house's rules

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The cards sung softly as Leo's fingers rolled over the deck. At first, it was fanned out, face cards staring at the well-dressed King. Then, his hand glided over them, gathering them into a single deck, which Leo then danced from hand to hand until they were shuffled to his content. It was only then that he allowed his gaze to roll up to the person that had seated themselves before him and the green felt tabletop.

As most weekend nights were, the casino was a hive of activity. The most common patrons were Inner Citadel citizens, who could afford both money and time to indulge in gambling. A few were notably not from the Citadel, marked by difference of style, but those that were able to pass through the Citadel gates were special in some regard, whether they were Military associates or servants to generous families.

Leo was often found on the floor of his own casino, though it was usually out of his own pleasure, not to manage a blackjack table. Such a task was small and delegated to lower level employees. Yet, sometimes, Leo had gotten the itch to deal and he'd relinquish a grateful dealer to assume their place at the head of the game. It was a harkening to the old days, when he was an initiate in the Diamonds and sought a better income than that garnered by running games in the Slum streets.

Leo looked at the newcomer, an easy gaze rested on them as his fingers worked their magic, movements sure and smooth so that his hands looked concentrated yet his eyes could focus fully on the person before him.

"New here?" Leo asked, amiable smile on his face as he dealt the cards to their appropriate spots.

Tag : OPEN

Posted 09-11-2021, 07:35 PM This post was last modified: 10-20-2021, 05:26 PM by Leander Wilkenson

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Callixtus had his arm wrapped around Gwen who tightly gripped his wrist as he swung her away from the bar. There was a light splash as some of her drink went toppling over the rim and onto the carpeted floor. "You sloppy, sloppy girl." Cal whispered into her ear as the two laughed it off while he swept her towards the action. It was some poor employee's problem now.

Gambling. Another one of those acceptable addictions.

It was the type of thing Cal could let loose on without having to worry about having some black mark written on his permanent record. After he'd been demoted he had begun to learn to be smarter when he felt like wrecking havoc. "Which one are ya doin', babe?" Gwen asked as she started to sip on her cocktail.

"Blackjack, obviously." Cal told her with the wave of his hand as he pulled her towards a table. "A classic." Guiding the younger girl with him, Cal approached the first opportunity he could to join a game.

"New here?" The dealer asked.

"Hardly." Cal snorted.

"Yes!" Gwen said in perfect unison. The man stared towards his girlfriend, his brow tightening slightly towards her. The goddamn airhead. Cal let go of Gwen, plopping down in a seat only for her to plop down in his lap. "I'm allowed to sit here, aren't I?" She asked, her doe eyes turning towards the dealer since she didn't know how the casino worked.

She was clearly an airhead who got by on her looks.

Posted 10-19-2021, 09:16 PM

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His eyes flicked from the well dressed man before him, to the girl that slid into his lap, large eyes that betrayed her foolish innocence fluttering at Leo. The dealer gave her an easy smile, already noting the tired dynamic of the couple before him.

"So long as the gentleman's okay with it," Leo said, as he lifted a card off of the neatly packed deck in his palm. His eyes then rested on the both of them. "I take it you're both dealing in then?"

He would wait for the appropriate steps to be taken. If the gentleman before him was experienced as he said, Leo had hoped he would direct the girl in his lap to the etiquettes of card-playing at the Velour. That being taken into account, each casino did their rules a little differently, and some gamblers could not be bothered to read the subtle changes screwed to the side of each playing table. So Leo took care to run through a brief introduction, his eyes directed more towards the woman than her companion.

"Whenever you're ready, place your bets on the table in front of you. Once the game starts, all I ask is that you keep your hands above the table and to not touch your chips until the game is over. The signal for a hit is-" Leo moved his hand in a beckoning motion towards his chest. "If you wish to stay, then move your hand like this over your cards-" He shook his hand over the table, as if to signal "stop".

All of it was said with serviceable ease, and Leo's smile was wide enough to denote joy but not so wide that it appeared forced. In other words, a well-balanced mask of hospitality. "Any further questions or concerns before we start?"

Tag : Callixtus Shaw

Posted 10-26-2021, 04:44 PM

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The man working on the other side of the table didn't seem to care either way. Cal moved the girl on his lap into a more comfortable position as she began to laugh while he adjusted her body weight. "I take it you're both dealing in then?"

"Hell no, just me." Cal made sure to take control of the situation before Gwen stepped in and made a mess of things. That seemed to be her favorite hobby. Cal raised his hips slightly and started to withdraw some chips from his pocket, slapping them down on the table. Gwen tried to reach towards them but he grabbed her wrist. "Never touch the table." Cal warned.

Leander stepped in to lay down some rules. Gwen seemed mesmerized as he spoke, but she tended to do that around any good looking man. Daddy issues, am I right? "Any further questions or concerns before we start?"

"None at all." Cal smiled back at him as he rested his chin against Gwen's shoulder to get a better view of the table. His eyes scanned towards the desk of cards. He was actually pretty good at counting cards when it was only one or two decks, but casinos like this were bound to use more. Nothing like back alley games.

"You gotta name?" Cal asked the dealer. "Callixtus Shaw." He gestured towards himself so Leander would be able to put a face to the name. "Though goin' with Cal is fine."

Posted 10-28-2021, 05:22 PM

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Leo's cornflower blue eyes were kind as they looked to the woman. "It's generally frowned upon. I hope that's okay." The dealer explained, finishing the preparations for the game. He hoped the aggression of her partner had not soured her mood and perhaps ruined any chance at business but she looked unbothered, happy even, as she withdrew her slender hands and blinked up at Leo with innocuous doe eyes. Was it ignorance that made her so complacent? Or fear? Leo could not tell from the glimmer of her gaze as she soaked up Leo's explanation.

He noticed, to, the leniency in the player's eyes, who explained from behind the shoulder of his lover to be one Callixtus Shaw. Leo had known the practice of "counting cards" to be prolific, and within a year's work of professional dealing for the Diamonds had learned to spot the telltale signs- the clandestine glances, missed by most, but glaring to a dealer, even with their head down and hands occupied with playing cards.

And Leo cared not for its prevalence. There were a few casino owners that threw patrons out at the first hint of cheating, but the majority of the Diamonds knew that allowing small wins was essential to the business model, clean or no. Ultimately, the casinos were a neon brandished paradise for inhabitants of a world that was turbulent and hopeless. People came to them to forget their woes and failures, and find a place where they didn't feel like puppets, lost without someone to hold up their strings. The Military cared naught for its citizens- at least with the Diamonds, there was some chance at escape and autonomy. At times, Leo thought it charity.

"Leo," he answered simply, after meeting Callixtus' eyes. "It's a pleasure. Most who come to the table don't ask for my name- or offer theirs. There's a certain... anonymity on the game floor." Leander's smile was bemusing. "I suspect there's a comfort to it."

The cards were hit- a 10 of spades and a 9 of clubs faced Callixtus. The one visible card at the dealer's hand, displayed neatly before Leo's suited figure, shown a 9 of hearts. A twinkle caught in Leo's eyes. "Lucky man."

He raised a hand, fingers cupped around the deck, the index finger of his opposite hand perched teasingly on the top card as he waited for a telling signal- though it was clear which one he expected.

Tag : Callixtus Shaw

Posted 11-11-2021, 05:54 PM

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