[ That was certainly true, she'd only made it worse. ] Yeah...well, y'know I had to yell where B.O.B. couldn't.
[ The look on her face shows clearly the amusement the memory had brought up for her. She never would have thought she'd have fond memories of a time like that. Least they'd fought it together. The same way they'd fought everything together back then.
Her tone turns teasing though as she continues to try and cool his head. It seemed to be helping. ] Seems unfair, seein' I am better than you at the best of times. Like this, you are at a true disadvantage. [ Whether or not she was better, she would stick to her claim. ]
Sure he would’ve had some choice words for me if he was the talkin’ type. Probably still does.
[ Her amusement is reflected right back in his grin. Between that and the whiskey and the cool cloth, he’s feeling better than he has since coming back from the dead. Not how he’d expected this visit to go, but in a good way. ]
Now those are some fightin’ words if I ever heard any. Just one round, Ashe. We can wager somethin' to make it more interestin'.
A little harder to yell in sign language. [ Chloe had been signing with him a lot recently. Ashe sometimes missed the conversation she might have had with B.O.B. but they had a certain language between them that only they knew, so for her it worked out. She had a feeling he'd give her a few choice words as well.
She hadn't expected it to feel this comfortable either. So much had happened over the years and Deerington had really sped things up into interesting directions. ]
Well if you are offerin' up free stuff, who am I to say no? [ She looked over towards B.O.B. ] B.O.B., grab me the cards would you? [ As he left to go get them, she turned back to Jesse. ] What do you wanna wager, cowboy?
[ The thrill was matched in her own eyes. There was nothing like a card game to get the blood pumping. But now she had to actually think about something that she would want for a win. ]
You're right though, for all I know, you'll go home and forget all out this bet of ours and I still won't have a bike.
[ She went to a drawer to get the deck of cards, and brought it back over. She was incredibly good at cheating at cards, but she was also good at playing a fair game and against him, she wanted to win fair and square. This would be yet another thing just like old times. ]
You got any ideas on what you want? ...In the unlikely chance you win.
[ He’d not be above just giving her the bike itself with no keys. That’s why you always have to be careful what you bet for, or so Jesse likes to say. ]
Looks like you’re not wantin’ for much. I’m sure I could find somethin’ around here…
[ He turns his head, eyes scanning the room. He’s not wanting for anything much either, aside from the things he’d lost when he died. But she wouldn’t have his Peacekeeper, or his serape. No magic key out of Deerington either. ]
What about a bottle of your most expensive alcohol? I know you never skimp on quality liquor.
[ That sounded more like Jesse. She gives him a pointed look, before flopping back down on the sofa. ] Well, I can make a new set of keys.
[ She sat opposite him, crossing her legs as she pulled out the cards. It was hard to think of anything that she wanted from him. If he knew she had a couple of his things, she was sure that he would have placed his bets on one of those things. She waffled on whether or not to offer one. Things were crazy out there, and while he would do fine with any pistol, peacekeeper was as much an mechanical attachment as that arm. ]
Funny, I would have thought you'd ask for your gun. [ There was a wicked little glint in her eyes, but a smile on her lips. ] But I'm happy to wager a bottle of my best if that's what you want.
[ Jesse goes very still, eyes locked on her and searching for any reason to think that was a joke. He’d never call himself a sentimental man when it comes to things. When you’re always on the move, you can’t afford to care about too much. Can’t take it all with you. Peacekeeper, though… that had always been the one constant, aside from the clothes on his back.
And Ashe has had it this whole damn time.
He should be angry—and maybe he is, a little—except that this all seems fair within the Wild West sort of rules he and Ashe had both once sworn by. You steal from me, I steal from you with interest. Can’t be too made when you kick a rattlesnake and then get bit. ]
You sayin’ you have it? Or is that just a bluff? I’m gonna want to take a look before I bet.
[ She had taken it for a couple of reasons really. One, she had been annoyed at everything and all the feelings his sacrifice had brought out of her. It had been like taking a piece of the comfortable rivalry back. There had also been the fact that it was a little bit of revenge. But it hadn’t been purely due to their rivalry or spite, it had also been the fact that Peacemaker was far too fine a weapon to lay forgotten on the road. Who knew who would pick it up, or what would happen, and then it could have been truly lost.
She gives a nod to show it’s a fair request before she heads to her bedroom just off the living room and goes to collect it. The serape is still there too, but she isn’t quite ready to let that go. She’ll excuse it later by saying it was collateral for another time. She returns with the weapon and holds it up.
She is smiling as she shows it, the same kind of smile she held on her face back when they were best friends and playing at one upping each other. It’s the smile of someone knowing that have the upper hand. ]
Can’t remember where I left the bullets though... [ She could, she’d used them for target practice. ] I may have taken it for a ride... I forgot how much kickback she has.
[ That’s his weapon, no doubt about it. It’s reassuring, which is at odds with the self-satisfied smile on Ashe’s face. He doesn’t expect her to pull any punches. Might be she’ll even hit harder, given it’s something so precious to him on the line. ]
She’s an ornery thing. Takes a firm hand to shoot her straight.
[ He’s still got that same smile on, that same easy way about him. But there’s a new sharp glint in his eyes that signals he’s no longer treating this like a game. ]
That’s too bad about the bullets, but beggars can’t be choosers. Now that I know what I want- [ He nods towards his gun. ] You still gotta say what you want from me.
[ She was at odds with herself over the fact that she wanted him to have his gun back. However, she had already displayed more of a show of caring than she liked and so outwardly she was going to hit hard and savor every second of it. At least it was being represented in a more typical way. She had something he wanted and she was taking delight in it. Even if she wanted him to have it, she'd make him work his ass off for it. ]
Well you do have a lot of experience with ornery things.
[ He didn't really have any objects that she wanted, but that didn't mean that he had nothing she wanted. Maybe she could even get at his pride a little bit. ]
Tell you what, I do have something I could use. Your help. I'm gettin' a little somethin' goin'. With you being one of the bouncers at the Hair of the Dog, I think you might just be able to keep an eye on a couple of things for me. Maybe I could use a little extra protection in a... different way. Not that I need you, but I think you could be of use. [ She quickly adds. ] Don't worry, you don't gotta deal with the big things, and it's not like back home, so you don't gotta feel guilty or get your hands dirty or whatever, because no one is gettin' hurt. In fact you might even not hate what I'm doin'. But I need eyes upstairs. So what d'you say? Your gun for your eyes?
[ She raised her own eyes suggestively at him, figuring he'd know what she was asking wasn't completely decent. She waited to see if he'd bite at the challenge. ]
Edited (i edited so much! I am sorry) 2019-08-09 22:54 (UTC)
[ These stakes are just the kind Jesse loves to play with: ones that matter, and that would severely burn him if he were to lose. Not the safest hobby, but he’s always had an unhealthy taste for danger.
He does give the proposition the consideration it warrants first. Working with Ashe again on some ambiguous endeavor would be no small thing. Given what Chloe has said about it, he already knows it’s something shady. But he’d have to keep his word, if he were to lose. It’s all he’s really got.
Finally, decisively, Jesse nods once. His hand goes out for her to shake. ]
[ They were the kind of odds she loved too. She wanted him to know she was laying something worth fighting for down on the line. She wasn't even fully sure whether to trust him on protecting her. He'd already died for her, but where her work was involved, she wasn't so sure. At least she knew he would bring his game, because the stakes were high.
They hadn't shook hands like this since Blackwatch had taken him, and it was a weird feeling to be doing it now. No matter, she reached out with confidence and took his hand in her own and gave it a firm shake. ]
Then let's play.
[ She held the handshake for a moment longer than necessary, just remembering another time. Then she let go to pull out the cards and deal. ]
[ There had been a strange sense of déjà vu for Jesse as well. He’d never entertained the notion that they would ever shake on anything ever again, the days of being cordial far behind them. Just goes to show you should never say never. ]
You know I like to get my hands on the deck at least once before a game.
[ He doesn’t do anything untoward with the deck when he shuffles though, in part because he hadn’t come prepared. He’s not even confident that he could cheat effectively, with the fever still burning through his veins. So he merely gives the deck a simple shuffle before sliding them back to Ashe. ]
[ She wasn't expecting him to cheat, but she could still recall his old tells. Naturally he could have learned some new ones, and she had picked up a few herself, but she'd keep her poker face on in hopes of not letting him read her for her hand. She wanted to play fair though and wanted to win fair.
The last thing they needed was chips and she had those tucked into a drawer. She went to retrieve them, before dividing them up between them. ]
There we go, we're even.
[ Though it would have been a bit easier to play at a table, he didn't look up to that so she dealt the cards out on the cushion between them, making sure they stayed put. Taking her hand she looked her cards over. It wasn't a bad start. ] You start.
[ When Jesse draws a bad hand to start, he isn’t too fussed about it. He’s played good games off of worse, and he’s motivated to win this one.
It’s too bad, really, that his flu doesn’t care one way or the other what happens to him or his gun. As the game goes on, it becomes clear that his situation isn’t getting any better. His thoughts are muddled, his strategy sloppy. Things don’t necessarily get worse, but they aren’t good; and when playing with Ashe, ‘good’ is the minimum necessity.
But he doesn’t give up. Jesse plays through it with his jaw set, eyes intent on his cards and his poker face just as good as ever, despite it all. ]
[ She had warned him that he wasn't up to taking her on, but this was really almost too easy. They had made the stakes high and so it almost seemed unfair to wipe the floor with him. Almost. Fairness was usually only a priority to her when she was the one losing.
There were a couple of times that her cards had begun to let her down, but she bounced back quickly. The bottle of whiskey was getting lighter as the pile of chips grew heavier in her favor. The game was intense, just the way she liked it and remembered it being. She could recall a time after he'd left when playing poker felt hollow and she'd stare at the place where he should have been. She'd had a losing streak around that time, too distracted by his absence. They had known she was coming around when she'd started to clean them out again.
She tossed another couple chips into the pile. She was getting close to victory and her prize. ] I'll raise. [ She reached for the bottle, at that point the shot glass forgotten as she took a sip, before offering it over. ] I bet you are wishin' you'd never taught me to play cards right about now.
[ He knows it’s a losing hand. He knows it, and if he could he would shamelessly cheat his way out of it. Say something to get Ashe riled up, distract her so she didn’t notice him changing out a few cards with some sleight-of-hand… but that’s not the reality they live in, unfortunately for him.
He takes the bottle with a sullen air, raising an eyebrow at her as he takes a swig. ]
Nah, don’t regret teachin’ you to play. Regrettin’ that you got so damn good at it. Not that I had a lot to do with that.
[ She’d always been sharp, had always learned quick and improved quicker. He’d laid the foundations maybe, but she’d built her skill to where it is now.
He could try and pull one over on her, but at this point, it’d be too little too late. He’s already bluffed and lost anyhow, and she knows his tricks better than anyone. He just tosses his chips on the pile, then his cards on the table, face-up for her to see. ]
[ He'd set the foundation for most of what she knew. She'd ran with it, and spread her own wings, but she never would know where she would have been if Jesse McCree had never come into her life. And she did know many of his tricks, if not most of them. They'd cheated off each other and with each other for many games.
She laid down her winning hand, knowing that it would be taking his cards. She'd known that his game would be off, so it did make the victory a little less intense, but she'd won all the same and that was what mattered. ]
Someday I'll be the better shot too. [ She may have had cards, but she had never been able to show him up with a gun. He was possibly the best shot in the world, so that was a pipe dream. All the same, she never stopped giving him grief over it. She took the rest of the chips and the bottle of liquor for a victory drink. ]
I told you it wasn't goin' to be a fair game. You knew goin' in what you were up against. Guess for the time bein' this little lady of yours is still mine.
[ That’s what makes the loss really sting. Jesse looks down at his gun—an extension of him, really, one of the few bits of sentiment he allows himself—and fends off the urge to try and grab it anyway. But if he can’t even win a hand of poker, there’s no way in hell he’ll be able to take on Ashe in the state he’s in. Especially with B.O.B. close by.
So there’s little else to do, other than just lay in the hole he’s dug for himself. ]
Yeah, well. Can’t blame a fella for tryin’.
[ He rubs at his eyes with one hand, then draws the hand back through his hair. It occurs to him he probably looks like a mess, face flushed and forehead sweaty. ]
So, you want to tell me more about this operation of yours?
[ The look on his face pulls at something inside of her. She knows that look and that feeling. He's had peacekeeper since their early days and that gun means to him what Viper means to her. She had no idea where she would be without her rifle. For a brief second she thinks about handing over the gun. Blame it on the alcohol or that she doesn't care enough about it to keep it. Then again, her bike felt like an extension of herself too and she's not nice enough to forget so easily about that. She uses the irritation at him riding his bike past with the shit eat all grin on her face to brush away any notion of giving it back right then. She'll let him stew at least a little bit longer.
Standing up, she returns the gun to where she had taken it out of and then goes to get the towel wet again. Wasn't this how they worked anyway, always trying to one up the other? ] Don't look so put out, I'll let you have rematch real soon.
[ Coming back to the sofa she sits down to offer the cool cloth out again. He looked even more spent than he had before, probably needing some sleep, but he'd asked about the business and she'd dare to share. ]
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and at least give you an overview. You sell me out to those cats or the F.E.A.R. agency and we're gonna have bigger problems. [ She had a feeling it wouldn't be an issue. ]
So, you know how this place has a serious lack of weapons around? You are lucky if you can get a weak pistol or huntin' rifle at that one big box store. Ammunition is even harder to come by. Yet, back in May... [ The month he'd died. She takes a drink to cover the pause. ] Somehow all those townsfolk had just about every weapon one could possible want and they were directin' it right at us. Well I just didn't find that fair. So in your absence I did what I do best, I followed the trail and found the weapons. With a little persuasion I helped them see it would be in their best interests to trust me and my business model. I've set up shop in the warehouse and I'm going to see that the sleepers are armed and have their needs met. [ Not as pure as it might sound, since she'd make sure to sell when the need was prime and she could set the price high. Money was the only thing that had never let her down, and she'd learned long ago to wrap her self worth in it. ] I'm just movin' product, but gettin' isn't easy and my position is a little precarious at the moment as you can probably remember from the early days.
[ Jesse’s eyes get a little wider as she goes on, until he’s just outright staring at her. Then, suddenly, he laughs, a hand coming up to cover his eyes. ]
Shit, Ashe. Didn’t I tell you to lay low after you got here?
[ He’s smiling though as he says it. Other than profiting off of chaos, which he wouldn’t put past her, it’s actually not a bad setup. It’s rankled at him since the beginning: how unbalanced things are in Deerington. How the Sleepers are left without training, without weapons, while the town throws wave after wave of terrors their way. He finally catches his breath and lets his hand fall. ]
For the record, I’m not with F.E.A.R. And I don’t make it a habit of talkin’ to cats. Far as plans go, this one isn’t the worst I’ve heard out of you.
[ She'd been wondering how he was going to respond. He'd hadn't collected her bounty yet, so there was something to be said about that. She might have been expecting to get grief or defend herself. Then he was laughing and it catches her so off guard that her own eyes widen. The shock on her faces softens until she's laughing herself, and with the kind of laughter she is almost reminded of the laughing they did when they came up with crazy schemes in the past. ]
I was layin' low actually, and I ain't exactly out there advertisin'. But, then you up and died and I got bored! [ And drunk. ] And someone introduced me to establishment that your place of work is coverin' up. It caught my interest, and I wanted a piece of it. [ He could probably guess that a piece of it hadn't been enough or her. She'd soon wanted to run the joint, and she wasn't quite there yet, but she was on the way. ]
It actually doesn't surprise me you haven't thrown your hand in with them. You prefer to fancy yourself a lone ranger, right? [ It didn't really matter. ] Either way...while we could argue over the fact this is basically what I do back home, and that you are out of the loop of what all I do so you really shouldn't be so judgmental. [ Yeah, no arguing about that right? ] I'd rather just take it as a good sign that you see the merit in it.
[ She looked down at her hands, playing with one manicured nail for a moment before looking up. Years of violence and chaos weighed heavy on her, and it showed in her eyes. ] People don't realize it, y'know? That we're at war here. It's high time we were prepared to fight. I just got a mind to know how to turn a profit on it, while simultaneously buildin' an army. So yeah, I'd say it's a good plan. But...I know what I'm up against at home, here...I don't. [ And if she was honest, that fact made her nervous. Not nervous enough to grow passive, but it still set her on edge. Having Jesse on her side could only be a positive here, no matter where they were at home. ]
Wondered when you would find that part of the Dog.
[ Which reminds him, he should make sure he still has a job there sometime soon. Having the steady income will be nice, of course. Better than that though, his actual job will give him an excuse to be hanging around the bar for… whatever Ashe will need him to do there.
He’s tempted to argue she doesn’t have to turn a profit at all, but he knows better. She won’t go all magnanimous now that she’s back in her element, and it would only make her more closed off if he were to imply she should. If he’s going to have any chance of turning this around, of working the system she has created… he’ll need to really be in it.
Y’know. Hypothetically. ]
Can’t say I know any better than you what they’ll throw at us next, but I can tell you what I’ve seen since I got here a year back. Could be useful.
[ He steals another drink from the bottle, a smirk starting when he looks at her. ]
Not sayin’ I think this is a good idea. But a bet’s a bet. I’ll try what I can to keep it from crashin’ and burnin’.
[ There was an impish glint in her eyes. ] It drew me in like a Siren's call. [ It hadn't really, Vira-Lorr had introduced her to it and she'd checked it out. It ran like the places that she knew and the world she understood so it quickly became her choice location in the otherwise boring little town. If he didn't have a job there, she would make sure that he was returned to his position as soon as he wanted to be.
When all Ashe felt like she had to lean on was a strong financial support, she would cling to that with her life, and be hard pressed to change for the time being. If it benefited some people and helped them, well, she wasn't necessarily against that. After all, it wasn't her goal to hurt innocent people. She liked hurting the people who deserved it, but she was blinded to the destruction she left in her wake as she stormed towards her personal goals. ] Yeah. I'm gonna want that information from you. That and names of key people who might be a problem. [ If he would give it to her.
She watched him drink from the bottle before taking it back. ] I can keep myself from crashin' and burnin', you just might make it slightly easier. [ She pouted as she took another drink, the whiskey was starting to get to her and her words were more drawled out and heavier in accent. ] And you'll see this is another one of my brilliant ideas! Why I bet you'll even enjoy yourself... [ She reached over to poke her finger into his chest.] ...cause I remember you, and I know what you like, and I think even the you...you are now, will...like this....cause some things, they don't change...and I see it in your eyes. [ She nodded, before shaking her head as if trying to clear it. ] And...I am drunk.
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[ The look on her face shows clearly the amusement the memory had brought up for her. She never would have thought she'd have fond memories of a time like that. Least they'd fought it together. The same way they'd fought everything together back then.
Her tone turns teasing though as she continues to try and cool his head. It seemed to be helping. ] Seems unfair, seein' I am better than you at the best of times. Like this, you are at a true disadvantage. [ Whether or not she was better, she would stick to her claim. ]
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[ Her amusement is reflected right back in his grin. Between that and the whiskey and the cool cloth, he’s feeling better than he has since coming back from the dead. Not how he’d expected this visit to go, but in a good way. ]
Now those are some fightin’ words if I ever heard any. Just one round, Ashe. We can wager somethin' to make it more interestin'.
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She hadn't expected it to feel this comfortable either. So much had happened over the years and Deerington had really sped things up into interesting directions. ]
Well if you are offerin' up free stuff, who am I to say no? [ She looked over towards B.O.B. ] B.O.B., grab me the cards would you? [ As he left to go get them, she turned back to Jesse. ] What do you wanna wager, cowboy?
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I’d offer up the bike, but I don’t have it here. And I’m pretty sure you won’t take a promise as collateral.
[ He hums thoughtfully, eyes tracking B.O.B. across the room before he turns back to meet her gaze. ]
Suppose it depends on what you want.
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[ The thrill was matched in her own eyes. There was nothing like a card game to get the blood pumping. But now she had to actually think about something that she would want for a win. ]
You're right though, for all I know, you'll go home and forget all out this bet of ours and I still won't have a bike.
[ She went to a drawer to get the deck of cards, and brought it back over. She was incredibly good at cheating at cards, but she was also good at playing a fair game and against him, she wanted to win fair and square. This would be yet another thing just like old times. ]
You got any ideas on what you want? ...In the unlikely chance you win.
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[ He’d not be above just giving her the bike itself with no keys. That’s why you always have to be careful what you bet for, or so Jesse likes to say. ]
Looks like you’re not wantin’ for much. I’m sure I could find somethin’ around here…
[ He turns his head, eyes scanning the room. He’s not wanting for anything much either, aside from the things he’d lost when he died. But she wouldn’t have his Peacekeeper, or his serape. No magic key out of Deerington either. ]
What about a bottle of your most expensive alcohol? I know you never skimp on quality liquor.
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[ She sat opposite him, crossing her legs as she pulled out the cards. It was hard to think of anything that she wanted from him. If he knew she had a couple of his things, she was sure that he would have placed his bets on one of those things. She waffled on whether or not to offer one. Things were crazy out there, and while he would do fine with any pistol, peacekeeper was as much an mechanical attachment as that arm. ]
Funny, I would have thought you'd ask for your gun. [ There was a wicked little glint in her eyes, but a smile on her lips. ] But I'm happy to wager a bottle of my best if that's what you want.
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And Ashe has had it this whole damn time.
He should be angry—and maybe he is, a little—except that this all seems fair within the Wild West sort of rules he and Ashe had both once sworn by. You steal from me, I steal from you with interest. Can’t be too made when you kick a rattlesnake and then get bit. ]
You sayin’ you have it? Or is that just a bluff? I’m gonna want to take a look before I bet.
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She gives a nod to show it’s a fair request before she heads to her bedroom just off the living room and goes to collect it. The serape is still there too, but she isn’t quite ready to let that go. She’ll excuse it later by saying it was collateral for another time. She returns with the weapon and holds it up.
She is smiling as she shows it, the same kind of smile she held on her face back when they were best friends and playing at one upping each other. It’s the smile of someone knowing that have the upper hand. ]
Can’t remember where I left the bullets though... [ She could, she’d used them for target practice. ] I may have taken it for a ride... I forgot how much kickback she has.
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She’s an ornery thing. Takes a firm hand to shoot her straight.
[ He’s still got that same smile on, that same easy way about him. But there’s a new sharp glint in his eyes that signals he’s no longer treating this like a game. ]
That’s too bad about the bullets, but beggars can’t be choosers. Now that I know what I want- [ He nods towards his gun. ] You still gotta say what you want from me.
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Well you do have a lot of experience with ornery things.
[ He didn't really have any objects that she wanted, but that didn't mean that he had nothing she wanted. Maybe she could even get at his pride a little bit. ]
Tell you what, I do have something I could use. Your help. I'm gettin' a little somethin' goin'. With you being one of the bouncers at the Hair of the Dog, I think you might just be able to keep an eye on a couple of things for me. Maybe I could use a little extra protection in a... different way. Not that I need you, but I think you could be of use. [ She quickly adds. ] Don't worry, you don't gotta deal with the big things, and it's not like back home, so you don't gotta feel guilty or get your hands dirty or whatever, because no one is gettin' hurt. In fact you might even not hate what I'm doin'. But I need eyes upstairs. So what d'you say? Your gun for your eyes?
[ She raised her own eyes suggestively at him, figuring he'd know what she was asking wasn't completely decent. She waited to see if he'd bite at the challenge. ]
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He does give the proposition the consideration it warrants first. Working with Ashe again on some ambiguous endeavor would be no small thing. Given what Chloe has said about it, he already knows it’s something shady. But he’d have to keep his word, if he were to lose. It’s all he’s really got.
Finally, decisively, Jesse nods once. His hand goes out for her to shake. ]
You got yourself a bet.
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They hadn't shook hands like this since Blackwatch had taken him, and it was a weird feeling to be doing it now. No matter, she reached out with confidence and took his hand in her own and gave it a firm shake. ]
Then let's play.
[ She held the handshake for a moment longer than necessary, just remembering another time. Then she let go to pull out the cards and deal. ]
You wanna give them a shuffle too?
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You know I like to get my hands on the deck at least once before a game.
[ He doesn’t do anything untoward with the deck when he shuffles though, in part because he hadn’t come prepared. He’s not even confident that he could cheat effectively, with the fever still burning through his veins. So he merely gives the deck a simple shuffle before sliding them back to Ashe. ]
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The last thing they needed was chips and she had those tucked into a drawer. She went to retrieve them, before dividing them up between them. ]
There we go, we're even.
[ Though it would have been a bit easier to play at a table, he didn't look up to that so she dealt the cards out on the cushion between them, making sure they stayed put. Taking her hand she looked her cards over. It wasn't a bad start. ] You start.
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[ When Jesse draws a bad hand to start, he isn’t too fussed about it. He’s played good games off of worse, and he’s motivated to win this one.
It’s too bad, really, that his flu doesn’t care one way or the other what happens to him or his gun. As the game goes on, it becomes clear that his situation isn’t getting any better. His thoughts are muddled, his strategy sloppy. Things don’t necessarily get worse, but they aren’t good; and when playing with Ashe, ‘good’ is the minimum necessity.
But he doesn’t give up. Jesse plays through it with his jaw set, eyes intent on his cards and his poker face just as good as ever, despite it all. ]
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There were a couple of times that her cards had begun to let her down, but she bounced back quickly. The bottle of whiskey was getting lighter as the pile of chips grew heavier in her favor. The game was intense, just the way she liked it and remembered it being. She could recall a time after he'd left when playing poker felt hollow and she'd stare at the place where he should have been. She'd had a losing streak around that time, too distracted by his absence. They had known she was coming around when she'd started to clean them out again.
She tossed another couple chips into the pile. She was getting close to victory and her prize. ] I'll raise. [ She reached for the bottle, at that point the shot glass forgotten as she took a sip, before offering it over. ] I bet you are wishin' you'd never taught me to play cards right about now.
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He takes the bottle with a sullen air, raising an eyebrow at her as he takes a swig. ]
Nah, don’t regret teachin’ you to play. Regrettin’ that you got so damn good at it. Not that I had a lot to do with that.
[ She’d always been sharp, had always learned quick and improved quicker. He’d laid the foundations maybe, but she’d built her skill to where it is now.
He could try and pull one over on her, but at this point, it’d be too little too late. He’s already bluffed and lost anyhow, and she knows his tricks better than anyone. He just tosses his chips on the pile, then his cards on the table, face-up for her to see. ]
Now you know this wasn’t a fair game.
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She laid down her winning hand, knowing that it would be taking his cards. She'd known that his game would be off, so it did make the victory a little less intense, but she'd won all the same and that was what mattered. ]
Someday I'll be the better shot too. [ She may have had cards, but she had never been able to show him up with a gun. He was possibly the best shot in the world, so that was a pipe dream. All the same, she never stopped giving him grief over it. She took the rest of the chips and the bottle of liquor for a victory drink. ]
I told you it wasn't goin' to be a fair game. You knew goin' in what you were up against. Guess for the time bein' this little lady of yours is still mine.
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So there’s little else to do, other than just lay in the hole he’s dug for himself. ]
Yeah, well. Can’t blame a fella for tryin’.
[ He rubs at his eyes with one hand, then draws the hand back through his hair. It occurs to him he probably looks like a mess, face flushed and forehead sweaty. ]
So, you want to tell me more about this operation of yours?
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Standing up, she returns the gun to where she had taken it out of and then goes to get the towel wet again. Wasn't this how they worked anyway, always trying to one up the other? ] Don't look so put out, I'll let you have rematch real soon.
[ Coming back to the sofa she sits down to offer the cool cloth out again. He looked even more spent than he had before, probably needing some sleep, but he'd asked about the business and she'd dare to share. ]
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and at least give you an overview. You sell me out to those cats or the F.E.A.R. agency and we're gonna have bigger problems. [ She had a feeling it wouldn't be an issue. ]
So, you know how this place has a serious lack of weapons around? You are lucky if you can get a weak pistol or huntin' rifle at that one big box store. Ammunition is even harder to come by. Yet, back in May... [ The month he'd died. She takes a drink to cover the pause. ] Somehow all those townsfolk had just about every weapon one could possible want and they were directin' it right at us. Well I just didn't find that fair. So in your absence I did what I do best, I followed the trail and found the weapons. With a little persuasion I helped them see it would be in their best interests to trust me and my business model. I've set up shop in the warehouse and I'm going to see that the sleepers are armed and have their needs met. [ Not as pure as it might sound, since she'd make sure to sell when the need was prime and she could set the price high. Money was the only thing that had never let her down, and she'd learned long ago to wrap her self worth in it. ] I'm just movin' product, but gettin' isn't easy and my position is a little precarious at the moment as you can probably remember from the early days.
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Shit, Ashe. Didn’t I tell you to lay low after you got here?
[ He’s smiling though as he says it. Other than profiting off of chaos, which he wouldn’t put past her, it’s actually not a bad setup. It’s rankled at him since the beginning: how unbalanced things are in Deerington. How the Sleepers are left without training, without weapons, while the town throws wave after wave of terrors their way. He finally catches his breath and lets his hand fall. ]
For the record, I’m not with F.E.A.R. And I don’t make it a habit of talkin’ to cats. Far as plans go, this one isn’t the worst I’ve heard out of you.
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I was layin' low actually, and I ain't exactly out there advertisin'. But, then you up and died and I got bored! [ And drunk. ] And someone introduced me to establishment that your place of work is coverin' up. It caught my interest, and I wanted a piece of it. [ He could probably guess that a piece of it hadn't been enough or her. She'd soon wanted to run the joint, and she wasn't quite there yet, but she was on the way. ]
It actually doesn't surprise me you haven't thrown your hand in with them. You prefer to fancy yourself a lone ranger, right? [ It didn't really matter. ] Either way...while we could argue over the fact this is basically what I do back home, and that you are out of the loop of what all I do so you really shouldn't be so judgmental. [ Yeah, no arguing about that right? ] I'd rather just take it as a good sign that you see the merit in it.
[ She looked down at her hands, playing with one manicured nail for a moment before looking up. Years of violence and chaos weighed heavy on her, and it showed in her eyes. ] People don't realize it, y'know? That we're at war here. It's high time we were prepared to fight. I just got a mind to know how to turn a profit on it, while simultaneously buildin' an army. So yeah, I'd say it's a good plan. But...I know what I'm up against at home, here...I don't. [ And if she was honest, that fact made her nervous. Not nervous enough to grow passive, but it still set her on edge. Having Jesse on her side could only be a positive here, no matter where they were at home. ]
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[ Which reminds him, he should make sure he still has a job there sometime soon. Having the steady income will be nice, of course. Better than that though, his actual job will give him an excuse to be hanging around the bar for… whatever Ashe will need him to do there.
He’s tempted to argue she doesn’t have to turn a profit at all, but he knows better. She won’t go all magnanimous now that she’s back in her element, and it would only make her more closed off if he were to imply she should. If he’s going to have any chance of turning this around, of working the system she has created… he’ll need to really be in it.
Y’know. Hypothetically. ]
Can’t say I know any better than you what they’ll throw at us next, but I can tell you what I’ve seen since I got here a year back. Could be useful.
[ He steals another drink from the bottle, a smirk starting when he looks at her. ]
Not sayin’ I think this is a good idea. But a bet’s a bet. I’ll try what I can to keep it from crashin’ and burnin’.
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When all Ashe felt like she had to lean on was a strong financial support, she would cling to that with her life, and be hard pressed to change for the time being. If it benefited some people and helped them, well, she wasn't necessarily against that. After all, it wasn't her goal to hurt innocent people. She liked hurting the people who deserved it, but she was blinded to the destruction she left in her wake as she stormed towards her personal goals. ] Yeah. I'm gonna want that information from you. That and names of key people who might be a problem. [ If he would give it to her.
She watched him drink from the bottle before taking it back. ] I can keep myself from crashin' and burnin', you just might make it slightly easier. [ She pouted as she took another drink, the whiskey was starting to get to her and her words were more drawled out and heavier in accent. ] And you'll see this is another one of my brilliant ideas! Why I bet you'll even enjoy yourself... [ She reached over to poke her finger into his chest.] ...cause I remember you, and I know what you like, and I think even the you...you are now, will...like this....cause some things, they don't change...and I see it in your eyes. [ She nodded, before shaking her head as if trying to clear it. ] And...I am drunk.
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