Categories > Original > Drama > Karin's Wedding
Chapter 6
Chiyuki pondered this, hoping for a quiet, romantic evening, but the prospect of whipping him on the felt seemed like fun. A bit of humility may aid the situation. “Sure, if it interests you, a casino sounds fun,” she said smiling. As they were heading off to the nearest gaming hall, a flight was landing. Off this plane stepped Mama Clarice, urgent to get to work. She went to the luggage return, thinking about what she should do first. She was happy she had beaten the others out in getting there, because she knew that she could get to the others and both warn them and help them for the upcoming trials. She was indeed unmistakable in her dark violet, ankle length flowing wraparound skirt, sandals, white peasant shirt with a silk, paisley neckerchief, and red headscarf. However, what she did not know was that there was help coming on the same flight. As she gathered her few belongings, she turned to go, and ran into a man with black curly hair and beard, wearing cowboy boots, jeans, a light blue button down shirt, and a gold cross around his neck. All he had was an old sea bag and a guitar. He saw Clarice, and smiled broadly. She returned the warm smile and said, “Frère Antoine, so your people caught wind of things as well!”
“Of course,” he said, “And I am glad it was us Franciscans, and not the Jesuits. They would have tried to resurrect what took a long time and many popes to squelch!”
“It does not bother you that you would be working with someone who deals in ‘witchcraft?’” she asked with amused curiosity.
“I do believe there is a saying that goes, ‘Necessity is the mother of strange bedfellows!’” answered Brother Antonio, “and considering what is at stake, to keep things from exploding, we must act together.”
“You do realize that you would be aiding those that your people would have considered the ‘Devil’s Spawn,’” she said, assuring herself that she indeed had an ally.
“The militants of our kind had no patience and time to ponder the nature of things,” he said, as they walked from the airport together, “Had they done so, the inquisition would never have happened, the reformation would not have been necessary, St. Francis of Assisi would have been a pope, and there would not be so much strife within the Church.”
“What is our first step?” she asked.
“We have to locate those that we seek to aid, and gain their trust,” he said.
“How do you think that will go?” she then asked.
“It depends on their ersatz leader.”
“Who is that?”
“Have your people had any legends from about 20 years ago, about the one that got away?”
“Are you referring to the offspring of…?”
“That is exactly of whom I speak.”
She began to think, and she had heard legends of that one, that he had been rescued from certain death, raised, and trained to avenge, and to execute justice. He had been trained well in his abilities, far beyond any dhamphir that had ever lived. Indeed, Antonio knew that there would be the militants that would have hunted him down and killed him as they had in the past. A great genocide of one-half of his blood had taken place some 200 years before for that very reason. However, his order knew of the vampires, being so close to nature as they were, and they knew that they posed no threats, save for the one or two troublemakers that caused problems for their kind. They left well enough alone, and would have continued to do so. Now things had come full circle. This time, however, the tables were turned, in that, the one that got away had defeated a great evil some three years earlier, and he was doing what he could to bring peace, and in the name of the Lord no less! Yes, he was not Catholic, but to Antonio’s way of thought, no one’s perfect! She then asked, “Do we try tonight?”
“Why not: it’s a good a time as any,” said Antonio, “Just let me get settled in and changed, and we’ll go.”
Meanwhile, at the casino, Ren and Chiyuki were fortunate to find that there was indeed a Texas Hold ‘Em tournament that night. However, the buy in was about 20,000 yen. Ren did not know if he had the funds to do this, but Chiyuki pulled out enough for the both of them. “Where did that come from?” he asked.
“Being around for over a millennium has its advantages!” she answered.
They then hit the felt, and it was quick to see who was going to dominate the table. Oddly enough, they avoided confrontation with each other, and, in fact, became quite chatty. The other players thought that they were working together, and were becoming annoyed, thinking that they were talking in some code. What they did not realize was that they were reading their opponents’ tells as well as their auras. On top of that, they were both as steady as a rock when it came time for them to enter the fray, and it was impossible to read them. However, it came to a point where Ren began to falter a bit due to all the stress around the table. He had not fed yet, and it was beginning to get to him. Finally, a hand came down to Ren and a woman that was much stressed. She was running low on chips, and she knew that Ren was going to put her "all in" if he could, or whittle away at her diminishing stack of chips by taking her antes and blinds. However, it came down to a hand where she thought she had the hand together. She wound up with two aces—the pocket rockets—and put in a sizeable raise for her chips. Ren looked at his cards, and then read her aura. If his reading stress were a gauge, this woman would have buried the needle! He then knew she had a great hand. However, by what he had, he also had a chance to either win, or bluff her by the stress. He called, and the flop came down: ten, king, eight. She whiffed. However, she was closest to the button, and thus knew her aces might still be good, because Ren had to act first, and she could then read him by his bet. Ren looked again at his down cards, and read her again; she was glowing bright hot! He had to control himself before he leapt across the table and took her right then. He knew she must be sitting on something good, and she was waiting for the turn to see if her cards would hold up. He decided to check, and put the heat back on her. She then decided to slow play, thinking that she was telling him that she had something, but not all that great. She put down a small raise, patting herself on the back for her bluff. Ren called, and the turn came. Chiyuki watched him carefully with a grin on her face. He was indeed clever, and intelligent. She already knew that he could be good in a fight, and thus, a great protector. He also had his soft side, and a bashful side that he displayed to few. More and more he was becoming desirable. She knew this woman was in trouble! Why Ren wasted his time on the women that he dated was beyond her. The turn card showed a six. Still, nothing she could use. She was wondering if she could get out of the hand, but she knew he had to act. If he went all in, she would fold, because he would have to have at least a high pair, or a three of a kind. Though a high pair would not beat her aces, there was still the river. If he went all in, she had to assume a three of a kind, and her aces were no good. If he checked or slow played, it meant that he still was not sure what she had, and did not have a strong hand. Ren did not look at his cards, but put in a raise that he knew would put in a quarter of her stack. It was not a slow play, but it was not “all in” either. Since reading his face was out of the question, she then knew that she was at a loss as to what he had. Ren saw her blinding stress, and almost could hear her heart beating. She called, considering that it was the river card, so there would be nothing to tell at that point. The river card came down, and it was another eight. She now had the “Dead Man’s Hand:” aces and eights. Ren began to nod his head a bit, and she jumped all over it. This was the first “tell” that he had made all night, and she then decided to go “all in.” Ren, however, had to go first, and he checked. That gave her more courage, and she instantly went all in. Ren was just as quick to call, and with that, her heart dropped into her shorts. Why had he been so quick to call? She turned up her two cards, and the table began to mutter. They all thought that she had bluffed her way into putting Ren in for a high bet in order to save herself. That was indeed a solid hand. Unless he had another eight in there, she had saved herself. Ren grinned, stacked the cards one on the other, flipped them over, and spread them: two eights! He did not have three, but a four of a kind! Now her stress mixed with rage, and she began to storm off. Now Chiyuki was aroused, and eyed Ren.
As it so happened, it was time for a break, and they decided to take care of things. The woman went into the ladies room, and Chiyuki followed her. Ren ensured that the coast was clear, and Chiyuki said it was clear inside. He slipped in behind her as she then began to rant to Chiyuki about how cruel that man had been. She said, “If you want me to have sympathy for you ‘dear,’ you’re not going to get it. You put the money down, and you took the chance.”
She then stepped forward with a devious grin on her face, and said, “Besides, right now, you have something that I want.”
The woman became frightened, and tried to leave, running right into Ren. She began to inhale as if to scream, but Chiyuki covered her mouth and grabbed her tight. Ren said, “Such stress looks so delicious on you!”
Not certain of what was to happen next, she began to whimper. Chiyuki then said, “Just relax and don’t make it worse on yourself! We’re just going to help you with your emotional issues. You’ll love it!”
With that, they both sank their fangs into her and fed. They both knew that she would be pint lower than what the Red Cross would have found acceptable, but they also knew she would live, so no harm done. Both of them pulled out in ecstasy and energized. They laid her on a couch inside the rest room, erased her memory, and were both careful not to be seen as they left. However, a security guard that had been watching a surveillance camera approached them firmly, and said, “You two need to come with me now!”
Ren laughed hard, and then touched the man’s head. He suddenly went stiff, and Ren said, “You saw nothing, and you will immediately erase the tape when you go back to your station.”
The guard then robotically went back and did as Ren had said. Chiyuki was quite impressed, “Now that was well handled. I know of too many younger vampires that would have panicked.”
“Too many hotels that I have been to have surveillance cameras in the rooms,” said Ren, “and so one must know how to handle that.”
“Cameras in the rooms,” she exclaimed, “That’s perverted!”
“Well, it also allows them to stop abusers and rapists from coming in,” he said, “So; sadly, there is a practical purpose to it all.”
As they walked back to the table for the next round, she put her arm around Ren’s and snuggled tightly. He stiffened a bit, and she said, “Will you relax! I don’t bite…” she paused, chuckled, and said, “…much!”
That got Ren to laugh, and it was indeed a genuine laugh. He then said, “I guess you could now say that we had dinner together!”
That got them both belly laughing when they returned to the table.
A few more hours passed, and it did indeed grind down to the couple. At first Chiyuki wanted to stomp him, but now, with things going so well, that might ruin all she was trying to accomplish. Therefore, when the head-to-head started, she whispered as to where only he could hear it, and said, “No matter what happens, we split it later.”
He smiled, nodded, and said, “For bragging rights then?”
She thought for a moment, and said, “If I win, I get another date.”
Instead of balking as he usually did, he said, “You’re on!”
Back and forth it went, but neither one could get any headway. It was harder this way, because both of them could actively disguise their auras from one another. Since both of them were steady in their faces, and how they betted, no one was sure if it would ever end. Despite that, this was the center of attention in the casino, and everyone wanted to see how this slick, Hollywood looking type would do against the fiery redhead. It looked like something out of a Humphrey Bogart/Lauren Bacall movie. The only thing missing was the bad jazz band and the smoke filled room. Finally, Ren landed pocket rockets, slow played the bets a couple of times, but Chiyuki kept slow raising him. Finally, he thought, “We’re going to be at this for a century,” and finally said, “I’m all in.”
Everyone gasped. He was not behind, nor was he in a commanding position. The flop had not even come down yet, so everyone was wondering why he suddenly wanted to be so courageous. He did have a slight chip lead, and it would put Chiyuki all in if she called. However, everyone became more shocked when she did call just as quickly. There was about 2,000,000 yen at stake, so this was huge. The dealer then said, “Okay, turn them over.”
They did, and everyone saw the aces, and started to mumble. They then really went crazy when Chiyuki turned up a ten and a queen of spades. They did not know if she had been stupid, panicked, or crazy, but there it was. The dealer then pulled the discard, and then pulled the three flop cards: jack and king of spades, and ace of hearts. Ren now commanded the hand, but Chiyuki still had an outside chance. However, everyone began to shake their heads, as they knew that, odds-wise, she had little chance. The turn came down: two of clubs. It was looking better for Ren all the time. The people around were now beginning to chatter about how bad a move she had made, and how it was all over. Finally, the dealer pulled down the river card, and pushed it up face down. He lined it up with the rest of the cards, and then turned it: ace of spades. For a brief second, everyone began to congratulate Ren for having four aces. However, because of their hands, this reaction would have been normal because not many see the hand that she had come out. The very brief round of adulation for Ren ended when the dealer pushed up the ten, king, and ace of spades, saying, “It’s a royal flush; the game goes to the little lady!”
Now applause turned to consolation for Ren, and applause for Chiyuki. Ren just smiled and played it off, saying, “Well, with the sight of the little lady here, I must say that it was the most pleasant time I had losing!” and everyone around applauded. Chiyuki cashed in, and they asked her if she desired a police escort home. She let out a good belly laugh, and said, “I could almost wish someone tried something!”
Ren had gone out about five minutes earlier to throw off suspicion. However, they met a few blocks later, and split the winnings. Now both of them were on cloud nine and the practically drifted home.
They walked arm-and-arm, and the only thing that was said was, “Well, it looks like I got another date out of you!”
Ren had never felt the way he felt at that instant before, but he liked it, and now, for some reason, he did not want it to end. He then said, not even looking at her, “I think I would want to whether or not you won.”
Chiyuki’s blood was racing! This had gone far better than she had thought. She then looked over at Ren, and then she saw…him…again. She began to tremble, and then she began to try to leave. Ren knew something was up, and he remembered what he had been told about a past love. At this, he restrained her. She felt this, and then looked back at him, wondering what he was doing. She did not know why this was happening, and she wanted to flee again. She knew she could easily flee if she wanted, for she was far stronger. However, something restrained her from fighting. She spun around, and then pleaded, “Let me go, please!”
All Ren could say was, “Why are you running away?”
“Please…I have to go… there’s…I…,” she sputtered, not sure what to say. On the one hand, she was trying to get away, yet, on the other, she could not understand why she could not muster up the strength to get away. Ren then said, more tenderly this time, (not aware that this was what he was doing,) “Why do you run away?”
He looked her dead in the eyes, and she stood there, half-frozen from fear, and half-frozen in awe. This had gone far better than either one had anticipated, because things were happening in them that either had not happened for a long time, or neither had expected. She finally said, “Because of the way you look at me! It’s because of the way you are looking at me right now!”
Ren felt both as weak as a newborn baby, and yet, as strong as a dinosaur. A flood of emotions was flooding his mind to where words would have failed to express the moment. She wanted to, and yet, she did not want to. She had not felt this way in centuries, and yet, she felt a bit as if she were betraying her dearly beloved that she had lost so long ago. Finally, she saw his face again, but this time, he spoke, and said, “It’s okay; I want you to be happy. I know I cannot be there to do that, but let Ren provide what I cannot, and what I wish I could. I can still love you through him.”
She stopped shivering, and they stared at each other. After another moment or two of hesitation, their lips met, and they kissed passionately. For her, she had something very dear back that she had lost. For Ren, this was the first time he had ever kissed a girl without an ulterior motive. It was a kiss of love. It was almost the same feeling as his first crush at the time he awakened, but this was to the 25th power. As they kissed, they embraced tighter and tighter, neither one wanting the moment to end.
Meanwhile, back at the house, there was a huge cheer. As they relayed it to Fumio what they had seen in Anjou’s bats, no one could believe how well things had gone. There were high fives and hugging. Ai was in tears of joy, and thought of how things had been for her. She was so happy for her friend. However, at that moment, Neko hopped up onto her lap, let out a meow, and rubbed into her belly. He was purring loudly, and she could not help put scoop up the cat and embrace it. Neko then thought “Hold me tightly, love, because you too shall soon be pleasantly surprised.”
Yet, at that moment, a knock came at the door. Elda and Calera opened it, and Elda then screamed a scream of horror at the sight of who it was. Standing there was a Haitian woman, and a Franciscan monk. Fear quickly turned to rage, but then Jean-Claude stepped in front of them, restrained Elda, and said, “Do not fear; they come in peace.”
Elda looked at him with surprise, and Antonio said, in his most peaceful and humble way, “Please, I beg your entrance. There is trouble on the horizon, and I know that I can help you. At the same time, there is much wrong that was done to your kind, and there is penance that needs to be done. I would ask that you consider what I have to say, and what I wish to offer as that penance. Moreover, if you do not trust me, then go ahead and do what you feel needs to be done: I shall not resist, and consider that as repayment for what we did to you.”
With that, he dropped to his knees, eyes closed, arms spread. Elda was now at a loss for what to do. She had never seen anything like this. What would she do?
Chiyuki pondered this, hoping for a quiet, romantic evening, but the prospect of whipping him on the felt seemed like fun. A bit of humility may aid the situation. “Sure, if it interests you, a casino sounds fun,” she said smiling. As they were heading off to the nearest gaming hall, a flight was landing. Off this plane stepped Mama Clarice, urgent to get to work. She went to the luggage return, thinking about what she should do first. She was happy she had beaten the others out in getting there, because she knew that she could get to the others and both warn them and help them for the upcoming trials. She was indeed unmistakable in her dark violet, ankle length flowing wraparound skirt, sandals, white peasant shirt with a silk, paisley neckerchief, and red headscarf. However, what she did not know was that there was help coming on the same flight. As she gathered her few belongings, she turned to go, and ran into a man with black curly hair and beard, wearing cowboy boots, jeans, a light blue button down shirt, and a gold cross around his neck. All he had was an old sea bag and a guitar. He saw Clarice, and smiled broadly. She returned the warm smile and said, “Frère Antoine, so your people caught wind of things as well!”
“Of course,” he said, “And I am glad it was us Franciscans, and not the Jesuits. They would have tried to resurrect what took a long time and many popes to squelch!”
“It does not bother you that you would be working with someone who deals in ‘witchcraft?’” she asked with amused curiosity.
“I do believe there is a saying that goes, ‘Necessity is the mother of strange bedfellows!’” answered Brother Antonio, “and considering what is at stake, to keep things from exploding, we must act together.”
“You do realize that you would be aiding those that your people would have considered the ‘Devil’s Spawn,’” she said, assuring herself that she indeed had an ally.
“The militants of our kind had no patience and time to ponder the nature of things,” he said, as they walked from the airport together, “Had they done so, the inquisition would never have happened, the reformation would not have been necessary, St. Francis of Assisi would have been a pope, and there would not be so much strife within the Church.”
“What is our first step?” she asked.
“We have to locate those that we seek to aid, and gain their trust,” he said.
“How do you think that will go?” she then asked.
“It depends on their ersatz leader.”
“Who is that?”
“Have your people had any legends from about 20 years ago, about the one that got away?”
“Are you referring to the offspring of…?”
“That is exactly of whom I speak.”
She began to think, and she had heard legends of that one, that he had been rescued from certain death, raised, and trained to avenge, and to execute justice. He had been trained well in his abilities, far beyond any dhamphir that had ever lived. Indeed, Antonio knew that there would be the militants that would have hunted him down and killed him as they had in the past. A great genocide of one-half of his blood had taken place some 200 years before for that very reason. However, his order knew of the vampires, being so close to nature as they were, and they knew that they posed no threats, save for the one or two troublemakers that caused problems for their kind. They left well enough alone, and would have continued to do so. Now things had come full circle. This time, however, the tables were turned, in that, the one that got away had defeated a great evil some three years earlier, and he was doing what he could to bring peace, and in the name of the Lord no less! Yes, he was not Catholic, but to Antonio’s way of thought, no one’s perfect! She then asked, “Do we try tonight?”
“Why not: it’s a good a time as any,” said Antonio, “Just let me get settled in and changed, and we’ll go.”
Meanwhile, at the casino, Ren and Chiyuki were fortunate to find that there was indeed a Texas Hold ‘Em tournament that night. However, the buy in was about 20,000 yen. Ren did not know if he had the funds to do this, but Chiyuki pulled out enough for the both of them. “Where did that come from?” he asked.
“Being around for over a millennium has its advantages!” she answered.
They then hit the felt, and it was quick to see who was going to dominate the table. Oddly enough, they avoided confrontation with each other, and, in fact, became quite chatty. The other players thought that they were working together, and were becoming annoyed, thinking that they were talking in some code. What they did not realize was that they were reading their opponents’ tells as well as their auras. On top of that, they were both as steady as a rock when it came time for them to enter the fray, and it was impossible to read them. However, it came to a point where Ren began to falter a bit due to all the stress around the table. He had not fed yet, and it was beginning to get to him. Finally, a hand came down to Ren and a woman that was much stressed. She was running low on chips, and she knew that Ren was going to put her "all in" if he could, or whittle away at her diminishing stack of chips by taking her antes and blinds. However, it came down to a hand where she thought she had the hand together. She wound up with two aces—the pocket rockets—and put in a sizeable raise for her chips. Ren looked at his cards, and then read her aura. If his reading stress were a gauge, this woman would have buried the needle! He then knew she had a great hand. However, by what he had, he also had a chance to either win, or bluff her by the stress. He called, and the flop came down: ten, king, eight. She whiffed. However, she was closest to the button, and thus knew her aces might still be good, because Ren had to act first, and she could then read him by his bet. Ren looked again at his down cards, and read her again; she was glowing bright hot! He had to control himself before he leapt across the table and took her right then. He knew she must be sitting on something good, and she was waiting for the turn to see if her cards would hold up. He decided to check, and put the heat back on her. She then decided to slow play, thinking that she was telling him that she had something, but not all that great. She put down a small raise, patting herself on the back for her bluff. Ren called, and the turn came. Chiyuki watched him carefully with a grin on her face. He was indeed clever, and intelligent. She already knew that he could be good in a fight, and thus, a great protector. He also had his soft side, and a bashful side that he displayed to few. More and more he was becoming desirable. She knew this woman was in trouble! Why Ren wasted his time on the women that he dated was beyond her. The turn card showed a six. Still, nothing she could use. She was wondering if she could get out of the hand, but she knew he had to act. If he went all in, she would fold, because he would have to have at least a high pair, or a three of a kind. Though a high pair would not beat her aces, there was still the river. If he went all in, she had to assume a three of a kind, and her aces were no good. If he checked or slow played, it meant that he still was not sure what she had, and did not have a strong hand. Ren did not look at his cards, but put in a raise that he knew would put in a quarter of her stack. It was not a slow play, but it was not “all in” either. Since reading his face was out of the question, she then knew that she was at a loss as to what he had. Ren saw her blinding stress, and almost could hear her heart beating. She called, considering that it was the river card, so there would be nothing to tell at that point. The river card came down, and it was another eight. She now had the “Dead Man’s Hand:” aces and eights. Ren began to nod his head a bit, and she jumped all over it. This was the first “tell” that he had made all night, and she then decided to go “all in.” Ren, however, had to go first, and he checked. That gave her more courage, and she instantly went all in. Ren was just as quick to call, and with that, her heart dropped into her shorts. Why had he been so quick to call? She turned up her two cards, and the table began to mutter. They all thought that she had bluffed her way into putting Ren in for a high bet in order to save herself. That was indeed a solid hand. Unless he had another eight in there, she had saved herself. Ren grinned, stacked the cards one on the other, flipped them over, and spread them: two eights! He did not have three, but a four of a kind! Now her stress mixed with rage, and she began to storm off. Now Chiyuki was aroused, and eyed Ren.
As it so happened, it was time for a break, and they decided to take care of things. The woman went into the ladies room, and Chiyuki followed her. Ren ensured that the coast was clear, and Chiyuki said it was clear inside. He slipped in behind her as she then began to rant to Chiyuki about how cruel that man had been. She said, “If you want me to have sympathy for you ‘dear,’ you’re not going to get it. You put the money down, and you took the chance.”
She then stepped forward with a devious grin on her face, and said, “Besides, right now, you have something that I want.”
The woman became frightened, and tried to leave, running right into Ren. She began to inhale as if to scream, but Chiyuki covered her mouth and grabbed her tight. Ren said, “Such stress looks so delicious on you!”
Not certain of what was to happen next, she began to whimper. Chiyuki then said, “Just relax and don’t make it worse on yourself! We’re just going to help you with your emotional issues. You’ll love it!”
With that, they both sank their fangs into her and fed. They both knew that she would be pint lower than what the Red Cross would have found acceptable, but they also knew she would live, so no harm done. Both of them pulled out in ecstasy and energized. They laid her on a couch inside the rest room, erased her memory, and were both careful not to be seen as they left. However, a security guard that had been watching a surveillance camera approached them firmly, and said, “You two need to come with me now!”
Ren laughed hard, and then touched the man’s head. He suddenly went stiff, and Ren said, “You saw nothing, and you will immediately erase the tape when you go back to your station.”
The guard then robotically went back and did as Ren had said. Chiyuki was quite impressed, “Now that was well handled. I know of too many younger vampires that would have panicked.”
“Too many hotels that I have been to have surveillance cameras in the rooms,” said Ren, “and so one must know how to handle that.”
“Cameras in the rooms,” she exclaimed, “That’s perverted!”
“Well, it also allows them to stop abusers and rapists from coming in,” he said, “So; sadly, there is a practical purpose to it all.”
As they walked back to the table for the next round, she put her arm around Ren’s and snuggled tightly. He stiffened a bit, and she said, “Will you relax! I don’t bite…” she paused, chuckled, and said, “…much!”
That got Ren to laugh, and it was indeed a genuine laugh. He then said, “I guess you could now say that we had dinner together!”
That got them both belly laughing when they returned to the table.
A few more hours passed, and it did indeed grind down to the couple. At first Chiyuki wanted to stomp him, but now, with things going so well, that might ruin all she was trying to accomplish. Therefore, when the head-to-head started, she whispered as to where only he could hear it, and said, “No matter what happens, we split it later.”
He smiled, nodded, and said, “For bragging rights then?”
She thought for a moment, and said, “If I win, I get another date.”
Instead of balking as he usually did, he said, “You’re on!”
Back and forth it went, but neither one could get any headway. It was harder this way, because both of them could actively disguise their auras from one another. Since both of them were steady in their faces, and how they betted, no one was sure if it would ever end. Despite that, this was the center of attention in the casino, and everyone wanted to see how this slick, Hollywood looking type would do against the fiery redhead. It looked like something out of a Humphrey Bogart/Lauren Bacall movie. The only thing missing was the bad jazz band and the smoke filled room. Finally, Ren landed pocket rockets, slow played the bets a couple of times, but Chiyuki kept slow raising him. Finally, he thought, “We’re going to be at this for a century,” and finally said, “I’m all in.”
Everyone gasped. He was not behind, nor was he in a commanding position. The flop had not even come down yet, so everyone was wondering why he suddenly wanted to be so courageous. He did have a slight chip lead, and it would put Chiyuki all in if she called. However, everyone became more shocked when she did call just as quickly. There was about 2,000,000 yen at stake, so this was huge. The dealer then said, “Okay, turn them over.”
They did, and everyone saw the aces, and started to mumble. They then really went crazy when Chiyuki turned up a ten and a queen of spades. They did not know if she had been stupid, panicked, or crazy, but there it was. The dealer then pulled the discard, and then pulled the three flop cards: jack and king of spades, and ace of hearts. Ren now commanded the hand, but Chiyuki still had an outside chance. However, everyone began to shake their heads, as they knew that, odds-wise, she had little chance. The turn came down: two of clubs. It was looking better for Ren all the time. The people around were now beginning to chatter about how bad a move she had made, and how it was all over. Finally, the dealer pulled down the river card, and pushed it up face down. He lined it up with the rest of the cards, and then turned it: ace of spades. For a brief second, everyone began to congratulate Ren for having four aces. However, because of their hands, this reaction would have been normal because not many see the hand that she had come out. The very brief round of adulation for Ren ended when the dealer pushed up the ten, king, and ace of spades, saying, “It’s a royal flush; the game goes to the little lady!”
Now applause turned to consolation for Ren, and applause for Chiyuki. Ren just smiled and played it off, saying, “Well, with the sight of the little lady here, I must say that it was the most pleasant time I had losing!” and everyone around applauded. Chiyuki cashed in, and they asked her if she desired a police escort home. She let out a good belly laugh, and said, “I could almost wish someone tried something!”
Ren had gone out about five minutes earlier to throw off suspicion. However, they met a few blocks later, and split the winnings. Now both of them were on cloud nine and the practically drifted home.
They walked arm-and-arm, and the only thing that was said was, “Well, it looks like I got another date out of you!”
Ren had never felt the way he felt at that instant before, but he liked it, and now, for some reason, he did not want it to end. He then said, not even looking at her, “I think I would want to whether or not you won.”
Chiyuki’s blood was racing! This had gone far better than she had thought. She then looked over at Ren, and then she saw…him…again. She began to tremble, and then she began to try to leave. Ren knew something was up, and he remembered what he had been told about a past love. At this, he restrained her. She felt this, and then looked back at him, wondering what he was doing. She did not know why this was happening, and she wanted to flee again. She knew she could easily flee if she wanted, for she was far stronger. However, something restrained her from fighting. She spun around, and then pleaded, “Let me go, please!”
All Ren could say was, “Why are you running away?”
“Please…I have to go… there’s…I…,” she sputtered, not sure what to say. On the one hand, she was trying to get away, yet, on the other, she could not understand why she could not muster up the strength to get away. Ren then said, more tenderly this time, (not aware that this was what he was doing,) “Why do you run away?”
He looked her dead in the eyes, and she stood there, half-frozen from fear, and half-frozen in awe. This had gone far better than either one had anticipated, because things were happening in them that either had not happened for a long time, or neither had expected. She finally said, “Because of the way you look at me! It’s because of the way you are looking at me right now!”
Ren felt both as weak as a newborn baby, and yet, as strong as a dinosaur. A flood of emotions was flooding his mind to where words would have failed to express the moment. She wanted to, and yet, she did not want to. She had not felt this way in centuries, and yet, she felt a bit as if she were betraying her dearly beloved that she had lost so long ago. Finally, she saw his face again, but this time, he spoke, and said, “It’s okay; I want you to be happy. I know I cannot be there to do that, but let Ren provide what I cannot, and what I wish I could. I can still love you through him.”
She stopped shivering, and they stared at each other. After another moment or two of hesitation, their lips met, and they kissed passionately. For her, she had something very dear back that she had lost. For Ren, this was the first time he had ever kissed a girl without an ulterior motive. It was a kiss of love. It was almost the same feeling as his first crush at the time he awakened, but this was to the 25th power. As they kissed, they embraced tighter and tighter, neither one wanting the moment to end.
Meanwhile, back at the house, there was a huge cheer. As they relayed it to Fumio what they had seen in Anjou’s bats, no one could believe how well things had gone. There were high fives and hugging. Ai was in tears of joy, and thought of how things had been for her. She was so happy for her friend. However, at that moment, Neko hopped up onto her lap, let out a meow, and rubbed into her belly. He was purring loudly, and she could not help put scoop up the cat and embrace it. Neko then thought “Hold me tightly, love, because you too shall soon be pleasantly surprised.”
Yet, at that moment, a knock came at the door. Elda and Calera opened it, and Elda then screamed a scream of horror at the sight of who it was. Standing there was a Haitian woman, and a Franciscan monk. Fear quickly turned to rage, but then Jean-Claude stepped in front of them, restrained Elda, and said, “Do not fear; they come in peace.”
Elda looked at him with surprise, and Antonio said, in his most peaceful and humble way, “Please, I beg your entrance. There is trouble on the horizon, and I know that I can help you. At the same time, there is much wrong that was done to your kind, and there is penance that needs to be done. I would ask that you consider what I have to say, and what I wish to offer as that penance. Moreover, if you do not trust me, then go ahead and do what you feel needs to be done: I shall not resist, and consider that as repayment for what we did to you.”
With that, he dropped to his knees, eyes closed, arms spread. Elda was now at a loss for what to do. She had never seen anything like this. What would she do?
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