Editing Story:ROAD TRIP! (Warhammer High)/Part Two (section)

===Poker Faces===

After the food was gone, Jake retrieved the case and opened a pack of cards.  “All right, what do you want to play, folks?” he asked, lifting the fresh deck.  “How about simple poker, keep it straightforward?”

“Works for me,” Freya said, picking up a stack of chips. “Hmm…white is one, red is five, green is ten, blue is twenty five, purple is fifty.”

“All right,” Jake said.  He pulled the jokers and rule cards out, then split and shuffled the deck with speed and casual ease that gave most of the others pause.  He smiled blandly as he dropped a few chips into the pot.  “Come on, who’s in?”

“I am suddenly filled with dread,” Remilia announced.  Jake smirked.

As the sun dipped low behind the horizon, and the game wore on, Remilia, Venus, and Alex dropped out one by one, until only Freya and Jake, the gamblers, were left.  For such a tactile and outgoing person, Jake noted, Freya had an unnervingly straight poker face.

She watched his hands as he lifted two more cards and slid them into his hand.  Her eyes darted up to his face as he looked at what he had drawn.  His heart leaped.  He had drawn the five.  He had the straight.

“I’m in two hundred,” he said, sliding some chips in.

“See your two, raise you one fifty,” Freya instantly said.

Jake nodded slowly.  “Call.”  He slid a few more chips in.

Freya offered up a feral grin and laid her hand out.  “Six-high straight!” she announced.  “Beat that!”

“Okay,” Jake said nonchalantly.  He dropped his cards out on the table.  “Nine-high straight.”

Freya’s face contorted as the others chuckled.  “Son of a BITCH!”  She slammed her cards down as Jake scooped up the pot.  She glared at the cards that had betrayed her.

Jake smiled wanly.  “So who taught you how to play?” he asked as he sorted his chips and shuffled the cards.

“My father used to play with a few Army and Astartes buddies,” Freya said.  “He taught me.  How about you?”

“My friends from middle school.  We would play during every lunch and study hall,” Jake said.

“Hmph.  Well, you’re good.  I don’t even see your tells half the time,” Freya conceded.  “And coming from me, that says a lot.”

“It does,” Jake agreed.  “Let’s see…this is your last hand, innit?” he asked, eyeing her stack.

“It may well be,” she said gravely.  She picked up her cards and chipped her ante in.

Jake glanced over his cards.  Nothing spectacular, just a pair of fours.  “All right, I’m in,” he said, chipping ten into the pot.

Freya met his bet and chucked three cards.  Jake did the same.  Freya looked over her hand and looked up at him, blank-faced.  “I’ll open.  Forty,” she said, dropping a fifty into the pile and removing a ten.

“See your forty, raise you twenty five,” he said, dropping some more chips into the pile.  Freya hesitated, searching his face, and nodded.

“All in,” she said, pushing her remaining thirty into the middle.

The others leaned forward as both set down their hands.  Freya had a pair of aces with a king, Jake had three fours.

“Argh!  I am slain!” Freya groaned, slumping back into her chair and clutching her heart.

“Just as planned,” Jake said mildly.  He scooped up the last chips and cards.  “Nice game, guys, that was a lot of fun.”

“I was taking it easy on you,” Freya grumbled, shaking his hand with every sign of reluctance.

“Of course you were,” Jake soothed.

Remilia stood and stretched.  “Well, as fun as that was, I’m turning in.  We have a lot of walking on the itinerary tomorrow, I need to rest.”

“Me too,” Alex said, weaving a bit as he stood.  “Man, that’s strong stuff,” he said, waving at the empty bottle of champagne.

“Thanks for everything, guys, that was a great birthday,” Jake said contentedly, clipping the box of chips shut.  “And Venus, baby…the watch.  Seriously.  Awesome.  You’ll understand if I don’t wear it around, right?  During tourist-time, I mean?” he asked.

“Sure,” she said.  She stood too, and cleaned the detritus of their meal away.  “All right…I’ll see you all tomorrow.  Alex, if your father bothers you too much, really, tell me about it.  One snap of my fingers and he’s out of our hair.”

“I want him inconvenienced, not liquefied, but thanks,” Alex said.  He grabbed his own effects and headed out.  “See you guys tomorrow.”

“Bye, Happy Birthday Jake!” Remilia said, shutting the door behind her.

Jake sank into his chair and pulled the watch back out, staring at it.  Venus leaned over him and wrapped her arms around his neck.  “I’m so glad you like it.”

“This is the kind of watch people on Terra go to interstellar trade shops to buy,” Jake said.  “It’s amazing.  I really have to show Dad.”

Venus put the watch back in the little stone box and clipped it shut.  “Go get ready for bed, baby, Remilia’s right.  We have a lot of walking to do tomorrow.”

“Yeah?  What have you got planned?” Jake asked.

“We’re going to going to tour the markets a bit,” Venus said.  “Then, I want to show you guys the craftwork district where the city hubs are.”

“Cool.”  Jake stood and piled his presents on the table.  “Man.  I know I shouldn’t…I do.  But that card from Remilia…yikes.”

“How much?” Venus asked.  Jake passed her the card.  Venus’ eyebrows rose when she saw the number.

“…Generous.”

“No kidding.”

“Jake,” Venus said flatly, making eye contact with him.  “I hereby order you to not feel guilty.”

“…Okay,” Jake slowly replied.  “Whatever you say.”

“Good.”  Venus nodded primly.  “Now…get ready for bed.”

Alex finished up into the bathroom and emerged into the darkened bedroom.  He weaved his way across the room and fell face-first into the bed.

“…Little drunk?” Freya asked from the pitch-black room.

“Lil’ bit.”  Alex groaned.  “This was a huge mistake.”

“Featherweight,” Freya snorted, waving the lights up.  And she had been all ready to play, too.

“Ungh.”

“You gotta barf?”

“No, just sleep for eight hours,” Alex moaned.  “I’ve turned off the vox and switched off the room line, so no disruptions.”

“Good.”  Freya slid into bed and gingerly rubbed his back.  “Uh.  Sleep tight?”

“I hope,” Alex said.