Upstairs at Monty's - October (IC)

[quotemyname]

"Reckon a free hand is'a free hand. Check!" Colt burned a card, and turned the second one over. He then sat back in his chair and took a sip of his drink. Reckon t'night's gonna be'a long night...If'n I c'n win though...

[Heritage]

The sight of the Jack of Clubs made the young shapeshifter groan, any pretense of a poker face long gone.

"Alright, I'm out; you gents have fun."

She downed the last of her drink, then got up to fix a new one, sans alcohol; as she poured herself a Sprite, she hummed a bit before observing, "Guys, if we do this again, we need some serious tunes; the silence is deafening."

[Geez3r]

Atlas checked his hand again. He needed one more card to complete his straight, but there was a chance someone had already made theirs from the flop. But when Colt checked and Grim folded, he figured it wouldn't cost him anything to see what the last card was. "Check all around zen. Real high stakes ve got here." he added with a chuckle.

[quotemyname]

So, the bet had gone around the table and no one had bet. Colt was sure he still had the best hand out there. Though that could be the liquid courage pumping through him. There was still one more card in this hand, and it was getting late, but..."What the hell, I raise it." Colt pushed $20 worth of chips on to the table. He tepeed his hands, and fixed his eyes upon Atlas. Expressionless, he waited to see what the bigger man would do.

[Geez3r]

"Screw it." said Atlas as he slip a bunch of chips into the stack to call. "I have to get up in ze morning so I need zis to be over sooner razer zan later. It's been a fun game zere Tex." You could tell that the big man didn't really like his chances. He hadn't been winning through skill, only pure blind luck, so he figured he should lose the way he's been winning.

[Heritage]

"I have to get up in ze morning so I need zis to be over sooner razer zan later. It's been a fun game zere Tex."

Dropping back into her seat, Grim took another sip of Sprite and sighed. "Yeah, we need to do this again, if only so I can get die with dignity next time. Do we think we could do this once a month? A few more regulars might be a good idea, too. Plus the tuneage, of course."

She waited to see if Colt would indeed be the victor, the most likely scenario. Yep, he sure was a likable guy; maybe she could finnagle a way to see him more than once every thirty days?

[quotemyname]

Colt burned away another card and laid the last on the table. "Nine'a Dimonds." That card wouldn't be of much help to Atlas, Colt knew. Unless he already had two nines in his hand. There was an inside straight possibility, but it would be lower than what Colt had. Betting again would be nothing less than, well, a good bet. Unfortunately, he had to wait for the big man to make his move first.

"So, what'll it be, big guy?"

[Geez3r]

Atlas drummed his fingers a few times on the table as he tried to figure out his next move. He had a straight, which was probably the best hand you could have in this situation. But something didn't sit right with him. If he was a little more sober he would have figured it out sooner, but he couldn't do it while skunked. "Let's keep for now. Zat just about ze biggest pot ve had all night."

[quotemyname]

Colt smiled. The trap had been sprung. "Sorry, Atlas, but I reckon y'all're gonna have ta pay ta see the cards." Colt pushed twenty more dollars into the pot. If his instincts were right, he'd all but won this battle. Though his poker face had been lost, Colt felt that it didn't matter. Either Atlas didn't pay up, and he lost, or he paid up and he still lost.

"What'll it be, partner?"

[Geez3r]

"Zis isn't the bet you vant to place..." says Atlas waving his hand in front of Colt's face. "You vould like to fold your hand instead." he says repeating the gesture. After looking at the unaffected Colt he frowns for a moment. "Zis is vorking on you." as he waves his hand past this last time, he leaves his hand in the air, but forms a fist instead. Atlas has this look on his face:

After a tense moment, Atlas drops his hand "Damn." before throwing in chips to match Colt's bet.

[quotemyname]

"Zis isn't the bet you vant to place..." says Atlas waving his hand in front of Colt's face. "You vould like to fold your hand instead."

"Aww, I reckon that only works on the weak minded." Colt waved away Atlas' attempt to weasel out of the hand.

"Well," Colt smiled, "Y'all called me." He just laid his hand down on the table. He pushed three of the cards forward out of the community cards and placed the two from his hand in the midst of them forming the straight. "I lucked out an' got the straight. Reckon it's a high one too." Colt smiled and looked up. "Reckon I've been waitin' all night fer this. Read'em an' weep!"

[Geez3r]

"TTbbbbbbbbbtttt." says Atlas as he sticks out his tongue. Atlas rolls over his two cards to reveal a straight as well, just not one that's as high as the one Colt has. "You suck." says Atlas with a frown. "You vin zis time. But next time I vill have ze last laugh! MWHAHAHAHAaaaaa. Or however ze villains do it."

[Heritage]

"You vin zis time. But next time I vill have ze last laugh! MWHAHAHAHAaaaaa. Or however ze villains do it."

Grim smiled at the Russian's evil laugh; Atlas was fun to be around, and she hoped the three of them (plus a few more people!) would make this a regular game.

"So, is that it for tonight, gents? I think I might be done for the night, seeing as my head will be literally split in two tomorrow moring."

[quotemyname]

"Yea, I reckon here's a good stoppin' point." Colt looked up at the clock. "Reckon it's been about 20 minutes anyhow." Colt began counting his chips. Stopping after the first two stacks he sat back in his chair and his head lolled back. "Ohhh I reckon I'ma have ta walk back home. Ain't now way I should be drivin' after all these drinks."

[Geez3r]

Atlas starts going on an angry tirade, with much waving of the arms. "Ah, so you take of my money and zen make a run for it? I see how it is. You Americans are all ze same. And anzoer zing, vhy is it zat... you know vhat, I'm not even buying zis." says Atlas as he gets up from the table solemnly. He reaches his hands high over his head and stretches before he begins cleaning up all the trash he's made.

"If you need anozer vay back, I can alvays zrow you back home. C'mon, it vill be fun." :twisted:

[Heritage]

"Ohhh I reckon I'ma have ta walk back home. Ain't now way I should be drivin' after all these drinks."

Grim laughed as she rubbed her temples. "Yeah, I shouldn't fly like this either; fly smack into a window and bust my neck like a parakeet." She looked between the two guys for a moment. "Hey, you guys wanna split a cab? You can probably just leave your rides here at the garage. Right now, I'm crashing in Riverside, how 'bout you guys?"

[Geez3r]

"Option 2." pipes up Atlas. "I hulk out, and burn off all ze booze. Zen I pick up ze cars and ve leap back to vhere ever ve need to go. Zat vay ve don't have to hoof it back tomorrow to get ze cars. Zat vould suck." He stoops for a moment to collect everything he's brought with him. "Vhat do you say?"

[quotemyname]

"That could work, but I reckon that sounds like a lotta work, my friend." Colt smiled as he picked up a pile of money from the table. "I tell ya what though. I do like that there cab idea. But since y'all were so nice ta play with me, I'm coverin' it." He started counting money from the pile of bills. He paid out enough to cover the chips that Atlas still had, and then counted out enough money for a cab for the three of them and left it in the center of the table.

"Hey, you guys wanna split a cab? You can probably just leave your rides here at the garage. Right now, I'm crashing in Riverside, how 'bout you guys?"

"I reckon it ain't that far fer me. I'm still workin' outta this hotel right here in'a south side'a town."

[Heritage]

"Option 2." pipes up Atlas. "I hulk out, and burn off all ze booze. Zen I pick up ze cars and ve leap back to vhere ever ve need to go. Zat vay ve don't have to hoof it back tomorrow to get ze cars. Zat vould suck." He stoops for a moment to collect everything he's brought with him. "Vhat do you say?"

Grim just stared at him for a few seconds, one corner of her mouth twitching slightly. "Ummm..." Then she turned to the cowboy. "Gee Colt, your plan sounds safe and not insane! Let's try that out, okay?" She looked back over her shoulder at the Russian. "Hey, if you want to go leaping around with a car under your arm, knock yourself out, buddy."

[quotemyname]

Colt smiled at the way Grim shied away from the potentially suicidal trip home. Shaking his head, he stood, swayed for a moment, then crossed the room and picked his coat off the rack. Placing his share of the money in one of the pockets, Colt suddenly gave a bit of a start. "Ya know, I reckon I always ferget 'bout this thing." Colt pulled a small device from one of his coat pockets. "If'n it ain't the remote fer ma bike. Thing's got autopilot, ya know." Colt said shaking the remote in the air towards the group.

"Damn." Colt frowned, dropping the remote to his side as his head finally pieced the situation together. "I reckon it ain't gonna be able ta take all'a us."

[Heritage]

"Damn." Colt frowned, dropping the remote to his side as his head finally pieced the situation together. "I reckon it ain't gonna be able ta take all'a us."

As she finished clearing off the table, Grim's brow slowly furrowed as she thought the situation over, then a thought slowly entered her head. With some effort, she screwed up her face and wagged a finger at the cowboy.

"Waitaminute...this was all clever scheme to get me on the back of your kickass bike, wasn't it?" Hands on hips, she shook her head in disgust...as high-heeled biker boots suddenly appeared on her feet. "If you think you can pull that kinda crap with me..." And then she was wearing tight leather pants. "You can forget it, buddy! I don't swing that way..." And a sleek leather bomber jacket. "I don't just jump on the back of anybody's hog, mister!" She slipped on a pair of shades and pulled a jet-black helmet out of thin air, then grinned.

"I'll be outside." She pulled down her shades and gave Atlas a wink. "Later, chump!"

Spinning on her wicked heel, the tiny leather-clad shapeshifter strutted for the door, helmet tucked under one arm; just before she closed the door, she made the poker table vanish with a snap of her fingers, not even bothering to look back.

[quotemyname]

Colt snatched the few bills left on the table as it faded away. He shot atlas a look that plainly said, "I'm as surprised as you are." "Well, reckon I'm as surprised as you are." He sheepishly offered the money in his hand to Atlas. "Cab fare?"

After Atlas accepted the money, Colt backed away towards the door. "I'd love ta stay'n chat'n all." Colt said as he fixed his cowboy hat on his head. "But Ma always taught me never ta keep a lady waitin'." And with that he picked up his rifle which was still standing by the door, and made his way outside.

[Geez3r]

"I do believe zat I just got ditched." mutters a bemused Atlas to Colt after Grim leaves the room. He accepts the money from Colt "How about ve call it money for ze medicine to treat ze burn I just got da?" He stuffs the money in his pants pocket. "You two have fun now." he ads with a wink.