[We find the more manly half of the protagonists (we love you, Mikoto!) at Some Nameless Bar in a nearby but not too near town. Yeah. Them Shomuran bars sure is fancy, and they're getting... a lot of looks. Can't imagine why.] [Jinx has been trying to teach people Poker while John and Tairan may or may not be getting drunk. Let's see how they're doing, shall we?] [Session Start.] * Tairan isn't drinking, but he's doing his best to learn poker. His learning is being slowed by the fact aht he's still obviously in some degree of pain from the fight, and from his constant looks outside the bar for the others. * John is picking up poker quite quickly, seeing as he has some familiarity with the cards. Still, he seems to be bothered by something. [It's the fly that won't leave John alone. Bzzzzzzz...] * Jinx has been slowly working his way through some sake, he has two sample hands spread before him. "Now, in five card draw, with the hands on the left, you want to go with the pair and the hand on the right it's best to try for the flush. It's the sort of thing you memorize over time with practice." (Probably. Attracted to my teeth, I tell ya!) (It's like another lightsource.) * John nods. "All based on the odds?" Exactly. The better you are at math, the easier it will be to pick this sort of thing up. It gets more complicated when you play with some of the opponents card's exposed or with wildcards. * John hmms... "Okay. I'm willing to take a shot at the game, provided we're not puttin' any money in the pot." (I'd assume the pot would be the FIRST thing Jinx'd tell him about.) s'like a big battle, then. Analyze the odds, try'n figure out what your opponents are thinking or planning, and act accordingly. Exactly. I'd think an ability to gain intellegence would help too. * Jinx nods and shuffles a deck. "Yeah, the most important thing is to know how good your opponents's hands are. Most people have patterns you can learn, though the better the player, the harder it is." Of course. If they're an emotionless bastard, chances are you won't get anythin' from them. (making a sleight of hand roll for dealing a few from the bottom) 2d6-2 * Jinx deals out a few hands. "Yeah, I try for it certainly." He then grins. "Anyone see what I just did?" [No. No, you didn't.] [He dealt out hands!] Ya just delt out hands, didn'tcha? * Jinx then repeats the trick a bit slower dealing out two new hands. "Nope, watch the bottom of the deck this tome. It's one of the most common ways to stack the deck. The odds are worthless if the games fixed, and can't have my students losing." ... you dealt the cards? * Tairan shakes his head. "... you already answered the question. Sorry. Bit outta it." * John nods. "Sleight of hand?" Sakura'd kill ya if she found out. Nah. Cheatin' at cards don't make you a bandit. * Jinx nods. "Quite alright Tairan. And correct on the first count, and she may try on the latter. Anyways, here's a real deal. But first, do be sure to ask for a cut. Too easy to set up an ideal hand otherwise." He puts the deck in the center of the table for easy cutting. * John considers going for the obvious pun, but instead cuts the cards normally. * Jinx takes the deck back and does a conventional deal. * Jinx swaps in a few cards and keeps his face fairly blank. Perhaps not emotionless bastard, but emotionless jerk certianly. ( No Tairan, don't trade in your pairs. :P) * John eyes Jinx, and trys his own. [John wins, managing to call Jinx on his bluff. Skill or beginner's luck?] (Luck!) * Jinx takes a swig of sake and smiles. "Well played John." He then flips over the cards that were traded in and gives a few pointers on the wisdom of trading choices, he focuses more on Tairan this time. Thank ya very much. (... Not really. :P) * Jinx holds up an empty bottle, hoping for a refill. "Alright, you deal this time John. It's good to have a practiced shuffle, unless you're trying to hustle." ... wouldn't a lousy shuffle help if you were trying to convince people you stunk? * John takes the cards and shuffles somewhat clumsily at first. "True enough." * John deals out the cards one at a time when he thinks they're shuffled enough. * Jinx grins. "Quite right, but to get good, real players are going to have to take you seriously. Once you've got that skill, then you can starrt to act like you stink.' Point. ... hope things haven't completely gone down the crapper yet. * Jinx picks up his hand and does that gambling thing that he does so well. He actually pulls off emotionless bastard this time. "So, how long before we should launch a foolish rescue mission?" Yeah. I'm gettin' kinda uncomfortable about the plan 'bout now. Dunno. Day or so? Sounds 'bout right. I dunno how fast they execute people. * Jinx frowns a bit. "Alright. I figure you're the best informed on making these sorts of calls. Although I'm not sure if that group will be patient enough to wait that long to make their own foolish escape attempt." Jinx lowers his voice while he says this and gives up on getting more sake. I figure a day is about the point when we can conclude that something's genuinely gone wrong, as opposed to 'They're staying the night there at the request of the clan head'. Tairan would know best of their customs... * Jinx nods. "That sounds logical." Still, that wouldn't give us much time to prepare. How much can ya tell us 'bout where they would be held? I dunno what they'd be excecuted *for*, unless Daigoro went back and identified them as having travelled with me. But I can't imagine he'd have done that, because then he'd have to admit that he let me go, in which case the old bastard would probably have thrown HIM in jail. I wouldn't put it past anyone ta lie... * Jinx glances around suspiously. "Do we want to do our planning in here?" * John shakes his head. "No. Lets find some place outside ta work. " [Not suspicous at all, no sir!] (<.<) (Don't you just love our suspicious GM's?) * Jinx quickly shows his cards before collecting back John and Tairan's hands. "Odds are this is the winner, the think the lesson can wait until later." * Jinx then gets up, presumably having paid for his drink of front, and slowly heads to the door after putting the deck away. * John gets up and follows. Teckian men walking out of a Shomuran bar. Not suspicious in the least, nope. * Jinx doesn't try to look innocent instead he settles for looking so suspicious that the safest thing to do is to is to ignore him. [Everyone watches them. The bartender counts the money they left twice, as if not sure if they'd give him the right amount or not.] * John is used to that and leaves anyways. * Jinx grins back right before he leaves. "Oh, I assure you, Teckans can count, dispite what you may have heard." He then leaves and looks around for a nice place for a private discussion. [He ends up on the street! Do you hear me? ON THE STREET!] * John eyes the area around for said places of private discussion. * John finds the street? * Tairan follows along, tipping his cap at the bartender. * Jinx picks a secluded spot a bit out of town and walks there, occassionally glancing back to make sure he's only being followed by John and Tairan. [The three strangers head out of town in the dead of night. Not suspicious at ALL.] * John isn't suspicious. Nope nope nope! * John is too pretty to be suspicious. * Tairan is Shomuran. He's not suspicious in the least. Except for the western hat, of course. [John's teeth glint suspiciously.] * Jinx continues to look like he may do something suspicious to anyone looking at him too closely. * John glints his teeth. Dangit! So, don't suppose there are any secret passages into the castle. That'd probably be too easy. 'course there aren't when ya need'em. Hmm... well, I know where the jail is, of course. Dunno exactly where they'd be held, but it's not *that* big a jail, so it not a huge deal. And... hm. Entrance on the west side of the castle is usually not guarded as heavily as the others, so that'd be our most likely entry point. No secret passages, unfortunately. * Jinx nods. "Alright. So, do you think we can actually sneak in, or should we go for the make a big distraction somewhere else and then run in approach?" ... 'course, with a war going on, the guard patterns might've changed... but if it comes to that, we just gotta hope they haven't changed that much. Right. Well, if we need a distraction, I'm thinkin' some TNT with a long fuse should do the trick. * Jinx grins. "I'd quite agree." * John smirks. Nah. Our best bet is to get in and out of there quietly. Remember, this is a fort stocked with a few hundred really, really competant warriors. The last thing we need is an entire army chasing us. If we can get in and out of there without anybody noticing, and get at least a bit of a head start... obviously, that'd be a good thing. Luckilly, the jail's pretty near that west entrance. * Jinx frowns and grabs his tomahawk. "Guess that means guns are out. They tend to draw attention when fired." * John nods and pulls his whip out. "Try and go for non-leathal... Last thing we need is a *real* reason for them to be after us." * Tairan nods. "Plus, most of the guards prolly aren't real psychos... just guys doin' their jobs." Just the man up top's a bitch. Oh, some of the lower down people are psychos, too... but most of those would get promoted higher than doing guard duty. I'll try, but I don't have all that much finesse with this thing. ::He makes a few practice swings with the tomahawk, in a direction away from the others:: Mostly keep it for ornamental reasons. s'pretty much the lowest rung of the warrior class. * Jinx then looks over at John. "So long as we're on the topic of death, you sure you want to do this? It goes way beyond the job description. I've walked or been dragged away from far worse, but I doubt you have my luck." * John smirks and tips his hat. "I've gone above and beyond my duty, if that's what ya mean. I can't leave'em there, ya know." And besides, I've worked my way outta worse as well. * Jinx grins. "Good man, just wanted to be sure you knew you had the choice." What, you' What, you're not gonna ask me if I'm in? *grins* We don't need to ask, you're stuck with us. ~_^ * Jinx snorts. "I'm not worried about walking away alive if I go in, but I tend to think you'll already be dead inside if you let this one go." Well, yeah. And who knows. Maybe I'll get lucky and my sword'll be conveniently sitting in the jail. *smirks* * Jinx smirks. "Oh, and if there's a chance for any dramatic entrances, I'd appreciate it if you gents would let me make them. As I believe I'm the only one trying to get some tail from a person we're rescuing." * John laughs. "Sure thing Jinx. Good luck with ya there, by the way. Maybe Millie's takin' a notice to you." ... you're trying to score with MaryAnne? That's just... *shudder* * Tairan GRINS. * John chuckles. ( "Actually, he was talking about Mikoto." [/slashwriter] ) * Jinx rolls his eyes and laughs. "Anyways, thanks for the well wishes John. And I do mean that thanks, what notice I have gotten is likely in good part an attempt to at you." ('to at'->'to get at') * Jinx then grins over at Tairan. "Anyways, I prefer women that can stay alive without active effort on my part. Less stressful I find." At least they're not tryin' to kill you. True enough. * Tairan nods. "Women trying to get you killed are definately bad." ( *simultaneous* ... lord, do we need to get laid. ) [And so, they planned! Session End.]