A little bit of Poker... part2

Posted on 20 Jan 2011 @ 10:20pm by Captain Reva Madhava & Captain Antonio Vazquez & Lance Corporal Cyfian Harper

2,161 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: M7: Shore Leave - Mercer Colony
Location: The Poisoned Arrow (Lounge)

[Poisoned Arrow, a table littered with empty glasses and a pile of small data chips in the center]

Leaning to one side in his seat, and appearing very relaxed, Antonio threw in his chips, "I'll see your raise and raise you again 10." He had his own two pair...and poor hand or not, he looked unconcerned as he took a drink of his scotch.

Darwin idly tapped a finger on the table and said, "Cyfian, it's yours to call or raise again."

Cyfian stared at his cards briefly. Gently tapping a chip he threw it into the pile.

"I'll call." He said with a smile. "Ok lads what have you got?"

Flipping his cards over one by one, Darwin revealed his two pairs: threes and tens. "What have you got, Antonio?"

His drink held to his mouth, Antonio laid his cards out altogether with his free hand; a pair of Kings, a pair of Queens, and a three.

Darwin motioned for Cyfian to show his then whistled and laughed as Oz clapped Cyfian on the shoulder and said, "Better luck on the next round!"

As Antonio raked in the chips from the pot, Darwin noticed that Oz was suddenly and completely distracted. He followed the scientist's gaze, caught a good view of green skin, black hair, a dress that showed more leg than the old-fashioned Skant uniform and unintentionally groaned out loud. Focusing on Oz, he said, "I've told you she's not worth it."

Oz's gaze barely flicked to Darwin and his grin was goofy. "Yeah, but she's nice to watch." Somewhere in that part of his brain that the fungus had rewired, he saw that green skin as richly fecund soil.

Curious with a half smile, Antonio leaned an arm on the table, shifting in his seat as he turned to see who they were referring to. And there she was, leaning with her back against the bar. As his smile disappeared, her black eyes shifted to meet his, her body language telling him she wasn't happy to be talking with the young officer leaning in towards her. Slightly shaking his head, he turned back in his seat and stared at his drink as he took hold of it.

Oz was still ogling Reva when Darwin kicked him under the table. "Ow!" Oz turned toward Darwin, surprised, "What was that for?!"

"Really, don't waste your time - there's only one guy on this ship that she's after," Darwin warned.

Working his jaw, Antonio angled his head as he continued to stare at his drink, "Just deal another hand, Darwin."

Nodding a significant glance at Oz, Darwin kept up his congenial smile and started shuffling the cards.

Victor walked around the lounge, he noticed a group of people playing a game of cards. 'Poker,' he remembered, 'Or Black jack, does not matter.' He approached the table heading for an empty seat, "Would anvon mind if I joined in the next round?"

"Have a seat, my friend," Darwin invited the man into the game. "I'm Darwin. Game's poker, usual five-card stud; we play for holodeck minutes. Y'all, ante in." He tossed his own chip into the center, shuffled the cards one more time then started dealing.

Distracted by the new arrival, the scientist smiled as he tossed a chip into the center. "I'm Oz, in Sciences. Looks like you and Cyfian here are the newest members. Welcome to the Achilles," he introduced himself.

"Da comrade, I transferred in today, 1st Lieutenant Viktor Karpov, pleased to be making your Acquaintance," Viktor held his hand around the table.

Antonio gripped Viktor's hand, "Antonio Vazquez", and tossed in his own chip. And then he pushed his chair back, snatching up his glass. He wasn't waiting for the next round.

Cyfian grasped Viktor's hand and shook it firmly, nodding at him. Leaning back in his chair and taking a sip of his drink he casually tossed another chip into the pile. Waiting for the next round.

"Ooo!" Reva exclaimed from behind Antonio and laughed as they collided. Her hand pressed against his chest; she looked up at Antonio then at the others at the table and smiled, saying, "I'll just keep his chair warm, then."

"Reva..", he swallowed, looking away. And then looking back at her, as if there was no point in saying anything, he maneuvered away and continued towards the bar.

The part-Orion slid into Antonio's empty seat and smiled at the men. Darwin sighed; Oz tried to keep breathing. "Looks like we have new crewmembers; welcome aboard," Reva greeted the two she didn't know: Cyfian and Viktor, "I'm Reva. What's the game?" She touched the cards Darwin had dealt to Antonio.

"Oz...," Darwin started but Oz nodded and tossed in a set of chips. He was in the game and the bet moved on. "Reva, it's five card stud; you think Tony's okay with you playing with his cards?"

Smirking, Reva shrugged and looked over her shoulder at Antonio. "I don't know. Doesn't matter... it's not his cards I'll play with," she picked up a few of his chips and tossed them in. To the newbies, she asked, "Are you both Marines?"

"Da, what do you do in the ship comrades?" Viktor threw in a chip and looked at his hand.

Before Reva could chime in, Darwin spoke up: "Oz there is in Sciences and studies bugs; Antonio is our weapons specialist; Ms. Madhava," he smiled at her and tossed in some chips, "Seems to be our resident troublemaker."

"Oh!" Reva gasped, "I am not!" Beside her, though, Oz was chuckling; he'd already heard enough rumors on the ship to know Darwin was speaking the truth.

The back of Antonio's hand suddenly touched her shoulder, "We need to talk... now, Reva." he said with a weary tone.

"We do?" Reva glanced at him as he nodded then looked at the others at the table and said, "Well, excuse me, boys, it seems that Mr. Vazquez is folding this hand and has a different deck he'd like me to play with...."

As the Orion got up from the table, Darwin wondered just what that relationship was. He caught Oz throwing a glare at Antonio's back and kicked Oz under the table again. "Raise or show 'em, buddy."

"Ooch...," Oz complained but turned his attention to the game. "I... uh... I raise ten," he said, tossing in the requisite number of chips even though he had no chance of winning with the hand he held. "Cyfian? Viktor? Are you in or out?"

Viktor put some of his chips in the middle of the table
"I am in" He tossed the chips into the middle and inspected his hand,one pair not bad.
"And I will raise to 20"

Cyfian peered at his cards. Nothing not a single hand. It seemed lady luck didn't like poker.

"I fold. How about at least something next time huh." Cyfian grinned.

[Antonio and Reva]

Reva followed Antonio to a pair of seats in a corner. Putting her butt in one, she teased, "Are you sure we should do this here, Mr. Vazquez?" There was a tone of challenge in her voice.

With a mock chuckle, Antonio slid into the other seat, and leaning forward he slammed his drink down on the table surface between them. "Are you trying to wear me down, Reva?", he glared. "It's working, but keep in mind you won't be happy with how it ends".

A flicker of fear crossed Reva's face before she tightened her jaw in defiance. "As if I'm happy with how it ended the other day," she said back, intensely. Her eyes glittered in the low lighting as she asked, "Is that what you wanted to talk about? That I'm wearing down your resistance?" She leaned forward a little more and added in a whisper, "Imagine if I were attempting to control you, Antonio."

He flinched, immediately leaning back with both hands on the table. Her words stabbed him, and he felt his face twitch...he knew his composure was at risk. "You're wearing down my patience, Reva!" he spoke angrily back, "And more and more people are beginning to think something is going on here...", he lowered his tone. "We.." he jabbed a finger at her, "...made a deal..."

"You must have memory loss," she hissed back, "We didn't strike a deal: you made an ultimatum!" Reva kept her voice low. "Why do you care if people are starting to think there's something to talk about, anyway? Trying to preserve your virtuous reputation?"

Shifting strongly in his seat, he leaned back towards her. "Ever consider that it's 'your' reputation at risk? Though...one can't tarnish a rusted blade, can one?" he sneered, and raised an eyebrow.

His words hit like a brick and Reva rocked back. Tears were quick to spring up, something that made her even more angry. She grabbed his forearm and demanded, "Take that back!"

Livid, Antonio reacted back, twisting her arm down onto the table and held it there...immediately releasing her, his eyes widened in surprise, once he realized what he'd done.

Actively working to mitigate her own anger and hurt, Reva sat back, pulling her hands into her lap, and regarded Antonio silently for a long moment. Calmer, she started speaking quietly, "You still label me as a 'typical Orion', or whatever stereotype you've got in mind." Standing, she sighed, "I'm not going along with your ultimatum, Antonio."

Antonio leaned over the table, pinching between closed eyes as he slowly shook his head. "There's something more to it.." he said quietly back. He was tired, shaken, confused. What that something was, he didn't know. "I'll be keeping my end of it."

"You do that, Antonio," Reva leaned close to him, almost whispering in his ear, "Tell me, is it all women or just green skinned women who unnerve you?" Her anger was showing, as was her hurt, in that question. The recent meeting with the ship's fresh faces and, specifically, Bekah Morgan's comment at that meeting, had sensitized Reva to the idea that Antonio's reason for rejecting her was her skin and the culture it represented.

Working his facial muscles, he moved his hand away from his face, leaning his head away from her as he felt the warmth of her breath on his ear, his upper body did a quick shake as an unsettling sensation went through him. There was something to the latter half of her question... but not in the way she insinuated it to be. Refusing to look at her, deciding not to answer, he pushed himself out of the opposite side of his seat, and turned to leave.

She grabbed at his sleeve and told him, "Oh no, you're not leaving! I'm the one leaving. You.... you're... you get to stay here - finish your game with the boys." With that, she stormed past him and out of the lounge.

[The Game]

Darwin had kept tabs on both the game at the table and on the game in the corner with Antonio and Reva. Now, as Viktor was clearing the table's pot away, having won with just his single pair of queens, he watched Reva leave and Antonio return to the table. Right then, he wanted to be Betazoid - if only to have his curiosity about the conversation satisfied. "Ah, Antonio, you're returning just in time to help Viktor here line his pockets with our holodeck minutes," he welcomed the weapon specialist back.

Antonio looked over at Viktor, and then to Darwin as he sat down. Still reeling, his arm muscles revealing how tense he was, he hadn't really heard what Darwin said. Clearing his throat he replied, "Yeah, sure", and he sat back down leaning on the table with his arms crossed.

Oz, thinking he was being non-obvious, shot a glare at Antonio. He had caught a couple of glimpses of the man's conversation with the Orion and... right now, Mr. Vazquez was not high on Oz's list of people to like. He tossed a chip in and took the cards from Darwin. "I'm dealer," he said, unnecessarily as he shuffled the deck and dealt out five cards. "Everybody ante in and check your cards. Viktor, bet goes to you."

Cyfian tossed his chip in eagerly anticipating the cards. Fingers crossed he hoped the cards would be kind this round. Being new on board meant he didn't have many holodeck minutes, and the last thing he wanted to do was lose them all within the first month.

Staring at the middle of the table, Antonio tossed in his chip, his demeanor noticeably different, his mind not with the game anymore.

The bet went round, as did the banter and the chips. Darwin ribbed Antonio; everyone ribbed Oz.

__________________
LtJG Antonio Vazquez, Weapons Specialist

Lance Corporal Cyfian Harper, Marine

1st Lt. Viktor Karpov, Marine

Ensign Reva Madhava, Science
Lt. M. Darwin
Lt. Oz Goodshire
- NPC'd by Reva

 

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