lucetilogs | Event Log - Malnosso World

"Oh..." Dessert man sighed, knowing he'd been rebuffed.

Loki, for his part, smiled. "Is that so? My appetites are rather legendary, though..."

Rogue gave a brief laugh. "The way you eat? I'm astonished."

She put in her bet. "You're just so picky."

Loki raised her bet with a lazy movement of his hand. With a show of great reluctance, Annoyed Man did as well.

"I just know what it is I want," Loki drawled.

Rogue eyed the pile and her cards, then decided that she would drive the bet up so that Loki could wipe Annoyed Man out. It would be more fun that way.

"Oh, is that it," Rogue said mildly. She met and raised the bet, not enough to scare Annoyance Man off, but leaving her with very few chips. It would be bait that she didn't think he could resist and Rogue wanted him gone; he was spoiling the mood. "But I hope that won't keep you back from tryin' new things..."

Loki read what Rogue was doing; he knew her well enough now, and knew she found the man annoying. He carefully counted out his chips and added a few more. He'd played with the man enough that he knew how to draw him in.

And it was obvious the man thought he had a good hand. Let him think that; Loki would play up the reluctance. A little slight of hand would ensure he came out on top if necessary. He hadn't been caught yet; he was a god of trickery, after all. Lack of magic just meant he had to have more care.

"Oh, you know. I do love to try new things." He grinned. "Even if I need a bit of incentive at times."

Dessert Man folded and Annoyance Man grumbled and raised the bid. Rogue sighed a little and went all in. It was the only way she could stay in the game, and really, her hand wasn't all that bad. And if worst came to worst, she was fairly confident that Loki could win it, and then maybe they could both go get a drink...

"Incentive? What happened to the experience bein' incentive in and of itself?"

Loki checked his cards again, then called the Annoyed Man's bet. The man smirked and flipped over a straight. "More play, less dessert."

...she'd apologize to Loki later, even after the set-up, she could beat this smug jerk. And so she would. Rogue's face fell slightly, "No dessert?"

She put her cards on the table - flush. "And I was startin' to get so hungry."

Loki considered his options, and decided he liked the idea of Rogue winning. He flipped his cards to reveal two pair, smiling. "I'm afraid I can't offer anything nearly so pretty. I hope the lady hasn't lost her appetite entirely."

"Who, me?" Rogue said, raking her chips in, much to the disgust of Annoyed Man. "I'm just gettin' started."

Loki gave the man a sharp smile. "In for another?" They'd be able to clean him out completely in another hand, he thought, perhaps two. "You don't seem played out."

The man crossed his arms across his chest. "Still some fight left in this dog."

Rogue was tempted to make some kind of comment having to do with promises and stamina, but it was too easy, and besides, she didn't really want to speculate.

She gave Loki a smile instead and took a sip of her champagne. Dessert Man struck up a mild conversation with the other woman at the table while the dealer dealt the cards.

"I wonder if they have any ladyfingers," Rogue said, a touch absently. "I bet they taste great dipped in coffee."

Loki licked his lips again. "It sounds lovely. Full bodied. I'd rather like to try."

The next hand was dealt. Hr checked his cards casually.

"You might like 'em," Rogue said, putting down a single card. "They're light. Kinda lemony."

She usually enjoyed poker, but right now, Rogue was starting to get hungry. They'd wipe this guy out first, maybe play just a few more rounds...

"I'll try nearly anything once," he remarked.

Even being honest. That had worked out shockingly well.

He drove another round of betting. "And I'd rather things be more interesting than just sweet, as you know."

"Would you try playing without talking?" grumbled Annoyance Man, meeting Loki's bet with the remainder of his meager stack of chips.

Rogue raised her bet and gave Annoyance Man an unfriendly smile. "I really don't think that would help you."

She turned to Loki, "Remember the last time we played poker?"

"Oh, I am sorry," Loki said. "I'd no idea your game was so utterly fragile." He smirked.

Oh yes, he remembered well. That shift had actually been something approaching fun. "I do indeed. You looked quite lovely."

Annoyance Man knew that he had asked for that and shifted in his chair as if he wanted to say something but couldn't think of what to say.

Rogue's lips curled up in a private smile as she remembered leaning forward so he could light the cigarette on her cigarette lighter. "We had fun," she said simply, even though they probably weren't supposed to be able to enjoy each other, they had. It had felt dangerous in all the best ways to indulge in a backroom poker game with Loki, him decked out in that suit, with that hat, and that cigar and observing her so intently. The game had almost been an excuse, a reason to spend time with him when by all rights she should have been avoiding him. It had been difficult to walk away.

She glanced at him from under her lashes, "You were all heart."

Annoyance Man groaned.

Loki laughed. "Oh, the lady remembers." He had felt something, then, another of those moments that had urged him to continue his pursuit of her. They were connected, had been since that first shift they had spent together whether either of them had liked it or not.

Though he had liked it.

"Does the lady also remember that she skipped out on her bet?" He chose two cards to be changed out. "Wicked thing that she is."

Rogue's lips twitched up when he said 'wicked thing' and she had to glance down to avoid giving the game away. "I did not," she said firmly, picking up her swapped out card. "I told you to let me know when you wanted to collect. You never did."

"Because you were avoiding me."

If it wasn't for the look on his face, Rogue would almost feel guilty. Now. Then, that had seemed like it was her only option, before she'd made this choice...

She didn't regret it. Still, something about it shook her composure and her answer was a little more raw and honest than she meant it to be.

"Well, yeah." And Rogue realized there was suddenly a lot she wanted to say about that, but not here, not around all these people. "But it wasn't like ya didn't know how to contact me."

"Aww, how sweet," said the woman, who had otherwise been silent. She had a richly accented voice with a deeply sensual timbre. "Is this the origin of your little love story?"

She flashed dark eyes at Loki.

Loki gave her a slow, heated smile. "I'm so terribly old," he said. "Geriatrics like me need a bit of a rest when we've had a prolonged chase, you know." It was mostly a joke, though he had wished mightily to be the one pursued for once. It would have felt nice.

His smile sharpened as he looked at the woman. "Oh no. That's a far darker secret."

Unaccountably, and of all things, Rogue felt guilty. She dropped her gaze to her hand. "I'll have to keep that in mind," she said, just to say something. It was so strange to think back on that time from this perspective, when he was so important to her.

"I enjoy secrets," said the woman. She gave Loki an inviting look that Rogue unfortunately missed completely, as she was staring at her cards. Fortunately, perhaps, Rogue also missed the look the woman gave her. "All kinds of secrets."

"Just do your best to forget it when we get to the exciting bits. I'm certain my old heart can take those."

Loki's smile became nearly predatory as he looked at the woman. "Is that so," he drawled. It was probably a tone Rogue recognized, the sort that said Oh, are you volunteering to be my new chew toy?

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject