmr anyway. <br><br> While slightly embarrassed,his smugness about winning quickly returned. It was so overpowering that it was only when he was returning the poker chips when it dawned on him that all photos of him with his wins would look unrecognizable at first glance. At least it would be an interesting story explaining that he got turned into a girl. <br><br> "Hopefully I'll there when it happens." Even though he won in the end he still prefers a straightforward fight in the end. <br><br> Returning to the gallery, it was comfortable gaining his normal body back. Hopefully the paintings stop messing with him one of these days.<br> <br>
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