When the dealing's done.
Nov 15, 2024 2:25:23 GMT -5
Post by OrochiGeese on Nov 15, 2024 2:25:23 GMT -5
*It’s 12 pm and Kurt Sanders is sitting in the bar where he ran into James Ward four years ago. This time, Kurt is joined by Thomas Mills. The two are taking shots of vodka and laughing at their surroundings.*
[Thomas:] “Haven’t been at a place like this at noon since college.”
[Kurt:] “Really got the most out of Daddy’s trust fund, huh?”
[Thomas:] “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”
*Thomas does a shot and the two laugh. However, their smiles quickly fade when the door to the bar swings open for Charles Langford and Jasper Woodruff to walk in. Their faces are unreadable, but their mere presence causes Kurt and Thomas to stand up in a quasi-fighting stance. Charles sees them, spits on the ground, and walks over to the bar with Jasper. Charles orders two fingers of bourbon for himself and an orange juice with a sippy straw for Jasper. The two walk over to the table that Kurt and Thomas are standing by, but merely sit down and start working on their drinks. This causes Kurt to ease up and sit down as well. Thomas gives it a few seconds until he feels secure, and then does the same.*
[Kurt:] “Look, I was gonna tell you-“
[Charles:] “Lying to my face doesn’t excuse you doin it behind my back, son.”
[Kurt:] “I get why you’re angry.”
[Charles:] “Not angry, just disappointed.”
*Thomas laughs incredulously.*
[Thomas:] “Okay, Kurt, is this guy actually your dad or something?”
[Charles:] “No, we were stronger than that. Blood isn’t chosen, but who you grift with is.”
[Kurt:] “You’re overreacting. Thomas and I were working a side angle, but it didn’t have anything to do with you-“
*The expression on Charles face turns more serious.*
[Charles:] “Boy, I said don’t lie to my face. You can’t insult me more than actin like I can’t read you.”
[Thomas:] “Whoa, let’s all take it easy here. How about I buy all your drinks.”
[Charles:] “I think you’ve given us enough.”
[Thomas:] “What’s that supposed to mean?”
*Thomas acts with an outrage that he just can’t seem to legitimately muster. This causes Charles to pound the table with his fists.*
[Charles:] “It means I know you two did something to ole Jasper here to render him docile before he faced you. You had the motive, and Kurt had the means. I wasn’t there that night on account of a meeting with a client, so I had Kurt get him ready. When Jasper told me that Kurt made him an extra special milkshake, I knew something was up.“
[Jasper:] “It tasted sleepy!”
[Kurt:] “Look – even if that happened, it was obviously an accident.”
[Charles:] “After all these years of three of a kind, don’t you think we would have helped you? You wanted a match thrown? Fine. There was no need to do anything to Jasper that he would have done if you had just asked us to.”
*Kurt is silent, but Thomas leans back in his chair in a relaxed fashion.*
[Thomas:] “You’re taking it way too personally.”
[Charles:] “No, you poisoned Jasper, I’m taking it personally enough. Boy is messed up enough in the head, he doesn’t need any extra help.”
[Thomas:] “Poison is a strong word for a relaxation cocktail. I've seen Sandy Morton down like fifty of them. Besides, wasn’t ole Jass fine later that night? There’s no damage so just let it slide. I’ll even buy you a beemer to move on.”
[Charles:] “This isn’t about moving on.”
[Thomas:] “Bro, you’re supposedly this poker player archetype but you can't even read the table. It's definitely time to move on, Langford. My boy’s taking all his chips to a better table.”
[Charles:] “I’m not a fool, I get that. But why cheat the one who brought him to the table in the first place?”
*Kurt lets out a big sigh of exasperation as his patience appears to be running thin.*
[Kurt:] “What did you teach me, Langford? When the crew you’re playing with can’t get you any richer, you gotta switch to those who play for higher stakes. All I did was move from a Mississippi gambler to a rich Connecticut Yankee.”
[Thomas:] “Too bad it’s not in King Arthur’s court though since Wingate stepped down.”
[Charles:] “But why did you have to make a choice? You didn’t even tell us what you wanted or how we were holding you back.”
[Thomas:] “Okay, this is just sad now. Kurt, tell gramps why you're taking him to the old folks home.”
*Thomas sighs and starts texting on his cell phone.*
[Kurt:] “This right here is why I had to move on. You’re emotional all the time now, especially about Jasper. Anytime I treat him like the pack mule that he is, you get your feelings hurt.”
*Kurt lightly kicks Jasper under the table, eliciting a braying-like sound from him. Charles begins to stand up in anger but Kurt holds his hands up to defuse.*
[Kurt:] “See! Why would I trust you with any important information or plans if you can’t control yourself at a tiny sleight from an ally. You’re as volatile as Yosemite Sam and that’s a liability against who I'm up against. You said it yourself when you met me – emotions turn men into fools and fools are only kept around til they’ve outgrown their usefulness.”
*Thomas is still rapidly texting but speaks.*
[Thomas:] “Broke the number one rule of gambling, Langford. If you look around the table and can’t spot the sucker, you’re it.”
*Thomas looks up and smirks at Charles. Langford is silent for a few seconds, stewing in this humiliation. Then he smirks.*
[Charles:] “Well then, since we established that loyalty isn’t worth the opening ante, how long’s it gonna be until Sanders sees you for the fool that you are, Mills?”
[Thomas:] “You’re such a relic, bro. People who act like the house always wins forget that the bank is really the one in charge. But I'm not just the cash behind this operation, Langford, I put some of my brains into it as well."
*Charles leans back and laughs.*
[Charles:] “Well then, a fool and his money are soon to be parted.”
[Thomas:] “Okay, I’ll play the cliché game. How’s this one: The rich get richer.”
*Sanders laughs and Thomas goes back to texting. Charles nods to himself and gestures with his head to the door to Jasper.*
[Charles:] “Let’s go on home Jasper.”
[Jasper:] “They ain’t comin wit us!?”
[Charles:] “No, I think these two are meant for each other, after all.”
[Jasper:] “Okay, see ya later Kurt!”
[Kurt:] “Hey Charles, can I give Lenny one last hug or does he think I’m a bunny?”
*Charles stands up abruptly with frayed patience.*
[Charles:] “This isn’t over.”
[Thomas:] “I mean, if you want another round, I’m sure our boys at the bar can help.”
*Thomas sends one more text and two men immediately get up from the bar and walk over to the table. Charles and Jasper are now surrounded on one side by Kurt and Thomas, and on the other side by Darryl Williamson and a tall, burly man we haven’t seen for a long time.”
[Thomas:] “You remember my old bodyguard, Calvin Corbett? Former boxer, fixer, all around good guy?”
*Calvin smiles aggressively at Charles. Jasper, clearly not recognizing the situation, smiles back enthusiastically.*
[Jasper:] “Pleased to meet ya!”
[Charles:] “No, the pleasure is theirs and it’s gonna be short-lived. You made your point, Mills.”
[Thomas:] “No, I don’t think we did. You wasted a lot of our time today, so we’re gonna get some fun out of it.”
*Calvin grabs Jasper and Darryl grabs Charles but Kurt shakes his head no.*
[Kurt:] “Not now, we have bigger plans. If we’re gonna take down the tower, we can’t waste our time in the slums.”
*Thomas laughs and the two bruisers release their holds. Kurt motions to them and the door.*
[Kurt:] “You’re back to just a pair now, so mind your bets.”
[Jasper:] “I’ll take two gold nuggets-“
*Suddenly, Darryl gets face to face with Jasper and screams in his face like he was yelling at a dog.*
[Darryl:] “Go, get!”
*Jasper runs out of the bar. Charles takes one last look at Kurt, laughs derisively, and follows after Jasper. Thomas looks at Kurt.*
[Thomas:] “The irony – a gambler betrayed by his wild card.”
*Kurt smacks Thomas upside the head.*
[Kurt:] “That’s corny as shit, man.”
*Both of them laugh then order more drinks with Calvin and Darryl.*
[Thomas:] “Haven’t been at a place like this at noon since college.”
[Kurt:] “Really got the most out of Daddy’s trust fund, huh?”
[Thomas:] “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”
*Thomas does a shot and the two laugh. However, their smiles quickly fade when the door to the bar swings open for Charles Langford and Jasper Woodruff to walk in. Their faces are unreadable, but their mere presence causes Kurt and Thomas to stand up in a quasi-fighting stance. Charles sees them, spits on the ground, and walks over to the bar with Jasper. Charles orders two fingers of bourbon for himself and an orange juice with a sippy straw for Jasper. The two walk over to the table that Kurt and Thomas are standing by, but merely sit down and start working on their drinks. This causes Kurt to ease up and sit down as well. Thomas gives it a few seconds until he feels secure, and then does the same.*
[Kurt:] “Look, I was gonna tell you-“
[Charles:] “Lying to my face doesn’t excuse you doin it behind my back, son.”
[Kurt:] “I get why you’re angry.”
[Charles:] “Not angry, just disappointed.”
*Thomas laughs incredulously.*
[Thomas:] “Okay, Kurt, is this guy actually your dad or something?”
[Charles:] “No, we were stronger than that. Blood isn’t chosen, but who you grift with is.”
[Kurt:] “You’re overreacting. Thomas and I were working a side angle, but it didn’t have anything to do with you-“
*The expression on Charles face turns more serious.*
[Charles:] “Boy, I said don’t lie to my face. You can’t insult me more than actin like I can’t read you.”
[Thomas:] “Whoa, let’s all take it easy here. How about I buy all your drinks.”
[Charles:] “I think you’ve given us enough.”
[Thomas:] “What’s that supposed to mean?”
*Thomas acts with an outrage that he just can’t seem to legitimately muster. This causes Charles to pound the table with his fists.*
[Charles:] “It means I know you two did something to ole Jasper here to render him docile before he faced you. You had the motive, and Kurt had the means. I wasn’t there that night on account of a meeting with a client, so I had Kurt get him ready. When Jasper told me that Kurt made him an extra special milkshake, I knew something was up.“
[Jasper:] “It tasted sleepy!”
[Kurt:] “Look – even if that happened, it was obviously an accident.”
[Charles:] “After all these years of three of a kind, don’t you think we would have helped you? You wanted a match thrown? Fine. There was no need to do anything to Jasper that he would have done if you had just asked us to.”
*Kurt is silent, but Thomas leans back in his chair in a relaxed fashion.*
[Thomas:] “You’re taking it way too personally.”
[Charles:] “No, you poisoned Jasper, I’m taking it personally enough. Boy is messed up enough in the head, he doesn’t need any extra help.”
[Thomas:] “Poison is a strong word for a relaxation cocktail. I've seen Sandy Morton down like fifty of them. Besides, wasn’t ole Jass fine later that night? There’s no damage so just let it slide. I’ll even buy you a beemer to move on.”
[Charles:] “This isn’t about moving on.”
[Thomas:] “Bro, you’re supposedly this poker player archetype but you can't even read the table. It's definitely time to move on, Langford. My boy’s taking all his chips to a better table.”
[Charles:] “I’m not a fool, I get that. But why cheat the one who brought him to the table in the first place?”
*Kurt lets out a big sigh of exasperation as his patience appears to be running thin.*
[Kurt:] “What did you teach me, Langford? When the crew you’re playing with can’t get you any richer, you gotta switch to those who play for higher stakes. All I did was move from a Mississippi gambler to a rich Connecticut Yankee.”
[Thomas:] “Too bad it’s not in King Arthur’s court though since Wingate stepped down.”
[Charles:] “But why did you have to make a choice? You didn’t even tell us what you wanted or how we were holding you back.”
[Thomas:] “Okay, this is just sad now. Kurt, tell gramps why you're taking him to the old folks home.”
*Thomas sighs and starts texting on his cell phone.*
[Kurt:] “This right here is why I had to move on. You’re emotional all the time now, especially about Jasper. Anytime I treat him like the pack mule that he is, you get your feelings hurt.”
*Kurt lightly kicks Jasper under the table, eliciting a braying-like sound from him. Charles begins to stand up in anger but Kurt holds his hands up to defuse.*
[Kurt:] “See! Why would I trust you with any important information or plans if you can’t control yourself at a tiny sleight from an ally. You’re as volatile as Yosemite Sam and that’s a liability against who I'm up against. You said it yourself when you met me – emotions turn men into fools and fools are only kept around til they’ve outgrown their usefulness.”
*Thomas is still rapidly texting but speaks.*
[Thomas:] “Broke the number one rule of gambling, Langford. If you look around the table and can’t spot the sucker, you’re it.”
*Thomas looks up and smirks at Charles. Langford is silent for a few seconds, stewing in this humiliation. Then he smirks.*
[Charles:] “Well then, since we established that loyalty isn’t worth the opening ante, how long’s it gonna be until Sanders sees you for the fool that you are, Mills?”
[Thomas:] “You’re such a relic, bro. People who act like the house always wins forget that the bank is really the one in charge. But I'm not just the cash behind this operation, Langford, I put some of my brains into it as well."
*Charles leans back and laughs.*
[Charles:] “Well then, a fool and his money are soon to be parted.”
[Thomas:] “Okay, I’ll play the cliché game. How’s this one: The rich get richer.”
*Sanders laughs and Thomas goes back to texting. Charles nods to himself and gestures with his head to the door to Jasper.*
[Charles:] “Let’s go on home Jasper.”
[Jasper:] “They ain’t comin wit us!?”
[Charles:] “No, I think these two are meant for each other, after all.”
[Jasper:] “Okay, see ya later Kurt!”
[Kurt:] “Hey Charles, can I give Lenny one last hug or does he think I’m a bunny?”
*Charles stands up abruptly with frayed patience.*
[Charles:] “This isn’t over.”
[Thomas:] “I mean, if you want another round, I’m sure our boys at the bar can help.”
*Thomas sends one more text and two men immediately get up from the bar and walk over to the table. Charles and Jasper are now surrounded on one side by Kurt and Thomas, and on the other side by Darryl Williamson and a tall, burly man we haven’t seen for a long time.”
[Thomas:] “You remember my old bodyguard, Calvin Corbett? Former boxer, fixer, all around good guy?”
*Calvin smiles aggressively at Charles. Jasper, clearly not recognizing the situation, smiles back enthusiastically.*
[Jasper:] “Pleased to meet ya!”
[Charles:] “No, the pleasure is theirs and it’s gonna be short-lived. You made your point, Mills.”
[Thomas:] “No, I don’t think we did. You wasted a lot of our time today, so we’re gonna get some fun out of it.”
*Calvin grabs Jasper and Darryl grabs Charles but Kurt shakes his head no.*
[Kurt:] “Not now, we have bigger plans. If we’re gonna take down the tower, we can’t waste our time in the slums.”
*Thomas laughs and the two bruisers release their holds. Kurt motions to them and the door.*
[Kurt:] “You’re back to just a pair now, so mind your bets.”
[Jasper:] “I’ll take two gold nuggets-“
*Suddenly, Darryl gets face to face with Jasper and screams in his face like he was yelling at a dog.*
[Darryl:] “Go, get!”
*Jasper runs out of the bar. Charles takes one last look at Kurt, laughs derisively, and follows after Jasper. Thomas looks at Kurt.*
[Thomas:] “The irony – a gambler betrayed by his wild card.”
*Kurt smacks Thomas upside the head.*
[Kurt:] “That’s corny as shit, man.”
*Both of them laugh then order more drinks with Calvin and Darryl.*