[Strategy] You roll an 18 (required 10). Success!

Your party decides to start with something that looks easy to learn. With that in mind, and curious about the two-horned creature, you enter the Wuziqi room.

Several tables, each with a game board and bowls of coloured stones, spaciously border the matted room. Kirin and unicorns casually chat as they play, their every word a potential distraction that could turn the tide one way or the other.

You make your way to the back of the room where a few wall scrolls seemingly display the game rules. Tsu-Ko summarizes them for you: players take turns, starting with black, placing one stone of their own colour on the board. Whoever first forms a line of five stones wins.

Honourshine: "Hmm... sounds easy enough."

You grin, remembering well the orphanage days back when your foalhood friend had to let you win at board games every once in a while.

Two-Horned Stallion: "Can you read any of this, or are you staring at the images there?"

You turn to find the instructor who was once behind the counter now standing next to you with a welcoming smile; a tall, dark stallion with vibrant scarlet hair and a dyed pattern on his foreleg. Only from up close do you notice the dark-green crystalline bands at the base of his horns.

You greet the stallion, and let him know that you are accompanied by a sprite who has been kindly translating Kirinese into Ponish for you.

Two-Horned Stallion: "A sprite? Helpful little creatures, aren't they? Few are the foreigners who know about them, and fewer still those willing to pay their price. The name is Quin Ataraxis, by the way. I'm the master of this house."

You nod, and admit that you were very lucky to learn about sprites in the first place. You then introduce yourselves in turn before curiously asking the stallion about his horns.

Quin Ataraxis: "Ho, surprised to see a demon here in Yinshin-Pintai? I don't blame you! But you've come here to play, so why don't we talk over a game of Wuziqi? Have a seat, and I'll pair with the odd one out."

You sit down at two adjacent tables, and decide to face Quin Ataraxis, while Honourshine sits next to you with Moonflower across from her. As you begin to play, you tell your opponent that you thought demons were not allowed in a Kirin city.

Quin Ataraxis: "Well, that's the rule, but rules aren't perfect, so we make exceptions.

Some few centuries ago, this gaming house was a lot smaller than it is now, and it only had one game: Wuziqi, a traditional demon game hosted by yours truly. But to the ponies who came here in the evening, after a long day of harrowing war and hard work, it was more than just a game — it was something to look forward to, a time and place to make memories with friends, and laugh their worries away.

When us demons were banished from Kirin cities, I left the house to my patrons. To think it only took a few weeks before a monk came to my village looking for me. He told me that my players had been pestering them day and night for my return, that they claimed it just wasn't the same without old Quin around. Ha ha ha! Ahh, those words I'll never forget.

So the monk made me an offer: a pair of magic shackles. So long as I agreed to wear them, he said, they would allow me to return. Well, since that day, I've been wearing these shackles with a smile, because I've learned that in this house, I don't need my horns to work my magic."

You glance back at the room around you, at the heavy-lidded and battle-scarred ponies taking some time out of their days to enjoy a few games together, and realize how important these moments must be to them.

Moonflower: "I thought demons were supposed to be mean, but you sound kinda nice! Oh—! I lost again. Heeheehee..."

Quin Ataraxis: "Ha ha! I appreciate it, kid, but don't be fooled; demons were banished for a reason. The good-natured ones are about as common as blooming flowers on a frozen lake."

As the conversation goes on, so does the game. You manage to win some of the rounds against the host, and lose most of the others, though you get the all-too-familiar feeling that he is showing great kindness while you learn. Next to you, Honourshine visibly does the same to Moonflower, but they both seem to be having fun regardless.