| abstract
| - The House of Sabacc is alive with the sounds of slot machine, hollering winners and the buzz of thousands of sentients talking. An army of attractive servers weave through the crowd offering any drink known in the galaxy, all for free. Pit bosses and degenerate gamblers mix with gas tycoons and low lifes to comprise an interesting clientèle one will only find in a Casino. The House of Sabacc, designed brilliantly to appear like one of Corellia's finest establishments is holding its first weekly Sabacc tournament and it seems everyone has heard about it... Tal'sin has indeed heard about the first of weekly tournaments at the House of Sabacc, and he'd wasted no time getting en route. Arriving in the spaceport only thirty minutes prior, the Twi'lek looks a bit out of breath as he enters the casino. He looks around, and after locating a hostess, signs himself up for the tournament. Plucking a drink from the platter of a passing server-ess, he can't help but smile. His newly gained independence makes coming to events like these so much easier, and if the outcome is anything like the last time Tal'sin set foot in the casino, he should be leaving with quite a bit of cash. It's literally been years since she's seen this part of Nar Shaddaa, or set foot in the casino. Well, this or ANY casino, for that matter! Dina McMasterson wanders through the assembled patronage on unsteady legs, not entirely enjoying the sensation of constantly having to balance herself in order to keep from falling headlong into a card table or twisting her ankle something fierce. Somehow all of her training has left her ill-prepared for the feat of wearing high-heeled shoes! "Terribly sorry," the blonde remarks to a passing Ortolan wearing shades about three sizes too large for his rubbery blue face, on whose toe she's just stepped, "So terribly sorry!" Curse that Dain, where IS he?! Dareus simply walks in the doors, even though he's pretty much way out of his league, he simply heads straight on into, and directly to a waitress to grab a Corellian whiskey. He carries the look of someone definitely an outsider, but remains somewhat blended in among the crowds of people, simply clad in a casual set of clothing, topped off with a nice leather jacket. He takes a long sip of his drink, and begins to wander around the edges of the groups near the wall, keeping an eye out for where he needs to go; occasionally stopping and chatting with a few people that greet him. Ewan Dain sits at one of the grand dining tables. It is currently made up with a gleaming white tablecloth, expertly folded napkins, an array of elegant silverware and two separate drinking glasses. A tall stemmed glass is turned upside while a short tumble sits before him half full with a thick blue liquid. Several guests sit nearby with similar arrays. A short Twi'lek man who would fit in quite nicely at a government assembly, two well dressed human men that look extremely untrustworthy and a single attractive human female. Dain, appears to have a large smile stretched across his face. Frederiko was having a difficult time navigating the room, mostly due to the rather dark lighting coupled with the sunglasses he was wearing. Thus, when the garishly dressed woman tries to impale his foot with her heel, he has a hard time deciding if he walked into her, or she walked into him. The ortolan lets out a howl of dismay and pulls off his sunglasses. "Pardon me, Madame," he says, erring on the side of caution. This woman was dressed like many who attended his concerts who often went home with members of the band afterwards. Perhaps she was a fan. "Are you here for the tournament?" "I'm here with a friend," Dina replies, looking concerned for the poor Ortolan before realizing it's NONE OTHER THAN FREDERIKO, "Oh! Fr... I'm sorry, sir. I hope your poor foot is all right." Better to leave before her rotund friend has a chance to recognize her! That would just bring her all kinds of unnecessary trouble she can't afford. With another gesture of apology, Dina departs to continue her search for her date. Oh... THERE he is. Dina half-rushes, half stumbles over to Dain's table and glowers at the girl already near him. "Get out of my seat," the blonde orders the other female, adding on an expletive to indicate she means business, "And go find some other man. I saw him first." Tugging lightly at the brown, fleece-lined jacket that hides his torso, Tal'sin turns in the direction of the sudden howl to his left. Eyebrows raise, but the Twi'lek thinks little of it as he continues to wander through the crowd. He takes a sip of the drink he'd swiped from the server, but pulls a face immediately after, setting the drink down on a table next to him. Tal'sin doesn't recognize anyone at the table, but offers a nod to the short Twi'lek. Nothing wrong with a greeting between species. A quickly-moving body stumbles by, almost unbalancing the ex-marine. He turns his head to follow the swish of blonde hair, an eyebrow raising as he watches Dina. Shrugging to himself, he steps away, back into the crowd. The lights and sounds of the slot machines seem to distract Dareus as he walks around the rows seeing if there may be a machine he feels like playing. He hears the commotion of someone being stepped on, and a small laugh escapes his mouth as he turns to head back towards the head table; finishing off the glass of whiskey, and quickly taking another from a nearby server, "Vacations, gotta love 'em." He winks at the waitress, and begins his walk towards the Sabacc tables, still keeping an eye out on the crowd, looking for any friends who might have happened to show up. Usually Dain would try and stop a fight between patrons at the Casino, if he could, but there was no need to do that here. It would likely be more entertaining then the band Dain has hired to perform tonight. If only the invite to Fredriko and the Pancakes had arrived. Instead, Dain received his message with a return to sender. Probably a bad idea to use a wookiee secretary. Nothing for it now. Dain turns his attention to the new arrival but before he can greet her his original female guest turns. "I sit where I want, tramp. Perhaps your here for Sleezy Hookers? It's next door." She states without getting up. There was no doubt a sense of snobbish contempt for the new arrival. Dain continues to remain quiet. Which was for the best he has no doubt. Frederiko was now in quite a hurry to be sitting down, as his poor hoof was aching and throbbing. He hobbles over to the table where Dain sits and has a seat. His large, elephant-like ears are assaulted by the music of the band, who were nowhere near as good as his own band. He was a little insulted to have not been personally invited to play his music or play in the tournament. "Mr. Dain," he says coldly. "Hello. Thank you for inviting me." This part was sarcastic. Having only gotten a couple of feet into the crowd, Tal'sin hears the raised voices between the blonde and the woman already sitting at the table. Seeing nowhere better to go, the green Twi'lek turns and steps back near the table. The jacket flies by his face and he turns to view the source. 'Strip show?' Tal'sin thinks to himself, just before he notices the look on Dina's face. 'Oh. No strip show. Frowney face.' But then again... 'Ooh. Violence. Smiley face.' He stays to watch, absent-absentmindedly grabbing a drink from the place of one of the less-loyal looking businessmen. Not like anyone's gonna notice anyway. Here he was thinking about Sabacc, looks like this was going to be the gambling night of all kinds of fun. Dareus sees the goings on up at the head table, and moves in a little closer, still standing tall to maintain a good view. He comes up near Tal'sin, and a small smile is brewing itself on his face, "20 on the blonde...?" he simply states jokingly, although he would seriously put money on it. "I've always had a thing for blonde's..." He crosses his arms, the upper arm holding his drink for easy access; and takes a quick sip. Dain stifling a laugh at Dina's words, chokes slightly on a sip of drink. At least it kept his mouth busy. Just then Frederiko arrives at his table "Fred baby! You got the message after all!?" Dain however starts wondering if he had ever actually sent the message in the first place. Catching Dina's coat Dain looks at a loss. Things were going to get ugly. The friction escalates as Dain's dinner guest stands and takes a shove at Dina. That was bad. "Alright Hooker. I'm going to slap the sluttiness out of you." That was worse. No one at the table intervened, not even the two shady guys. They obviously have a strong sense of survival and are paying no attention to their drinks as one is lifted from before them. Dain sets the jacket aside, excited slightly by Dina's attitude and actions. That was the kinda girl Dain liked. Which one was more tough? He was about to find out... Dain's response flusters Frederiko. Had he been invited after all? Perhaps the invitation had been lost among the mountains of fan mail he received weekly. He decides to play it off. "Um, yes," he lies. His attention is then drawn to the fight that is brewing. "Ladies, ladies," he says grandly, standing up. "There is a free seat here, next to Frederiko. He is very famous you know. No need to fight." Frederiko was considered quite good looking, to Ortolan ladies, after all. Tal'sin smirks at Dareus, but shakes his head. "Hell no! I enjoy having money. It's neat." Although... that did look like a mean shove. Oh well. The fight would be over soon enough, with the victor no doubt apparant. Taking a sip of his newly-lifted drink, his eyes brighten. "Ooh. Corellian Ale. My favorite." He gestures towards the businessman, whispering to Dareus, "This schmuck's got good taste in beverage." If only Tal'sin knew the true identity of who he's whispering passing jokes too, there would be more than one fight about to explode. However, the Twi'lek has no idea that the man next to him has actually shot him before, as he was quite unconscious at the time. Damn that Cantrell. Dina's is another face that he doesn't recognize, again due to the lack of conscious state at the time. The same time, actually. Completely oblivious, Tal'sin just smirks as the Ortolan speaks up, taking another sip of his ale. But Dina is having none of it, shaking her blond locks at Fred as she indicates a negative. "Sorry, Frederiko," she begins, "I have some business with this tramp here." A pity she can't use any of her otherworldly powers, those would just give her away. A good thing, then, that a show of strength won't be considered strange. In an instant she's leaned over the table and physically hauled the other girl towards her, pausing to deliver a resounding slap to her rival. "Who's slapping now, you skanky freak?" the blonde demands, glowering at the brunette as if she were the scum of the universe, "Oh what was that? Did you try to say something? No? OH RIGHT YOU CAN'T SAY ANYTHING BECAUSE I JUST SLAPPED YOU!" A muscled Trandoshan shoves his way up near Dareus. "I'll take that bet! Fifty on the other one!" The Trandoshan slaps a clawed hand into his utility belt and pulls out a long credit chip. Meanwhile, at the table, Dain has plenty of distractions, things to keep him away from the fight. However he is watching it quite closely. "I'm glad Frederiko! I hired this second rate band because I wasn't sure if you could make it. Did you bring the Pancakes?" Frederiko was already attempting peace between the ladies however. Dain personally longs to see a slap. It looks like Dain has got his wish. Being hauled over a table and slapped senseless, Dain's previous dinner guest nearly falls to the floor, but stays afoot, too stunned to say anything at all. There was no doubt the fight was over. "Blast!" Shouts the muscled trandoshan as he passes 50 credits to Dareus. "You win this time!" then storms off into the crowd. At this point Dain stands and whispers something in the dazed woman's ear, and in short order she dusts her self off and storms. "You cost me my date Dina, you got a replacement?" As Dareus attempts to finish off his whiskey, the slap does it for him. He laughs while trying to let the liquid slide down his throat, and some of it comes back up, nice and burning. While his eyes squint deeply and a tear wells in one eye, he continues to chuckle softly, "Normally, I'd break a fight up, but this is just way to good to stop." He waves his finger having a waitress come by, she hands him a napkin, and another drink; what was she, psychic? After cleaning his face off a little, he looks to Tal'sin, definitely remembering the man, but glad no one else has recognized him. Damn, he should have tried at least a partial disguise, "I prefer whiskey, my father still makes his own on Corellia." As the Trandoshan walks away, Dareus shakes his head, clearly yelling back to the creature, "Always bet on the blonde's, especially the attractive ones..." Laughing slightly, he just takes another sip of his drink, and tries to stand faceless in the crowd. Frederiko looks offended, at first, that neither of the women come to sit by him, but this emotion is quickly forgotten as a waitress arrives waiting to take his order. While most people just ordered drinks, Frederiko would need much more to fill his hungry gullet. "Frederiko will have two baskets of fried bantha bits, a mug of fizzyglug, and a small side salad." The side salad was to balance out the rest of the meal and make it "healthy." After all, the doctor had told him that he needed to watch his weight. Peals of laughter erupt from the blond as the brunette beats a hasty retreat. "Baby," she says, turning finally to face Dain and sliding into her seat to claim her prize, "It may have been years since I last saw you, but when have I ever let you down?" None, that she can think of. They *had* stolen her husband's ship together, after all, even if Dain had nearly become ill during the whole matter. "You've come up in the world. Got a smoke?" And just like that, as if no time has passed at all between their last meeting and this one, she offers Ewan a winning smile before glancing to Frederiko. "You look very healthy, Mister Frederiko," she notes, "I've always admired the appetites of Ortolans." Then she takes some time to survey the rest of the crowd that mills about the Casino. It has been years since Dain had last spent time with Dina. It was likely well before he started in show business. Dina, was as attractive as ever, especially in her current skimpy outfit. This woman brought out a side to Dain that no one else had. She was a little psychotic and Dain liked it. It had led to one of his more embarrassing moments however, on her husbands ship when he couldn't stomach her attacks on the man. Dain never loved his knee caps more than in that instant. Reaching into his coat he withdraws a narrow pack of death sticks and offers her one. These were abundant on Nar Shaddaa and one of Dain's gamblers had been allowed to pay al his debts in the product. "You haven't changed." He smiles looking the woman up and down. "Nice outfit." Frederiko settles back into his seat and looks about at the empty seats around the table. Would any more sentients come to play, or was it to be a small turnout. He feared beating Dina. Though he had heard that wookiees could be quite sore losers, he somehow felt that beating her might result in even more unpleasant consequences. Tal'sin chuckles lightly at Dina's slap to the brunette's face, sipping at the ale in his hand. He stands, watching the sentients at the table, listening to their conversations. The Twi'lek gives a silent nod of agreement to Dain's last statement, but says nothing. He looks about the room, waiting for someone to start the tournament. Dareus nurses his drink now, already having had 3 since he walked in the door, not to mention the ones that he had on the way over here. Even though it's vacation day, he doesn't need to pass out before getting to play. He nods to Tal'sin and begins to walk around the room again, eyes glancing over each gaming table as he slowly circles the room, occasionally having a look about the persons who for some reason congratulate him with his 50 credits; although that in itself is a mystery, not like he won a million. Frederiko looks concerned at the announcement. The waitress had not returned with his dinner yet, and he was hesitant to move before it had arrived. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a piece of paper and a pen. "Bantha Bits to Tournament Room," he scrawls on it in his loopy handwriting. Then he carefully lays it on the table in plain view and follows the hordes of people into the card room. Hearing the call over the loudspeaker, Tal'sin looks up and smiles. Finally. Not that he has anything against socializing, but the Twi'lek is here to win money, not friends. Money, he needs. Friends, he has enough of. Besides, he needs every credit he can get in order to start things up with Sandor. Taking a pull from his glass, he finishes the ale and sits the glass down where it's previous owner had been sitting. He pauses long enough to read the loopy writing on the piece of paper, and then stands and turns to walk with the crowd. The card room draws near as he is quickly swallowed up by the throng of card players and watchers. Dareus is over talking with one of the waitresses when he hears the announcement. He doesn't exactly bother going right away, seeing the crowd. He finishes off this drink quickly, and begins to head over, might as well get a new drink inside there anyways; quickly he turns back to the waitress, "Wish me luck" and with a wink, he heads in line with everyone else to take his seat. The card room at the House of Sabacc is gigantic. Obviously Sabacc is the game of choice here and it seems that almost everyone in the Corellian sector is buying in. There is a brief few minutes of settling down before Dain takes the holophone and begins his own announcements. "Hello everyone and thank you for coming to the first weekly House of Sabacc tournament! I am your MC Ewan Dain. before we begin I would like to thank our Sponsor. Starlight Entertainment Inc! They are offering the 10k grand prize! I hope you all have a good time and that if you do lose that you don't kill anybody." Dain is only half joking. "With that lets shuffle up and deal em!" Frederiko is dealt a hand, but seems quiet distracted, constantly looking towards the kitchen. Looking at the cards one by one, the ortolan's face remains blank, save for hungry licking of his chops. Where were his bantha bits? He can barely focus on his hand but absentmindedly reaches down and drops 100 chips into the pile. Dareus takes a look at his cards while a new glass of whiskey is brought to his table by his new favourite psychic waitress. He looks up to her, and grins, "Thanks dear." He turns his face back to his cards, and tosses his call into the pile, taking his eyes off his cards, and slowly looking around the table with his piercing blue eyes, waiting to be able to read some of the people while they play. Now well inside the extravagant card room, Tal'sin looks for a seat among the giant mass of card players. Finding a space with several of the sentients he had been standing near only moments earlier, Tal'sin sits down, offering a nod to each of the other players at the table. He raps his knuckles on the table quietly before his cards are dealt to him. Breathing deep, he calms his nerves. This is nothing new to him- he'd come in cold last time and come away with ten thousand credits. At least now he has some experience under his belt. But would the opponents rank the same? That could be the zinger right there. Eying the newly-dealt cards now sitting in his hand, Tal'sin merely pretends to have a good idea of what they mean. After several seconds, he falls into his old strategy - watching the other players for their reactions. Lekku flexing, Tal'sin drops 100 chips into the pile. As the cards are dealt and the players make their bets Dain watches quietly as the players cards are projected to screens in front of on lookers. It is quite plain to see that Tal'sin has the strongest hand. As the players lay down the cards each has a chance to see the others hand. Frederiko's is the second strongest hand. But this one goes to Tal'sin, 200 chips! "There it is folks! Tal'sin wins the first hand at the very first Weekly Sabacc Tournament at the House of Sabacc!" There is a loud applause as the second hand is dealt. Dareus takes a quick look at his new hand, then a small glance around the table as he tosses 50 chips into the center of the table. He really was out of his league, but anyway he was here to have fun. Taking a sip of his newest glass of whiskey, he leans back in his chair and waits for the other players to move in or not. Tal'sin only smirks at the call over the loudspeaker. Yet again, his plan has worked. Maybe things would end just as well tonight as they had weeks ago on his first visit to the House of Sabacc. He takes the cards given to him in one hand, and, after briefly looking over them, searches the faces of the other players. Noting Dareus' small bet, Tal'sin smiles inwardly. Dropping a pile of one hundred and fifty chips into the pile, he looks at the man, "Quite the small bet, eh?" Anything to make the other players more uncomfortable. Dareus looks back to his hand, and up at the Tal'sin, as he throws his cards half heartedly in with another sip of his whiskey with the other, "Take it...I'll get my hands in, with time." A smile crosses his face as he knows that he'll get the Twi'lek eventually. He starts to play with his chips gently, letting one roll up and down along his knuckles as he waits for a new hand to be dealt. Dain's voice comes over the speakers again. "And Dareus folds! I guess we wont find out what his cards were! Congratulations Tal'sin! You win the second hand! This game made possible by Starlight Entertainment Inc! Dain sits back down and the cards are once again scrambled and dealt. "Never had much luck at this game," the blond sighs as the tournament gets underway, "Last time I think I ended up a few thousand in the hole." Yes... that had not been a pleasant time, being chased around by petty criminals demanding their money. She's considerably more wealthy now, though. Perhaps she should play again just once. Just once, and it would all be fine! A simple harmless game, surely there is no danger in that! Oh, nonsense. There's always danger in it. She watches the goings-on with a frown and suddenly feels very far removed from the life she left only a few days ago, wondering if a person can really change so quickly and simply slip back into their old skin after years of working on a new one. "Are they always this low-key? I thought you had some serious players here tonight," Dina finally murmurs to her date. Dareus takes a look at his new cards, and looks around, seeing most of the players are far better, and throwing more money in than him, "What the hell..." He takes a large drink of his whiskey, finishing the whole glass off...again, and throws his chips into the stack while his favorite waitress brings another one...god he loves that apparently psychic girl. The green Twi'lek winks at Dareus as he folds, scooping the chips up with one hand as he does so. "Wise choice." Maybe the man will get Tal'sin eventually. But then, the Imperial has already /gotten/ the Twi'lek. Several times. With a blaster. While unconscious. It's a good thing Tal'sin doesn't realize this, or the Twi'lek may end up losing most of his money due to damages in the House of Sabacc. With a soft flutter, several more cards are laid out in front of him. Picking them up, he glances over them briefly, recognizing what he can. His eyes soon roll back up, going through the expressions of the card players around him. He watches the high sum of chips thrown in the pile by Dareus. Feeling confident enough in his hand and the reactions he's seen, Tal'sin matches the man's bet. Dain chuckles and shakes his head. "They're decent players, the season is just beginning and I don't think people are completely comfortable here yet. It'll catch on. Sabacc is already in every home on the planet. I just have to get more people to watch it." Dain glances back over at the table. "Neither one of them is bad. I don't blame them for not going all out yet, I do hope to see it at some point though. Damn good fun." As the cards are holovideoed to the on lookers Dain glances over the hands and makes the announcement. "That was an extremely close hand! It looks like this one goes to Dareus! He really needed a good hand to try and turn things around!" At that the cards are again scrambled and re dealt. While his new chips are still being stacked in front of himself, he gives his cards just a quick glance and tosses 100 chips into the center, looking towards the Twi'lek, and offering him a courteous nod. He was quite out of his place here, but still, with his bet placed, he takes a quick glance around the room, looking for anyone he recognizes, as well to see how many people were still remaining here. While he awaits and watches the twi'lek, Dareus leans back and takes a deep breath, trying to read him as best he can...really to no avail. Dareus looks the Twi'lek over with a smile, and then doesn't bother checking his cards again, but simply taking a drink while continuing to roll a single chip over his knuckles, "I'd love to call that....but I think that I just can't..." He grabs a few chips with his other hand, and throws them in, "So I'll just raise you another 150." He doesn't even blink as the chips enter the stack, but a small smile crosses his face as the familiar sound of them clacking together echoes around the rather quiet table. "Oh come on. Fifty chips?" Dina exclaims from the sidelines, "I've seen geriatric events more exciting than this." When Dareus raises the Twi'lek another one hundred and fifty however, her eyes grow bright. "That's better," she murmurs, watching the fellow for a moment before realizing she's seen him before... and recently, at that. Wait a second. Surely it's not... oh, but it is. The Imperial who was with the team on Ord Trasi. Suddenly she doesn't feel so great anymore. "I think I need a drink," she sighs, grabbing one from the tray of a passing server, heartily glad of the free booze to be had here, "Or two." Raising an eyebrow at Dareus, Tal'sin shrugs. "Whatever you want, mate." He keeps his eyes up, not looking at the cards in his hand again, but for, most likely, a very different reason than Dareus. It's not that he's memorized them completely... he just has little idea of what they actually mean. "I'll call." With that, he drops the appropriate amount of chips in the center of the table. Dain was enjoying the tournament immensely and both men were decent players and as more and more chips are piled on the table Dain's enjoyment grows more and more. "See, now they're doing it. they just needed to warm up. Hey, you don't look so good... Something wrong?" Dain guessed so, she was in disguise after all. He hadn't been privy to a lot of information and he didn't want to pry into Dina's business too much. "I'll have another too." Dain downs his fresh drink and steals a glance at Dina's bare legs. "Umm, can I get you anything?" Dain attempts to gain control of his eyes and smiles, a sort of perverse smile, but covered up well enough. Dain takes his eyes off of Dina quickly as he misses his cue for the announcement. "Er, yes. great hand! That had some nice action and it appears our players are all warmed up. I think the rest of this tournament is going to be intense! The winner of the hand is... Tal'sin! An extremely close hand yet again. The NR seems to allow plenty of time for card practice! Er, Go NR!" Yes it was stupid. Dain was distracted. Sitting back down with a cough the young manager looks to Dina again. "I was thinking about starting a strip sabacc club..." "No thing's wrong. Thanks." When Dain makes his offer she chuckles in spite of herself. "Well, Mister Dain, I can think of a few things you could get me, but I don't believe that those particular requests are meant for mixed company," Dina smirks, downing first one drink and then another, watching the players again with an appreciative eye for the courage it takes to make repeated wagers, "And I don't know that a strip sabacc club is what this sector needs. Although..." she laughs again, "I imagine that more than one poor young thing is going to lose her reputation by playing there... if she had one to begin with, that is. Can't forget we're on Nar Shaddaa." How nice it is to be far away from those stuffy, disapproving Jedi! "Are you hoping for any particular outcome this evening, my friend?" Dareus nods, "Well played..." coupled with a quick smile towards the Twi'lek. Secretly, in his own mind he was starting to wish he had shot him dead. Oh well, this wasn't the place for it, and it's not like anyone could read his mind. He continues to finger some of his chips as he checks the new deal, and begins to play like a tournament should be, throwing another 200 into the pot for an opening bet. He only looks to Tal'sin for a second before looking around quickly at some of the other tables, and wonders how their luck is doing. He finishes this whiskey again, and turns slightly while wondering out loud, "Where's my lovely waitress? Probably had to go open another bottle...." he chuckles before returning his attention to the game. Smirking inwardly, Tal'sin leans forward to collect the Sabacc chips towards himself. He spends several seconds organizing the new pile, incorporating it into the one he already has. He nods to Dareus, muttering a quick "Thank you" as he picks up his cards. He looks over them, not feeling entirely confident in the cards in his hand. Looking at the faces around him, he attempts to gather any kind of information he can.. but to little avail. He looks about to fold when he eyes his pile of chips and then tosses 200 into the middle of the table. What the hell? He's still got a bunch left. As the action at the Sabacc table heats up between the final two players the fifth hand appears on the holo-screens. Dain announces. "The pot is steadily growing! It looks like Dareus and Tal'sin are starting play some serious Sabacc! It appears... Dareus is the winner! Possibly the closest hand yet! We're now half way through this tournament! Let's see if our players start to go crazy with the bets!" Dain applauds along with everyone else and sits back to watch the action. He's also keeping an eye on the game... Dareus has no smile on his face, even with this win, he was still down a few chips, but the announcer was time to play some serious cards. He takes 300 chips, and drops them in for his new opening bet, and as a drink is set before him again, the booze hound smiles towards his waitress, "Ahhh, I was wondering if you had run out on me..." He takes a sip, and then leans back in his chair, continuing to roll his one lucky chip across his knuckles, looking up to Dain's seating area and offering him and his guests a quick nod. Dain sits back next to Dina and chuckles. "A lot of ladies around here want that kind of reputation. I have never seen so many women that would do anything for credits. All these gangsters and their girlfriends. I don't think there's much that could give them a worse name." Dain wonders if Dina was going to tell him anymore about her current predicament. "enough about business though. What's going on with you?" "Ooh. Nice hand, Mr..?" His voice trails off, leaving the question out there for Dareus to answer, should he decide to. He watches longingly as the chips go to Dareus, his gaze interrupted by the cards set in front of him. He looks them over, but knows enough about cards to immediately put them back down, face up. "Poodoo on that. I'm folding." Apparently he really /does/ like his money. Dareus quickly checks his hand, as he continues pulling and stacking the chips he's both won, and had to bring back from the opening bet, he sees no harm in telling him a name, at least he hopes he never heard it while back on Coruscant, "Dareus...." He takes a sip of his drink, and throws his cards in, noticing it to be not even worth 50 credits, "Antoine Dareus...." The organizing of his chips are finished, as he eagerly awaits the next hand, hoping they will be something much more suitable. It appears Dina wanted to speak with Dain in a different setting, perhaps less public. Obviously there was some serious issues that he wanted to help her with but for the moment the tournament needed to be MCed. As Tal'sin folds Dain makes the announcement. "Oh Tal'sin folds with a total of 13! That was wise! This hand goes to Dareus! The crowd appears please as large stacks of chips shift between the players. The next hand is dealt. "This is the 7th Hand! Shuffle up and deal!" and the dealer does. Nodding quietly, Tal'sin picks up his next hand of cards, and after looking them over really quick, checks the faces of the other players. He seems about ready to throw a large stack of chips forward when he notices all the folds. Shrugging, he puts his cards down, not having to actually bet to win the round. As Dareus quickly folds his rag hand a surge of excitement rushes through the crowd as they see Tal'sins amazing hand. A soft "awwwww" is heard as everyone at the casino feels his pain. "That was one damn good hand! We all feel your pain Tal'sin! Let's get started on Hand 8!" The cards are scrambled and dealt once more. Dareus takes his new cards, and nods slightly, throwing another 200 chips into the pile for an opening bet, "Well, time to separate the men from the boys..." He simply states, as he has another few sips of his whiskey. He glances around the table, trying to read everyone again, but secretly feels to himself, that he's really the hell out of his league. His attention turns back to his biggest threat in this tournament, and, well, actually out of it too, Tal'sin. Tal'sin gives a slightly pouting face in response to the on-lookers, doing his best to please them in the midst of this harrowing battle. He watches Dareus for several seconds as the human checks his cards and drops 200 chips into the pile. Picking up his own cards, he gives them a quick read. His brows furrow, an expression of doubt on his face. The Twi'lek's eyes quickly go from his cards to the cards of everyone else, and back again. Biting his lip, he decides to raise. Carefully counting out 250 chips, Tal'sin lays them out in the middle of the table, exhaling deeply as he does so. Dareus nods, and notices the look on Tal'sin's face, he maintains an emotionless look while he thinks through the goings on of the table. He leans back for a minute in contemplation, then grabs his chips, "Let us make this interesting then." He begins to count some chips out, and throws in an additional raise, "I see your extra 50, and I'll raise you 250 more...." Tal'sin exhales in surprise (or is it?) and leans back in his chair, eyes somewhat wide, teeth biting the inside of his lip. He looks nervous... and he should be. 250 is a lot of chips. Almost glaring at the pile of chips in the center of the table, Tal'sin furrows his eyebrows and finally lays down 250 more. He calls, apparently. As the cards go up on the screens once more there is a round of applause. "It looks like our winner this hand is Tal'sin! That's a great hand! Dareus has turned things around with several wins however, with only two rounds left it can go either way! Shuffle up and deal!" And the cards are dealt. As the new cards are dealt, Dareus keeps a low eye on them for only a moment, and shakes his head, "One more hand left, my friend..." He drops another 200 chips onto the table, and looks at the Twi'lek with his eyes, carefully examining every expression on his face, and that thing hanging off of his head. Taking a sip of his drink, his eyes, for a moment look to the center of the table, and the chips, then to the stack before his opponent who has been playing so well for the evening. This time a sincere exhale of relief comes from Tal'sin. Smiling widely at the applause coming in, the Twi'lek leans in, scooping the large sum of credits in to his side of the table. A quick moment of organization passes, and Tal'sin picks up the cards he's just been dealt. He pulls a face, this time throwing the cards face down. "I'll fold. No money in there." The gathered crowd is too ansty to allow Dain to make a final announcement as they all chant "DEAL! DEAL! DEAL!" There requests are answered and Dain waves ane smiles. "Shuffle up and deal!" The crowd cheering and chanting gives Dareus a half smile, and he wastes no time in looking at his cards, before setting them gently back face down, and he looks towards Tal'sin, "All in..." The crowd cheers a little more, and the man takes a long and seemingly enjoyed sip of his whiskey. Tal'sin takes hold of the newly dealt cards and looks them over quickly. Hearing Dareus' announcement, Tal'sin merely shrugs. His cards weren't too bad, and it's too late to lose. Throwing in his chips, he states, "I call." The cards once again appear on the screen. In this the final hand of the Sabacc tournament! Dain makes his announcement. "It's been a great tournament and we're finally at its end. Let find out who the the winner of the final hand is!" He takes a moment to look over the cards. "The winner of the final hand is Tal'sin! Now we'll add up the chips and see who's one this tournament! either way both players are going home with prizes! Dareus nods and waves to the crowed, as he waits for the tally to be completed. He offers a quick hand to Tal'sin, and even though it pains him to be friendly, let alone touch him, "Well played." He didn't come in first, but at least he made it this far.
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