Anonymous
Oct 18, 2013 19:45:30 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2013 19:45:30 GMT -6
It had been a long hard day for Kabu, first a client had needed a rush job done on his Satomobile then there had been an incident where the door of his garage had been dented by a drunk driver. As Kabu walked down the street he looked at the signs of the shops he passed by he stopped outside a saloon he'd never been in before. "Well i could do with a drink, just one to wet my whistle and then home" he said aloud before pushing through the doors, the bar was full but there was a nice lively atmosphere.Kabu shouldered his way to the bar and ordered a beer, the barmaid gave him a cheeky smile as he handed over the money. This is an OKplace he thought to himself, as he turned and leant his back on the bar sipping his drink.
Kabu watched the other patrons for a while, there were a bunch of guys in one corner chatting amongst themselves, he couldn't hear what they were saying but every now and then they burst into raucous laughter at some joke or another. Kabu moved to a seat witch had just been vacated at the side of the bar and put his feet up on the stool opposite him. The beer here was really good he could feel the tension headache he'd had most of the day easing of and the muscles in his shoulders looser. I could get used to this place he thought to himself.
Only one thing missing He reached into his pocket and pulled out some money, now if there was only a way to make the evening a little more interesting. He looked around for someone who looked like a little fun.
Oct 18, 2013 23:17:38 GMT -6
Post by A Long Display Name Here on Oct 18, 2013 23:17:38 GMT -6
Ling kicked up her feet, resting them casually over the edge of the table, crossed at the ankles. She wore her usual outfit: a tan trench coat that reached mid-calf, dark trousers, a white button-down shirt, comfortable shoes, suspenders, and a tie; the way no one looked at her twice signaled how used everyone was to her presence. Her inky black hair was tied in a short ponytail at the base of her neck, her ever-present cowlicks bobbing up and down, free from any restraints.
Her blue-grey eyes scanned the crowd, looking for an easy mark. The Golden Fan saloon was a popular place, for "respectable" folk and "riff-raff" alike. Ling found it the easiest place to win a few hands at cards because of this; the riff-raff were too busy getting drunk to pay careful attention, and the respectable folks thought themselves above being outsmarted.
A young female server passed by her table, her hair dyed a shocking red. Ling glanced over her in appreciation. She was no Kasumi, but she was attractive. The young woman grinned at the redhead, flashing the slight gap between her two front teeth; the redhead blushed. Ling's grin grew wider as the server slipped her a small piece of paper. Nonchalantly, the freckled woman slipped it into her pocket. She'd meet up with the server later for a little... fun of their own.
He got her attention by looking out of place. Ling knew all the regulars at the Golden Fan Saloon ('The Fan' to its usual customers), and this young man was not among them. He look haggard, like he had a lot of stress recently. Not that Ling could blame him; many was the time in recent months she'd come to the 'Fan picking a fight to let off some steam.
Ling sat up a little straighter when he pulled out some money and started glancing about the saloon. Her gaze sharpened and, draining her tankard, she stood up and made her way to the bar.
"Hey," she grinned, nodding at the young man. He didn't look much older than her, but he had a certain air of experience that Ling's gut told her would prove to be a good time.
Signalling the barkeep, she held up two fingers and slid over a small amount of money. "Here you go, bud," she said. "You're new to the Fan, aintcha?"
Sliding a tankard to the young man and claiming the other for her own, the freckled woman stuck out a thin hand, rough with callouses.
"I'm Ling. I'll cut to the chase. You lookin' to play?"
Anonymous
Oct 19, 2013 18:57:04 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2013 18:57:04 GMT -6
Well at least I didn't have to wait long he thought. He picked up his beer and sipped he eyed the girl up and down. She wasn't the most remarkable woman he'd ever met but her eye's kept his attention, more grey than blue he had a feeling he'd remember her eyes even if he forgot her face. "Yeah sure, although don't blame me if you loose money I'm pretty handy with dice" he said producing some dice from his pocket and rolling them between his fingers.
He sipped from the tankard again and took his feet of the seat and offered it to Ling. Putting the dice on the table he waved the barmaid over and ask for an empty beaker, that was brought over quickly. Again Kabu received a cheeky grin, that one wants tips he thought to himself. "So what's the stakes?" he asked, hoping that the small sum of money he had on him would be enough, "I suggest we start small I wouldn't want to take all your money in the first game"
Kabu was bluffing and he hoped it wouldn't show if he won a couple of rounds he be ok but if he lost he was screwed. "Lets start easy lets play odds and evens" he said throwing the dice into the cup, rattling them around then slamming the cup on the table so it covered the dice "If you guess right you win the pot" he said put a small amount of money on the table. "Ladies guess first".
Oct 20, 2013 2:50:52 GMT -6
Post by A Long Display Name Here on Oct 20, 2013 2:50:52 GMT -6
Ling nodded, a seasoned gambler through and through. Dice may have not been her forte, but it didn't need to be. Sometimes a little psychological intimidation could turn a bad gamble into a good win.
The young woman took the cup with dice casually, "Sure, we can start small," she said, her mouth smiling but her eyes impassive. Money wasn't something she was worried about. She wasn't a gambling addict; she knew when to cut her losses, knew to not spend money she and Mei needed to survive. But, the thing is, she generally made sure that she didn't have heavy losses. Or any losses that weren't on purpose. She wasn't a cheat, exactly: she never altered the outcome of the cards. If she had a bad hand, she had a bad hand. But, she generally was able to tip the scales in her favour, bad hand or no: a particularly convincing look of exultation as if she had a good hand, bluffing so hard that people just assumed she did, or, if it was something really unfavourable, folding.
That was with cards though. It was easy to count cards and set up a system that made her opponents loose and bold with their hard-earned yuans. Dice, on the other hand, were up to luck. Ling figured she had about a hundred yuan to lose before she'd have to earn it back through a card game.
"How about a five yuan ante?" she queried, rattling the dice in the cup. A couple of neighbouring heads turned, then turned back to nudge fellows to take a look. Ling ignored them, used to the audience. "If the game goes well, we can up it to ten, or more, if you're feeling particularly lucky."
Anonymous
Oct 24, 2013 5:04:07 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2013 5:04:07 GMT -6
Kabu felt his confidence shrink, this petite woman was clearly a seasoned gambler. But dice is down to pure luck and luck alone you can't possibly predict outcome of the roll. Kabu laughed quietly to himself "Ok five yuans" he said putting the money on the table and looking about. The fan had emptied a little but and it was quieter now, there little wager had turned a few head but they weren't drawing much attention. This suited Kabu fine but he kept any eye on the people in the bar anyway, since he had been jumped by those galgori supporters a few nights ago he'd been a little on edge but the familiar weight of his up his sleeve kept him calm.
There were tell tale signs though the were anti-benders here and Kabu was and obvious target with black hair and amber eyes he was obviously a fire bender. He kept his eye on the likest suspects but focused back on the game at hand. "So what it to be my petite friend odd or even? Seeing as though you you don't look like you play much dice I'll let you choose first" know full well the thrill of winning the first roll usually made you want play more. Putting his scarred hands on the edge of the table he awaited the first outcome.
Oct 29, 2013 15:17:26 GMT -6
Post by A Long Display Name Here on Oct 29, 2013 15:17:26 GMT -6
Ling flashed a smile that looked pleasant enough on the surface but didn't quite reach her eyes.Internally, had to laugh. Petite friend indeed. How many men did she beat the snot of on a regular basis?
"Depends," she said with a casual shrug. "What kind of dice game are we going with? How many dice? Are we adding them to get odds or evens or are we going by the numbers they show on the face?"
Dice wasn't her forte. That didn't mean she didn't know how to play, or a handful of variations to the game.
Spectators familiar with Ling's tactics were grinning, nudging each other and taking bets of their own. She could only guess what those bets would be but the were likely one of two: which of them would win the dice roll, or whether or not Ling could bluff her way into a winning spot in a game of chance. Ah, or a third option: if Ling had loaded dice on her person.
She didn't, of course. Outright cheating with the game wasn't her style. Sure, okay, maybe sometimes she'd get help at knowing her opponents' cards, but she never counted cards during a poker game or marked them or had cards up her sleeves. It was too easy to get caught that way, especially trying to use slight of hand to switch out cards. What if she gave herself two or more of one card when another player had three already? It'd be obvious to see one of them as lying, and the suspicion would fall on her as the dealer.
"Tell you what." Ling peered into the cup and saw five dice. "Let's start easy. Two dice, add the number on each dice for a total, and then bet on whether that total will be odds or evens, eh?"
She set three of the dice in the middle of the table for all to see, then made an elaborate show of biting the remaining two dice to see if they were loaded. Dropping them back into the cup, Ling rattled them around for a few seconds, holding the cup out in front of her so no one could accuse her of cheating by looking in the cup.
Then, quick as a wink she slammed the cup into the table upside down. Her hand stayed on the cup, keeping the dice covered.
"I guess I'll go with evens," she said, loud enough for the gathered crowd to hear.
Slowly, making sure to use only her index finger and thumb, Ling lifted the cup straight up so as to knock into the dice. Two dice showing one dot a piece stared back up at her.
"Snake eyes," she announced, smiling crookedly as she set the cup down next to the dice. "Sorry friend, looks like this one goes to me."
Anonymous
Nov 4, 2013 15:00:19 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2013 15:00:19 GMT -6
"OK good roll" Kabu said plastering a fake smile on his face and feeling around in his pockets for more money. Finally find another twenty yuans and placing ten of them on the table and rolling the other ten in is hand. He picked up the dice and cup surveying the room as he did so, The people who had noticed before now where paying there full attention on the game looking at him and whispering amongst themselves. This wasn't good if a fight started now Kabu didn't have many friends in the city, and fewer in this neighborhood he'd be hard pushed to even hold his own.
Maintaining his fake smile he threw the dice into the cup and rattled them around inside, then slammed the cup down on the table wobbling the drinks on it. "I'm thinking evens" Kabu took a deep breath and lifted the cup, A deep sigh escaped as he saw the dice a three and a four. Keeping the smile plastered on pushed his ten yuans towards Ling "there you go".
Still the people in the corner whispered, silly really that considering the general public was in a laughing and joking about the game and its players, these men stared daggers at him. Kabu knew one move could set this of he'd have to be careful.
Nov 14, 2013 16:46:26 GMT -6
Post by A Long Display Name Here on Nov 14, 2013 16:46:26 GMT -6
Ling didn't miss the rumblings of the people around her. Whatever, not her problem, not her fight. She felt kinda sorry for the poor sap, though; what sort of enemies had he made in this city? Keeping her face straight, she noted with interest that the grumblings were made by strangers — in other words, people who were not regulars at the Golden Fan Saloon. Being a regular herself, Ling would've known them. Curious.
She pushed the whole sum of earnings back to the centre of the table. "How about double or nothing?" she said. A small murmur went around the table. The young woman knew what they were thinking. Double or nothing? For that measly amount? But Ling didn't like the way this stranger-filled crowd was looking.
With the ante pushed up to a small forty yuans, Ling took the cup again. She hoped, for the young man's sake, that she won. It looked like these people were out to get this guy — though, she could've been misreading the situation entirely — and if he had a sum of money on him the chances of getting jumped increased.
With a deft flick of her wrist Ling rattled the dice and flipped the cup onto the table. "Let's go odds this time, eh?" Lifting the cup carefully revealed a six and a two: evens.
"Ah," she said brightly. "Looks like it's for you this time."
Anonymous
Nov 15, 2013 17:44:18 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Nov 15, 2013 17:44:18 GMT -6
"Oh" On a normal night a forty Yuan win would be a thing but tonight it was the straw that broke the camels back. The group that were in the corner had started to walk across the bar now looking intently in Kabu's direction.
Kabu started to look about for friendly faces but there very few fewer still that were sober, this limited his options. He knew the crowd watching the games had been placing side bets so getting up and walking away would cause to much commotion, directly confronting them is probably exactly what they wanted. So Kabu's only option was to go on the defensive. He removed the wrench from his sleeve under the table so no-one saw it an placed it across his legs so it'd be easy to grab and use.
A new influx of people entered the bar, by the looks of them they'd just finished work and wanted a drink before how. They had slowed the guys intent on Kabu.
Kabu looked at ling and picked up twenty of the Yuans and pushed the rest toward Ling. "You keep that my friend, looks like game over" Kabu said indicating the guys now pushing there way through the crowd towards him, Kabu could now see five of them. "I think it'd be healthier for you if you were else-where, looks like I got trouble". Rolling his head from side to side he prepared for the inevitable fight.
Nov 20, 2013 8:45:26 GMT -6
Post by A Long Display Name Here on Nov 20, 2013 8:45:26 GMT -6
ooc; Ling doesn't get involved in fights that don't belong to her, so I guess that wraps us up! Feel free to send me a PM if you want to play again in a different situation :3
The young man pushed half of his winnings toward her; never one to turn down free money, Ling accepted. "Sure," she said easily, eyeing the menacing-looking men heading their way. She bit her lip at what seemed like condescension from the young man. It would be healthier indeed; if only he knew. She pocketed the extra yuan and started to head back to her corner table; then she paused, feeling a little sorry for her new acquaintance. Under the pretense of grabbing more peanuts from the bar, she murmured low enough for only him to hear:
"If you want to have a chance at this, let them throw the first punch and stay by the bar. The barkeep doesn't care about fights unless the involve the whole Saloon, or if they're too close to the bottles of spirits."
With a grin, she popped some peanuts in her mouth before taking the whole dish and retreating to her table. She passed the waitress she had been flirting with earlier with a wink and a quick pat to the bottom before settling down in her booth. Ordered another drink for herself, propped her feet up on the table, and with a sigh pulled a manila envelope out of the inner folds of her cloak. Her order arrived; taking a long drink she pulled out some photos of a woman and a man, clearly taken from behind some bushes, and began to examine the evidence for her next case, the impending fight out of her mind entirely. She had broken her self-imposed "no work at the 'Fan" rule; she just couldn't take another minute in the stuffy office alone while Mei was at the clinic.
