**Whatever Gamble's last thought had been at the bar, it hadn't prepared him for what happened next: As Highgrove pulled out the green smokey orb, it suddenly felt heavy in his hands, and as he peered into it, he saw himself in the dark void of the spheres black depths, his eye staring back at the bar as he sat there aimlessly, he was caught looking on himself staring into the green depths of the crystal, the reflection of a reflection. And suddenly, Gamble was in a much dreary, much grayer Flush of Hearts, still sitting at the bar, only the Jaded Eye was gone.**
**The few customers that were sitting at the bar along with Gamble gave him a some strange looks, but kept to their drinks mostly, though he may have heard something about being drunk and just going home, or something to that effect.
The floor of the Flush was its usual amalgam of clientele, some low-level thugs milled about the room, there were a string of card and dice games going on, nothing else seemed unusual, except all the colors in the place, they were muted and washed out, as if blanketed in soot.**
Card game - Highgrove! Get over here, we've kept a seat warm.
**Not wanting to rock the boat until he had a better idea of what was going on, Gamble slowly made his way over to the card game and took the offered seat.**
**As Gamble got up to make his way over to the table, someone else brushed past him, nearly knocking him into the bar counter. A vaguely familiar face sat down in the seat that was offered to him. This man was sleeker, and sharper, with salt and pepper at the temples of his oily black hair, that was kept short on the sides and long on top, swept back in a handsomely cared-for way. A five o'clock shadow of dark stubble and shrewd grey-blue eyes, yeah creepy familiar.**
Highgrove - Goddammit, Worm! If you wanted to lose the little bit of coin you got left, just say so.
**Gamble stared at the Nega-Gamble for a moment, pushing himself back up from where he'd been sent tumbling into the bar. This was......ugh. Just ugh. He straightened, turning to address the barmaid.**
Gamble - "Right. I'm gonna need your biggest, strongest, cheapest drink."
Sevine - Sure, hun. What's got you so down? If you don't mind me asking.
**The barmaid was a jakari, dark black-leopard like fur and white marking on her ears and hands, her pretty green eyes raised in surprise. She started mixing and shaking Gamble a tall glass of something that was electric blue and looked as if it were from the Kurrs.**
**Sevine handed Gamble the tall glass of alcohol, it crackled with a static charge as he touched the glass. The jakari woman chuckled as she passed the drink, a soft and expectantly purring sound.**
Sevine - Who, Alys' boy? He's a good sort, he looks out for his own around here, and sorta runs things if you know what I mean, but he don't cause no real harm. You should go introduce yourself.
**Taking the drink, Gamble made his way back to the table and, without introducing himself, met the eyes of one of the men and motioned for him to give up his seat with a jerk of his thumb.**
**The action at the table didn't miss a beat, but the street tough looked at Gamble nervously, and then he looked at Highgrove, who was mid-deal, and simply shrugged. At that, the kid got up faster than you could blink an eye. The Darker Gamble gave Gamble a curious look, but motioned to the empty seat.**
Highgrove - He was bleeding chips, anyway. Have a seat, stranger. Blinds are 25 and 50, you in?
**Dark Gamble pulled out the chair, and Gamble sat down to his immediate right, and it appeared just in time to come in on the button. The deck was handed to Gamble.**
Highgrove - Good. We're six handed, standard Elexian Hold'em. Your deal.
**Dark 'Gamble' narrowed his eyes as Gamble addressed him, catching the tone in his voice.**
Highgrove - [Heh.] You hear that boys, ain't no way my momma named me 'Highgrove' he says! You're funny, stranger. My friends call me Highgrove, but what my dear ole momma named me, and what I'm better known as, is Arsène Gaspard Highgrove, at your service.
**Dark Gamble, or rather Arsene received this revelation as any practical, stoic man could, he grunted as Gamble dealt out the hole cards. Taking a peak underneath, the man casually shrugged, but if real Gambe was paying attention, he didn't miss the gleam in those familiar cloudy-sky blue eyes..**
Arsene - Is that so? Well, I'll be damned! Highgrove huh, well Gamble no middle name, seems to me that we might be distant relations.
**Gamble shrugged as he dealt the face-up cards, taking the barest of moments to peek at his own.**
Gamble - "Distant, must be. Don't think a close relative of mine would have too around here that interested them. Seems I recall events in Elexia that have sent a close relative of mine to ground. Sure as hell wouldn't have stuck around here, at any rate."
**Arsene absentmindedly bet, not even bothering to check the count.**
Arsene - Distant. Yeah, maybe so. You could say I have a vested interest in Elexia's future. And as for loss, well, it comes with the territory. You either get smarter, or you get dying, that is, unless you just pick up and leave it all behind, but, I took you for a man who's seen a thing or two in his life, so ain't no need to tell you that. Strange though, might be a storm coming this way, and if it were me, well, I'd want to stick around and weather it out, as there ain't no telling who'll be left standing after all the dust settles.
**There were multiple points in that, if Gamble cared to read into them, but it was clear that Arsene was offering him a part in his plans.**
**A smile that was all teeth and very shark-like spread acrossed Arsene's weather-worn face, this time, when he placed chips in the pot, it was double his last wager.**
Arsène - And you'd be right, i'most cases, you'd be dead right. The funny thing is, after all is settled, and this storm's broke, you'd be a fool if you were standing in that dust.
Arsène - Where would the fun be in that? The dust has settled because you let it settle, at your discretion, because this whole time, you've had a unique perspective from inside the eye itself. The winds fall, when you say they fall.
**And with that, he flipped over an all-black flush, Ace of Blades high.**
To live is to hope, and while we breathe, we hope and live.
Gamble - "Goddammit, Highgrove."
**The man carefully pushed himself up from the bar, looking around warily. What was going on?**
The floor of the Flush was its usual amalgam of clientele, some low-level thugs milled about the room, there were a string of card and dice games going on, nothing else seemed unusual, except all the colors in the place, they were muted and washed out, as if blanketed in soot.**
Card game - Highgrove! Get over here, we've kept a seat warm.
To live is to hope, and while we breathe, we hope and live.
Highgrove - Goddammit, Worm! If you wanted to lose the little bit of coin you got left, just say so.
To live is to hope, and while we breathe, we hope and live.
Gamble - "Right. I'm gonna need your biggest, strongest, cheapest drink."
**The barmaid was a jakari, dark black-leopard like fur and white marking on her ears and hands, her pretty green eyes raised in surprise. She started mixing and shaking Gamble a tall glass of something that was electric blue and looked as if it were from the Kurrs.**
To live is to hope, and while we breathe, we hope and live.
**He jerked a thumb toward Other Gamble.**
Gamble - " - seems to be creating a Highgrove Redundancy for me."
Sevine - Who, Alys' boy? He's a good sort, he looks out for his own around here, and sorta runs things if you know what I mean, but he don't cause no real harm. You should go introduce yourself.
To live is to hope, and while we breathe, we hope and live.
**Taking the drink, Gamble made his way back to the table and, without introducing himself, met the eyes of one of the men and motioned for him to give up his seat with a jerk of his thumb.**
Gamble - "Hey you. Screw."
Highgrove - He was bleeding chips, anyway. Have a seat, stranger. Blinds are 25 and 50, you in?
To live is to hope, and while we breathe, we hope and live.
Gamble - "Apparently so."
Highgrove - Good. We're six handed, standard Elexian Hold'em. Your deal.
To live is to hope, and while we breathe, we hope and live.
Gamble - "So. 'Highgrove'. That's no way that's what your momma named you."
Highgrove - [Heh.] You hear that boys, ain't no way my momma named me 'Highgrove' he says! You're funny, stranger. My friends call me Highgrove, but what my dear ole momma named me, and what I'm better known as, is Arsène Gaspard Highgrove, at your service.
**He gave Gamble a mock bow of the head.**
To live is to hope, and while we breathe, we hope and live.
Gamble - "Gamble Highgrove, at yours. No middle name. Seemed forced."
Arsene - Is that so? Well, I'll be damned! Highgrove huh, well Gamble no middle name, seems to me that we might be distant relations.
To live is to hope, and while we breathe, we hope and live.
Gamble - "Distant, must be. Don't think a close relative of mine would have too around here that interested them. Seems I recall events in Elexia that have sent a close relative of mine to ground. Sure as hell wouldn't have stuck around here, at any rate."
Arsene - Distant. Yeah, maybe so. You could say I have a vested interest in Elexia's future. And as for loss, well, it comes with the territory. You either get smarter, or you get dying, that is, unless you just pick up and leave it all behind, but, I took you for a man who's seen a thing or two in his life, so ain't no need to tell you that. Strange though, might be a storm coming this way, and if it were me, well, I'd want to stick around and weather it out, as there ain't no telling who'll be left standing after all the dust settles.
**There were multiple points in that, if Gamble cared to read into them, but it was clear that Arsene was offering him a part in his plans.**
To live is to hope, and while we breathe, we hope and live.
Gamble - "Doesn't seem to be much sense in weathering a storm just to stand in some dust, cousin."
Arsène - And you'd be right, i'most cases, you'd be dead right. The funny thing is, after all is settled, and this storm's broke, you'd be a fool if you were standing in that dust.
To live is to hope, and while we breathe, we hope and live.
Gamble - "Maybe it's the mixed metaphors, cousin, but either way you've lost me."
**Triple the last bet.**
To live is to hope, and while we breathe, we hope and live.
Gamble - "Gonna guess the answer isn't 'far away from the storm'."
**And with that, he flipped over an all-black flush, Ace of Blades high.**
To live is to hope, and while we breathe, we hope and live.