PM to join [Spinning Coin] At a Card Table (Sigriet)

[Wade]

10th Summer, 513

Wade blew in his hands for luck. His whole face wrinkled in concentration as he tossed he dice, as if he could somehow control its flight and make it land on the right numbers with his mind. The dice bounced rolled across the table, spinning so many times that Wade knew his willpower would be taxed to slow the dice and force them to obey him. One of the dice stopped on three but the other stubbornly went for one last turn...

It landed on two.

Wade slammed his fist onto the table. "These dice are loaded!" he said, his voice rising with every syllable. The smile of the man opposite him only heightened his rage. He all but leapt to his feet, sending his chair crashing to the ground, and stomped away to the bar to drown his anger. He sat down and asked the bartender for the cheapest thing on the menu. He would take his losses at the dice out of his drink, he had decided.

Then, with his spending balance back at even, Wade would be clear to head back out and try his luck once again. That logic made more sense the more he drank. By the time he was at the bottom of his cup, he couldn't really remember his losses at the dice table at all. All he could think about was the fun he could find in a game of cards. With any luck, he'd head back to his apartment feeling victorious and with a very stuffed coin-pouch.

He stood up and navigated towards the card game tables. It was a difficult trek; the Spinning Coin was having a good night and there were many people eager to make their fortune tonight. He had to squeeze through the pulled-out chairs of several pairs of tables and nearly ran over a poor girl trying to get to the bar. He blushed and apologized, but managed to squeeze past her and finally make it.

Wade watched one of the tables intently to see if there were any openings. The last card was flipped and, as expected, there was a huge variance of emotions across the table. One man shot up in his seat, straight-backed, as he managed a come-from-behind win on the hand. Another was disinterested as he had been out of the big money, but the other two looked as if they had been stricken by lightning.

Those two picked up what remained of their plans for the night and departed in the general direction of the bar. Wade smiled and took a seat at the table. "Are you guys in for another round?" He looked at both of them and tried to give a winning smile.

They both signaled their dissent and followed their companions to the bar. Wade exhaled slowly with disappointment. Now he was sitting at a card table with the itch to gamble but with no one to bet against.

Maybe it wasn't his night after all.

[Sigriet]

Holding a glass of cheap, bitter, strong liquor in one hand, Sigriet made her way around the establishment, smirking to herself as she weaved between dice and card tables, stopping every now and again to watch a throw or a hand, waiting for a seat somewhere to become open. As much as she enjoyed watching a good game, especially when it seemed as though losses abounded tonight, she was in the mood to do more than just watch. She was in the mood to play; but it was extremely difficult to find a free seat, as many people were eager to make their fortunes or lose everything they had. She was there to enjoy herself and so long as luck was on her side, she'd end up quite a bit wealthier than she currently was.

She made three attempts to sit down at a couple of different tables, but to no avail: at one of the dice tables, it seemed as though a couple of the would-be players were saving seats for friends of theirs who had simply gone to get drinks. Tension was rather high at one of the card tables, three fairly inebriated gamblers refusing to acknowledge that anyone other than themselves and the dealer existed. When she asked if she could join the next hand, she was simply grunted at and waved away, one of the gamblers muttering something that she couldn't quite make out. With a shake of her head and a smirk, she continued weaving through the rather packed establishment, growing somewhat annoyed at the lack of available games or people that would allow someone to join their tables.

Even being sober, it was not an easy feat to pick her way through the crowds and pushed-out chairs, twisting and squeezing her way between tables, chairs and milling-about people, narrowly avoiding being backed into or pushed out of the way on more than one occasion. Sigriet was beginning to grow a bit annoyed: she had come for a bit of fun and it was starting to seem as though she would have had better luck if she'd simply gone to one of the taverns and played daggers, or watched drunks for a while. It was not the best start to any night, to say the least and she could only hope that luck would be on her side soon.

Finally, she noticed a table that seemed to be almost vacant; which might or might not have been a good sign. Regardless, she made her way toward that card table, hoping that the solitary patron wasn't just waiting for his friends, or hadn't sustained too great of a loss during a previous game. If either was the case, well, luck just wasn't on her side. She pulled one of the free chairs away from the table and sat down, flashing a smile. "Hey, do you mind if I join you?" Sigriet inquired, placing her glass on the table.

[Wade]

Wade shuffled the deck in his hands, trying to get a feel for it. He had come gambling a few times now that he was alone and his sister wasn't expressly forbidding it, but he still hadn't gotten a handle on how to bridge the cards. He cut the deck in half and held the two halves out before him on the tabletop and tried to copy what he saw just one table away.

Unfortunately, that was as far as he could go. When he tried the next step he sent cards spewing across the table, a Tree of Spears defiantly flipping face up.

Wade sighed and slumped in his chair, resigning himself to shuffling the more boring and slow way until his hands got nimble with the cards. He gathered the deck back up and started shuffling by constantly pulling groups cards from random parts of the deck and placing them on top. He looked around, eyes hoping to find someone that was looking for an open table and didn't bring a full group of friends.

Wade straightened his back immediately as a pretty woman with black hair and eyes of a very dark blue sat down suddenly at his table. She had a flustered look, probably from struggling to find an open table, but replaced it immediately with a smile as she asked if she could join him. She had placed her glass on the table and her tone was kind, but it appeared that she would not easily be told no.

But Wade had no intention of sending her away.

"Not at all!" he responded. "I was beginning to wonder if no one in this place wanted the chance to rob me of my coin," he said, partially in truth and partially to try to lower her guard. He set down the deck of cards and smiled back at her. "My name is Wade, by the way."

Wade tried to size up his opponent, but couldn't really figure out how to do that. When he watched card games it seemed as if there were some people that were able to accurately read their opponents and tell if they were truthful or bluffing. As he looked into the woman's odd, staring gaze he could not decide if she had a propensity toward either.

He gestured toward the deck. "What would you like to play?" He pushed it toward her, offering her the chance to shuffle as well. He did not want to look as if he were cheating.

[Sigriet]

Sigriet had been about ready to go search for some other manner of entertainment. Perhaps she would have been able to find or cause a brawl at the bar at least, had she been turned away from another table that night. There was nothing more annoying than hearing the word "no" or some sort of excuse about why she had been unable to join one table or another. That annoyance was easy to grasp, but thankfully just as easily relinquished.

A bit of playfulness touched her smile when she noticed her potential table-mate correct his posture when she sat down. He had seemed to be rather bored, which she thought might have been a good thing, especially when she noticed that he didn't have a crowd of friends making their way toward the table. No, she would not have been turned away too easily; especially not after having been turned down several times already that night. But thankfully, it didn't seem as though he had any such thoughts. The night might not have been a waste after all.

Deep blue eyes tried to lock with brown as he spoke; she was not trying to intimidate him by any means, at least not right then and there, it was just a habit. "Finally!" She replied, that single word rather relieved. "I don't know what's going on, but it's been next to impossible to find someone to play with tonight!" Her smile became an outright grin at his comment, which she thought to be either completely in jest or the words of someone whose ego was quite large. Either way, she was not going to complain. "Looks like a bad night," Sigriet stated in jest, "I don't think there's a single robber here and I was hoping to find one as well. It's nice to meet you, Wade. I'm Sigriet."

While they spoke, she was trying to get a feel for her potential opponent, head tilted slightly. She knew that it was impossible to gague one's gambling skill before actually playing, but there was no harm in trying to make it look like doing so was possible. It was a simple, non-verbal, teasing bluff and an outright lie. While she could sometimes judge when an opponent was bluffing or not, she had not managed to perfect the talent, at least not yet. She was curious to see whether or not he was capable of discerning a bluff from honesty.

"How about Portraits, to start off with?" She inquired as she cut the deck and began shuffling, long fingers manipulating the cards into an easy bridge, followed by a riffle and cascade. She would play nice for now, no cheating, no removing cards or trying to count them. At least not until she determined her opponent's skill. After shuffling thirce more, she cut the deck a final time and placed it in the center of the table.

[Wade]

Wade frowned at her choice of game. Portraits heavily favored the dealer because, while it was fun for the player to try to get the exact number without going over because of the stress and anticipation, the cards quite often were against the player. At least, that is what Wade saw when he paused to observe other tables at work. At least three times out of four, the dealer came out well ahead of the gambler.

He tried to match the woman's intense gaze even as he altered his perception of her. Perhaps she was a rather experienced gambler looking to swindle a slow-witted youth out of their coin? One could certainly make a living preying on the dull and dim that thought they could keep up with the quick fingered. Wade had heard more than one braggart at the Rearing Stallion buy a round for his pals over the story of a few quick mizas made duping some stranger.

Wade shifted uncomfortably, one hand absentmindedly going to his coin-pouch and making sure it was still there. He forced himself to relax though, once he noticed his own movement, and casually leaned back in his chair once again.

"I was actually thinking a little Stammer and Blush," he said. He watched the woman closely to gauge her reaction and find out if she really was a swindler, or if she had just suggested the game. She had already displayed her familiarity with cards with her obvious skill at shuffling, but she might just be a good-hearted gambler.

"It's more of an even mixture of skill and luck on both sides, I think, and might be better suited for us," he offered in explanation. Plus, he'd actually played it a bit in the past and actually knew the rules. "We can start with a bronze miza ante to warm us up."

He fingered his coin pouch and managed to produce one, setting it on the table. Wade set it at a small distance from himself, trying to promote that he was an honest, naive young man and not at all skilled in gambling. If he could set her at ease, he would have an easier time of it.

OOCI think that Stammer and Blush is Mizahar's poker, if I read it correctly in the lore.

[Sigriet]

((I thought it was Mizahar's version of poker too, but I didn't want to be mistaken. ))

Sigriet tilted her head and smirked at his expression. It seemed to her that either he didn't like Portraits, or perhaps had never played before. While she would have done her best to play fair for a hand or two, she would have had absolutely no problem with trying to count the cards or playing one dirty trick or another to throw the game in her favor. It was sometimes rather difficult to get exactly twenty-one, or very close to that number, without going over and without resorting to the kind of tricks that few people considered fair. As she had wandered between the tables, she had seen varying degrees of stress and paranoia, which had made a few players end up messing up rather horribly. It was a game that relied more on luck, quick thinking and mathematical ability more than anything else, which made it rather appealing.

She arched an eyebrow as she tried to weigh everything out; while the young man's reaction to her choice of game wasn't surprising and she certainly wouldn't try to force him to play a game he didn't like or might not have understood, there was always the possibility that he could have easily been pulling a ruse. Just as a more ruthless, experienced gambler could easily make a living by preying on younger and inexperienced would-be gamblers, it wasn't unheard-of for younger gamblers to be rather skilled, yet playing the role of the novice, so they could lure older players into a false sense of security. Such a line of thought would coax from her a shrug and a snort as she picked up her glass and took a quick swallow of the cheap, bitter liquor.

Despite her own generally relaxed demeanor, she was a bit puzzled by how uncomfortable he seemed to be. Perhaps he wasn't acting at all and was just nervous about the prospect of possibly losing whatever wealth he had? Well, she wasn't going to dwell on it too long regardless: not knowing the motives one's opponent was operating under just made a game all the more fun. As far as she cared, the most enjoyable games were those that carried a measure of uncertainty with them; especially when both the stakes and tension were high.

"Alright," She replied, nodding. "Stammer and Blush is fine with me. Only reason I suggested Portraits is because it looks like that's what most of the others are playing tonight. I didn't think Portraits would be too much fun with just us playing anyway, but I wasn't sure."


While Portraits was fun with a crowd that wanted a fast-paced, risky game, she actually preferred games like Stammer and Blush. Not only was more skill required when trying to bluff or tell when one's opponent was bluffing, there was also a great deal of luck needed as well. She reached into the pouch that hung at her hip and withdrew a bronze miza, setting it on the table as well, pushing it forward a bit and to the left side. She didn't want to make him so nervous that he'd play overly cautiously; but at the same time, she didn't want to come across as being an easy target, either. She wasn't looking for an easy win, but at the same time, she wasn't going to let herself get lured into a false sense of security. Neither would have been an enjoyable start.

[Wade]

Wade smiled as she agreed to switch to Stammer and Blush. He allowed himself a sigh of relief, much more comfortable now that he'd be playing a familiar game. Still, he eyed the woman with envy every time she took a sip of her drink, berating himself on the inside for not bringing one of his own. His throat had the dryness that only a strong desire for ale could summon. Of course, he could not very well pull himself away from the excitement and fun he was about to have just to grab a drink; strangers would probably invade his table just to play against the pretty girl.

Wade gulped and stretched, popping his fingers. He leaned his head to one side and then the other, seeking to stretch it out too, as he leaned forward and grabbed the deck. He dealt out the cards, giving two to her, two to himself, placing the five in the center, and then finally setting the deck down. His fingers caught on the cards several times as he tried to slide them across the table in the same cool manner he had seen done countless times other tables, resulting in a rather clumsy affair.

"Oh well," Wade said to himself quietly. It hurt his pride to bungle that up, but that just meant that she might lower her guard perhaps a little further. He tried to watch her with his peripherals as she went about the start of the game, seeing if there was any clues to be had in her expression. It was difficult and, with his focus on her, he had to pick up and look at his cards several times before he could even register the numbers.

Worried that she might also be trying to gauge his expression and thus gain the advantage, Wade tried to make his face still as cold stone. Despite his efforts, his face dropped nearly imperceptibly as he saw that he had only a 5 of Spears and a Page of Arrows. The page was not a particularly high card to go with and his two cards were not of the same suit, both facts that he knew meant he did not have a particularly great hand.

Still, Wade did not want to chicken out on the very first hand. He looked defiantly into the woman's eyes. "I'm in," he declared.

[Sigriet]

((I apologize for the wait!))

Sigriet smirked; she had no problem with either game and in fact found Stammer and Blush to be more fun than Portraits, considering that more than just luck was required in order to play. She couldn't help but wonder if her opponent was skilled in the art of bluffing or not; if he was, things would certainly be interesting. She was also rather glad that she'd brought her rotgut with her, it looked as though most of the wandering wenches were constantly called away by someone at another table, wanting something.

It would not be too long before she would try to get the attention of one of those wenches; her glass was half-empty and she was the sort that believed that drinking went hand-in-hand with gambling, but when the time came to get the attention of one of those wenches, she wouldn't be leaving their table; if she did, that would more than likely mean someone would try to take her spot-- and while she did enjoy brawling, it was too early to think about having to fight someone to get her spot back. Later, perhaps, but not yet.

Sigriet made no comment about his fairly clumsy dealing; it seemed to her as though either he was unskilled, or perhaps trying to lure her into a false sense of easiness. Maybe to try and gain the upper hand right away? Guess I'll just have to 'play fair' for now, see what happens. As much as she did not like playing fair and had a few tricks that she could have pulled in an attempt to tip the odds in her favor, she'd hold off on using any sort of under-handed tactics, at least for a while.

She'd learned through trial and error when she had first started gambling when she'd been younger, that it was better to just enjoy the first few hands of any card game or the first couple rolls of the dice in order to get a feel for whoever she was playing with, rather than trying to immediately gain the upper hand. Not only would it prolong the fun of the game, but by trying to appear as someone who didn't cheat, she might be able to convince him to let his guard down completely at some point during their game. Before she sprung a few of her tactics, she hoped.

She shifted to a more comfortable position before she almost lazily picked up and looked at her cards: a Queen of Swords and Two of Shields. It was definitely not the best hand that she could have hoped for, but at the same time, it wasn't terrible: it was an iffy hand, one that could have gone either way. She stole a glance in his direction, to try and gauge his expression; which was fairly closed and difficult to read. She set her own, trying to appear calm, even a bit uncaring. It would not have set well with her to inadvertently "advertise" that her first hand was an uncertain one.

She met his gaze and nodded: "As am I."

[Wade]

Wade nodded as she too, went in. He flipped the first three cards and sat back to consider his options. The Tree of Shields, the Queen of Spears, and an Eight of Shields stared up at him, telling him that he had nothing this hand. His face fell for a moment before it straightened back up a consciously blank expression. He snapped his gaze up to the woman to see if she had noticed but politely turned away when he realized that the look would be both suspicious and impolite. Unfortunately, that meant he swept across her face so quickly he could not remember what she had been looking at or what her expression had been.

Wade stretched again, arms going out wide. He considered his options, wondering exactly how smooth he could be at what he had in mind. There was a Tree on the table and this might be his only opportunity. He brought his arms down low, scooping the Tree of Spears from its hiding place under his chair. He hid it in his palm as he took another look at his hand, this time picking the cards up. He pretended to stare at them and focus back and forth between the cards on the table and his hand as he, as quietly as possible, slipped the one on his palm up and one of the two cards down.

He set the cards back down and shoved the Five of Spears into his coin pouch with another elaborate stretch. He tried to shrug nonchalantly and push five bronze mizas forward. If he was going to do this, he needed to up the ante and actually get something out of it.

The blood rushed to his head and his pulse began to quicken. Cheating at cards was sometimes a deadly affair, but the adrenaline that pumped though every vein in Wade's body told him that it was so much fun that it didn't matter. He already decided that he was going to start doing similar tricks in the future, if only for the thrill. He looked into the woman's eyes expectantly, waiting for her to take the bait and make the next move.

OOCFeel free to have caught the cheating!

[Sigriet]

Sigriet leaned forward, as though studying the cards that had been turned over; though she lifted her gaze every now and again to keep a close eye on her opponent. The odds were in her favor, as there was the Queen of Spears on the table and she had the Queen of Swords in her hand. It would not have been impossible to beat that with something better. However, she could not keep from smirking at the crestfallen expression that he tried to hide: evidently, things were not going as he had hoped? Either that or he was already trying to bluff, trying to make her think that his hand was horrible?

She arched an eyebrow and cleared her throat as he stretched and leaned down, reaching for something; then stretched a second time. Sigriet didn't immediately know if she should have been offended by how painfully obvious his attempt to cheat had been, or if she should have been amused by how he'd try such an unskilled trick, especially during their first hand. Palming cards was a technique that would have worked extremely well, had he known what he was doing and if she hadn't been watching what he was doing. Luck just isn't on your side, is it? She thought, her lips curving into a somewhat amused smile, If you're going to trick a trickster, you have to do it right!

She sighed and tapped her foot as he completed his trick; wishing that it wasn't so crowded. Had there been fewer people milling about and possibly watching, she would have drawn her double-bladed dagger and played with it. While it wouldn't have been uncommon for a gambler to brandish a weapon as an empty or not-so-empty threat when tricked, there were other ways to intimidate than just drawing a weapon at the first sign of provocation, anyhow. She dragged a hand through her hair and sighed, leaning forward.

"Do you really think pulling such a stupid trick is a good idea?" She demanded, her formerly pleasant tone becoming cool and hard, her eyes narrowing. "I could have your hand for such idiocy and not a single person here would give a damn... you know, I think I just might, if you try something like that again." A note of cruel amusement crept into her voice when she spoke of cutting off his hand, her smirk becoming an outright grin.

It was strange to her; trying to foil a would-be con. She was used to being the one cheating, not stopping someone from doing the same. But she wasn't willing to let herself be cheated, especially when the trick had been so flawed that it was painful. What was strange though, was that Sigriet found she'd be willing to teach him a few simple tricks, if he wanted to learn. Who knows? There's enough rich people here tonight, we might even be able to walk out of here a bit wealthier before the night's over. If they could get through a single hand without any more amateurish cons being played. She may have been a willing teacher, but her patience was easily tested and her temper wasn't always easy to keep in check.