Welcome to Gaia! ::

With his family snug and safe back home and with the pretext of needing an evening off, Xiu alighted from the bus onto Gambino Isle. Gambino tended to have a better night life than the quiet Barton and this is exactly why the Sigel was here. And depending on the outcome of tonight’s escapade, he might or might not drop by the Lab to check on his friend. Hazeline would not mind, as long as he called to tell her that he would be spending the night over.

But that aside, tonight’s agenda would be to play a game of cards. Preferably somewhere quiet and discreet. Xiu had considered visiting a Casino but that seemed risky. At least from what he knew of casinos in movies. There seemed to be cameras everywhere and no doubt someone with a floating body like himself would attract unwanted attention. And he was not comfortable with the high stakes involved.

So somewhere smaller with patrons that were not above playing a casual game of cards for a modest wager. Perhaps a bar or a pub…

Xiu had some reservations about pubs and bars but decided that should it come down to it, he could hold his own in a brawl. Hopefully.

So thus equipped with a packet of cards in his pockets, the Sigel found himself floating uncertainly before an establishment called the Gambino Bar. And in the shop’s window was a sign that said “Keep Calm and Play Poker”. That was certainly encouraging.

Taking a deep breath, Xiu turned the doorknob and entered.

The atmosphere within the Bar was surprisingly cosy with most of the patrons nursing their drinks and tucking into typical bar fares such as hamburgers, chicken wings and the like. Overall, the atmosphere of the bar was that of patrons glad to be off after a hard day’s work.

“Can I help you?”

Xiu turned to the waitress who had spoken. She was dressed in a black t-shirt with the name “Ellie” written on it. And she was staring at him with curiosity as most people would when confronted with a floating being without legs.

The Sigel thought quickly. Should he leave? Should he stay? What were the chances of other bars being any different from the current one?

“I would like to have a drink,” said Xiu worriedly. “Something…non-alcoholic, if you please,”

“You would like a Shirley Temple then?” the waitress asked with an amused look on her face.

The Sigel had no idea what a Shirley Temple was but nodded. When the waitress left, the Raevan gingerly settled himself into a booth. Despite the “Keep Calm and Play Poker” sign, no one seemed to be playing any cards.

When his drink arrived, Xiu thanked the waitress before asking if she knew anyone who would play a game of cards.

“Not many card players on a weekday, luv but we will see,” said Ellie the waitress. Then raising her voice, “Anyone fancy a game of cards with this chap over here?”

“Oh yes, please,” replied Xiu, glad that at least one patron responded to the offer of a game of cards. Glancing at the human before him, the Sigel took note of the other’s appearance as Fisher settled himself onto the opposite seat. The man was compact, well-groomed and apparently a non-drinker (which was odd, considering the venue).

But appearances aside, now came the tricky part. What is proper bar etiquette? Should one introduce oneself? Or should one feign disinterest? ‘Ask no questions and receive no lies’ kind of thing?

Or was that something that movies tended to over exaggerate?

…

“My name is Xiu, pleased to meet you,” the Sigel ventured tentatively. “May I have the pleasure of knowing yours?”

Xiu nodded. It made sense that a guardian-to-be would be interested in knowing about Raevans and what to expect from his future charge. Although admittedly, what could be expected varied from raevan to raevan.

“I am glad that you are willing to play cards with me,” replied Xiu sincerely. Perhaps it was knowing that the man before him would be a future raevan owner that made the Sigel feel more at ease as well. “And I would be happy to answer your questions concerning raevans; as far as I am able to,” said Xiu with a smile.

“So what game should we play? Black jacks? Poker? I will admit that I have limited knowledge in the playing of cards,”

Taking the grin as a sign that the human was at ease and that they should proceed, the Sigel took out the pack of cards he had brought along and offered them to Fisher for inspection. “Just so you are satisfied that these cards aren’t rigged in any way,” was given by way of explanation. “I saw it done in a movie once,”

Which was a sound move as it proved to the opponent that you had nothing to hide. Apart from the hidden card the evil character had hidden up his sleeve, that is. But Xiu was pretty sure that most humans (of which he took Fisher to be a part of), do not normally carry hidden cards about their persons so it was a relatively logical move to exclude the probability of that happening at this point in time.

When Fisher mentioned a wager, Xiu seemed thoughtful. While he had not considered playing for money, he could see how providing an incentive to win would keep the players motivated. Thinking fast, Xiu offered a suggestion “Perhaps we could have a point system? At the end of the game, the person with fewer points will treat the other to a moderately priced drink?”

…

Well that sounded tactless but the word “moderate” should be included in the off chance that the winner preferred to imbibe himself with something lavish from the selection of liquor on offer.