Double Downs and Double Barrels

[Al-Saher]

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Coruscant. The city planet, after dark is when things really heated up. All the REAL clubs opened up, cards were dealt fortunes earned and lost. Dancers writhed on and against poles game tables skittered with dice and credit chits being stacked. Drinks were being poured, people chatted back and forth and I currently was both way over my head and doing better at cards than I had any right to be. Sabaac was a game that many played and many lost....I'd just won a rather auspicious amount of credits when I decided to change game types. Pazaak older, more antiquated but still vastly good for gambling. Counting cards came in handy but I enjoyed the game as well, to be honest I was surprised nobody interesting had showed up yet...

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The night was still young though, plenty of time for somebody interesting to show up. Gesturing to the waitress a young Mirialan woman came by and said "What can I get for you handsome?" Smirking I said "Club soda with lime darlin' I'd like to remain coherent the night is much more fun that way." I winked at her and she headed off to get my drink. The dealer tossed out a hand of cards. It was me, a fat twi'lek a Nautolan and another man. I certainly hoped I wouldn't be gambling with old men, and those who wanted the waitresses as entertainment all night....

[member="Tava Del Nove"]

 

[Tava Del Nove]

"Really?" she drawled, small hand in a fist propping up her chin. "The best Sabaac player this side of the turn?" Bright sienna eyes revealed innocent astonishment and the slight peach that spawned upon her cheeks pushed the expression just to believable. "I have never seen you around these parts. First time here?" slender fingers curled around the lightly frosted glass half-filled with a pale red liquid, perhaps a wine of some sort. Tava pulled it to her lightly turned up pout and sipped tentatively.

"I've been around," the player replied, lifting his own glass as if to knock it against another, but instead it was air it hit. With a nod, he'd washed it down, his blue hands dwarfing the tumbler of deep, gold poison. "Perhaps you've heard of me? Hylo Narr." His get-up was the normal slick-swagger you expect from the smuggler types, just a tad cleaner. Too clean. Cobalt-raven hair was combed back, nay a hair out of place...even though the lad had just docked. Just docked and been drowning in a bottle of whiskey for the last hour. Hylo showed no hints at inebriation despite the amount of liquor he'd drank.

Tava watched him curiously and met his very crimson eyes with earnest, "Runa Los, and no, I'm afraid..." she paused, running the rim of her long stemmed glass with her finger, "Narr, the King of Cards...out of Seltos?" a brief, low giggle surfaced and her russet gems seemed a little starry. "I may have heard of you, yet. Are you playing at one of the tables tonight?" A penchant of information any fan girl or gambler worth their salt would know. Perhaps she knew before he ever uttered a word, perhaps not.

An easy grin played upon Narr's lips and the man gave the woman at the bar an appreciative once over...make that two, "Care to join me, princess?" Quite the debonair high-roller, the Chiss offered his arm to which she took and they strolled to near the back, where the lights were a little greener and the stakes... obscene.

[member="Al-Saher"]​

 

[Al-Saher]

My gaze had wandered to the hostess who was getting my drink. Then I looked from her to patrons blatantly checking her out....There was a young woman walking with a Chiss towards the back where I was sitting. A rather impatient voice gruffly said "Hey buddy! Your turn we ain't got all night. Hurry it up!" Smoothly turning back I saw the Pazaak table sat at my score of 17 to theirs of 15. Odds were against me and the fat Twi'lek looked angry. Oops....he was about to be more angry. The dealer shot out a card of a 4 value putting me at 21. The fat Twi'lek smiled, at leas the had been until I slid a -1 hand card into play putting me at 20. Ending my turn the dealer droid flipped out a 6 card putting him at 21. I won the hand....right as the waitress brought back my drink. "Here you go handsome..." The Twi'lek looked enraged and went to his belt where I'd seen a blaster when we'd sat down. Looking at the Mirialan waitress I said softly "Get behind me sweetheart...." She saw my hand go to my waist and I could almost feel her fear.

"Mr. let me just grab a round for you and your friends. I simply played my cards I'll even give the hands' winnings back to you I'm simply here to play cards and have a night off work." His eye flicked to the waitress. "She helped you cheat! You little schutta I'll have your....!" Still sitting I rubbed my forehead in frustration then I flicked my pistol to stun and shot him twice under the table as he was pulling his blaster. Looking at the young waitress and the dealing droid I said "Stun setting he'll be fine I didn't want the young lady here hurt. Check his belt...modded hold out blaster. I'll consent to a search to make sure nobody else thinks I'm cheating. I'm just lucky tonight." Security droids came and hauled the Twi'lek away. Looking at the young woman I handed her a credit chit with my earnings from the table so far tonight... "I'm sorry for his mouth young miss. Hopefully this makes up for it...." probably 20,000 credits all together but I was gunning to keep going. I felt her slip something into my jacket pocket as she moved in and said "Thank you Mr." Then she was off. Pulling open my jacket pocket I saw she'd left her number. Smiling I headed to another table I felt like relieving more people of their credit...

[member="Tava Del Nove"]

 

[Tava Del Nove]

What was it with Tava and the celebrity types?

The woman would have barked laughter at the thought, but instead, she kept her mark. Stayed in character for Force's sake and her slender frame leaned just close enough to his. Close enough without seeming overzealous and still intrigued. Maybe a little mysterious. Sienna eyes cast over the table, lingering over each player's face and shortly after both of her hands landed upon Hylo's broad shoulders only to sweep away when Tava came to sit next to him. Long stemmed leg perched over her other, golden flesh complimenting the very navy blue of her dress that hit just above her knees and wrapped for wanting around the soft curves of the Firrerro's petite frame that left her lithe shoulders bare.

Near to them, a BANG BANG- which could have gone unnoticed, save for the species' uncanny heightened senses that included hearing. While reaching for a drink of the tray of a passing waiter, Tava's eyes lingered in that very direction and turned back slow enough to seem natural. It wasn't necessarily out of the ordinary for patrons to pop off in this business. The slicer, however, did make quick note of his face.

Moments later...

That same face reappeared, nearing their table that was just setting up. Buy in was twenty five thousand credits. A little steep, but not unheard of. "Are you feeling lucky, Runa Los?" whispered the King of Cards, lips dancing along her ear in a smile. The tickle turned her lips up slightly and she glanced up at a man with a militant feel- cropped hair, hard stare. "Very lucky, Hylo Narr. Very. Lucky," she answered, lit gaze flickering to her companion for the game.

"Good. Very good, Miss Los."

The dealer interrupted, "Last call for a buy in."

[member="Al-Saher"]​

 

[Al-Saher]

Well now......pretty boy Chiss with a pretty young miss. Glancing at the buy in of twenty five thousand credits I sat at the table across from the young woman. "I'm in." Placing a credit cube on the table I looked at the young woman. Her comment of feeling very lucky hadn't escaped me. I wondered how lucky her friend would be feeling here after a bit. Looking over towards the woman I said "Lovely dress Miss?" Odds were she wouldn't tell me her actual name and that was to be expected however I felt that by the end of the night we'd know each other much better.... As it was the dealer began dealing out cards this was where the fun began...

[member="Tava Del Nove"]

 

[Tava Del Nove]

Pretty, liquid bronze pools glanced to the newest player and allowed for a faint, flirty smile to touch her lips, "Runa Los and thank you...mister?" As pleasant goes, the slicer was just that. The entirety of her exploits shone in her ruses. She could have had a different career all together. Instead, Del Nove stuck to her roots and lived for the pleasure of the chase. The adrenaline rush served her well and why fix something that wasn't broke?

Hylo glanced to her, then the arrival. He smirked and her hand fell just at the celebrity's thigh tentatively and the man shifted to gain comfort in the high back chair. Narr was clearly used to the attention and she would oblige at every turn. Forever sticking to the script. Her script...Boon's script.

And so, the game began.

[member="Al-Saher"]​

 

[Al-Saher]

"Al-Saher, and the pleasure is entirely mine Ms. Runa Los." The glance I'd received from her "friend" was less than relaxed. There was a palpable tension, smirking I realized this Chiss would likely lose the calm collected spirit his species was known for throughout this night. Twenty five thousand buy in, this would turn into a high stakes game and I aimed to impress this young woman. There was something about her and the situation that didn't sit right with me....I had the feeling she could outplay her Chiss "friend" any given night. The dealer droid shuffled, cut and stacked the deck center table. The table would dispense a card upright we were dealt hand cards. Five apiece. The droid dealt out a five card to me....I passed on my turn to draw. Now it'd deal to the Chiss....

[member="Tava Del Nove"]

 

[Tava Del Nove]

The unoccupied hand of the woman moved, sapphires adorning the fingers fawning over her cheek that was propped up. She offered [member="Al-Saher"] a kindly smile that revealed just hints of her white teeth when Hylo passed his turn to draw. Tava's gaze flickered purposefully to his hand of cards. An easy, charmed grin had been displayed on his face. It was the same one he wore at the bar. A consistent, proverbial poker face. Perhaps, her patron for the evening was an actor too. Weren't all celebrities though?

Tava mused, head canting a little to the side and letting her large amber pools float from player-to-player. They didn't linger long and finally came upon Al-Saher again, at least directly this time. "New around here, mon cher?" The next two high rollers drew, one folded. A single, dark brow of hers rose and a playful smirk painted a ruse upon her full pout, stained a pale red.

 

[Al-Saher]

Runa was looking over at her friends' cards, he passed as well and one other player folded. The card flicked to me and dealt a six, now I sat at eleven. A lot could happen with such a score.....It looked like Runa wasn't as interested in the game as she was the tension. Glancing over at the Chiss she was with I noticed he seemed forced. Like he was trying to control his emotion....bad hand dealt perhaps? Runa's eye flicked back to me and asked if I was new around. Chuckling warmly I said "Oh no mon amour, I'm a regular at pazaak. More so down here...." Her smirk spoke of a playfulness and I wondered idly how playful she actually was...

[member="Tava Del Nove"]