"I would have said the middle one," Tony offers as he steps up behind Jamie, resting his hands on the other man's shoulders. An affectionate gesture, maybe even a possessive one. Tony tried to not read too much into these things. "Of course, takes a talented man to fool Tony DiNozzo on a good day."
Madrox turns his head 'round, lookin' up at the new bloke - Tony DiNozzo, s'Italian, that is. They know each other, that much is clear. 'Course, by 'know' I mean 'probably shag each other senseless on a regular basis'. Startin' to think there's not a straight man left on this bloody rock. S'all bloody poufs. 'Marlowe' looks none too impressed either, interestingly enough, even if he's tryin' to be subtle about it. 'Course, I guess it's not all that surprisin'. I mean, the real Marlowe would be from around, what? Late 1930s? That sort o' lifestyle wouldn't be all that widely accepted. Not that I've a problem with poufs myself, mind you, just don't get the appeal of bonkin' someone who has the same bits, is all.
Madrox brings a hand to rest on top of the bloke's and I try not to gag from the sentimentality of it all. 'Marlowe', meanwhile, just nods and says, "DiNozzo."
"Something tells me it wouldn't've mattered what card we picked," replies Madrox to his lover"Now, now," I say, layin' the cards on the table again. "Don't discourage
( ... )
"Marlowe, hey," Tony grinned at the man, doing his best to look suave. Cool and collected, that was him, even as he squeezed Jamie's hand, leaning over to kiss the top of his head. "There's a knack to it. You just don't have the knack Jamie. Sorry, some of us have it, and some of us..."
He nodded at the other guy, "Sure, let's have a go."
"You do realize that I spent a summer in Vegas learning how to do this, right?" says Madrox, raisin' one of his 'brows 'fore he leans back into DiNozzo. I can't help but smile.
Oh, not cause o' their...wha'ever it is they're doin'. M'smilin' just 'cause I can still pull one over on someone who should know better and that's the sweetest grift o' all. 'Marlowe''s smilin' too, though it's a touch more bemused at DiNozzo's failed attempt to look smooth than anythin' else.
"Alright," I say, holdin' up the Queen o' Spades again. "Tell you what, I'll even bend the corner over, make it a bit easier for you, yeah?"
All three of us blokes turn to look over at her and it's hard to say, really, who's givin' her the most thorough once-over. 'Marlowe' seems the most interested, spendin' a bit more time 'round her legs than ought to have been absolutely necessary. Not that I can blame 'im, mind you, but I'm a bit more focussed on her tits, yeah?
Anyway, 'Marlowe' finally says, "Are you up for losing?"
I scoff. "C'mon, now, mate. Give the bird a chance," I say, leanin' forward 'cross the bar, restin' me elbows right along the edge. "Y'ever play Find the Lady before, sweetheart?" I add, holdin' up the Queen o' Spades.
Marlowe raises an eyebrow and leans towards her, clearly interested in that bit o' information. Me, well, I'm more interested in the fact that he's interested, yeah?
"Is that so?" he says slowly, lookin' at her close-like. I wave him off, though, not really carin' 'bout that line o' interrogation after all.
"Well, then, you're in for a real treat," I say.
"Oh, God," mutters Madrox, pinchin' the bridge o' his nose.
"Is this an open game, boys?" Wanda said, sauntering over. She was never big on card games, but was always one for a crowd. Now that she was getting used to the idea that she might be around here for a while, she figured she might as well start getting her kicks in and this seemed like as good a diversion as any.
Well, hello, there. Have to say this for Cuba, there's no shortage of half-naked, well-fit birds. Interestin' hair colour, mind you, but s'not too unusual. Competes a bit with wha'ever it is she's wearin', though. Not that I care. And, for what I can see of 'Marlowe' and 'Madrox', they don't exactly care, either.
"Could be, yeah," I say, grinnin' toothily at her.
Wanda grins openly at the attention she's getting and leans into the table. It's a reaction that she still hasn't gotten entirely used to after all these months, but a part of her likes that it hasn't gotten old yet. If she's stuck as a babe, she might as well enjoy the perks that come with it.
"Find the Lady," I say, drummin' me fingers quickly over the table. "S'a simple game, really, but these blokes here are right rubbish at it, let me tell you." I gesture over at Madrox and 'Marlowe', who look none too impressed.
"I must confess, I thought he had you, there," I remark, taking a moment to peer at his face. His face is the same as the one to which I was tethered, that day; but on this island that does not count, overmuch. "Could it be that here we have the world's first honest card-sharp?"
Oh, great. It's the bleedin' frigid Victorian lesbian, back to haunt me another day. 'Course, she was Redford's problem, not mine, so I have to act as though I've never seen her before. S'not too hard, 'course, seein' as I've tried me hardest to forget that day.
"Yeah, that's me, sweetheart," I say, shruggin'. "Honest as...somethin' honest, me. Care to give it a go? Show these poor sods 'ere how it is you find a lady?"
I am inwardly amused at the implication that I am qualified at the finding, of ladies. But then, perhaps my paltry qualifications are superior, in that matter, to those of the gentlemen currently engaged in the game.
The trick, of course, is to deal only at the surface; once you are beyond the outer layer, what you have is no lady at all.
"Why not, then," I decided. "I take it there is nothing at stake? Given there is little or no stake to be had, in our present environment. Save pride, of course."
"So these two've told me," I say and it's all too easy to act annoyed at the lack o' an economy, even if I've had nearin' on seven months to get used to the idea. "Still, pride's as good as anythin'."
Madrox and 'Marlowe' make room for Maud, Madrox mutterin' somethin' I can't quite make out under his breath.
"Oi," I say, "no comments from the peanut gallery, eh?"
Logically Veronica knew there was only so much she could do to avoid people after all that truth-telling she'd suffered through. It was a small island. She knew a lot of people. She'd managed to duck a lot of them during the actual events, but the ones she'd run into, well, she was avoiding most of them, logical or not. But there was Marlowe with Jamie and some other guy and a deck of cards, and curiosity was getting the better of her.
She'd seen the guy before, or at least his face. The one she'd met, she'd heard was gone now. "This doesn't look like any game of poker I've ever seen," she said, wandering over. She stood next to Jamie, speaking more to him than anyone else.
"Tragic," Veronica said. "So what is it you are playing?" The set up looked like some kind of card trick, but those weren't exactly her line of expertise.
I smile broadly at the bird. Met her back when I was still Redford, 'course, but that's no matter. She was right clever this one but like the rest o' the lot, prolly not clever 'nough.
"This, m'dear, is a game called Find the Lady," I say, and 'Marlowe' makes some noise that I ignore for the time bein'. "Fancy a go?"
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Madrox brings a hand to rest on top of the bloke's and I try not to gag from the sentimentality of it all. 'Marlowe', meanwhile, just nods and says, "DiNozzo."
"Something tells me it wouldn't've mattered what card we picked," replies Madrox to his lover"Now, now," I say, layin' the cards on the table again. "Don't discourage ( ... )
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He nodded at the other guy, "Sure, let's have a go."
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Oh, not cause o' their...wha'ever it is they're doin'. M'smilin' just 'cause I can still pull one over on someone who should know better and that's the sweetest grift o' all. 'Marlowe''s smilin' too, though it's a touch more bemused at DiNozzo's failed attempt to look smooth than anythin' else.
"Alright," I say, holdin' up the Queen o' Spades again. "Tell you what, I'll even bend the corner over, make it a bit easier for you, yeah?"
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She leans against the bar, tilting her head to the side. She's playing a game, but then again, isn't she always?
"I'm always up for another."
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Anyway, 'Marlowe' finally says, "Are you up for losing?"
I scoff. "C'mon, now, mate. Give the bird a chance," I say, leanin' forward 'cross the bar, restin' me elbows right along the edge. "Y'ever play Find the Lady before, sweetheart?" I add, holdin' up the Queen o' Spades.
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This will always be true. It's hard to beat someone who wrote the game, who picks the losers, and plays the winners.
Donning her best innocent act, she shakes her head, that smile still on her face. "Oh no, I can't say that I have."
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"Is that so?" he says slowly, lookin' at her close-like. I wave him off, though, not really carin' 'bout that line o' interrogation after all.
"Well, then, you're in for a real treat," I say.
"Oh, God," mutters Madrox, pinchin' the bridge o' his nose.
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"Could be, yeah," I say, grinnin' toothily at her.
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"Great, what are we playing?"
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"Yeah, that's me, sweetheart," I say, shruggin'. "Honest as...somethin' honest, me. Care to give it a go? Show these poor sods 'ere how it is you find a lady?"
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The trick, of course, is to deal only at the surface; once you are beyond the outer layer, what you have is no lady at all.
"Why not, then," I decided. "I take it there is nothing at stake? Given there is little or no stake to be had, in our present environment. Save pride, of course."
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Madrox and 'Marlowe' make room for Maud, Madrox mutterin' somethin' I can't quite make out under his breath.
"Oi," I say, "no comments from the peanut gallery, eh?"
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She'd seen the guy before, or at least his face. The one she'd met, she'd heard was gone now. "This doesn't look like any game of poker I've ever seen," she said, wandering over. She stood next to Jamie, speaking more to him than anyone else.
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"This, m'dear, is a game called Find the Lady," I say, and 'Marlowe' makes some noise that I ignore for the time bein'. "Fancy a go?"
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