[open] poker!!

[jono-stars.livejournal.com]

Characters: All
Setting: Jono's room
Content: Perhaps this could plant the seeds of inspiration in Julian's mind? And let it grow? ALL are welcome here!
Status: Open/incomplete
Thread-jacking: A must

[Jono is rubbing his hands with glee as people pile into his room. Josh, his co-conspirator, had long convinced Jono to use poker chips instead of potato chips while betting (the crumbs last time had been disastrous) and so Jono was rattling the chips in their box. The bets were, of course, junk food. Hence his name of Texas Feed 'Em.]

Welcome, welcome. Sit down. Have a drink. Make yourselves comfortable.

Comments

[kickasstelekine.livejournal.com]

[Ali gets a narrowing suspicious look for that; but Julian merely looks past her to Forge, one of his hands palm up over the table.] Yeah, ha ha. What music do you listen to, grandpa? Screeching techno shit? [Or at least that's what it sounds like from outside the lab. Julian says this without a beat and with an incredulous smile - it's a slight, yeah, but spoken in jest. No need for Forge to know that Julian's called him old time and time again in a less joking manner.]

[forgingthings.livejournal.com]

[Forge gets a swift kick under the table from Ali and an unpleasant glare. Forge ignores it, offering her a broad smile before looking back at Julian.]

No, actually, I think you kids are calling that screeching techno shit "trance" or "dub-step" but it's all just noise compared to old-school German industrial.

[kickasstelekine.livejournal.com]

Old-school German industrial? Is that what you call the crap? Because I'd take trance music over that noise any day. [Hey, what can Julian say? He's from California. Where do you think all the fun was at during the summer? And all the hot girls running around half-naked on ecstasy? Music festivals. He may not like the music, but you betcha he went.]

[dazzlerock.livejournal.com]

Oh gross. There are not enough drugs in the world to make trance actually qualify as music, Julian. [Ali likes a music festival as much as the next half-naked stoned chick, but she prefers hers to have some sort of music involved, not just pulsating noise.] Or Incubus, which was the original point, I think.

[kickasstelekine.livejournal.com]

[Julian scoffs, straightening in his seat just barely, just enough to look at Ali with a wide, shit-eating grin. He likes his share of Incubus and trance music, thank you very much.] You know what, Ali? Fuck you. You can take your elitist bullshit and shove it up your ass.

[dazzlerock.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know you'd like to, Keller. [Ali just grins right back at him just a little scandalously, not thinking about the fact that Rogue and Forge are both at the table. She tosses in her ante.] But I think I'd rather take you for all your worth, if it's all the same to you.

[kickasstelekine.livejournal.com]

[Julian couldn't care any less about Forge being around for his and Ali's sexual innuendos and sometimes blatant flirting. But he does care about Rogue; his smile drops just a notch and he nearly glances over to her - but stops himself. This is normal, right? Friends messing around. It's Ali, as far as Rogue knows. She doesn't know about all those months, however recently... And then Julian realizes how much he doesn't want her to know. How much he's avoided this, maybe. Especially now, on top of everything being so tense between them.

He replies, just a little sobered.]

You couldn't take me for all I'm worth, Blaire.

[But he pushes his winnings in with hers anyway, his drawl confident.]

But you can try.

[It's only then his eyes settle on Rogue, a warm smile on his lips. There's nothing particularly anxious about it, but the feeling is twisting his gut anyhow.]

[dazzlerock.livejournal.com]

Honey, I could take you blindfolded from two counties over; you're not worth that much.

[Ali flashes teeth and winks, predatory. She watches as Josh burns and turns cards for the flop, her grin unchanging as the first three community cards are shown. She laughs, tosses a few more chips in casually to raise.]

[kickasstelekine.livejournal.com]

I'm not worth that much? [Julian says this like any self-respecting millionaire would. And throws in more chips.] Me? All right, sweetheart. Fine. Let's see. [He puts on his usual smug, stretching grin, his blue eyes challenging Ali for a moment playfully. Because let's be honest - he knows her tells just as much as she probably knows his. By the way: Julian doesn't have many. 'Cause he always looks like a confident bastard and he's not afraid to lose, even if he doesn't like it.]

[forgingthings.livejournal.com]

[Forge frowns, rolling his eyes at the table-talk bravado going on between Julian and Ali. It grates his nerves more than a little, but he's trying to work on his jealousy issues. He leans over to whisper to the person next to him, it just happens to be Rogue.]

Between the two of us, girl, I'm guessing we've got better cards and more brains than the two of them put together. [He taps his cards, resting on the table in front of him.] What do you say to teaming up for a bit?

[canstillkickass.livejournal.com]

[For someone who's been accused of being a bad liar, Rogue actually has a decent poker face. She's making good use of it right now as she looks casually at her cards before replying to Forge in a whisper.] I can't speak for the cards but I'm fairly sure you're right about the brains bit, sugah.

[forgingthings.livejournal.com]

Ha! [Forge stifles his laugh, tossing in a few chips to keep pace with Ali and Julian's exorbitant betting. He's sitting on a decent hand, and with the flop turning up the queen and eight of diamonds, along with the ten of spades he's in a safe enough betting position for now. Plus, it doesn't hurt to know that that shit-eating grin plastered all over Ali's face? It's a pretty big tell that she's got next to nothing backing up her bets.] Bid 'em up, I don't know about Julian, but Ali's definitely bluffing.