Hush-Poker (OTA)
Living alone, James hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary until he left the hotel to head out to work. It was eerily silent on the streets, no one was saying a word. He just mentally shrugged it off, tipped his hat at a few faces that had become somewhat familiar over the weeks and made it to his job at the casino without giving it too much thought. This place had weird stamped all over it after all.
At the Cal Mah he finally caught up with what was wrong: No one could speak! He'd have groaned if it was possible. At least it wasn't just him, that was some comfort, and the early shift apparently had already worked out how to run a casino without words. A colleague handed him a sheet with some scribbled notes and all he could do was nod and get to work; nothing else to do. The sound of the roulette and the slot machines provided some welcome background noise. Total silence would have been too unnerving.
It turned out you could play poker fairly well with just gestures as long as everyone paid attention (which kept his mind from dwelling too much on the village-wide silence) and he noted with mild interest that some people seemed to turn to gambling when they were forced to silence. His table hadn't been this busy in a while. So he dealt game after game, watching the players closely for their signs and bets.
James nodded at another guest who had come closer, he couldn't yet tell whether to play or just to observe.
At the Cal Mah he finally caught up with what was wrong: No one could speak! He'd have groaned if it was possible. At least it wasn't just him, that was some comfort, and the early shift apparently had already worked out how to run a casino without words. A colleague handed him a sheet with some scribbled notes and all he could do was nod and get to work; nothing else to do. The sound of the roulette and the slot machines provided some welcome background noise. Total silence would have been too unnerving.
It turned out you could play poker fairly well with just gestures as long as everyone paid attention (which kept his mind from dwelling too much on the village-wide silence) and he noted with mild interest that some people seemed to turn to gambling when they were forced to silence. His table hadn't been this busy in a while. So he dealt game after game, watching the players closely for their signs and bets.
James nodded at another guest who had come closer, he couldn't yet tell whether to play or just to observe.