Welcome to Gaia! ::

Friday was a doorway for Richard, a doorway into the glorious weekend! Granted, he worked every other weekend (after all Saturday was always the best day for his candy shop as it was the time when children seemingly flocked, like angrily little geese of glutton!), but this was his off weekend. And what did he do on his off weekend?

Many things! But for now, he'd go ahead and start with the safest yet most dangerous of his past times. Gambling! And today, not just content to risk his money, he wanted to try some place different. The old place was beginning to suspect him of cheating (in which case Richard was certain they had no proof. Since when did knowing when to stop was considered cheating?), and besides, it was beginning to bore him, so tonight he told the taxi driver to take him someplace different.

He had left his hands in the fate of the taxi driver, and here he was, though he certainly didn't regret it. This new place was far more lively, and its employees much easier on the eyes (or perhaps he just grew too used to seeing them, though many of them looked better without their uniforms, or any form of clothes on...)

Richard had yet to notice Aubrey, as he received his starting chips and looked for which poison he was going to indulge in tonight. Which one, which one... ultimately, Richard went for the 5 card poker, as that table seemed to have the most people hovering around it, and the ones already sitting weren't too bad on the eyes. 'If I don't win any money today, then at least I'll come home with a date... or two... or three.'

The first round of poker had ended well for Richard, as it did not take too long to get into the groove of things. He always spent the first half of the game just sizing up his opponents, both for competitive reasons and other reasons, but it never really took him that long to get his head in the game. After all, there was more to life than flirting and filling that spot in his bed (the spot that Baldwin monopolized much too often these days), and that was the thrill of the game, the go big or go home mentality that took over, and Richard enjoyed that feeling.

Only thing he enjoyed more than the thrill of the game was winning the game, and win he did. This table wasn't too difficult, but a victory was a victory, and Richard wasn't the type to accept his money without a little bit of flaunting, though he at least tried to make it seem as if it was in good nature (though, when you're boasting to a loser, they'd take it to heart anyway, so why mask it?). "Good game, gentlemen. You had me going for a second there, so I'll be watching you in the next round."

He collected his chips, just as Aubrey had sat down, and there was nothing that Richard could do to prevent himself from staring. His lips curled into a smile, and while she appeared young, that did nothing to stop his arousal nor did it dampen his sudden interest. As seats opened up and were filled, Richard took the time in between the round to give her a look over, and he rather liked what he saw.

"They say Luck be a Lady," Richard said aloud, leaning back in his seat and revealing nothing but confidence. Woman loved a man with confidence, and Richard had it in abundance. "However, I was unaware she was in attendance tonight. Must be my lucky day."

No, he had no idea who she was, or her profession, but even if he did, he'd likely have stayed on course. All he had to do was play his cards right, and going home with a loaded wallet wouldn't be his only reward this evening.

The die was cast, it seemed. Though, not in the literal sense of course as Five-Card Poker had no need for such a thing, but nevertheless, the play was set. Aubrey had taken his comment and countered expertly, and while some men might have been put off by potentially being outwitted or outflirted by a pretty lady, Richard could only find such a trait to be all the more desirable (to an extent). Her confidence and her way with words intrigued him more than her appearance, and nothing could stop the almost Cheshire cat grin that appeared on his features, even when a few at the table and surrounding the table gave a whistle or a laugh.

Let them laugh. They'd likely be going home empty handed this evening, and if Richard didn't win this game, then at least he might win himself a bedmate. Though, of course, it depended on how fickle this Lady Luck could be, and how good his hand was, just missing how Aubrey and the dealer shared a grin.

Which, upon first glance, it seemed like a pretty decent deck. He paid little attention to the cards in his hands for now, as his eyes (and attention) were set on the lady across from him, as well as attempting to gauge the others as they reviewed their own cards and were contemplating on their next move. "Well, let us hope that Lady Luck is on my side this evening. I wouldn't mind being her personal escort, you know." He glanced at the gentleman next to him and pondered his chances about asking him to move, but it seemed that the game was already in play. 'Or maybe she could be sitting in my lap... hm...'

There was always time for that later. First he had to make sure he earned that privilege, and the best way to do that was to not flub up on the first go round. He placed a few starting chips in, not really paying much attention to how much he put, though it was a calculated move. Of course he was going to flirt with her, but his head would still be in the game, and he'd use his flirtation as a tactic to lower the others' guard. He had used this tactic before and won out in some of the times, and tonight, he felt his chances were good.

Though the situation was as delicate as a as an iPhone without a case and could change... Richard knew this, but he played along anyways. No risk, no reward!

The problem with flirting with a woman that enjoyed the game as much as he did was that she could return fire or outright outmaneuver him at any given moment. Granted, the risk was present with any woman, or man, for that matter, but something about a person with cards in their hand and chips at their disposal only meant that they were all the more deadly to Richard. And it seemed that his tactic was for naught, as she shot down his friendly banter, with a damn good 'flirt seeking missile', too.

"Oh, harsh, my lady," Richard said with a mock-hurt expression, returning his gaze back to the cards in hopes of distracting others from the bruise his ego just suffered. He had to admit, she was witty, perhaps far wittier than him, but the game wasn't over just yet. Another round was on the way, and this time, he placed two additional chips in, perhaps in hopes of enticing others to do the same if they felt he was bluffing.

Which he was, since his hand was still pretty mediocre, but still, part of the fun was getting into people's heads. He'd rather find his way into Aubrey's skin-tight outfit, but that would certainly depend on his game. "It's not too late to correct this, however, if the burly gentleman to your left wouldn't mind scooching over a bit?"

The wink honestly made Richard's heart all a-flutter and it might have shown with the way he quickly glanced down at his cards, despite knowing his hand by heart by now. Said 'burly' man gave a grunt and threw down his deck, mere moments before muttering something obscene below his breath and leaving it. It seemed perfect, and Richard was just about to snatch that chair-

When someone else sniped that spot. Not quite as burly as the last man, but definitely someone that was trying to c**k block him. Or save him from a humiliating defeat. Either way, he wasn't welcomed, but Richard had to swallow his disappointment and let them see nothing but his winning smile. Not let the newcomer know that he wanted to kick him out of the seat and reclaim a spot closer to Aubrey.

"Yes, you're right. The view from this vantage point is quite... charming," Richard said, keeping his tone sickly sweet and trying not to let the newcomer see the daggers in his gaze. He tried to build up his poker face again, especially when he was handed another bad card, and it was beginning to dawn on Richard that this may have been a riskier gamble than he originally thought. Still he wasn't going to back down, and to keep the illusion up, he pushed two more chips forward.

The game was getting intense now, and regardless of his hand, Richard knew that he would have to take a chance sooner or later. There were risks involved by drawing the game out too long, and Richard figured that it was now or never. Maybe everyone else had a worse hand than him? Or perhaps he would lose miserably and shame himself before her and everyone here, but he could at least say that he went down in a blaze of glory.

Figuratively, of course. When she put forth her chips and when it was time to reveal his hand, he did so with some measure of confidence. No need to be meek- if he had a bad hand, then no one would care for meekness, and if his hand was better, he'd only make matters worse as people would think he was being a sleazy douchebag.

"Carpe diem," Richard said softly to himself, his smile confident and his aura infallible. He set the cards down, then proclaimed, "Three of a kind."

Richard knew that there was always a chance that he'd lose, and while, on paper, he was willing to take a chance and accept defeat with quiet dignity, today was a little different. Not only had she managed to beat out his three of a kind, but she had a full house! What were the odds of that?

He kept his wits about him, and while on the inside, he wanted to jump to his feet and flip the table, he remained calm and collected on the outside. Unless one looked into his crimson eyes and saw the burning inferno that shone in them, and the curl of his lip seemed to quiver for a moment before solidifying, and he hoped that no one else besides the smarmy lady had seen it. "Well, aren't we the lucky lady."

He didn't blame the others for groaning, and if he wasn't so high strung to keep his reputation intact, he would have likely joined them. However, he was a gentleman, one that knew when to fold. As enticing as her little challenge was, he felt as though he were making the correct choice, and he respectfully declined. "It would be foolish of me to compete with you, it seems. I'll allow these gentlemen to rack up their debt in my honor, though."

One of them gave him a dirty look, but Richard didn't care. He had a feeling, from the moment he saw her, that she'd be trouble, and he should have listened to that tiny voice. He bobbed his head in her direction and made his leave, turning around in just enough time to prevent the others from seeing just how quickly his smile faded into a cold frown in a matter of seconds. Richard hated losing!