Fold 'em or Hold 'em [SeborgaSeychelles]

[seychelles]

Michelle began to worry her ante may have been too soft. But really, no cards on the table, she wasn't going to change her mind. It wasn't like there was any protest to the suggestion. Just a mutual agreement that it was rather mild. She could live with that.

As soon as the cup of ice was on the table and the cards were dealt, she looked at her hand. A pair of threes. Not good, but it wasn't nothing. And there was still a chance to make it better. She kept the two threes and her ten, the highest of her other cards, and placed the other two, face down, in front of her. “I'll take two,” she told the dealer, who slid her two more cards to replace them. A five and a jack. So her hand was a tad better. A pair of threes and jack high. Great. “Okay, I'm going to raise. Whoever loses has to tell a stranger in this bar that they're from the moon, and it can't be either of us or the dealer.” It was up to him if he called, folded or raised. So far, it still wasn't that bad.

[nekomimi]

Valerio wasn't that happy about his cards, he had a pair of fives, but the other cards sucked big time. Guess he wasn't that lucky in this game after all. Maybe he had used all of his luck already.

"Change these two cards, grazie" Valerio said to the dealer, and he got his new cards. Well, he got a six and a nine, not that good, but better than what he had to begin with. He had no idea what cards the young lady had, but it couldn't be that good, she had asked for new cards after all. He wasn't sure if he would raise or call. He wasn't afraid, but he would rather see her do it instead of him. And the only way to make her embarrassed was to win. She would probably look adorable with red cheeks, trying to explain a random person she was from the moon. That would be so cute.

[seychelles]

Michelle stared at her cards. She had already placed a bet, but he hadn't responded to it yet. Was his hand that bad? Or maybe he wanted to raise and was trying to think of something really awkward to make her do. Of course, she had no intention of doing anything horrible just because of a card game. If that meant she had to concede a few, she'd do it. She could embarrass herself without a problem, but she wasn't going to tarnish her reputation completely.

“So what's it going to be, Lucky?” She asked, still having no name to call him by. “Not too afraid of talking to strangers, are you?” She wasn't, hence why she freely spoke to him. He hadn't been speaking much at all... Maybe he had a stutter and if he spoke in anything but choppy sentences he'd reveal it. As her mind wandered further at the possibilities, she decided she really wanted to hear him speak more to put the issue to bed..

[nekomimi]

"I'm calling."
He couldn't think of anything embarrassing for her to do, that wouldn't be totally embarrassing for him too. And his cards wasn't that good either. He wouldn't risk doing something really stupid just for a game of poker, though it could be rather fun. But nah, he had his reputation, he couldn't loose that. After all, he was known as a player, though a rather nice one. If that was even possible.

"My name ain't lucky, it's Valerio."
He said smoothly and laughed a bit. Well, seemed like he wasn't so lucky anymore, not with these cards at least. Also, He had no problem talking to strangers, but if he could stay cool and win, that would be the best.

"We're all strangers until we start talking, si?"
How else would he get his girls. He had to talk to them, flirt and be a gentleman. He would even go as far as to say he was rather good at that, flirting.

[seychelles]

Michelle nodded when he called, not immediately moving to show her cards.

“Nice to meet you, my name's Michelle,” she replied happily, noticing his use of a word outside of her dialect. “That's true. Though some people just become stranger after that.” She winked. Apparently there was a stigma that inventors were strange people. She didn't mind that at all and she certainly had no intention of proving it wrong. Not that he could know her profession (or that she had a profession of her own at all), but if he did find out, she didn't want him to be disappointed. And perhaps he was some type of detective and had already deduced it.

She placed her cards down onto the table, fanning them out so all of the values were visible. Her expression was mixed. Nothing to brag about in that hand. All she needed was for his hand to be worse. “Pair of threes, jack high.” She sat back, messing with the hair near her ear as she waited to see her fate.

[nekomimi]

"What a beautiful name.. Michelle."
Valerio said and smiled gently. It was a pretty name, it suited her. He couldn't remember if he had slept with any Michelle before, probably not. He used to remember the faces of the girls he had been with, and this girl was not among them. She did seem too good for fooling around, not that kind of girl. Not that Valerio cared, he could have another girl. Though, Michelle was an interesting one.

"Haha yeah! Absolutely."
He said to her comment about strange people. He had met some of those people too, yeah. One of the girls he had tried to bring home turned out to be a boy, which was a rather uncomfortable and strange situation.

"Well well."
He put his cards on the table, a seven, a nine and a ten. He waited for a bit and then put down his pair of five, which was better than her pair of threes.
"Seems like you have to become friends with this glass of ice little moongirl."
He said jokingly. Well, he still had some luck left, when would it end? He guessed soon, he had this strange feeling about Michelle.

[seychelles]

Michelle blushed lightly, her smile remaining on her face. "Merci, I'm quite fond of it, too."

Michelle had met many people who didn't like their names for one reason or another. She wasn't named after anyone in particular and the only issue she ever had was that some people accidentally pronounced it Michael if they read it. Lucky for her, people rarely had occasion to see it written before hearing it spoken.

"But what's life without the surprising person every now and then," he mused, her smile pulled back a little but remained present until the cards were shown.

"Darn it, that's two in row. Sure lucky isn't a middle name or something?" She joked. "Well, no one to blame but myself for what I have to do..."

She cringed a little as she put her hand into the ice. The cold bit to the bone, but it wasn't impossible to bear. "A-alright... n-next hand..."

(And over a month later orz)