Shuffle Up And Deal
Posted on Thu Jan 3rd, 2019 @ 1:38pm by Commodore Tyler Malbrooke & Lieutenant Commander Katherine Malbrooke & Lieutenant Commander Vaebn tr'Hwersuil & Major Cornelius Tremble & Chloe de la Vega
Edited on on Thu Jan 3rd, 2019 @ 1:59pm
2,660 words; about a 13 minute read
Mission:
Episode 5 - It Would Be Their Pleasure
Location: After 11
Timeline: MD008 2200 hrs
Tyler had selected a few members of the Pioneer's community that he thought could probably use a good chance to blow off some steam. He was going to run a poker game in the ship's lounge. Kat thought that it was a great idea and came to spend some time with her husband and his crew. After the events that they have all been through this was probably the best for all of them.
He set up the table, complete with felt, chips, and a deck of cards. Now all that was left was the guests. In the meantime Tyler sat there and shuffled the cards executing some of his trademark card tricks. "Pick a card any card..." he said as his wife arrived with some drinks. "Here babe, drink this and I have seen all of your cheesy card tricks play that somewhere else." Kat said as she kissed him.
"Does everyone get one?" Chloe asked as she moved round the bar, this was in reference to the sight of the Malbrookes kissing that she had just witnessed. She was wearing a tight fitting outfit, nothing too showy but just enough to make boys wink. It was dark red and black with a little sparkle to it. She also wore her glasses, purely aesthetic as she had no trouble with her eyesight.
Tyler smirked when Chloe arrived as he thought rule number one as a woman playing poker, if you have it flaunt regardless of the cards. "I dunno Chloe but if you keep the drinks coming stranger things have happened." For her part Kat blushed a moment an punched her husband in the arm.
"I would definitely count on more drinks..." Chloe replied. " Then again that's how I managed to wake up next to a blue bald headed Bolian. I guess I'm used to a little strange, you two would be normal in comparison." she said with a cheeky smile.
"Wixx, down in the torpedo launching bay. He told just about everyone about the wild night with his conquistador." Tyler smirked and winked at Chloe as his vodka sour arrived.
Neil walked through the doors to After 11 and sized up the room. It hadn’t changed since the last time he’d been there, though that wasn’t surprising.
Still, you never knew and he’d had a long year. The Captain’s invite had been a surprise, but he also knew it was part of his ‘assimilation’ to the Officer Corp. That was just a bit depressing. Seeing that Malbrooke, his wife and the Lounges bartender were conversing, Neil decided he needed a bracer before socialization.
Stepping to the bar, he ordered a Depth Charge. The barman slid a chilled mug filled to three quarters with an amber liquid and a shot of rye whiskey. He dropped the shot into the mug, then chugged the beer down and caught the shot in his lips. Straightening, he let the shot drop into his hand and set it top down on the bar with a clack, even as he shut his eyes and felt the alcohol drop into his stomach, burning all the way.
Neil tapped the mug again and after it was refilled, he turned and made his way over to where the Pioneer’s CO sat and he slid into a seat.
“Captain. Ladies.”
"Cornelius welcome. First rule is no ranks we are simply going to play some cards and blow off some steam. Hold em's the game and the sky is the limit. So we have three of our players. I wonder what is keeping the other two?" Tyler said as he excitedly welcomed his MCO to the table and raised his glass. "To you my friend... May fortune ever favor the brave." Kat smiled at the new arrival. "Glad to see you away from Marine Country Tremble."
Vaebn tugged slightly at the tunic he wore as he approached the door. He had pulled it from the bottom of the drawer in his quarters, considering he rarely had a chance to dress in anything but his uniforms in so long, and it sat in a most unfamiliar way. He wore long loose leg pants that bordered on being robes, soft leather sandals, a light short sleeved tunic and a tunic vest with a high sided collar, which is what annoyed him presently. He entered the lounge quietly and noted the other officers in the room as he made his way to the bar.
Andrew walked in dressed in black cargo pants and gray tank top. He paused at the door and looked around, spotting the group and feeling a bit of his social anxiety start to rise. He closed his eyes and took a breath before smiling and walking over to the group, "evening," he greeted and sat down.
Neil raised his mug, responding "To good fortune and beautiful women," he smiled, his eyes sweeping around the table. To Kat, he said "I don't know about that, Ma'am. I think maybe they're going to seal the Cure in and put up a sign outside saying, In Case of Emergency, Break Glass."
"All those men trapped behind glass..." Chloe said playing with the cherry on a stick she'd acquired and looking at the marine. "I can think of an emergency I'd have that I'd break that glass for." She added with her eyes slightly glassed over as she imagined something naughty.
"Having said that, I'm quite happy with what I have before me, such 'enticing' company." she pursing her lips, scrunching her eyes up with delight.
Eyeing Chloe pointedly from heel to crown, Neil glanced toward Malbrooke then and winked "Given that, maybe the glass would be to protect us?" Then meeting Chloe's eyes and smiling, he stated "No fair trying to distract us before the game's even begun, Ms. De La Vega."
"Distraction is one of my many talents Lieutenant, and by your name any more of them and I can truly make you 'Tremble'." she said with a little wink of her own. She loved teasing people, whilst at the bar she did it all the time and flirting she would list as one of her key skills as a young woman.
"Alright ladies and gents get your drinks. Hold em is the game and the skies the limit. Blinds begin at 5 and 10. Here we go..." Tyler said as he shuffled the cards.
"If you don't mind sir, I think I'll just observe the game for now." Vaebn said as he took a drink from the chilled glass.
"Suit yourself Vaebn but I thought that playing poker with a member of your race would be a unique challenge for me. As Poker is not just a game of chance it is a game of bluffing, strategy, and misdirection." Tyler spoke as if he had a chip on his shoulder. The smirk on his face did not help much.
Vaebn sat on one of the bar chairs looking down at the Captain at his game table; "Your reasoning is sound; however, my understanding of the nuances of this game aside; a player who has made misdirection, misinformation, secrets and convincing other to go with his plan and make them think it was their idea, might, make a poor choice in a game that has high stakes riding on it." He took another sip of his drink, "Besides, if I want to 'clean out your wallet,' it will be at a time of my choosing." A wry smile crossed the edges of his lips, "You might make more money off a Ferengi than me."
Tyler laughed as he adjusted his hat. "Well pard when you are ready you just jump right in and we will see who's wallet gets cleaned out." It was a good sight to see the Romulan smiling and enjoying himself Tyler thought. This was what he wanted for his crew, a home and a family.
* * *
Neil looked down at the table, then at Tyler and tossed a couple of more chips into the pot. “Call. And raise another twenty.”
They’d been playing for three hours, with various shifts of luck and skill causing piles of chips to raise and fall. Neil always looked at it as an voluntary shifting of resources.
On the flop, he sighed and tossed his cards in. “Well, that proves the old saying. Gamble with your life, never your money or your wife.” I suppose that’s why I became a Marine and not a shark.”
He reached back and and picked up a sandwich and bit into the egg salad, “Well, that and the sandwiches.”
Tyler laughed "Clearly you have never played cards with Kat. Well with the good Marine bowing out that leaves myself and our beloved bar main. I will call and raise twenty." Tyler tossed the appropriate chips into the pot and did so without looking at his cards. As it stood on the flop he had three queens, and wanted to buy this pot. "What say you Chloe?"
Chloe smiled devilishly at the table before her and pushed all her chips in. "Show me what you got Tex!" she added with a wink. "I'm all in." She had a bold hand but would it be enough? She much preferred strip poker but that would have been a most inappropriate suggestion given the location, maybe next time she had thought.
Tyler took a mental tally of how much she had placed into the pot. He realized that he had enough to cover her bet and if he lost he would still have some left over to stay in. But that was not the only factor here. He thought about his opponent for a moment, after all Poker was a thinking man's game. He invited Chloe to come play because she was the wild card. One did not know what she would say or do. To that end she could have a hand or she could be bluffing. He simply stared at her across the table and blinked. After a few minutes he smirked "Whelp little lady, I am going to call. You make the bet, you show the cards. What do you have?"
"Well..." she began as she placed her cards down one by one. "I got a little bored of this game and replaced my cards... I have a Pikachu, a Bulbasaur, a Mew, a Charizard and a Psyduck. There's also a special sparkly 'special de la Vega service' card if someone manages to beat me for it." she said looking at her cards with some wicked thoughts in her mind.
Tyler sipped his whiskey as he waited for her to show her cards. When she did he nearly shot the whiskey across the table. "Well, I do believe my three ladies beats whatever the hell that is." He started to gather the chips as he spoke.
Neil munched through his sandwich as the Tyler and Chloe showed his hands and he blinked at Chloe's display.
Then looked at her.
Then glanced at Tyler, "That must be what the Klingon's refer for as Verengan Jochqu' (Ferengi Desperation).
Tyler almost fell out of his chair from laughing so hard. "Well Chloe I think for that crazy stunt a round of drinks for us all on you. Also get the blinds in gentlemen it's time to shuffle up and deal." As he dealt the cards Tyler took a quick stock of all those that were at the table. He found that the Romulan had the best poker face. Even when he had absolutely nothing Tyler thought that the Romulan had a hand. He was definitely the man to beat at the table.
"Aren't the drinks always on me?" she asked with a wry smile as she gave back the original cards and put her own away. "Can't blame a girl from trying to amuse herself." Chloe added looking all innocent.
As the new round of drinks were dolled out, Tyler shuffled the cards and dealt another hand. "Indeed they are and in return we offer you shenanigans." He responded to Chloe's comment, and his wife gave him a slap on the arm for his remark. He looked at his pocket and saw that he utter crap. The flop was no help either. So the Captain did what Captain's do best bluffed. "Right so betting is to me. I will call the blind and raise ten."
Neal glanced at his cards, a pair of deuces, and frowned at the river which held a third and then eyed Tyler before glancing around. When the captain raised, he dropped his cards and leaned back. Finally he shrugged and tossed in a couple of chips, hesitated and tossed in three more. "Call and raise another twenty."
He hoped he wasn't overdoing things, but then he never had been much of an actor. Neal started to raise his mug and grinned at Chloe, "You're not going to try a King's Bishop gambit this hand, are you?"
Chloe blinked at him quite a few times as the words that came out his mouth sounded like a mash up of strange sounds. "Eh no?" she replied. "To be quite honest Poker has never been my strongest game... I'm more partial to drinking games if I'm honest." she added with a shrug of her shoulders and looked back at her hand, not very promising and her young features showed this.
Tyler glanced at the pot, then over at Tremble and then at his cards. "Whelp Kenny Roger said it best. You've got to know when to fold em. I'm out." The Captain tossed his cards in and rose to get a drink. He rather enjoyed this game, it gave him a chance to get to know some of his officers. An idea formed that he would try to do this on a monthly basis rotating his guests. But for now the urge to dance took over and he grabbed his wife and spun her around some of the tables.
"Well what has gotten into you? Not that I am objecting." Kat said as she took to the dance.
"On second thoughts I think this is too rich for my young blood. I fold also." she said placing her cards down and heading to the bar for some shots of something she'd named 'de la Vegas'.
Neil considered the table as the game broke up, idly wondering who Kenny Rodgers was but letting that slip aside as he stood and dusted his hands. Somehow he felt uncomfortable and decided that discretion was the better part of valor. To amuse himself, he waited until the other's all seemed distracted, then slipped from the lounge and headed back to Marine country.
All in all it was good night Tyler thought as he danced with his wife. He smiled broadly as he realized that this was what Starfleet was about. At least it was to him. He even watched as Vabn, the stoic Romulan had let his hair down. Yes Tyler Malbrooke had made the decision then and there that poker would have to become a tradition and part of the Pioneer's legacy.
A Joint Post By
Captain Tyler Malbrooke
Commanding Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Vaebn tr'Hwersuil
Chief Science Officer, USS Pioneer
Second Lieutenant Cornelius Tremble
Marine Commanding Officer, USS Pioneer
Command SeniorChief Petty Officer Andrew Moore
Chief of the Boat/Behavioral Health Specialist, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Commander Katherine Malbrooke
Assistant Chief Engineering Officer, Empok Nor
Chloe De La Vega
Owner/Bartender "After 11", USS Pioneer
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