APPOINTMENTS ♠ "You got the goods or what?"

[tickle_me]

For threading out things that can't be threaded elsewhere or which need to escape the dreaded captcha!

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August 18th? | the bar

[foundafamily]

[Firo's used to having someone to chat with while at the bar, but tonight Maiza's busy and none of his other friends are drinkers. Shyness isn't something he counts among his disadvantages, so instead of draining his drink and going home, he walks over to the nearest person. Setting the drink down on the bar, he smiles.]

Hey, what're you up to? Mind if I join you?

[tickle_me]

Huh?

[Revy stops mid-sip to give Firo a skeptical look.]

Hate to break it to you, kid, but I'm too old for ya.

[Because obviously Firo was trying to hit on her.]

[foundafamily]

[Thanks to his own disdain of guys who try to pick up girls, the thought that she'd think he was trying to flirt doesn't even cross his mind. And given his sensitivity to the matter, he's too annoyed at being called a kid to ask why she puts an age limit on people talking to her.

Taken aback, he frowns.]

Who're you callin' kid? You can't be much older than me yourself.

[To him she looks about Claire's age, maybe a year or two older.]

[tickle_me]

But I'm probably still older than ya.

[Firo looks rather babyfaced to her. Anyway, with everything she's been through, Revy tends to feel hella old. At least when she remembers to keep track of time.]

[foundafamily]

[He looks babyfaced to most people, much to his dismay.]

How old are you, then? And why's it even matter, anyway?

[He doesn't really know that the former's a question you're not supposed to just ask people.]

[tickle_me]

[To Revy, the question of her age is less rude and more of a minor detail.]

Old enough to know better than you. Go try picking up some other chick; I ain't interested in jailbait.

[foundafamily]

[Ordinarily Firo'd hurt anyone who called him anything like "jailbait". He's already opening his mouth to protest when she says the last statement, and then her reaction finally makes sense to him.

He takes a quick step back, partly horrified and partly just feeling bad for her.]

Hey, hey, wait a minute, when did I say anything about that?

[tickle_me]

Didn't have to say anything. You used one of the oldest lines in the book.

[She used to get that a lot, especially in Roanapur. That was before she earned her reputation as Revy Two-Hand, though.]

[foundafamily]

...But all I said was hi. That's how most people start a conversation, you know, at least where I come from.

[Firo's spent too much time socializing with a limited circle (read: aging gangsters) to have a good understanding of social cues and what can be read as flirting.]

[tickle_me]

Yeah, well, where I'm from, "Mind if I join you?" is usually followed by "So, you here with anyone tonight?" Which basically means they're hoping you're free for sex that night.

[foundafamily]

[His face turns bright red.]

Th-that's not what I meant at all! I just wanted to see if you wanted to play cards or somethin'...

Um, I-I'm sorry?

[Is that what you say when you've apparently accidentally asked someone to do something unspeakable?]

[tickle_me]

[Revy stares at Firo for a long time, probably looking like she's about to tell him to fuck off and take his apology with him. In truth, she's pretty close to doing just that. The recent invasion of the enclosure and the subsequent brainwashing has left her dangerously off-kilter. The last time she'd been shaken to the core like that was when Rock first joined the Black Lagoon, but some squishy salaryman with laughably naive notions about the way the world worked was nothing compared to all of...this. Heh -- Rock's reaction to Luceti would be something to behold, to be sure. He'd probably be even more frantic than her. Just the wings alone...!

Revy pauses in her thoughts, then, struck by a feeling that's both familiar and strange: the emptiness inside her that she usually pretends she can fill up with booze or bullets. In truth, it's an amalgam of many emotions that she lumps together as "weakness." One particular emotion rises to the surface now, though, like some undersea creature rearing its head, eyes glinting in the darkness. She turns a blind eye to it, hoping -- as usual -- that if she ignores it, it'll leave her alone.

But loneliness has been by her side from the beginning and it's not about to abandon her now.



She sighs.]

You're a weird kid. [Says the lady who thinks it's perfectly acceptable to threaten a 12-year-old boy with death after he threw ice cream in her face.] So? Whatcha thinkin' of playin'?

[foundafamily]

[Firo stares back, reluctant to be the first person to look away when someone's practically glaring at him. Even if that person is sort of scary-looking and he's already feeling a bit guilty about bothering them.]

I told you, I'm not a kid-!

[But with that out of the way, he beams at being taken up on his offer. His blush slowly starts to fade and he relaxes.]

I was thinkin' poker--you can play that, right?

[He tends to assume it's common knowledge, though he has had to teach a couple people in Luceti.]

[tickle_me]

Sure I can. But what're we playin' for if there ain't any money around here?

[He better not be suggesting strip poker.]

[foundafamily]

We don't have to play for anything.

[In other words, he actually didn't think that far ahead.]

How about... stories? Like from home.

[tickle_me]

[Stories? That's a new one on her.]

The loser has to dish out some local dirt, huh? [Revy's a little vexed that she can't think of anything better. She doesn't exactly like talking about herself. Then she realizes that Firo never specified that the stories had to be personal, and she smirks.] Sure. Okay. Deal me, kid.

[She's going to keep calling Firo "kid" until he gives her a name or a reason to bestow him with a nickname.]

[foundafamily]

Yeah. Better start thinkin' up something good now.

[He smiles and takes his deck out of his jacket pocket. Seven card stud is what he usually plays back home, so he decides to go with that. He gives them each two cards face down and one face up.

He's starting to wonder how many times in the past five or so minutes he's had to tell her that he's not a kid.]

And my name's not "kid", it's Firo. What's yours?

forgive me any future missteps for I am less familiar with poker than Revy

[tickle_me]

Revy. [She glances down at her cards.] "Firo," huh? Sounds Italian.

Of course! I'm not a poker player either, so I apologize in advance!

[foundafamily]

[He lifts up the edges of his cards to take a peek at them, laughing at her comment. Wait until she hears his last name.]

My dad was from Naples, so you're right. Where do people name their kids "Revy"?

[Now's the part where they'd normally bet or fold, but since they're just going by winner and loser at the end he decides it's not necessary. He moves to hand them each another card face up.]

I assume you're not foldin' yet?

excellent let's go

[tickle_me]

Do I look like I was born yesterday?

[But there's not much bite in the comment. Revy is relaxing -- though not enough to address the comment about her name. She isn't about to explain that one, at least not accurately. She continues speaking while checking her cards:]

You'd be surprised at the crazy names Americans come up with. Ever hear of a guy named Sage Moonblood?

[foundafamily]

[He laughs, shaking his head and taking a quick glance at her face up cards.]

Moonblood? The hell kinda name is that? Sounds like an actor or somethin'.

[tickle_me]

You bet. Sage Moonblood Stallone, son of the almighty Sylvester Stallone. Showed up in one of the recent Rocky movies. Didn't watch it, though. Just heard people talkin' about it.

[foundafamily]

[Thanks to living a couple decades before the Rocky movies came out, Firo would have no idea who that was if his friend Mac hadn't made him watch the first one in Luceti. Hearing the movies referenced gives him a pang of nostalgia, even though they're not really his thing.]

...That guy had a kid? And named him that? Isn't sage a plant?

[That's such an un-tough name.]

[tickle_me]

I know, right?! Fuckin' tough guy like Stallone names his kid like a hippie princess. Bet Sagey had to box his way through bullies in school.

[She taps her fingers on the table as she waits for Firo to deal more cards.]

[foundafamily]

Seems like a cruel thing to do...

[He notices her tapping on the table, and after a moment contemplating waiting to deal just to be a jerk, he gives each of them another card. They should both be up to five now.]

I heard they used to do that out West to make sure kids would get toughened up by bullies--well, not with funky names like that, but with girl names. Did it work with that kid?