Love? Give it six months
Warning: this story will contain mentions of unhealthy relationships and adult themes. The main character also has some character traits that may differs from your own, please do keep that in mind.
Review and comments will be appreciated
(Customisation) There once was a dashing bachelor
(That looked like )(uses the OH male feces)
Face 1
Face 2
Face 3
Face 4
(Hairstyles)
James Bond (black slick backed)
Don Diego Vega (dark brown wavy hair slicked back long neck)
Steve Rogers (Short blonde side swept hair)
Agent J (Short kinky curls)
Is this him?
Yes
No (go back to customisation)
What is his name?
(Default: George)
(Surname)
(Default: Bishop)
There he meets
A beautiful woman
A handsome man
A beautiful woman
Face 1 (Asian; has pale skin, dark almond eyes, straight black mid-back hair with a mid-part)
Face 2 (Hispanic: has tan skin, deep brown eye and over shoulder-length volumes wavy hair with side bangs.)
Face 3 (Afro-American: dark skin, expressive brown eyes with long blackish brown chest-length kinky curly hair.)
Face 4 (Caucassian: pinkish skin with freckles, clear blue round eyes, collarbone length layered dirty blonde hair)
A handsome man
Face 1 (Asian: pale skin, dark almond eyes, straight black hair put up in a pompadour style)
Face 2 (Hispanic: tan skin, with slicked back wavy hair that always looks like it is coming undone.)
Face 3 (Afro-American: dark skin, expressive brown eyes, with a crewcut with tight natural curls.)
Face 4 (Caucasian: pinkish skin with freckles, clear blue eyes, dirty blonde hair in a Taper haircut.)
As the two peoples eyes lock across the room. The sensation of a pull drives them to get closer to one another.
As the dashing bachelor offered his hand his partner gladly accepted it. Leading into a dance that lasted the rest of the night.
The whole world faded away to the sound of the Jazz band, their breathing and their dancing.
As their lips moved to meet...
???: “Oh come now Joanna, you know that is no way that would ever happen.”
(Record Scratch)
Joanna: “Oh for craps sake, George I was getting to the best part.”
George: “Forgive me for finding it uncomfortable that you have decide how my love life is going to go.”
Lance: “He does have a point there sis.”
Joanna: “Way to stand up for your sister Lance.”
Lance “Look I’m all for love conquers and all that jazz but it is kind of difficult to make a love life for someone else.”
George: “Thank you.”
Lance: “I mean he isn’t a completely lost cause. I’m sure some desperate soul will take him.”
Lance: “I mean he’s got dads looks, and he managed to get with mom when they were young.”
Lance: “That might make up for his zero tact.”
George: “Your faith in me is awe inspiring.”
Lance: “Oh cheer up. With your upcoming trip to Vegas, maybe you’ll have luck in love and not just on the poker table.”
Joanna: “Maybe you’ll meet someone special!”
You snort, finding the idea silly.
George: “I wouldn’t bet on it.”
Chapter 1: One night in Vegas
In an underground speakeasy decked out in old decor from the 20th centuries first half. You sit there nursing your drink. After a long day at the office you love nothing more than when you can enjoy your secret fancy. Dressed up in an old-fashioned pinstripe suit and a fedora. You feel like a king, this little piece of haven in Chicago that seemed to be frozen in time.
You feel your friend beside you stir, he himself having to relax from work as well as dreading an upcoming event.
After his fifth sight you opt to actually talk about it.
You take a swing of your drink and decide to talk about the elephant in the room.
Or more accurately you decide to talk about the issue in pre 1940’s slang
George: “Your bear cat of a sister still giving you a hard time?”
Jeremy: “Noneofya.”
He mumbled.
George: “Look Pally, I known you since we were scrubs and had squat. What's eating you?”
Jeremy: “That dame will chisel me out of every dime I own.”
George: “Stephie acting like a Big cheese cause she is getting hitched?”
Jeremy: “She wants everything spiffy and I’m quite sure her ankle biters will be paying the bills. My folks are on my case regarding my dame.”
You think for a moment. Jeremy and Katie had been together for four years. They got one another, they lived together.
George: “Stephie’s lucky her guy thinks she’s the Cat's meow.”
You said reflecting on everything you ever heard regarding Darren, he was a good guy. Definitely not the smartest but he loved Stephanie like she was the only woman alive. You just wondered why anyone would want to spend time with that woman.
Jeremy: “Alright, real talk.”
Jeremy said as he dropped ‘the act’, we were no longer hot shots in the prohibition era. We were now just George Bishop and Jeremy Jackson a financial advisor and a computer wizard.
George: “In all do honesty I do not see why you need to go there? Aren’t bachelorette parties strictly female?”
Jeremy: “They used to be, but I am quite sure I am not going with them to be pampered like the bridesmaids.”
George: “Then your function is?”
Jeremy: “If I were to guess, fall guy and pack mule.”
Jeremy: “I think she is also doing it to brag, that ‘she did it first.’ To rub it in Katie’s face.”
George: “You never really care what your sister does. Why now?”
Jeremy: “Because they are pressuring me and Katie. Not just my family but next to everyone we know. ‘When is the wedding? What is the venue? How many guests? Are you going to have it this year?’ Look I love my girl, but none of us is in rush to walk down the aisle.”
Yeah, you know, you were the first one Jeremy told about his plan to propose. You were happy for him but at the end of the day it was up to Katie and Jeremy. Not you or their families. However the rest of the world seemed to think differently.
Mom: “Oh sweetheart, happy valentine’s day! Are you spending it with someone special?”
George: “Mom, you know I am not looking for someone.”
Mom: “Oh, don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll find that certain someone sooner or later.”
Yeah, it isn’t enough your sister is married and your brother is utterly twitterpated with his boyfriend. You need to ensure your oldest is also with someone.
Boss: “Mr. Bishop, I must say. I am impressed with your work ethics, but we have decided to go with Mr. Robinson as the face of the company.”
Never minding the fact that you worked twice as hard as said college.
George: “I understand. May I ask what made you choose him?”
Boss: “We did research and found that your college would be favourable, due to circumstance.”
Translation: we wanted a man that was married and not the workaholic bachelor.
Stranger 1: “You see that guy over there?”
Stranger 2: “You mean the one with the RBF?”
Stranger 1: “Yeah, probably one of those loners, will never find anyone.”
Stranger 2: “I mean who goes to a restaurant like this alone?”
Honestly? You can’t have a meal alone?
George: “Yeah, I know that feeling.”
Jeremy: “Seriously.”
Both of you take a sigh.
Jeremy: “But in all honesty. Thank you for coming along, I really appreciate it. Would probably loose my mind if I went alone.”
George: “Of course.”
- It would be a shame to lose my partner in crime.
- My boss would be pissed if I didn’t.
- Who would turn down free drinks?
Jeremy: “Yeah sounds about right.” *Choice 1*
George: “Remember how we got back at Marcus Thatcher?” *Choice 1*
Jeremy: “Oh, I remember. Too bad he didn’t check the file we sent, it might have saved him some embarrassment.” *Choice 1*
George: “Big tough football star being fooled by ‘two scrawny’ freshmen.” *Choice 1*
Jeremy: “And we were hailed as heroes for a month.” *Choice 1*
Jeremy: “Wait, don’t tell me HR department has been on your case.” *Choice 2*
Geroge: “Yep, too much overtime.” *Choice 2*
Geroge: “Never mind I make sure that everything is quality controlled.” *Choice 2*
Jeremy: “Geesh. Well glad to know I could be of service.” *Choice 2*
Jeremy: “Ah there it is, I knew you had a hidden agenda. *Choice 3*
George: “Jeremy, Jeremy, Jeremy, when have I ever hid something from you?” *Choice 3*
Jeremy: “Alright fair, you are honest to the point of insult.” *Choice 3*
Geroge: “You asked for my opinion, besides those shoes where ugly as sin.” *Choice 3*
Both of you laugh, you had been in each other’s life since kindergarten. You where the odd ducks, most kids and adults always considered you to be cold or judging. Even if neither of you had that intention.
Jeremy raises his glass.
Jeremy: “To intellectual companions.”
George: “To intellectual friends.”
You said as you raised your own drink in a toast.
The weekend finally arrived for the trip. You arrived at O’Hare airport with a good three hours to spare. You crack open the book you brought with you.
It was a supernatural detective story you received as a gift on last birthday a few months back. While you applaud your sister for trying, it was still jarring to follow all the supernatural deus-ex-machinas that discarded real detective work.
So that is how a 31 year old was reading a supernatural book in broad daylight.
George: ‘ with gun drawn, Duskraven made her way down the basement, the surroundings smelled of blood and muck.’
Geroge: ‘Romano’s empire was now in full display in front of her. Fae, lined the walls, eyes hollow and only the movement of their chest indicating they were still alive.’
George: ‘Duskraven took out her polaroid camera, it was a risky but if this would ever have a chance to justice. Her leads and information would need to be solid if she wanted to take down the vampire cartel. She just hoped the light for the camera would be noticed.’
George: ‘With a blinding light the entire basement lit up temporarily blinding her, when she regained her sight again a new horror met her eyes. Multiple pairs of hungry red eyes.’
Jeremy: “George!”
You tear your eyes away from the book in your hand.
There is Jeremy and Katie, hand in hand. Seeing them together was always a happy occasion.
Katie and Jeremy met at your favourite speakeasy a few years back. You didn’t blame your friend for becoming interested in the ICU nurse. Curly red hair and big blue eyes. Even if the courtship had started out rocky due to both of them being so shy. They overcame that hurdle and found something they wanted.
Sometimes however you wished you didn’t feel like you were interrupting them.
George: “Good morning, is Stephanie and her friends also here?”
Katie: “No they had a sleep over at Daria’s house. So they will be carpooling.”
You look at your clock and it was about two hours before the plane would take off, your bags where checked in and you were ready to leave and get to the section where the gates would be. But there was still no sign of Stephanie.
As you though you heard a rumbling sound.
Both you and Katie looked at Jeremy as a sheepish grim grew on his face.
Katie: “Told you, a ham sandwich wouldn’t hold.”
Jeremy: “It will hold till lunch, which is a few hours away.”
George: “You sure that is a good idea?”
Jeremy: “Tell you what, I’ll go if you come with me and Katie.”
Katie: “So what do you say?”
McDermott's
· Sure, I could have a bite. (💎12)
· Perhaps we shouldn’t
Diamond Choice: George: “Alright, let us have something to eat.” Jeremy: “Good! Airplane food leaves much to be desired.” Katie: “You always think with your stomach.” Jeremy: “Yet you love me.” Katie: “Yes, odd isn’t it?” You make your way inside and stay in line. You look at the menu and order ·
Breakfast burrito ·
Bacon and scrambled eggs ·
Fruit and oatmeal You order your food along with a big coffee. You all slide into the booth, Katie had her yogurt in hand both of you looked worryingly at Jeremy’s breakfast. (Tilting tower of pancakes) (Holy crap!) You swore for a moment both you and Katie was reading each other’s mind. ‘He is going to puke.’ George: “Hey Jeremy, think you can get some napkins?” Jeremy: “Sure.” As he left you plied a few pancakes away, making sure that you saved the top one so he wouldn’t notice. Katie making sure the tower didn’t fall. She gave a thumbs up, thanking you. George: “So Katie, how have you been?” Katie: “There is always a lot of things to do at the ICU, sometime I wonder where humanity is headed.” George: “Really, that bad?” Katie: “How would you explain having a locomotive lodge up your rectum?” George: “How did that happened?” Katie: “They claim they fell on it, if I had a dollar every time this happened I wouldn’t have any student debts.” You shake your head, you have been thinking a bit about what Jeremy said at the Speakeasy. You had also noticed that something was up with Katie, she was on edge. George: “Katie…” 1. “Did you want to go on this trip?” 2. “Has Mr and Mrs Jackson been pressuring you?” 3. “Do you want to get married?” Katie: “In all honesty no, but Stephanie has made me a bridesmaid. I need to partake in these things. Even if I wish I didn’t.” *Choice 1\*
George: “Why?” *Choice 1\*
Katie: “I wish I could care as little about protocol as you do, but she is Jeremy’s sister, if I say no it might affect my relationship with Jeremy and his family.” *Choice 1\*
Katie: “Yes, I mean no, I mean… it’s complicated.” *Choice 2\*
George: “How come?” *Choice 2\*
Katie: “I’m 30 years old George, time is ticking. They want grandchildren to spoil.” *Choice 2\*
George: “And you have to be married to do that?” *Choice 2\*
Katie: “Of course I love Jeremy.” *Choice 3\*
George: “That wasn’t the question, do you want to get married?” *Choice 3\*
Katie: “It is just so big, all those expectations. I… it scares the crap out of me.” *Choice 3\*
George: “Listen, I will tell you something.” You said using your stern voice. George: “Jeremy loves you, he chose you. You chose him. That is the truth at the end of the day.” Katie looked at you, a shy smile graced her lips. She mouthed a thank you. Jeremy made his way back to you with a great pile of napkins. You all begin to take part of the meal. During the entire meal Katie and Jeremy’s shoulders touched and they looked as content as they could be. (‘Loving it’ you had breakfast at McDermott) None diamond choice:
George: “Let us just sit down and relax, we should be in Las Vegas at 1 am. Knowing Stephanie we will probably eat something there before heading to the hotel.”
Katie: “Maybe, I’ll get some water at least.”
Jeremy: “Good idea.”
(‘Not hungry’ you didn’t have a McDermott breakfast)
As all of you wait for the supposed ‘bride’ you hear commotion.
Sure enough you see a brunette with a close to permanent scowl on her face. Followed but two very flustered women.
“There you are! WHERE have you been?!”
Her tone is as pleasant as you remember, nails on a chalkboard.
Jeremy: “We have been here waiting for you.”
Stephanie: “You aren’t even going to help me with my bags. What type of brother are you?”
Jeremy: “Well we are here, we have about half an hour before the plane leaves. So let’s get to the gate.”
Stephanie just huffed. Storming away.
George: “Wow she is in a good mood.”
You state sarcastically.
Jeremy: “Yeah she gets like that some time.”
Jeremy: “Just try not to set her of, she can be a handful.”
Katie: “I mean how bad could it possibly be?”
You were never the very superstitious type, but you were quite sure that Katie just opened Pandora’s Box.
From the time the plane touched ground in Nevada everything that could set of Stephanie did.
Stephanie: “URRGH!!! where is that shuttle! He is LATE!!”
Jeremy: “They told us like five minutes ago there is traffic jam.”
Stephanie: “Then he should have planned it earlier!”
Stephanie: “I will not wait an hour! WE have a schedule to follow!”
George:’ This coming from the woman that almost missed the plane to her own bachelorette party.’
Daria: “They say it is only another 15 minutes.”
Stephanie: “I DON’T CAREEEEE!”
Stephanie: “What do you mean that our suits where not booked?”
Receptionist: “You never sent in the deposit for your stay.”
Stephanie: “THAT WAS GEMMA’S JOB!”
Gemma: “I told you, the suits needed to be paid for by the same person that booked them.”
Stephanie: “You are a bridesmaid, you are supposed to make things work!”
George: ‘Honetly…’
George: “Sigh…”
Stephanie: “THIS ISN’T WHAT I ORDERED!”
Waitress: “Yes it is, you wanted a calamari.”
The poor waitress looked exhausted and probably wanted to be anywhere but here, not that one could blame her.
Stephanie: “NO IT ISN’T! I wanted the pasta with bacon and cheese.”
Katie: “A cabonara?”
Jeremy: “Stephie we are at a seafood restaurant.”
George: ‘IS she
ever satisfied?’
All of us where back at the hotel, Stephanie insisting that they ‘needed’ a new set of clothes for the casino and club they were planning on hitting. Jeremy looked ready to just give up.
George: “You know, you could simply say no to her.”
Jeremy threw an exhausted glair at me.
Jeremy: “If it was so simple neither me, you nor Katie would be here right now.”
George: “And you wouldn’t be here doing this Sisyphean task, which obviously brings you missery.”
Jeremy: “Yeah well, I still want my parents in my life, if I didn’t do this, they would never let me live it down.”
What to wear to the casino?
· Tuxedo 007 (💎 15)
· Basic black
Diamond option: Jeremy: “You look like James Bond.” George: “I’ll have a martini, shaken not stirred.” You said and an amused smile spread across Jeremy’s face. None diamond choice
“I Think I’ll stick with this.”
“Fair enough, I am too exhausted to care anyway.”
Jeremy said with a tired smile. You both left the room, making our way to one of the pulsing centres of the strip.
There in the golden casinos you thought finally your luck would finally turn for the better. That the glamorous atmosphere would rub off on the soon-to-be bride. Causing her to stop doing her impression of a screeching barn owl and let ALL of them enjoy Sin City.
Well it seemed to have worked, for now.
Both you and Jeremy where at the black jack tables, enjoying yourself. While the ladies were back at the slots machines.
Jeremy folded a while ago, it is just you and one more. You looked down at your cards a jack and an ace. You opponent opposite you had this confident smirk on his face. But you saw how the sweat was running down his face. He was bluffing.
George: “Hum…”
- Act as if you have a bad hand
- Act arrogant and self-assured
- Do not react at all and watch the man squirm
You decide to let your brows furrow in what would look like frustration. The man opposite you lets the edge of his mouth turn in a smirk. His confidence boosting with every minute. *Choice 1*
You decide to put on the theatrics, giving a smile like the cat that ate the canary you look at your opponent. That is growing more and more agitated by the minute. *Choice 2*
You keep your face natural, a lot of people often comment that you look angry whenever they see you. You could only assume it was true because your opponent was practically squirming in his seat. *Choice 3*
When he reviles his hand, you pause for a moment before reviling yours.
You won.
George: “I’ll be taking these.”
You said as you dragged them back chips and split them evenly between you and Jeremy. You had started with the same amount of tokens. Even if you did work with money daily, this was one of those occasions you allowed yourself to be a bit more relaxed regarding that subject.
Jeremy: “Nice one.”
George: “All in a day’s work.”
Jeremy: “So what next?”
Before you could answer you hear commotion from the opposite side of the casino. The screeching voice meant that Stephanie was somewhere in the middle of it. Both of you sigh, knowing that your happy hour was over.
Sure enough there at the era leading into one of the shows where Stephanie and her entourage, all of them except Stephanie wearing baby pink dresses and Stephanie herself wearing a sash reading ‘all hail the bride’ along with a tacky tiara probably worth a five dollar bill at most.
She was screaming at a bouncer, while all the others tried in vain to calm the soon-to-be bride.
Stephanie: “You are an idiot! What service is this!?”
When we had arrived there was already an audience forming. Yeah this was common whenever Stephanie was involved. ‘Drama Queen’ had been your nickname for her during high school for a reason.
Jeremy: “What happened?”
Bouncer: “Your friend here slapped one of your dancers, something about them stealing from them.”
Stephanie: “I am the BRIDE! I am not supposed to have to pay for anything during my bachelorette party.”
Jeremy: “Stephanie, what about we get some fresh air, okay?”
Jeremy said as he tried to deescalate the situation. He gently grabbed her arm, but Stephanie was having none of it.
It felt like it all happened in slow motion, Stephanie turned around and a closed fist and rage connected it with Jeremy’s face. Your friend flew back and hit his head on the floor pretty hard. Stephanie didn’t even care to check what state her brother was in. Katie flew to her fiancés side and the sight of your friend’s bleeding face was enough to make you see red.
George: “Alright enough.”
- Scold her
- Embarrass her
- Give her the evil eye
George: “Stephanie, you are way out of line.” *Choice 1*
Stephanie: “No I am not!” *Choice 1*
George: “You have taken no responsibility during this trip, you have been rude to every member of the party, you have caused a scene at every place we have been to. Do I need to keep going?” *Choice 1*
Your voice is like ice, you swear the temperature just dropped a few degrees. As you pointed out everything she has done during the less than 24 hours you been together. *Choice 1*
Stephanie looks angrily at her bridesmaids as is she is waiting for them to defend her. *Choice 1*
They do not, they know you are just stating the truth. *Choice 1*
George: “Your own brother did not want to be on this trip, he begged me to come along. Doesn’t that tell you just how vile you have been acting?” *Choice 1*
Stephanie: “You listen here…”*Choice 1*
George: “No you listen for once in your life!” *Choice 1*
You rarely let your emotions out but Stephanie was a special case. *Choice 1*
George: “If this is how you treat people, do not be surprised when Darren leaves you at the altar. He deserve better than this.” *Choice 1*
With that as a closing line you left, Jeremy might need to get to the hospital. He was worth more than Stephanie would ever be in your eyes. *Choice 1*
As you leave you are quite sure you hear someone applauding. *Choice 1*
With determined steps you made your way to one of the waitresses. *Choice 2*
George: “Excuse me.” *Choice 2*
You hand her a 50 dollar bill as you grab a big jug glass filled with beer and briskly walk back to Stephanie that is still screaming profanities. Because of her back being turned to you she didn’t see you. You saw how people began to take out their cameras and phones. No one made a move to stop you. *Choice 2*
With one quick movement you had poured it over her and a shriek of surprise entered your ears. *Choice 2*
Stephanie: “What the fuck is wrong with you!?” *Choice 2*
George: “Are you done with your little temper tantrum?” *Choice 2*
Stephanie: “What!? How dare you!” *Choice 2*
George: “You have been acting like a spoiled five year old since the moment we landed. I am surprised no one has done anything until now.” *Choice 2*
Stephanie: “You are so not coming to my wedding!” *Choice 2*
George: “It isn’t a loss, I was never here for you. Now excuse me I have more important things to deal with.” *Choice 2*
You left Stephanie to deal with the people that had gathered for the ‘show’ and she began to scream at them and calling them all sorts of names. But no one was intimidated, they found it hilarious. *Choice 2*
You grab hold of Stephanie, until she has no choice but to look at you. She is screeching, calling you every slur and bad name in the book. Your hands are firm on her upper arm, you just hold no squeezing, no pushing. You keep your eyes locked on her, you must have stood there quite a while until finally her defiant stare became weaker and weaker. *Choice 3*
You kept hold of her until she burst out into tears. At that point you let her go. Knowing you had knocked her down a peg. *Choice 3*
But Stephanie wasn’t your main concern, Jeremy was. You moved to stay with Katie and Jeremy, the crowd parted as the red sea as you walked by. All in stunned silence. *Choice 3*
George: “Are you sure you’ll be alright?”
Jeremy grimaced at the questing, blood still trickling down his face from where he had been punched. Luckily the nose would heal, the only question was what colour it would be in time for Stephanie’s wedding.
Jeremy: “I’ll be fine, Katie is here too. She knows what she is doing.”
Katie: “Having your fiancé being a nurse does have its perks huh?”
Jeremy: “Yeah one of many.”
The two of them smile at one another, before Jeremy turn back to you.
Jeremy: “Think you can manage your own?”
George: “I think I can stay out of trouble for one night.”
Jeremy: “Maybe, see you tomorrow George.”
Katie: “Have a nice night.”
With that the two of them made their way up to the hotel rooms.
You decided to check out the hotel bar. Despite being 10 o’clock it was surprisingly empty. Some people where there, some having already had a few to many.
But what caught your eye was a stranger sitting at the end of the bar.
There sitting in a knee-length ocean blue dress was a woman, leaning over resting her elbows at the counter. She had a faraway look in her face as she absentmindedly stirred her drink. *♀*
There sitting a young man, nursing his drink. His blue vest and slacks combo suited him well with the crisp white shirt. His attention seeming being elsewhere. *♂*
You sit down by the bar and is about to call on the bartender when I noticed a man, clearly intoxicated made a move on the man/woman at the end of the bar.
Drunk Idiot: “Hello there, did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”
The person in question just rolled hehis eyes. Clearly not in the mood to be the object of drunk admiration.
Drunk Idiot: “How about you and me go up to my hotel room and get to know each other a bit more.”
Haven seen the man/woman in question do every none-verbal que but slapping the idiot you decide enough was enough. He had disturbed you and the rest of the bar enough.
With the smoothest and coolest tone of voice you could muster you cleared your throat to get the drunk man’s attention. It wasn’t appreciated to say the least.
Drunk idiot: “What the hell do you want prick.”
The smell of alcohol radiating off him, one would think he had bathed in vodka. It was surprising no one had tossed him out from being a nuisance earlier.
George: “I do believe that you are bothering him/her. Please stop.”
George: “Look we are old friends, its noneofya business so bug off.”
George: “Oh really, then what is your friends name?”
Drunk Idiot: ”What?”
George: “What. Is. your. friend’s. name? If you are old friends you should surely know it.”
Drunk Idiot: “It’s ummm… Terry.”
???: “That is not even close.”
With both of you staring straight into him, mentally cornering him.
Drunk idiot: ”Screw this.”
The man declared in frustration and with that the idiot stormed off leaving both of you alone.
After making sure the guy was out of sight you turned back to the stranger.
He/She gave you a grateful smile.
???: “Thanks’ I really appreciate that?”
George: “It was nothing.”
You said making yourself ready to go back to your seat.
???: “Wait!”
The stranger called after you, out of sheer politeness you turned back around.
He/she Seemed a bit nervous, what now?
???: “Can I at least buy you a drink?”
You thought for a moment. You were on your own, Jeremy was probably nursing the bruise with some painkillers and you did not want to risk running into Stephanie or any of the bridesmaids. It also felt wrong to not take the opportunity to experience Vegas however.
So you accepted.
???: “Well What’s your poison?”
He/she asked in a joyous tone.
- Matrini
- Old Fashioned
- Red Wine
With a quick wave they called the bartender over.
???: “So what brings you to Vegas?”
George: “Bachelorette party.”
???: “Did it have anything to do with that brunette that slapped one of the dancers and had security physically lift her out?”
George: “Bingo.”
???: “No one got seriously hurt?”
George: “Thankfully no.”
With that the bartender served the drink and the stranger slipped a 50 dollar bill.
You lift the glass in a gesture for a thank you. And let the beverage slip down your throat. It was nice, it was a good year and the taste was strong but not overpowering.
You noticed that his/her eyes were on you, almost as if they were trying to decipher your character.
George: “What are you doing?”
???: “Trying to get a read on you, some say what you order is often an indication of who you are.”
George: “Really? Then what can you say about me?”
You asked, deciding to humour them.
???: “I can say that that you are a man that know what he wants and how you want them.” *Martini*
???: “You are an old soul, you probably know your liquor well. My guess you have a great library at home.” *Old fashioned*
???: “You are quite classy, and you can find a way to get drunk before noon.” *Red wine*
With that you give an amused chuckle.
George: “Well there is some truth to that statement.”
You take a look at the drink they self are nursing.
(Dark n Stormy)
(Humm...)
George: “If I were to do the same to you, I guess you have a sweet tooth and might have wanted to be a pirate at some point.”
At that comment the stranger began to laugh. It was the infectious kind of laugh that made someone warm form the bottom of their stomach.
???: “Alright you got me there.”
He/she then stuck out their hand.
(My name is..)
(Default name: Skyler)
George: “‘Skyler’ it is a pleasure to meet you.”
You said as you shook it.
You take in Skyler’s look. You had to admit that they were an attractive specimen of a man/woman.
George: “The name is George Bishop.”
Skyler: “George Bishop, how professional sounding.”
He/ she said as if they were tasting your name in their mouth.
George: “Well I do hope so, would be difficult to be an advisor if people believed I was a joker.”
Skyler: “Ah, so you are one of those people that look at you and stamp ‘rejected’ on every paper?”
George: “I believe that I am fair in my judgement.”
George: “How about yourself?”
At that their eyes fell.
Skyler: “Right now, I’m a 30 year old trying to figure out my next move.”
George: “How come?”
Skyler: “Lost my job due to relationship issues between my manager and her boyfriend. Apparently, me being friendly was mistaken for flirting.”
Skyler: “What, they want a grumpy Greeter at the door?”
George: “That is unprofessional.”
Skyler: “Yeah, well relationships are messy.”
George: “Agreed.”
Skyler: “I must say the way you handled that woman, it was surprising.”
Skyler said in a genuinely impressed voice.
George: “You were watching?”
Skyler: “Kind of hard not to, I’m surprised half the hotel didn’t hear her.”
George: “Someone had to show her she isn’t the Queen of Sheba.”
Skyler: “What are your thought on marriage?”
You shoot up a bit, a bit startled by the blunt question.
George: “My thoughts?”
Skyler: “You seem like a guy that know what he thinks. I want to pick that brain a bit.”
It had been a while since someone had so blatantly flirted with you. To be fair you were a bit surprised. Dating had often been a minefield for you.
George: “Marrige…”
- It’s an institution
- It’s a partnership
- It’s indescribable
George: “Historically it was a way to ensure land, money and heirlooms where added into a new household.” *Choice 1*
George: “It was also a safety for children back in the day, since basterds often faced quite a few challenges from being born out of wedlock.” *Choice 1*
George: “It is a symbol of trust, that you do have someone that you can count on.” *Choice 2*
George: “But at the end of the day, if you are unfair to that partner hey might not stay.” *Choice 2*
George: “To describe marriage is like trying to describe oceans and water. Even with similarities we can see, gathering it all in an explanation would probably not give a fair judgement.” *Choice 3*
Skyler: “To me it’s a promise. ‘To have and to hold’ it is silly in this day and age were people divorce left and right for trivial things.”
Skylers eyes became dark, falling into deep thoughts. You had never been the poetic kind, but there was a sweet sentiment in Skyler’s view on things. Your parents where still married over 30 years now. Your sister was due some time in December, your brother was off celebrating a two year dating anniversary and your paternal grandmother still loved her deceased husband dearly.
To you it just never happened, perhaps it wasn’t for you.
George: “That we can agree on, people are so afraid they will settle. At the first sign of trouble they leave.”
Skyler: “So that woman form before… how long do you think her marriage will last?”
George: “If she acts like she did tonight, I wonder if her husband will even stay for the ceremony.”
You looked at your new companion and in an unusual turn of events you called the bartender over.
George: “Can I buy you a drink?”
With that Skyler smiled, deciding to keep you company.
Sometime later you awake to the sound of your alarm clock.
You feel a splitting headache, you drag you hand over your face as you do you feel a cold metal band around your finger. Pulling back as your eyes focus you see that it is a plain sliver coloured band.
(is that?)
· Oh no…
Feeling more sober than ever before you realised just what a mess you got yourself into.
George: ‘I just got married in Vegas.’
Well, you’re screwed.
submitted by Standard Disclaimer: I do not take credit for the setting, this story is set in the
They Are Smol universe, written by our very own
u/tinyprancinghorse.
TPH has a
Website, a
Patreon, and also a
Discord if you need more smol shenanigans.
The first Smol Detective story can be read starting
Here.
There will be some spoilers/references of the first SD story in this one, so consider yourself duly warned.
___________
First Chapter Previous Chapter Next Chapter
In the previous chapter: Maria did a Translate.
Myyreh did a Kissy.
Da Captain did a Rawr.
In this chapter: Oscar gets a Present.
Maria does a Distraction.
Tk'rii'na is a Race Car Driver.
___________
Oscar peeped around the edge of the shuttle door and regarded the looming mountain of Sssnnathor's main palace with resigned dread. Going back into that damn place was
not something he looked forward to. He turned to the others. The Dorarizin on 'Team Silken Feather' now sported breastplates and greaves of something that looked like hard plastic, worn right over their original low-profile armor. He was sure that in spite of its fragile appearance that new armor material was fearsomely tough. For her part, The Silken Feather now had the Karnakian version of the team's low-profile armor and had even strapped a breastplate onto herself, although since it was shaped for a Dorarizin the piece of hard-armor sat loose against her keel-like chest.
At least Oscar was out of that damn robe. He now wore a spare set of his original low-profile armor, which he'd set into combat mode within seconds of donning. His elbows and knees still ached from his vent-crawling, but at least they were armored.
Through his visor, the human fixed the thief with his best glare. "You're sure this side entrance is there?"
"[It's how we got in before,]" replied The Silken Feather.
"All right." He looked up at Kgrashak. "You're the senior officer. How do you want to proceed?"
The doctor leaned out and performed her own scan of the distant palace. She held a massive maser rifle casually in one paw. "[Most of the guards have fled. [Sssnnathor's] fake announcement of the Senate invasion fleet is going live any time now, which will only add to the exodus. There should be just a few die-hards left inside, if any.]"
"So we just waltz on in?"
"[It will be more what you [humans] call 'leap-frogging' rather than 'waltzing', but yes that's the idea. Our biggest worry will be the automated defense systems.]" Kgrashak turned and nodded to Grawfren. The pilot slouched with her usual bored air at the front of the shuttle. "[You stay here with the other Karnakians. If Team [Maria] needs a hand, go help 'em. We can fortify in place if need be.]"
Grawfren nodded with one ear. "[What do I do if they get [antsy]?]" The pilot tossed her snout towards the Karnakians, who apart from The Silken Feather huddled like brooding chicks in the far corner of the shuttle's interior.
"[If they try to leave, kill 'em,]" said Kgrashak.
Ck'Trrk'Ka gave a trilling laugh, but the Matriarch's humor died away as she saw the utter seriousness in the doctor's face. "[We will stay in the shuttle, as ordered,]" she said.
"[We will also defend the shuttle if attacked!]" added Ter'yeik. The former Second Claw's crest was halfway risen in a mix of determination and fear.
"[I expect you to,]" replied Kgrashak. "[You are all still breathing only through the grace of my Captain. Don't give her...or ME...a reason to rescind that grace.]"
Oscar peeped outside again. It was still as quiet as a tomb. Shit, why did his brain have to use
that metaphor? "Wish I had a sidearm, at least."
Kgrashak's stormy demeanor changed into a sly smile towards Egwreh. "[I guess it's time to give it to him.]"
Oscar turned to the engineer with wide eyes. "Wait, does that mean what I think it does?"
Egwreh smiled. "[It do.]" She reached into a bag at her feet and drew out a chromed weapon that looked like a toy in her mitt. Its appearance was similar to Kgrashak's maser, but sized and shaped for Oscar. And its clean, flowing lines made it look more like a bespoke hunting rifle than a mass-produced weapon of war.
The engineer placed the rifle in Oscar's hands. He stared at it with something akin to hunger, then realized there were no sights on the damn thing. "Wow. Okay, how do I aim it?"
"[Oh, right. Let me sync it with your armor...]" Egrweh stared off into space as her implant made the necessary 'handshake'.
Oscar suddenly saw a targeting reticle pop up on the inside of his visor. Thanks to long-ago training he made sure to keep the rifle pointed at the deck, well away from anybody inside the shuttle. The reticle helpfully told him that the deck was less than one meter away, and as he jiggled the rifle around the reticle moved to follow the muzzle's movement. He looked up and moved the rifle to point outside, careful not to sweep any of his comrades with the weapon. The targeting reticle now told him that the palace was one thousand six hundred and twenty-two meters distant.
"[It's not a slug-thrower, so you won't have to worry about windage or elevation drop,]" continued Egwreh. "[Whatever you point at, you hit. The effective beam lethality range is about [five hundred meters]. Also, the display at top right shows an estimate of how many shots you have left with the rifle's power pack. The longer you hold down the trigger with each shot, the fewer shots you'll have.]" She handed Oscar a few equally-chromed square blocks. "[I tried to make this similar to a [human] rifle in terms of loading magazines.]"
More of the old muscle memory came back as Oscar looked down at the rifle and saw an eject button, right where it would be on an M4 carbine. He pushed the button, removed the block that popped out of the rifle's bottom, and inserted one of the blocks Egwreh had just handed him. He saw the rifle's power level obediently jump back up to maximum in the upper right of his visor.
Oscar grinned so wide that he thought the top of his head would come off. "Well shit, Emma. And here I didn't get you anything."
"[Just stay alive,]" Egwreh replied. "[That'll be enough of a return gift. Oh, and I'll need that rifle back when this stupid mission is over, so that I can destroy it...don't pout at me like that! If the Inquisition so much as catches a
whiff that we gave a [human] a military-grade beam weapon we'll be lucky to keep our fur.]"
___________
Maria paused a few paces short of the twin Sssnnathors. She peeped out a side window and looked back along their path. A few faint whirls of dust spiraled in the wake of their speedy passage, but the hard-packed desert soil didn't show any tracks.
If she squinted, she could make out what might be a tiny black dot right at the horizon. The maybe-there object danced and shimmered in the hot desert air. So perhaps the cavalry was on the way. Or maybe it was a mirage, a cruel trick from her all-too-human eyes.
In case it was rescue, Maria figured she had to distract those on board so that her comrades could get closer without notice. Then she mentally kicked herself. These assholes must have radar and other high-tech stuff on board. But on the other paw, using radar would also give away their location. So maybe the rescue team
could sneak up unobserved...if her captors weren't looking out the window.
It was worth the risk. Maria took a deep breath, and before she could second-guess herself she reached out and touched Sssnnathor-1's elbow. She wanted it to be a friendly touch, but not too friendly. From the way the tyrants acted around her, it was clear they wouldn't mind adding her to the 'harem'.
The huge snake-like alien twisted with blurring speed to look down at her. He had the same viper-style face as Hrathra'sstah, with the same permanent scowl. She hoped that his real mood wasn't so stormy.
"I talked to them," she said with a big plastic smile. "They're feeling much better."
Sssnnathor-1's voice was much more jovial than his expression. "[Of course they are! No one could stay sad when faced with someone like you.]"
Maria opened her mouth to ask just what that meant, but before she could speak he swooped one arm around and under her. Faster than she could blink, Maria found herself sitting on his forearm while her feet dangled well clear of the deck. Sssnnathor-1 carried her up towards the vehicle's cockpit like a proud father carting his newborn in one arm.
Sssnnathor-2 sat coiled up next to Nerlharg, who slung himself off of the saddle-like driver's chair. "[The autopilot is set, Excellencies.]" The Dorarizin glanced at Maria and gave an annoyed ear-flick as Sssnnathor-1 slithered up with her in hand, but otherwise ignored her.
The second tyrant's hood, in contrast, scrunched in with pleasure as he set eyes on Maria. He pointed out the windshield at the mountains which loomed ever-closer.
"[Another [twenty minutes] and we'll be there, my dear! My announcement will go live in a few [minutes], so we'll have a nice bit of carnage underway right as we take off.]"
Maria glanced at the display in front of the pilot's chair. There was a lot of alien scribbles that must have carried lots of information, but she didn't see anything like a radar display.
It was time to make with the distracting.
She pressed herself against Sssnnathor-1's cradling arm and wrapped her arms around his substantial bicep. It was without a doubt the most disgusting thing she'd ever done. She tried to sound even more scared than she was. "We'll be safe, right?"
Sssnnathor-1's hood twitched with surprise at her unexpected caress. "[Yes, quite safe.]" He cradled her closer to his chest, which was exactly what Maria wanted. The jacket pocket containing his clone data-chip was now within easy reach.
What she didn't want, however, was for him to reach around with his other hand and start stroking her back...but that was exactly what he did. "[Our departure might be a little excitable but there's no danger, my dear. Once we're underway in warp, I'll show you just how grateful I am that you're with me...with us.]"
Sssnnathor-2 slipped closer. "[Yes, don't forget about me-]"
"[-of course not, this will just take some getting used to-]"
"[-for me as well, just don't [hog] the [human]-]"
"[-now be fair, you did get to hug her in the lab-]"
"[- that's true. Hey, how about we-]"
"[-yes, a truly capital idea!]"
Sssnnathor-1 turned his chest sideways, giving plenty of room for Sssnnathor-2 to press himself up against Maria. Her heart went into overdrive upon finding herself the filling in an evil tyrant sandwich.
"[Poor thing,]" hiss-purred Sssnnathor-2. "[I can feel her heart. It's beating so
fast.]" His hand settled on her head as he combed his sharp-nailed fingers through her hair.
Sssnnathor-1's tongue flicked near her ear. "[Yes, she smells of fear.]"
"Yeah, just, er, be careful," squeaked Maria. She wriggled herself sideways so that she had a shoulder pressed against each tyrant's chest. That made it feel more like a group hug and less like the prelude to a gang-bang. To her relief, the Sssnnathors let her do so without complaint. But their caressing hands didn't stop. One hand stroked along her bare calf, making her twitch in surprise.
"[We'll be very careful, little one,]" said Sssnnathor-2.
"[You're so warm,]" murmured Sssnnathor-1. His free hand moved up to also comb through her hair. "[I wonder how warm you can become?]"
Maria glanced towards the rear of the vehicle. The two slaves stared in horrified fascination at her ongoing molestation, while the eight guards leaned against the walls and looked at the proceedings with a casual yet interested air. Nerlharg slouched next to the driver's saddle, and he was also focused on the snake-on-human action. His gaze was much more clinical and detached...as if the Dorarizin was taking notes for the future, when he had a human slave of his own.
Good. At least she was keeping everyone from looking behind them. She risked a quick peep towards the nearest window, and that black dot was now much more obviously 'there'. Okay, she just needed to keep it together for a few more minutes at most.
But then Maria bit her lip to keep from screaming as one of Sssnnathor-2's hands moved up from her calf. He pushed under the hem of her robe to caress the back of her thigh. His jacket front rubbed against her shoulder, and that additional contact made her freakout fade as she realized there was a golden opportunity to get her hands on
both data chips. She'd need an appropriately big distraction. She hoped by now she'd done enough distracting of her own, it was time to get her rescuers in on the action...
Maria oriented herself, then nestled her head against Sssnnathor-2's shoulder. She used the motion to disguise another peep out the side window, just as she'd done before...
She caught a glimpse of something that looked like a cross between a tank and an ATV, bouncing along on oversized tires as it approached rapidly from their left rear. There was a long armored figure clinging to its roof that could only be Resh'skk, and flanking him were two huge gorilla-shaped wolves that could only be the Captain and Bgrarh.
"What's that?" she said with all the innocence she could muster.
With a unified "[Eh?]" the two tyrants turned to look in the same direction. Upon feeling their movement Maria slipped her hands along both of their chests as if to steady herself.
There was a huge "[GAH!]" in unison from the two Sssnnathors. At the same time, all of the hours of training with Oscar and those Sotek-be-damned poker chips finally paid off. With nary a whisper of excess motion, Maria neatly plucked out the two data chips, one from the jacket pocket on each side of her. She then hugged the chips and her arms to her chest as if terrified. To be fair, she didn't have to act for that latter bit.
The next few seconds was a whirl of shouted instructions and movement. Maria felt a thump in her rear as her body was suddenly encased in Nk'''traa'il's chest floof.
"[Stay there,]" growled Sssnnathor-1, while Nerlharg leapt back into the driver's station with a fearsome snarl.
The tyrants acted in sync, each one facing their respective line of guards on each side of the vehicle. Their hissing voices spoke in perfect unison. "[Get up there! They'll try to board us, and I'll have your SKINS if they do!]"
One of the Dorarizin guards all but tore open a large hatch leading up to the vehicle's roof. The vehicle's interior instantly filled with dust and heat from the outside, along with a lot of wind noise. Over that noise Maria could hear the basso growl of their pursuer's engine.
And then from outside, floating over the desert wind, came the simultaneous hiss-screaming and click-roaring of three terminally pissed-off apex predators.
It was the most wonderful noise she'd ever heard.
___________
Oscar moved forward to peer around the next corner, only to have a feathered arm gently but firmly pull him back.
"[Allow me,]" said The Silken Feather. "[If you get hurt, your illustrious Captain will turn me into a [duster].]"
He grumbled, but allowed the green Karnakian to move past him and do a peep of her own. They'd made it up the ramps of the building's atrium and were now in the upper levels of the pyramid.
"[Drones. Three of 'em,]" said The Silken Feather. Oscar's visor suddenly lit up showing three red circles, hovering over the hard metal floor of the adjacent corridor as if he could see through walls.
For a brief moment Oscar devoutly wished he'd had this tech during his tours of duty overseas. The musing was interrupted by Sssnnathor's plush, level voice sounding out overhead.
"[My dear subjects, may I please have your kind attention. I have received reliable intelligence that a Senate fleet is
en route to this planet. There is no need to panic at the moment, please remain calm. I am still gathering data, and I'll report back when I have more to tell you. I repeat, please remain calm and do not panic.]"
Oscar could picture the inhabitants of this planet, both those corrupt and those merely drifting, now turning to stare at each other upon hearing the announcement. He could imagine them all in unison deciding that now would be a
perfect time to panic.
"That tears it," he grumbled. "What do you figure, about twenty minutes before the first one of 'em try to take off?" He could picture that as well, a silver streak rising from the planet only to be cut into pieces by atomic fire. How many would die just so that Sssnnathor could cover his tracks? Thousands? Maybe millions?
"[We have more like [fifteen minutes], I think,]" replied Kgrashak from her position behind Oscar. "[As for our robot friends, shall we hit them all at once?]"
"[A sound strategy,]" replied Egrweh from the rear of their little squad. "[I'll lead, draw their fire, and take out the one on the left. Feather, you take out the center while [Oscar] deals with the one on the right.]"
"Done," said Oscar, and before he could finish the single word Egwreh was a white blur of motion. The Silken Feather was a similar green streak as Oscar rolled out into the intersection with his comparatively paltry human reflexes...
He didn't have to worry about incoming fire, since the three spherical drones were busy trying to cut down his huge comrades. Oscar set the reticle on his designated target and squeezed the trigger...
The expected recoil never arrived. This weapon was not like any rifle he'd ever fired, it was more like using the Finger of God. One simply pointed, and whatever was in the direction of that pointing ceased to exist. Oscar's target threw out a bright sheet of sparks as his invisible maser beam sliced into and then across it like the proverbial hot-knife-through-butter.
As the drone's bisected halves thumped onto the metal floor of the corridor, Oscar let out a pleased croon. He stroked the rifle fondly. "Ooooh, baby, where have you
been all my life?"
The other two drones were now also so much scrap thanks to The Silken Feather and Egrweh. The latter twitched an ear towards him in good humor. "[Give me five [credits] and I won't tell Myyreh what you just said.]"
"I'll give you ten, and you'll tell her how much I was whining for her while she was off battling the forces of evil."
Kgrashak laughed as the four of them moved forward at the speed of a human sprint. "[You're learning, [Oscar].]"
The Silken Feather twitched her head towards Oscar as they ran. "[Wait, so that wasn't a joke? You and her are really...?]"
"We're really." Oscar's reply brooked no room for argument.
The thief cocked her head sideways in mid-jog. "[Wow. You [humans] really are as adventurous as they claim.]"
___________
"[Shoot out their tires!]" cried [Tk'rii'na]. The Senate vehicle's pilot station was now configured for a Karnakian, which was a saddle-like affair similar to a Dorarizin's but shifted forward to allow for the prominent chest-bone of a raptor. [Tk'rii'na] leaned forward in his seat to peer out the side of the windscreen, his lips peeled back to show an array of fangs that would give even a Dorarizin pause.
Myyreh had to admit that the damn [Karnakian] could drive pretty well...even if his tactical sense was for utter shit. "{If we shoot out the tires, their vehicle will tumble,}" she said. "{That will seriously hurt or kill [Maria].}"
"[Oh.]"
"{Hatch opening on the roof,}" said Bgrarh's voice in Myyreh's ear.
"{Looks like they're going for a repel-boarders situation, just like we wanted.}" Myyreh smiled without humor and crouched. That was the plan, or at least what would pass for one until a proper one came along. Put the big, obviously dangerous people on the roof and get the guards on board...or [Sssnnathor] himself, for that matter...to come up and fight them off. In the meantime, she waited inside and out of sight, like a row of cannon getting ready to deliver a devastating broadside...
___________
Resh'skk crouched, spreading his arms wide as he coiled his body underneath himself. He felt the Dorarizin on either side of him make similarly threatening poses. At the moment, their opposition consisted of the two guards on top the roof of the other vehicle. He could see gauntleted hands reach up and grip the edge of the hatch as more guards tried to come up; their two comrades already up-top crouched as if to receive the charge of the furious Jornissian.
Instead, Resh'skk did a quick-draw from his hip that would have made Wyatt Earp himself weep with jealousy. His maser stabbed out twice, two precise shots that drilled through each guard's torso. The lifeless bodies tumbled off the side of the car, bouncing along in the vehicles' wake.
The next guard trying to come up, a Dorarizin, had just gotten her head up in time to see the fate of her two compatriots. With admirable speed, she yanked her head back inside. Resh'skk took advantage of the pause in the action to perform a quick IR scan. Cycling through several wavelength bands in a second told him nothing; the sun beating down on the metal hull meant that any infrared from inside was smeared and indistinct.
"
" he said with uncertainty. ""
"[Got it,]" replied the Captain. "[Cover us.]" Two furred blurs on either side of Resh'skk signaled the departure of her and Bgrarh. With a mental shrug, Resh'skk uncoiled his body like a massive spring to join them.
Resh'skk already weighed more than the average person, so his impact on the roof made Sssnnathor's vehicle sway. The tough metal of the hull dented slightly under his armor.
The Captain didn't so much as stumble. She stood near the vehicle's front like a monolith, a black silhouette framed against the now-setting sun. Her roaring voice would have carried across even the vacuum of space.
"[[SSSNNATHOR!] I AM RGRARSHOK-OF-NGRAZ, ALPHA OF WE-WHO-HUNT-BETWEEN-THE SPACES! AS A DULY APPOINTED OFFICER OF THE SENATE, I PROCLAIM YOU UNDER ARREST! YOU WILL STAND DOWN AND STOP THIS VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY!]"
"" purred a voice from the rear.
Resh'skk flowed into a spin, dodging to the right on instinct as a tail-tip whipped through the space his hood had just occupied.
Sssnnathor crouched next to the hatch, with Bgrarh struggling uselessly in a few of the tyrant's coils. Resh'skk tamped down his rising panic. Where had that bastard come from? Why hadn't he heard or seen his approach? The targeting reticle for his maser seemed to slide right off of the tyrant, and the peripheral information in his visor started to fizz into static.
Rgrarshok screamed again, wordlessly this time, and in response Sssnnathor grinned and heaved his body to the side. Bgrarh flew out into space, earning a simultaneous scream from Resh'skk as well...
In mid-air, the big red Dorarizin twisted in a way that didn't look possible, aiming one paw with extended claws out to just touch the hull. The metal squealed as he dug in...and as he kept falling, there was more squealing as Bgrarh dropped down along the hull and out of sight, towards the salt-crusted earth beneath which sped by far too fast.
Sssnnathor chuckled. Resh'skk decided he didn't need any stupid targeting, and whip-fast he brought his weapon to his shoulder and pulled the trigger...but nothing happened.
"[Bgrarh!]" yelled Rgrarshok.
Resh'skk answered with a yell of his own, ""
"" said Sssnnathor with a grin as he glided forward with menace. There was another squeal of torn metal behind Resh'skk, and he risked a quick glance backward...only to see the other guards now surrounding the Captain. And they all wore a lot more armor than her.
___________
"[Problem.]"
Oscar turned from the pleasing mound of cut-apart drones in the hallway to regard his comrades. They were now in a gunmetal-gray room shaped like a pill, with a door on opposite sides and a slit-like window running along one curved wall. That window was well above his eye-height.
"What's up?"
The Silken Feather pointed a talon at the door leading out of the pill-room. "[Through there is the main computer suite that controls the defense network.]" Then she gestured at the console in front of her. "[This is a more advanced system than I expected. I can still hack the door, but it'll take me at least [thirty minutes].]"
Oscar shook his head. "We've got less than ten before people start trying to evac. That's twenty minutes of them getting blown to shit! We've got beam weapons, can't we just cut through the door?"
Egwreh regarded the vault-like door with an engineer's eye. "[That would take even longer. About [forty minutes]."
"Shit shit shitty shit." Oscar looked around the room, then his eyes lit on the window-slit and he pointed up. "What's through there?"
The Silken Feather peered through the window and stroked her chin. "[Hmm, it looks like an access corridor that carries power cables to the computer system. The cables are armored, so cutting into them will also take too much time...Ah! You see that?]"
Oscar waved his arms, showing that his fingers were still out of reach of the windowsill. "No, birdbrain! I can't see anything!"
He let out a little whoop of surprise as two paws closed around his torso and lifted him with no effort into the air and brought him up to the level of the window.
"There you go, cutie," whispered Kgrashak in his ear.
"Thanks," he muttered back as he looked through. Beyond the window was a corridor lined with multicolored piping on all walls as well as the floor and ceiling. It was mostly dark, with only the occasional bulb to shine down a weak light here and there.
The Silken Feather tapped a claw on the hard transparency. "[Do you see the dark gray box on the wall opposite us?]"
"Yeah?"
"[That contains the power relay for the door. If we can trip that open, then the automated safety protocols will take over and open the door for us!]"
"Got it. Can we shoot it through the window?"
"[Destroying the relay won't do. We have to cycle it manually, that'll make the system think it's just a power outage.]"
"[We can cut out the window material, though,]" said Egwreh. "[That'll take maybe [five minutes].]"
The Silken Feather's plumage fluffed out in protest, making her look like a emerald puffball. "[I can't fit through there!]"
Oscar sighed. His knees were not gonna be happy with him. They still bled from his previous vent-crawl. "No, you can't fit. But I can."
___________
Tk'rii'na heard a lot of thumping and screaming from above. He paid that no mind, instead he fixed his four-eyed gaze across a few [meters] of arid desert air to meet the furious purple stare of Nerlharg. By now they were racing almost neck-and-neck along the flat hardpan. Before them both, the teeth-like range of mountains came ever closer.
He slewed the vehicle right, slamming its chisel-like front hard into Sssnnathor's vehicle. His Dorarizin counterpart reacted with equal ferocity, keeping the two vehicles locked into the same trajectory.
Tk'rii'na backed off, then slewed right again, to be met with an opposing slam that shook the vehicle. He performed an answering slam yet again, starting a predictable, constant rhythm that earned a complaint from [Myyreh].
"[This thing isn't indestructible, you know!]" she cried in protest.
Tk'rii'na ignored her as he met his opponent's gaze through a few [meters] of air and transparent armor. He twitched his arms as if getting ready for another slam, making the movement so big and obvious that Nerlharg had to see it.
"|Sutra Twenty,|" he muttered. "|Through yielding, I vanquish...|"
Right as he would have started yet another sideways-slam, Tk'rii'na stomped on the emergency brake.
The other driver was already in motion to his left, expecting the slam from Tk'rii'na...but met nothing but air, as the Karnakian was already slowing. Sssnnathor's vehicle sped through the space where Tk'rii'na would have been as the raptor stared with fearsome concentration...and right as the rear of his opponent came into view, he hit the accelerator.
The Senate vehicle leapt forward with a smash, its sharp prow digging into the hard alloy of the back of Sssnnathor's vehicle. The jolting crash spun the two ground-craft around like a pair of interlocked dancers while arid red soil sprayed around them in a wide, fan-like arc.
As the spinning slowed, Tk'rii'na heard the briefest grunt of admiration from behind him.
The Karnakian kept enough presence of mind to yell out, "|TELL [MARIA] SUTRA FORTY-TWO!|" before a howl of torn metal signaled Myyreh's exit straight through his vehicle's hull.
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Inside Underground NY Poker #11 Spades - 1.11 About a year or so ago when I first met Andy, one of the first things I learned from him was that running an underground poker club was illegal. At the time, I simply wasn't aware of that fact. He had told me what to do if I was to ever find myself in a police raid. This was one of those times.
With SWAT infested in the entire club, all of the action had come to a halt. Everyone was confused, not knowing what they should do or how they should behave. Following the orders of one the SWAT officers, we put our hands in the area, and we all sat there looking around in shock - what the hell had just happened?
For what seemed like an eternity, the players remained in their seats, with their hands up, while having a dozen or so rifles drawn on them. Finally, when SWAT made the radio call to the rest of the raid team, informing them that it was clear to enter, detectives and uniformed officers began to enter the room.
I had never seen so many cops in one space in my entire life. There must have been about 50 people in law enforcement crowding the room. As the minutes passed, tension began coming to an ease, and the stress of the situation seemed to be dropping. Eventually, a detective stepped in and addressed everyone inside the club.
"Can I have everyone's attention please? Please remain calm. You are all witnesses to a crime. You have done nothing wrong and are not in any trouble. We're all gonna be here for a while. If you comply with our instructions, we'll all be able to leave as soon as possible. Everyone present is going to be searched for drugs and weapons, in order to maintain our safety. Please remain patient and stay seated."
As soon as SWAT had begun breaching the steel door with the battering ram, I had an impulse to pocket all of my chips that were on the table in the cash game that I was playing. I had learned to do this from Andy. When I first met him, he said the first thing that I should do is make sure that I hide all of my chips in my pockets, so that I could get my money back at a later time. It wasn't a guarantee, but having possession of the chips made the odds of getting paid back that much higher.
As the intensity of the situation diminished, detectives began making their way over to each table. It was a relatively straight forward procedure. Each player was to be frisked, empty out their pockets, and provide a driver's license or some form of acceptable ID. As mentioned in the previous chapter, players assume no legal risk for just simply playing poker. However, each dealer at every table was removed, placed into handcuffs, and moved to an isolated part of the room.
I realized that I had gotten dumb lucky - sometimes timing in life is everything. Because Vinny had made a deal with me to not deal the tournament that night, for all intents and purposes, I was simply just a player that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was incredibly anxious, but I had a good feeling that I wasn't going to get into any trouble.
After players from several tables had finished being searched, law enforcement eventually made its way over to my table. Some of the more impish officers were needling us, saying things like, "I guess you're not going to be able to finish the hand, huh! Hah!"
When they got to me, the first thing they did was frisk me. They do this to ensure their safety, by making sure you're not carrying and weapons. All I had on me was my cell phone, wallet, keys, and of course, my entire stack that I had pocketed off the table.
When the officer felt the strange items in my pockets, he told me to empty them and put everything on the table.
"What the hell are these, kid?"
"They're poker chips, sir."
"You know you're not going to be able to leave with those, right? They're police evidence to a crime. Leave them on the table. If I come back and they're gone, we're gonna have a big problem."
"Okay, no problem. Sorry."
The cop then takes my ID into his possession, along with everyone else's ID. The lead detective then made another announcement to the entire room.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience. It'll be a little while until we can confirm everyone's identity, in which you will be free to go as soon as we finish. If you were in possession of anything illegal, such as weapons or drugs, you will be staying behind. After we finish running everyone's name in the system, if it turns out that you have any warrants out for your arrest, you will be coming with us when it's time leave."
Many of the officers began leaving the room, I suspect, only to head to their police cruisers in order to run the names of each of the players. It was at this point that I put the chips back into my pocket - the ones that the officer told me to keep out onto table. There was no way I was leaving without these.
While our identities were being confirmed and our criminal records being looked into, there was so much commotion going on that not a single person noticed that I had put the chips back into my pockets.
Verifying everyone's identification took quite a while, as there were at least over 80 players present that night. During the process, many of the cops began conversing amongst themselves, cracking jokes about the players and making fun of us for the fact that we would not be getting our money back. One even made a joke saying that "that flatscreen will sure look nice in my house". Who knows, maybe he wasn't joking.
Finally, a small team of officers entered the room and made an announcement to all of the players.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are going to be calling out the names of each and everyone of you. When your name is called, please stand up and slowly walk over to us, so that we can get you out of here."
The detectives started calling off names, and each subsequent player made their way over to them. They would ask you to confirm your name, address, and then ask how often you played at the club and if you had ever seen any other illegal activity taken place. Finally, they would make a document of your presence at the scene of the crime, and this would result in your photo being taken to be used as evidence in court. It also meant that your name and photograph was going to be put into a record of "known gamblers". You would also be required to make a written statement, acknowledging that you were present and participating in a poker game. All of this evidence goes into a database that gets used by the police in the Vice Squad.
When this process was over, you were given back your identification and told to return to your table, where you would be able to leave as soon as they had concluded their business at the crime scene.
When my name was inevitably called, I walked over to the officers. They had more questions for me than the other players. They wanted to know how someone of my age had ended up in a place like this. I told them I had been playing poker for a long time, and knew many other people who did so as well. My answer seemed to be satisfactory so they took my photo, had me sign a statement, and then sent me back to my table.
There was much conversation amongst the players after each had returned to their seat. I found out that Spades had been running for well over 10 years, and that every 6-8 months, the club would change locations in order to avoid getting raided. It was only a matter of timing and luck when they would inevitably get raided at some point. It had happened many times before in the past, and it would continue to do so for the future history of the club. Frequently changing locations was a fine and effective strategy in order to combat getting raided, however, because of Matt's untimely run-in with the law, the length of the investigation process was exponentially decreased and therefore led to a surprise crackdown on the club.
I wasn't paying much attention to the players who were getting searched, however, two of them happened to catch my eye. One guy unfortunately found himself getting placed in handcuffs. It had turned out, that he had an outstanding warrant to appear in court based on a several year-old traffic ticket - he was in shock and completely unaware of his warrant. Nevertheless, he was arrested.
Another player, who many of the others thought of as unusual and weird in nature, emptied his pockets to show a collection of random, strange items. In his possession, he had a ham sandwich, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, two yo-yo's, a compact, military grade flash light, and two cell phones. Nobody knew what to make of this, and since these items weren't inherently dangerous, the guy was let go and told to return back to his seat.
The whole process was lengthy, and took a total of about 4.5 hours to complete. While the players were being questioned, Vinny and all of the dealers were being detained in handcuffs and then eventually arrested and escorted outside into the police cruisers. One of these dealers was Chris, and I felt horrible for him, knowing that this might lead to some potentially serious legal trouble for him.
Another thing that I also noticed, was that a different team of officers had began seizing and confiscating almost everything inside of the club. They took the all of the chips, cards, dealer buttons, credit book, all of the cash inside of the club, the flat screen TV's, the toolbox, the security system, and just about anything else that was able to be easily transported. This meant that every player would be losing their buy-ins for that night.
When a table was allowed to go free and told to leave, SWAT would afterwards take the battering ram they used to breach the door and use it to crack the poker table in half, right down the middle. They didn't want anyone coming back to try and reuse them.
After what seemed to be like 5 hours, I was eventually cleared and told to exit the building. I was told that I may be subpoenaed by the District Attorney, to appear in court as a witness against a crime. I was sweating, nervous, and almost ****ting my pants. I still had the chips that I had removed in my pockets. Because each process of the raid was handled by a different team of law enforcement, nobody caught the fact that I had put the chips back into my pockets and that I was still in possession of them.
I walked out of there scott-free, with my entire stack, which was now considered a crime - tampering with evidence. I swiftly made my way over to the newly destroyed steel door, exited into the parking lot, and got the hell out of there.
My mind was blown. Andy was right. He always had a knack for knowing when to pull the plug in life, almost always before it was too late.
On my drive home, it started to occur to me just how lucky I had gotten. If it wasn't for Vinny asking me to take the night off, I would have been dealing the tournament when the raid took place, and would have been arrested with all of the other dealers. I had proverbially dodged a bullet.
I was anxious to know about where my future stood in terms of Spades. Was it over? Did the dealers get booked? What was going to happen with Vinny? Where could I get another dealing job? Would I ever be able to get my money back that was confiscated by the cops?
I arrived at home a while later, then went to bed.
I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing - it was Gary.
"Hey, kiddo. New location for Spades, we'll be open for action today at the usual 10AM. If you want to keep your job here, I need you to stop by today, preferably right around 11AM. Staff meeting."
"Okay, no problem. I'll be there. What's the address?"
Gary gave me directions to the new location and instructions on how to get inside. It was only a couple of hours until 11AM, so I decided to get up for the day. I took a shower and threw on some clean clothes. Not before long, it was time to head out.
I made the drive over to the new location, parked my car, and found myself inside the new room.
The new location was in the basement of a personal training fitness studio. When I walked inside, I was quite surprised - Gary was there. I had never, once seen him make an appearance at Spades before. Clearly, this was a time of vital decision making, and it was paramount that he was there to oversee that the transition would go smoothly.
The room was completely set up. Instead of six, there were now 8 brand new tables that occupied the room, accompanying executive chairs, and shockingly, a cash game was already running. Let that sink into your mind - not even 24 hours after being raided by law enforcement, the club was already up and running at 100% capacity in a brand new location. That should give you an idea as to how much money Spades was generating. The business was so lucrative, that it would be foolish not to have a contingency plan in place.
Everything else about the new location was pretty much the same - a smoking room, back area with a fridge that had some drinks and snacks, although there was a newly designated lounge area.
As I was taking my surroundings in, I felt a tap on my shoulder - it was Gary. He told me to follow him into the back room to talk.
Our conversation was brief, but equally important. He told me exactly what had happened the previous night.
On that busy tournament night, an undercover cop walked right into the club by hitching his way onto a group of known players. Essentially, he followed them in by walking a bit too closely behind, making it look like they were together as a group. When the undercover cop arrived inside, he registered for the tournament and took his seat.
While the cop was playing the tournament, at random, unnoticed times, he would take out his phone and use its camera to take a picture of the dealer at the table. Because our dealers rotate tables every 30 minutes, it meant that the cop could just sit there and be presented with his next perp. Nobody ever noticed what was happening. Think about it. Who pays attention to someone using a cell phone while at a poker table?
The undercover cop also got pictures of Vinny and the other dealers who were working the cash game. That was all of the proof they needed in order to determine who was and who wasn't a player. A simple, yet effective strategy.
When the tournament went on break, the undercover cop saw the perfect opportunity to make an unnoticed exit from the room. He took it and quickly made his way downstairs. He then opened the door from the inside, and held it open, signaling for SWAT to execute their orders to raid the place.
Not a single person at Spades, player or otherwise, could figure out who this guy was, how he found out about the game, whether or not the club had a phone number on him - nothing.
If I had to make an educated guess, I would put my money on the idea that Matt had been the one to tell law enforcement exactly when, and how they would be able to get inside the club with the least resistance. For all I know, Matt may have even brought the guy into the game at some point, in order to make an introduction. I'm just speculating here, but I don't think it's too far out of the realm of possibility.
Gary ended our conversation by asking me if I wanted to continue working at Spades, with the same schedule as before. I told him that I did, however, I think my loyalty has shown that I've earned a spot in the cash games. He thought silently to himself for a brief minute, then finally offered a compromise.
He proposed that I would be the on-call cash dealer. This meant that when any of the staff wanted to take off, for any length of the time, I would get first access to claiming the open shift. He reasoned that he couldn't just overlook the dealers who had been with him over the years, and also made it a point to remind me that I wasn't yet as good of a dealer as the others.
He sugarcoated the tough-to-hear truth by saying that even though I wasn't an experienced dealer, I did display ambition and integrity where the others lacked. He also noted that I had consistently improved my dealing skills from the first time I had dealt there, as according to Vinny's assessment of me. He had no reason to believe I wouldn't be able to get up to par by the time the moment arrived for me to fill-in for someone.
Seconds before we were about to head back into the main room, I asked Gary what had happened to everyone who was arrested.
He said that the cops arrested all of the staff, all of the dealers and Vinny as well. Because of SWAT's brutal, literal run-in with Vinny, he had been taken to the hospital for a broken nose, arm and several bruised ribs. Remember, he literally got trampled by a dozen or so SWAT officers, after running full-speed into a bullet-proof shield.
After questioning took place at the precinct, the cops let all of the dealers go free, however Vinny was booked with charges of the promotion of gambling, and the possession of gambling records.
Gary assured me that there was nothing to worry about. This was something that had happened before, more than a few times, and the result was always the same - a meaningless fine and in rare cases, a short term of probation. An experienced and expensive lawyer was appointed to Vinny, paid for by Gary. I got the hint that Gary had some valuable legal connections.
Vinny's lawyer was intricately involved within the court system. When I had walked into the new location just moments ago, Vinnny was actually flooring the cash game that was going on inside the new location. It was more than reasonable to conclude that Vinny would experience little, if any legal consequences at all.
Gary and I headed back towards the main room. I see there's an open seat in the cash game.
I walk up to Vinny and ask him if I can take the open seat. He says I certainly can, but just before he can ask me how many chips I'd like to buy, I pull out a ziplock bag from the front-pocket of my hoodie. Inside, it contained every single chip that I had stolen from the scene of the raid, the night before. Vinny started to laugh and looked amused.
"Julius, did you actually manage to smuggle these out of the raid?"
"**** yeah, I did. The first thing I did was pocket my entire stack. This is exactly how much I had in front of me. Can I sit down into the game with this amount?"
Vinny looks over at Gary and signals him to come on over and take a look at this. Garry says it's no problem at all, and instructs me to go take a seat. The chips were going to be honored.
I take my seat and Vinny brings me a rack with brand new chips, totaling the same amount that I had brought inside the ziplock bag.
One thing that I immediately noticed was that these chips were ceramic. They were custom in design, but felt incredibly cheap. They were too slippery, too light, and did not handle well. I didn't care for them at all. If I had to guess, I'd say that these chips were from a backup set that were to be used temporarily, until a quality set could be purchased.
It became clear to me that Gary had already planned for what had happened the previous night. There was no way that this room could have been set up between the remarkably short amount of time that Gary had scheduled the staff meeting, and the time that the raid had occurred.
Occam's Razor states that, "The simplest explanation is usually the correct one."
The room contained 8 brand new tables, brand new chairs, chips, cards, a new toolbox, chip racks, flatscreen TV's, a fully installed security system, stocked fridge, and just about everything else that would normally take weeks to properly plan and setup. It was just simply an impossibility that this new room hadn't already been in existence prior to the raid. I later on learned that Gary was quite wealthy and owned dozens of commercial properties all over Long Island. Several of them were pre-equipped with all of the necessary accoutrements essential to running a poker room. He was a smart and forward-thinking guy, qualities that successful people usually share.
Moments later, Gary walks up to the table and sits down in the only unoccupied seat. Well, this was going to be interesting. I was going to get a chance to play against the boss man himself.
I can't emphasize how much Gary talked at the table. He was, in fact, one of the best table-talkers I've ever met in my life. It was indistinguishable whether or not he was talking to try and get you to fold, or trying to make you call. He was also masterful in the way he needled other players. He could put anyone on tilt and make them lose their entire stack to him.
I mostly tried to stay out of his way, but it came down to one pot that played out between him and me.
Gary puts in a raise to $13 in EP, MP calls, and I call on the button with A9dd. The flop comes A95 rainbow. Gary leads out for $21, fold, and I call. The turn comes an 8, and Gary jams all-in for a little over 100bb. He begins talking to me nonstop. Not wanting to appear intimidated, I engage him back.
Our verbal exchange lasts for about 3 minutes, but at this point, I'm really starting to consider folding as my best option. Gary just looks so genuinely strong, I don't believe that he thinks he's bluffing. Could he really have pocket 9's or pocket 5's? Additionally, he was certainly seemed capable of showing up with 76s here.
I run the hand through my head a couple of more times, and, finally, I decide there's no way I'm folding - I'm almost certain he does this with AQ or AK.
I make the call, and the board runs out. I don't remember what the river card was, I was more focused on Gary and wanted to know what he was holding. I do remember that the river was indeed inconsequential, though - some kind of blank.
Gary tables AK, and I table A9 for top 2. He lets out a big laugh, and asks me what took me so long to call, and I respond by saying that he just looked truly confident, not appearing to just "show confidence", but that he was demonstrating what looked like actual, genuine confidence. I felt like he wasn't bluffing.
He tells me that I'm not wrong, explaining that there wasn't even a fiber in his body that thought he was behind. He truly believed that he had the best hand. An odd poker hand, but a valuable lesson learned.
I played for a few more hours, then finally decided to quit for the day, resulting in a profit of a meaningless $30.
I leave the club's new location and head back home to get some more sleep. It wasn't any further from my place than the old location was - it was right around the same distance.
During my drive, I give Andy a call.
"Hey man, you wouldn't believe what happened last night. Spades got raided."
To be continued...
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