Seated on the shores of Lake Lovalus, Rharne serves as the home of the Lighting Knights, the Thunder Priestesses, and the Merchant's guild. This beautiful trade city is filled with a happy and contented people who rarely need an excuse to party.
The last several trials had been filled with scattered showers. The sun was often blocked out by dark gray rainclouds that were lazily drifting through the sky. It made the chill of the coming Zi’da season more prominent in the air because there was no sun to abate it. It had been five trials since Rei had last seen Wendell. They had gone to The Butcher’s Block after she had gotten off work and enjoyed a nice dinner before coming back to her place. That night she had discovered buzz and had discovered Wendell’s body once more.
He had run over to her house in a light drizzle. Rei had insisted that he at least take his shirt off and let it dry by the fire. They had taken her large red blanket and were cuddled beneath it against the chill, sitting in front of the fire as her hands traced across his bare flesh. She could feel little bumps of goose flesh on his chilled skin. It was getting fairly late in the night- late enough that the taverns would be closing soon. With a sigh, she leaned over against Wendell’s chest and pressed her soft lips against his neck, the edge of her teeth teasing the flesh.
“Let’s make a run for the Boar. I have a game we could play. I know it’s closing soon, but I’m sure Patrick wouldn’t mind letting us stay after breaks.” She reached over and grabbed his shirt. It was a little damp still but much drier than it had been. Rei threw it over his shoulders and helped him button it up. She stood up, the blanket falling from around her and pulled him up to his feet. Her wine colored skirt and pale yellow blouse would get wet in the rain but she didn’t mind.
They made a dash across the street, rain dampening their hair and clothes. They squeezed in the door of the Boar that was already mostly vacant. Patrick was at the bar cleaning glasses and serving the last few drinks as he normally did. “Pat! Wendell and I were going to play a game. Why don’t you grab a bottle of wine or something and join us.” She leaned over the bar and felt around to find a stack of cards on the shelf. “Knew there had to be some around here somewhere.” With a broad smile she took a seat at an empty table off the side, glancing up at Wendell. “Poker. Strip poker!” She shuffled the cards and set the deck in the center. “You lose a hand, you lose a piece of clothes.”
As Rei helped do up the buttons of his shirt, Wendell couldn't help but smile. “This is the first time you've ever helped me dress,” he laughed, usually it was the other way around.
They dashed across the road together to the bar and Wendell sat down near the open fireplace once they were inside. He ran his fingers through his hair to slick it back and flatten it down with the rain that had caught in it before leaning back in the chair to get comfortable. Rei soon returned to the table with a deck of cards, announcing that they were going to play a game of poker, only instead of gambling gold, their currency was clothing.
Patrick joined them as soon as he had sent out the last customer, and was kind enough to bring the bottle of wine requested by Rei, along with a few glasses. “Patrick,” Wendell acknowledged the man without looking at him, eyes fixed instead on the cards Rei had dealt for him.
Wendell organised his cards from highest to lowest value as he often did whenever playing any type of card game, before pushing them together and laying them down flat on the table in front of him. He waited for the drinks to be poured and helped himself to a glass, legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles under the table.
“A cigar, a pile of gold, and a couple more women, and this could be the perfect game,” he remarked in jest, glancing across at Rei to offer a playful wink.
Once all the players were dealt in, Wendell discarded two of his cards to exchange them for another pair and took a swig from his glass, giving nothing away. “So beautiful, tell us how this works, you make the rules, baby.”
Dreary rains had done much to dampen the spirits of Rharne but Patrick knew well enough, that you couldn't easily keep a good Rharnian down no matter the weather. With the evening growing late however the crowd of customers grew lesser by the hour, and eventually only one or two patron still lingered to enjoy the spirits. Patrick kept busy by cleaning up of course seeing as how he'd likely be closing tonight, Daveth had a few things he had to handle so he pretty much was gone the rest of the evening. It wasn't until Rei walked into the establishment all cheery and energetic, with a spontaneous greeting that invited him to join them for a game of cards. "Really now?" He chuckled in amusement as he looked to the last two customers at the bar.
"It's late, so we're gonna head out anyways. Try and have fun Pat." One of the two men mused as they stood up from their stools, their jackets pulled on over their arms as they drank the last of their mugs. Patrick went ahead and moved the mugs on the counter space behind him, and with a quick wipe down of the spot they sat at, he turned to grab a bottle of wine that he knew fitted the occasion. Sparkling White. Just what the couple likely needed for whatever this night was going to be, and seeing how it was all three there he didn't see any harm in having just one whole bottle. Business was practically quiet anyways, so Patrick had little reason to argue with whatever card game they had planned.
"Good t' know we'll be spendin' time gettin' naked with one another." He jested as he approached the couple with the wine and a few drinking glasses. "Wendell." He returned with a glance to the entertainer as he sat the wine and glasses down, the cork popped with his thumb to release the aroma of citrus and passion fruit. It was definitely one of the good wines, nothing cheap like Venora Rose Rei had picked before. He had a good laugh when Wendell brought up the idea of a perfect game, a cheeky nod in agreement made while he poured the glasses for his two friends. Once he'd taken his seat and checked the hand in play, he raised an eyebrow as he wasn't quite sure which cards should be exchanged. He looked to Wendell with a smirk when he heard the man flirt with Rei, his attention focused on the two as he finally discarded the two he likely didn't need. "Yeah Rei, you seem t' know what we're doin'." He added with a squint of his eyes to her, practically challenging her in his own way.
He had to admit, only to himself though, that he'd never quite played strip poker. Or poker in general. Gambling had always been something he stood away from, seeing as how he always had a knack for trouble when Dom was around. Still he figured if he could put on a strong game face, he'd pick up on it in no time once Rei explained the rules.
Rei’s lips twitched at Wendell’s comment. She had learned to not take his comments so seriously. It was taking time but she was adapting to his wild life. He wasn’t the type to be tamed and that was ok for now. She knew if she got sick of it, she could always leave and he might not even be bothered too much. “Well I don’t know any other women so you’re just stuck with me.” She puckered her lips at him in an air kiss. “And I think we’re all mostly broke, so that’s why we are playing this way. We only have drinks thanks to the bartender’s good graces.” A wink was thrown to Patrick.
Wendell wanted her to explain the rules, but she was waiting for Patrick to get situated before she started talking. Rei glanced down at her five-card hand and took out three cards and exchanged them. She had to resist wrinkling up her nose in displeasure. The hand wasn’t much better than the one she had before exchanging. “I always make the rules,” she commented with a smug little smirk to Wendell. It was hardly true, of course. Wendell was the dominant one and always in charge. She popped the cork on the bottle and poured them all a healthy glass of the sparkling white wine.
“Don’t be silly. You love us when we’re naked.” It was a dangerous comment, one that could irritate one or both of the men sitting next to her, but she was feeling daring- and lucky. She placed her hand face down on the table. “So, the game is pretty simple. You make the best hand you can out of five cards and you may exchange up to all your cards once on your turn. Of course you don’t have to exchange if you like the hand you were dealt.”
Rei sat back and shrugged. “What can I say. Sometimes we get bored at the Infirmary. So you two better watch out.” With a smile she took a sip from her glass before racking her brain for the orders of the winning combinations. “These are the combinations from lowest to highest. Obviously a higher rated combination beats a lower. First is the high card, which is if you have nothing in your hand. It’s just done by the highest card in your hand. Cards range from two through ten, then you have the Jack, Queen, King, and Ace. There’s suits that are spades, clubs, diamonds, and hearts. Also, red and black colors… spades and clubs are black, diamonds and hearts are red. Then there’s a pair- two of the same. Two pairs. Three of a kind. A straight, which is five consecutive cards regardless of suit or color. So like having a two, three, four, five, and six would be a straight. A flush, which is five cards of the same suit- like all spades- regardless of number. A full house, which is three of a kind and a pair, so say three queens and two fives. Four of a kind. Straight flush, which is five consecutive cards of the same suit. And finally, the royal flush, which is ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace all in the same suit.”
Finally, she took a moment and glanced back at her hand. A pair of twos. It couldn’t get much worse than that. “The two losers of each round lose a piece of clothing. Shoes count.” Rei took the hand and laid it face up on the table. “A pair of twos. What do you boys have? I can already feel my shoes coming off.”
Last edited by Rei on Wed Nov 09, 2016 5:49 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 621
“You and the rest of the nurses getting naked during the lunch break? I'll have to do more random visits,” Wendell laughed, though he was quite sure that wasn't what Rei meant by getting bored at work.
Wendell glanced at Rei’s cards, and as he was sitting to her left, went next to reveal his own hand. “Two kings, an eight, four, and a two,” he threw them down. “You gave me nothing good with those last three,” he smirked, “but it's still better than your twos.”
The wine glass was lifted to his lips again while he waited to see if it was Patrick or himself who would be peeling something off. Mentally, Wendell when through the list of clothing he was wearing, shorts, pants, socks, shoes, and a t-shirt, that didn't leave him with much room for error, he thought, and hoped his dumb luck would hold out.
“I wonder if we could make this a little more interesting? I mean part of the fun of poker is bluffing and betting. What if we made bets to lose more items of clothing if we don't have the winning hand? If two people fold, the third doesn't have to reveal their cards?”
Patrick did note Rei's own compliment when she mentioned the provision of their drinks, the corner of his lip rose into a smirk in response to the wink she shot his way. He quietly laughed when she also mentioned that the staff at the infirmary had their own fun, they did after all have to ease tension their own way after working to help others. Wendell insinuated something else of course that humored Patrick well enough, his own opinion thrown in to add to the joke as well. "Damn all this goin' on and I'm learnin' this now?" He called out with hands raised in a gesture, something to add to the emphasis of the question as he watched Rei react to them.
He then of course looked back down at his hand with a thoughtful look, clearly the Fates decreed he would be losing something this time around. Rei then Wendell revealed their hands on the table and, much to his surprise, Wendell turned out to have the better hand out of the three. " A pair of sevens with an ace, a ten, and a six." He laid the cards down in a line while he named them, his eyes then shot to Wendell with a smirk as he considered what he should lose. Seeing as how he had been working, he only had the casual attire to consider; which consisted of his t-shirt, pants, socks, boots, and thank the Immortals he remembered to wear underwear today. "Sounds like a gamble, the riskier the friskier am I right?" He mused as he took a drink of the glass he made earlier, he'd surprisingly forgotten it was there until he needed a drink.
"Well Rei," Pat switched his gaze to her with arms folded on the table, "I dunno 'bout you but I'm pretty confident I don't need this." He reached for the collar of his shirt and pulled it over his head, a swift tug on the fabric brought it off and left on the floor next to him. "That's my first lost hand. Let's do this!" With a little bit of enthusiasm he went ahead and indulged in another drink, the ideal of this being fun finally sunken in when Rei picked what she decided to remove.
Rei reached over and slapped Wendell across his bulky arm. “No don’t be silly! You wish we were all getting naked. You might come visit more often.” She wished he would visit more often. Just the memory of him coming and surprising her with lunch that one day had been wonderful. She had worn that blue jacket a million times since then, having days where she had to convince herself it needed a washing before she could wear it again. It had been a small gesture, though she knew it had been big for Wendell, and that it all the more special.
Wendell threw down his hand, announcing that he had a pair of kings. He could still lose to Patrick, though at this point he was winning. Rei shoved him playfully. “I’m supposed to win!” She laughed and deposited both of their hands back into the deck of cards. It was up to Patrick now. There were plenty of options for him to beat out Wendell, as a pair was one of the lowest combinations. But as Pat laid out his hand, it became clear that he and Rei would be the ones losing clothes. A pair of sevens. It beat Rei’s hand but not Wendell’s.
With a smirk on her lips, Rei worked on edging her boots off her feet and set them to side of her chair. Patrick had chosen his shirt that he shucked off and deposited on the ground. She shrugged to herself, wondering why he hadn’t just taken off his shoes. Oh well, it was more fun for her this way.
Wendell brought up a proposition of how to make their game more interesting, claiming that all the fun of poker was betting and raising the stakes. She sat quiet in thought for a moment while she shuffled the cards and dealt them all out five. “Okay then. Before you exchange your cards you may bet additional clothing. To stay in the game the other players have to meet your bet. Sound fair?” She picked the cards up and glanced at her hand. Two aces and two eights. If she was lucky, she could exchange and possibly end up with a full house.
“Alright then boys. I bet my skirt in addition to my shirt. Any takers?” They would need to meet her bet before they could have a round of exchanging cards. Rei stuck one of her cards back in the deck and drew one. A third ace. She had to contain the smile that was threatening to break loose.
Last edited by Rei on Wed Nov 09, 2016 6:13 pm, edited 2 times in total. word count: 432
Rei agreed to play along, raising her bet before she drew a single from the pile. Wendell guessed, judging by the loss of only one card that she probably had a decent hand, two pairs perhaps? It would be strange to keep three of a kind and only exchange one card. He checked his cards and arranged them neatly before closing them together again and looking down at the table. The wine was lifted to his lips and the glass tipped to wet his tongue.
“I'll meet that bet, shoes and shirt,” he glanced across at Patrick and smirked. “The riskier the friskier, what you waiting for, Red?” Wendell couldn't help but laugh, if he lost this hand Rei would be one up on both of them, but what if Patrick won? Wendell shook with mirth, how did he keep getting himself into these strange situations?
“On second thoughts, I think I’ll raise,” he smirked, even if he lost he would have two items of clothing on while one of them would be down to their underpants. Wendell exchanged a single card and held them close, glancing very briefly at the new card before sitting with a smug little smirk.
Rei sounded inclined to play along with her own play involved, the bet being her skirt and shirt once she'd exchanged a single card. A single card. Should he play it safe or should he go the extra mile? He'd have to match the bet and he only lost a shirt the first round, he doubted he could afford to lose his shoes and pants in one go. "Awfully darin' of ya." He remarked to Rei just before he looked over to Wendell, a soft form of a smirk presented.
"Shoes and shirt. Guess I gotta keep up wit' ya, wager my sexy feet will look good with no shoes or socks." He mused before another sip of the wine took place, his eyes down at the cards in his hand as he thought hard. He had to speculate Rei had a good hand going while Wendell, apparently he decided to raise so that didn't tell much. Patrick considered his options a little more carefully, his eyes narrowed just a little as he finally decided what to do next.
"Yeah I guess I'll go ahead and fold. Risky as it is, I dun wanna be the first t' bare my ass just yet." He joked with a wink to Wendell, a subtle hint to add to the humor of the statement. With his cards placed face down he raised arms up to fold behind his head, a comfy grin on his face as he watched the two smugly to see who had the better hand.
Rei was surprised to find that Wendell met her bet, but then again, he had yet to lose a single article of clothing. Not even his shoes. He could bet his shoes and shirt and still be in good shape even if he lost. At least he would still have his pants. Pale blue eyes narrowed as she watched Wendell across the table for any telling signs, but was sorely disappointed to see that there weren’t any. Perhaps he had played this game a little more often than he had let on. He certainly had a good poker face for a beginner.
A smug smirk came from Wendell next, and then the announcement that he was raising the bet even further. His pants would have been the item he raised with, leaving his down to his undergarments if he were to lose this hand. It an awfully confident bet, and he only exchanged one card, which meant that he had to be holding a fairly decent hand to start with. Rei drummed her fingers and took a long sip of wine as her gaze fell over to Patrick. She wondered what he would do with such high stakes at risk.
Though he had met the original wager, Patrick didn’t seem all too excited about the raising of the stakes. He seemed to give it a moment’s pause before deciding to fold his hand and slipping it back into the deck without revealing it. It was something that made the game a little more intriguing. Now it was up to her to meet Wendell’s raise if she wanted to stay in the game. A full house was a pretty decent hand, but the fact that he had only exchanged one card had given her considerable pause.
“Fine you brute. I’ll wager my slip as well. I’m going to regret this if I lose.” With a slight roll of her eyes, she fanned her cards out and laid them out face up on the table towards the center. “Three aces and two eights. A full house for me. Should be tough enough to beat. Well, Wendell, which one of us will be losing our clothes?” Of course she knew she would be in considerably worse shape if Wendell won. She would be down to nothing but her panties, having wagered all the rest of her clothes this round.
