river_meimei | (no subject)

Moon Base Station is, apart from certain restricted-access sectors, built for tourism. Some tourists, like Duo, are just killing time during a layover; others come here, to the cheap hotels or the expensive ones with a real-time video view of Earth, to spend their whole vacation within the base's walls.

There's a casino area somewhere not too far away, but River and Duo have opted for one of the more family-friendly bits instead. It's a shopping area, full of glittering storefronts and small food-court nooks, with an intricately tiled floor and fountains every few dozen meters. Tiny potted trees show off the station's opulence -- this is space, after all, where trees are hard to come by.

River's already found herself cotton candy somewhere.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

maxwellsdemon02

She's got an excellent fancy shuffler sitting right across from her!

"...wait a sec. We have to deal with another one of those cross-universe dealies, now. What game are we playing? And do we both know the same set of rules?"

From:

river_meimei

Well then, steal the cards and show off, Duo! Otherwise, how will River know?

Or, uh, wait a round and take over dealing. Whatever.

River, meanwhile, is giving him a blank look. "It's in the variables," she says, unhelpfully and possibly as a question.

From:

maxwellsdemon02

She is always helpful...

"It's like the math," Duo says. "Remember we checked the baselines, just to make sure everything worked the same? Check the deck, is it the same as one from your universe?"

From:

river_meimei

"Fifty-two," River says patiently to the cards in her hands, though she turns them over to check as she does so. "It isn't Long Pai."

Someday, Duo should learn that one. It has fruit cards!

River doesn't seem to be particularly disconcerted by anything she's seeing on the card faces, at least.

From:

maxwellsdemon02

"Okay, good? You know any poker?"

Business is starting to pick up a little around them, now that it's getting later in the evening.

From:

river_meimei

It takes some more back and forth before they settle on a variant, and establish that River, whether she knew it previously or not, is willing to abide by those rules.

(Well. As far as Duo does, anyway.)

Eventually, though, they're both scrutinizing poker hands. River's poker face leaves something to be desired, but it probably helps that she gets distracted by any number of things that aren't her cards, too.

From:

maxwellsdemon02

Having ignored the auto-dealer, Duo shuffled the cards himself. They were too stiff and new for him to stack the deck or palm anything on the first deal. Next time.

For now, he hems and haws over a hand that's got absolutely nothing useful. Bets are low, they're both cautious. "Two," he says, ditching a pointless seven of clubs and three of hearts.

From:

river_meimei

River studies him.

Oh yeah, and her hand.

"It's a duality," she says, seriously. Beat. "One."

With great solemnity, she puts down a card. (The six of clubs.)

From:

maxwellsdemon02

"One?" Duo says. "One? Either you've got two pair over there, or you're better at bluffing than I am."

From:

river_meimei

River beams.

From:

maxwellsdemon02

(Turns out she's better at bluffing him, the first round.)

Down a pile of chips, and several rounds later, Duo shuffles. He is able to do some fancy shuffling tricks, and promptly shows them off.

The fact that said tricks enable him to stack the deck with three jacks for himself is besides the point.

From:

river_meimei

River watches the fancy shuffling with great interest!

Whether she's also watching the deck-stacking with great interest is an open question.

She doesn't call him on it, either way. Just accepts her cards with an intent little frown at them.

From:

maxwellsdemon02

Maybe next time he'll stack the deck for both of them, and pull a sting on her. If this works, anyway. It's hard to tell just how 'loud' he's being to her, considering he's about as telepathic as a rock.

Duo starts singing a song in his head, just in case, and puts in his bet.

From:

river_meimei

The weird look River gives him about twenty seconds later may or may not be related to that song.

(River frequently considers herself to have good reason for a What, Duo. stare.)

"You're very confident," she informs him, and raises.

From:

maxwellsdemon02

What, she doesn't like Pendragon's In The Night of My Heart?

Duo calls. "Two for me. And for the the lady?"

From:

river_meimei

River is judging your taste in music, Duo. JUDGING IT.

Assuming that's what she's hearing, anyhow.

She makes a face at him. "Three," she says primly, and lays them down with a flourish.

If she considers trying to slip an extra card along with the gesture, she decides against it. For the moment.

From:

maxwellsdemon02

Okay, even Duo at his most oblivious would notice if she only had four cards in her hand.

He deals to them both, and picks his cards up. Fortune has graced him with an ace and a four. Useless, but they didn't need to be anything good with three jacks.

He bets higher.

From:

river_meimei

River eyes him.

And matches, but doesn't raise.

From:

maxwellsdemon02

"Read 'em and weep," Duo declares, showing her the cards.

From:

river_meimei

River stares at him.

"No."

(He wins this round, though. River makes a face at the cards.)

From:

maxwellsdemon02

"Ha, see? Did you catch me? It's all in the shuffle. I bet your hands are fast enough- let me show you."

A few false starts and a few closely missed games of 52 Pick-Up later...

Duo looks up sharply over River's shoulder. Then he immediately looks back down at the table.

This cannot be happening.

From:

river_meimei

River looks up equally sharply -- at Duo, not behind her.

(Though her gaze does slide sideways, behind her tangled curtain of hair, after several seconds.)

From:

maxwellsdemon02

"Don't turn around," Duo says, voice calm, if cool. "I'm not sure what I saw yet, and I hope I'm wrong."

He deals them both another hand, and lifts his cards up to shield his face slightly, before glancing over the top at them.

Sure enough, that's Dario Nove, highly wanted drug smuggler extraordinaire, over there by the baccarat table.

"Shit."

From:

river_meimei

"You're monitoring," River says, halfway between question and statement, and just as calm. Her eyes flick between Duo's face and her cards, and back to him.

"Forgot the ante," she adds, and pushes in hers.

From:

maxwellsdemon02

"Yeah," Duo says, matching River's ante without even looking at his cards.

"Okay, here's the deal. There's a seriously wanted criminal a couple tables away from us. We need to finish this hand, turn in our cards, and get out of Dodge without looking suspicious. No problem, right?"