Throne of Games (Zandra Fenni/PM for Invite)

[Jack Sparrow]

The Wheel
Mid Rim
Besh Gorgon System
4th Level
Crimson Casino
Private Table
First Chair to Dealer's Left

"Sabacc!"

Jack smiled at the woman who sat across from him. She'd flipped a -23, much to the dismay of the walrus-mustachioed braggart who sat next to her. the heavy set fellow stood, had he been standing, at no more than 5'6", and probably weighed in excess of two hundred pounds. His yellow silken shirt was several shades darker beneath his arms and across his chest, for even in the climate-controlled environment of the Crimson Casino the man could not help but sweat, and his pink skin reddened a bit across the nose and cheeks as the woman gathered her winnings before her.

"A rare gift you've won, fair Zandra," huffed the man. "Found it myself in the wreckage of--"

"The Port Hell, a royal cruiser some centuries old," continued Jack. "Thought to be lost forever, containing, so it is believed--"

"The only known copy of the lineage of the Royal House of Kiprian," finished the fourth at the table, a Devaronian high roller named Usta Falonn. "Yes. You've said."

"But it's irreplacable!" sputtered the man, casting an imploring, wet-eyed look to Zandra.

"And yet you managed to lose it, along with 46,000 credits," smiled Jack, raising his glass in salute and tossing his long hair. "But fret not, good man, for the dealer is, even now, preparing the deck. And perhaps Dame Fortune shall smile once more upon you." It was clear that neither Jack nor the Devaronian carried much good will for the tubby, sweaty archaeologist and gambler, for the man had not stopped talking since he sat at the table. Thankfully, his luck was no where near as hot as his body seemed to be.

Jack drained his glass and looked across to Zandra. "Another drink?" he asked, as the droid dealer began sending new cards around the table.

@Zandra Fenni

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

Priceless eh? Zandra collected her winnings with a little smirk. As they talked about how priceless the little chip was, Zandra was already making plans to sell it off. Maybe, if this squealing pig-man didn't lose all of his credits to her, she might sell it back. But first, she'd rather bait him in with it. Always get as much as you can from suckers like this. They were gullible, and didn't deserve the wealth they had. Not if they were dumb enough to lose it on a card game.

She picked up the chip, examined it. It didn't look that special to her. Honestly, she had no need for something like this. It was best to just be rid of it before it caused her problems.

"'Nother drink. Yeah," she answered with a nod to the long haired guy, "So, this thing's worth as much as ya say..."

She set it back down on the table.
"I'll bet it this then. 'es right ya know," she said, shooting the sweaty man a charming smile, "Maybe you'll win it right back. 'Oo knows. Lady luck works in mysterious ways."

She picked up her first hand, and carefully forced on a worried face. Worried, only because that was what they needed to see. Inside, she was a very happy Echani.

[member="Jack Sparrow"]

 

[Jack Sparrow]

Jack motioned to a passing server droid. When it whirred over, the pirate and servant of the Kashyyyk people pointed to [member="Zandra Fenni"] and said "Another of whatever the lady is drinking, a lum for me, a shot of Corellian whiskey and a glass of water for Mr. Crunkle," he indicated the portly Human with the mustache, "and finally..." Jack raised his eyebrows and looked over to the Devaronian.

"Kaf," smiled the red-skinned man politely.

"It's sacrilege, you know," muttered Jack, "not drinking in a casino."

"Never developed a taste for it," replied the Devaronian. He pointed to the table in front of the pirate. "Cards."

Jack picked up his hand. An Ace of Coins and a Queen of Air and Darkness, for a starting hand of 13. Not a bad beginning, thought the pirate captain, moving 3,000 credits into the center of the table.

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

Zandra was having a hard time not smiling, but she managed. Her pale eyebrows were crinkled in 'concentration'. In her hand, she held The Star and two of Flasks. Not exactly a winning hand, but she could absolutely work with this. When her turn came, she scooped 3,000 credits onto the table too, along with the chip that everyone seemed so interested in.

When her drink arrived, Zandra stared down at it for a while. Balmoraan bluesky. Just like what she drank with Calico that night. She was starting to get sentimental, thinking of him all the time. She was even drinking his drink. The almost neon blue liquid made her feel close, even if he was gone. She felt a sudden bitterness rise in her throat, but she expertly crushed that emotion with a deep sip of her drink.

She wouldn't ever admit it, but she needed the credits. Bad. And she played better when she was drunk.

[member="Jack Sparrow"]

 

[Jack Sparrow]

The three men at the table all regarded the data chip with interest, none moreso than Zarjeev Crunckle, the man who'd initially lost it. He'd looked as if he were going to resign from the hand, but now his eyes focused on the antiquity and his pink tongue came out to wet his amphibious lips, and he hastily added more creds to the pot. Jack also moved creds into the pot to cover the raise, and with everyone staying in, the second round commenced.

Jack kept his Ace and returned the Queen to the dealer for a replacement, receiving a Moderation card in return. His hand was now a mere 1. However, as the others pondered their hands, a sabacc shift occured, and as Jack's cards electronically reset themselves, he saw that he now held a Mistress and Ten of Coins, which gave him a sabacc. Since he could only slide one card into the disrupter shield per turn, he moved the Mistress, his face completely impassive.

"Are you all right mate?" he asked Crunckle. "It's only money after all. Not like you came to a casino with your life savings to sit at a high stakes table in a futile attempt to win a quick fortune and impress a lady." Crunkle, who had finished his shot and was taking a long drink of water, sputtered all over the table and down his chin, flushing even deeper and casting sideways looks at [member="Zandra Fenni"].

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

The cards shifted. Zandra frowned, for real this time. A 2 of coins and The Idiot. 2. She had 2 now. That did absolutely nothing-
Wait. Wait. Wait.

Zandra glanced around the table as she added to the pot once again, this time raising the bet. She didn't smile during her turn, just took a casual sip of her drink and slipped the Idiot into the shield. She was given something stupid and was going for something stupid. But Lady Luck worked in mysterious ways, and Zandra wasn't about to question her.

"Ever wonder what being poor feels like?" she asked the man who had lost the chip to her, "It's a bit like bein' hungry, 'cept all the time. An' 'ain't nobody gunna feed ya. An' the only ways to get fed is to do sumthin' desperate. Ya ever wonderin' what it's like to be poor? Well, it's like that."

Zandra knew about poor. She knew it very well. And this guy, she could already see it. He had nothing. He would be down to pocket change soon. She would just keep raising the stakes until there was nothing left. Then and only then, would he know what it was like too.

[member="Jack Sparrow"]

 

[Jack Sparrow]

Jack made the pot at 42,800 credits, plus the antique data chip. As the next round started, the pirate wasted no time sliding his second card into the statis field, locking his hand.

"Call," smiled the pirate, leaning forward to place his elbows on the table and steepling his fingers in front of him.

"That good a hand, senator?" asked the Devaronian next to him.

"Good enough for me," replied Jack, whirling the index finger of his right hand in a circle several times. "It's like I always say, Mr. Falonn. You've got to know when to hold them."

"That was you?" asked Usta Falonn. "I thought someone else came up with that line."

Jack shook his head and shrugged. "I get that a lot."

The Devaronian tossed his cards in the direction of the dealer bot. "Know when to fold them," he sighed.

"Oh, that's very good as well, mate," admitted Jack. "Mr. Crunckle? Miss Fenni?"

[member="Zandra Fenni"]

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

Zandra went quiet. Very quiet. She was so close too. But she knew something. She knew how Lady Luck worked. With something close to a smile on her face, Zandra set the cards in her hand down on the table.

"Not this time, I guess," she said with a little shrug, "Even my luck has it's limits."

She eyed the datastick, but not with regret. Never with regret. Losing was always winning for her. She would have a talk with this Jack fellow and find out what he was going to use that datastick for. Then, she was going to do something else besides playing cards all day.

"Well, ya win some, ya lose some."

She had it all set up. An Idiots Array. But being this close to winning and then losing all that, Zandra knew there had to be something more to this. She took another long sip of her blue drink, nodding to Jack cross the table in a way that was almost congratulatory. She didn't even need to see what Mr. Crunkle had to know that Jack would end up winning.

[member="Jack Sparrow"]