[01] Play the One That’s On His Heart
Challenge: [189] Poker Face
Title: Play the One That’s On His Heart
Word Count: 432
Notes: I swear I won't write about Luxord next time. Really. Honestly. But this is my OTP and the prompt fit too well and this idea's been playing around with me for a coupla weeks anyway. Slice-of-life AU!
She doesn’t look like a gambler.
~~~
She was wearing a tiny necklace. He could tell it wasn’t plastic but it certainly didn’t have the regular flash or shine of the jewellery the other women wore around here. It was a silver lock with a heart-shaped keyhole. He chuckled from the bottom of his chest. “Lockhart.”
The woman looked up from under her eyelashes. “That’s my name,” she said.
The owner of the casino smirked, looking at her surrounded by the flashing lights and listening to the clanks of probability and chance. He noticed there were no extra rings or glitzy bracelets worn over her black opera gloves.
“So you’re the man with the axe around here?” she asked. He sat opposite her.
“The king of diamonds?” He was impressed. She was familiar with the language. “Perhaps. My business card says I’m the owner.”
She smiled, looking genuinely curious. “But you stay behind the bar all night serving drinks. That sounds like my day job. Why?”
“Ah,” he sighed, looking equally genuine in his regret. “If I were to say, it might reveal my tell.”
She rested her face against her knuckles. “What if I win it from you?”
His blue eyes flashed and a smile spread wide on his lips. “A challenge, is it?”
“I win, I get to know your tell. No lies.”
“A gentleman never lies when an opponent has won the right to know the truth.”
She looked at him suspiciously out of the corner of her eye at that. He didn’t blink. “You win and you...”
“A cup of tea,” he answered readily.
“What?”
“We will share a cup of tea. My treat, if you wish.”
“Doesn’t seem very...”
“Manly?” He laughed. “My mentor once told me that a maiden who can pour a cup of tea without spilling a drop has as much discipline as a trained soldier.”
She laughed too, amazed rather than amused. “Shall we begin?”
He grinned. “We shall.”
---
She sighed as she sat back in her chair. She dropped whatever poker face she had had on and smiled, actually smiled at him for the first time. It was much shyer than her fake one and he found he liked that. “Who did you say your mentor was?”
He smiled back. “I suppose we’ll have to spare that for our conversation over tea.”
She shook her head at him, probably bewildered. “Name the place.”
He leaned back slightly, looking offended. “My dear lady, we haven’t had a proper introduction.”
She rolled her eyes and stretched a gloved hand over the table. “Tifa Lockhart.”
“And you may call me Luxord.”
Title: Play the One That’s On His Heart
Word Count: 432
Notes: I swear I won't write about Luxord next time. Really. Honestly. But this is my OTP and the prompt fit too well and this idea's been playing around with me for a coupla weeks anyway. Slice-of-life AU!
She doesn’t look like a gambler.
~~~
She was wearing a tiny necklace. He could tell it wasn’t plastic but it certainly didn’t have the regular flash or shine of the jewellery the other women wore around here. It was a silver lock with a heart-shaped keyhole. He chuckled from the bottom of his chest. “Lockhart.”
The woman looked up from under her eyelashes. “That’s my name,” she said.
The owner of the casino smirked, looking at her surrounded by the flashing lights and listening to the clanks of probability and chance. He noticed there were no extra rings or glitzy bracelets worn over her black opera gloves.
“So you’re the man with the axe around here?” she asked. He sat opposite her.
“The king of diamonds?” He was impressed. She was familiar with the language. “Perhaps. My business card says I’m the owner.”
She smiled, looking genuinely curious. “But you stay behind the bar all night serving drinks. That sounds like my day job. Why?”
“Ah,” he sighed, looking equally genuine in his regret. “If I were to say, it might reveal my tell.”
She rested her face against her knuckles. “What if I win it from you?”
His blue eyes flashed and a smile spread wide on his lips. “A challenge, is it?”
“I win, I get to know your tell. No lies.”
“A gentleman never lies when an opponent has won the right to know the truth.”
She looked at him suspiciously out of the corner of her eye at that. He didn’t blink. “You win and you...”
“A cup of tea,” he answered readily.
“What?”
“We will share a cup of tea. My treat, if you wish.”
“Doesn’t seem very...”
“Manly?” He laughed. “My mentor once told me that a maiden who can pour a cup of tea without spilling a drop has as much discipline as a trained soldier.”
She laughed too, amazed rather than amused. “Shall we begin?”
He grinned. “We shall.”
---
She sighed as she sat back in her chair. She dropped whatever poker face she had had on and smiled, actually smiled at him for the first time. It was much shyer than her fake one and he found he liked that. “Who did you say your mentor was?”
He smiled back. “I suppose we’ll have to spare that for our conversation over tea.”
She shook her head at him, probably bewildered. “Name the place.”
He leaned back slightly, looking offended. “My dear lady, we haven’t had a proper introduction.”
She rolled her eyes and stretched a gloved hand over the table. “Tifa Lockhart.”
“And you may call me Luxord.”