|
   |
It's evening, though its not too late; past dinner hour so the kitchen volunteers are cleaning, leaving Old Ethel to go have a spot of whiskey and drift off to sleep. That doesn't mean the place is quiet. There's people here or there, playing games, hanging out in the relative safety— there's always guards around this place, not all look intimidating as they can when their mutation activates— where its more appropriate to drink water, coffee and soda then the bar down the street.
For his part, Josh has had a long day, evidenced by a slightly weary expression on his face as he steps in from the attached building into the rec center— the 'diner' portion of the center. He has in one hand a chipped mug of coffee, and in another, a sandwich of cheese and thick crusty bread, slathered with pickles and mayo. He does not blend in, not at all: the young man has skin of shiny, pure gold. He looks like a living statue of wealth. He steps through the center, nodding to people, murmuring greetings and checking in on people, and continues along the way.
Amber sits at a makeshift table, Stetson cocked just-so, as she must in this area, otherwise, she's got troubles she doesn't need. Before her, a deck of cards. Across said table, Eva.
"Okay, here's how this works.", Amber says in her Texan 'twang, shuffling the deck. "This is your most basic game of poker, five card.", she says, starting to deal, one card to Eva, one card to herself until each have five cards.
Cards? One card down. Then another. It's not really all that interesting for Eva. The eyes wander, it is a world of curiosities about her. "And you really make money doing this… this gaming?" Eva asks as she counts out the five cards. A corner bend up and then down again, if the petulant scowl is anything to go by, its a crap hand. "This Pokering. " she clarifies shifting upwards and trying to lean back on the other side of the chair. "With other people?" Was that people? The midus touched male is watched as scantily as her own hand had been before she's done that re-shift of shoulders in her chair again to slouch in a new angle. "I gotta ask how?"
"High card, pairs, three of a kind, five cards in order, five cards of the same symbol— suit, three of one card and two of another, four of a kind, five cards in order and all in the same suit, and the royal flush. Ace, king, queen, jack, ten, all of one suit. The hand that can not lose." Josh idly mentions as he steps by the table Amber and Eva are playing at, "Late for dinner, but I might be able to scrounge up something if anyone is hungry." Though the gross monstrosity he's munching on might make that a dubious offer. Still, he sits at a nearby table, and eagerly devotes a few moments to eating it. "If not, maybe coffee?"
"I et 'fore I got here, thankee.", Amber replies amiably, doffing her hat slightly. "Name's Ember, pleased t'meetcha.", she says pleasently enough, but her eyes are locked on her cards. "Sorry if I'm abrupt, gamin' here.", she notes. "Okay, Eva, time to bet. You got 42, same as me.", she says. "Place your bet."
There was a glazed like dullness in Eva's eyes as Josh lays down a lot of information that she should know by now. The disinterest is almost palletable until he mentions one, gold and shiney word. Food. Life sparks anew in the perterbed gaze telling that she was now focusing and interested in Josh. A black brow lifts upwards. Was that food? The squint as she leans forward to look tells of her really wondering if that really was food. "Coffee would be good." the new best friend look had eased back to something more comfortable. "Any suggestions what I should bet?" she lifts a corner of each card to show Josh if he's interested. "In the movies they always go all in, but Embers over there is probably going to scowl at me if I do that."
Josh twists around, setting his sandwich on his napkin on the counter, then heads around the counter to where a pile of various random mugs are set by a coffee pot, "Milk and sugar, or straight black?" he calls back to Eva, pouring the mug, but then he adds— since he looked before he went— "That's a good hand. Not a great hand, mind you. But worth staying in and keeping to it, I think. You can't make it better so I'd bet a little aggressive and then ask for no cards, and try to knock her off her game. Attitude wins poker as much as cards do. But no, not all in. You go all in now, she'll just fold and let you keep the ante." If his advice is any good is anyone's guess, but he knows the game at least. Pausing, waiting for how she likes the coffee, "And oh, I'm Josh. I'm the doctor around here, kinda."
"Well met, Mr Josh.", Amber replies, doffiing the hat again. If his tutorial is bothering her, you wouldn't notice, her hat screwed down so far on her head. "I wouldn't mind a cup of coffee, black…two sugars, please.", she notes. "You're the Doc hereabouts?", she inquires. "Good t'know there is one."
"Straight black and uncomplicated. " Eva calls back making sure the coffee is at least something to her liking as she leant over to give the remains of the sandwich a poke. What the hell was that? "So its a bluff'n hand then. Right got it. Embers will never know. Straight face time." all said aloud before the now immaculatly straight faced look is given back to Amber. "Do we do the draw for more now, or do I just toss ten onto the table and watch for you sweat to begin. Up there." her finger gestures. "Right on the forehead." She leans back in all cockily and swagger like. There only the single moment of pause in that poker face confidence and that comes when Josh announce's he's a Doc.
"Just a sec." Josh steps into the kitchen, though he's gone not even a whole minute: making a simple cheese and mayo sandwich isn't hard, but even that doesn't explain how he got it that fast. But then he has a tray, and brings it over to Eva and AMber's table, Eva getting a sandwich in addition her black, and Amber her sugared black. "I'm the doctor." he agrees, "Though I am unofficially the guy who runs the place, unofficial since no one really has to do what I say. But the doctor thing is a simplification; I'm the _healer_ hereabouts. Medicine has very little to do with how my power works." He nods to Eva, "I wouldn't call it a bluffing hand entirely, its just…you always want to draw them in? It's a good hand, beats most. But if you go too hard first thing, she won't meet your bet. No reason to."
"Many thanks, Doc.", Amber smiles to Josh. "You're doin' th' Lords work, hereabouts, I hear tell.", she notes. "Nice to put a face t' a name.", she winks.
Then it's back to business, frowning slightly at her hand. "Fold.", she says, flipping her cards aside. "You win."
Food. And Food even Eva recognises. Win! Josh is back into the Best Friend Forever zone making a clean touch down. Even so, Eva plays it cool. "Thanks." she lets the head roll a little, maybe she's just bobbing to some tune only she can hear. Then its back to cards. Coffee and cards. Now the games getting exciting. She takes a sip of that black uncomplicated elixir because… she's got the time and the hand to back it. This was how a card shark could look cool. Of course she was going to win. The nose wrinkles in disappointment as Amber folds. Still money is money, and theres a dollar to the advise giver. She makes a show at half folding the note and placing it on the less identifiable left over sandwich of Josh's. "We had her on the ropes, you going to wingman this one for me, or go it alone to up the stakes?" There is a proud little puff of chest to talk like that. Maybe someone has been listening to Amber more than she'd let on. "I'm Eve by the way." Just like her coffee, a night time of black.
Josh's go.
That look of Food? Josh recognizes it. He says softly, "Every night, Eva, starting at 5 through 8, we serve everyone who needs it a meal here. What, varies. Ethel isn't a mutant, but her grandson was, so she manages the kitchen. Tomorrow she's making meat pies. They won't all be the same meat, consider it a lottery: chicken, beef or pork? Stop by." Then he raises his voice up to more even tones, "Anyways, you go a round yourself if you think you got it, feel free to ask questions if not." He glances over to Amber, and nods simply, "We do what we can here, all of us."
Amber deals the next hand.
Amber eyes her cards for a moment. "My bet.", she says simply. shaking out three matchsticks onto the table.
A bit of pride straightens Eva's back, just seating her a little more upright as she digests that she was obvious. It deflates the confidence of her poker face and that carries on into looking at her next hand. "I think I got it." cos, being a loner was her thing. The nose wriggles a little. "Any age limit on who can come here?" the question seems to bite itself out from a lock jaw, but its asked now and she's playing at checking out her hand. Eva keeps her betting simple. Another ten. Counted out and left neatly in a stack. "Bet ten." she states simply, still riding that chip of pride on her shoulder.
"Only kids get breakfast in the morning— we don't have the resources yet to offer more then one square meal a day to non-kids. Everyone else is welcome for dinner." Josh nods to Eva, watching the play between the two with a lightly curious betweent he two, "I admit, I'm no expert on poker or anything; we played it in my frat in college, that's all. But still, I never did bad." He steps back, grabs up his sandwich he left on a napkin, and pulls up a chair to watch the two play as he eats with obvious hunger in his features. Some surprise shows at the large bet on Eva's side though.
"Thir'een or so in th' pot, thus far.", Amber sighs. "Gonna goose it a bit, raise 3 more."
Half that sandwich disappears like it was inhaled. The effort to eat it with some manners finally evaporating but at half, the rest gets wrapped and stowed in a pocket. That leaves the coffee to help fill in the gap when she needs to do something. Fingers close on the handle only to release it again, a faux move about taking a sip this time as she counts out another ten. One thing about Eva and her betting, she consistent. Another very neat pile concisely stacked and present itself as her bet. "I'm liking ten. It's my lucky number." she announces before having another attempt at enjoying her coffee. "Fair rules." she says, eyes looking to Josh so he knows its the feeding she's talking about and not the game.
"You're betting a quarter of your stock a round, that's not betting for a long game." warns Josh mildly, though its very mild. He tilts his coffee back for a long drink, "One hand's up to 24 sticks now? Hope you have the cards, Eva." Josh flashes a golden grin, and then nods to Amber, "She's being a bit more on the conservative side, though hey, raising your ten by three is nothing entirely conservative." He nods then to Eva again, "I don't know about fair, its what we can do. We do what we can do."
"He's not wrong, honey.", she drawls sweetly, tossing another three matchsticks onto the pile. "Raise three.", she says, sipping placidly at her coffee. "Mm! Thank you, sir! This is good!"
"I thought the entire point of the game was not the cards you hold, but what the opponent thinks you could hold?" A bout of confusion twists through her features and she resets to default petulatant expression when she relaxes. "And I thought maybe Ember here likes the idea of me being consistent about something at least." humor brings back the amusement and she calls. Seeing the three. "Read them and weep." Two pair, kings high, threes low. "By the way Doc, I'll make you the coffee next time. Seems fair for all your advice." She leans forward trying to see what Amber had.
Amber giggles fitfully as she lays down her hand. Queen of spades, eight and four of spades, tre of hearts, five of spades.
Amber says, "You, miss, are a steely-eyed missleman!", she laughs, reaching over the table to give Eva the briefest of hugs."
"That's not wrong." Josh has to agree with Eva, "Its the cards they think you hold that really matter, but that's the long game. There's going to be several rounds before the end of the game while you and your opponents get to know eachother and try to figure out when they're lying and when they're confident— the cards you really do hold, matter, too." Josh pushes up as he has finished his sandwich, "Ladies. I have to get home, Dai is waiting. Enjoy your game, help yourself to all the coffee you can drink— until midnight if it goes empty refill it, please. SUpplies are in the shelf above the pot." He nods to Amber and Eva in turn, then turns to take his leave.
"Beginners luck." Eva affirms as she collects her stack of match sticks. "I think I've got the a hang of it so long as its social. " She leans back a little and the petulant expression is back. "Any idea why the doc was so shiny?" so much easier to ask now he's headed out.
"Seemed like a pleasant enough feller t' me, Eva.", Amber shrugs, shuffling the cards for another round. "You've got an aptitude for this.", she notes with a grin. "Ain't ready for real money, yet, but you've got good instincts."
"Yeah he did. I might bring Jimmy here for breakfast one day. " Eva says quietly, looking about the area. "He's been eating good lately, but some weeks aren't as good as others. Ya. Know?"
"All too well.", Amber sighs, nodding. "How's he doing?", she asks,dealing out the next hand……~FTB~