Categories > Games > Kingdom Hearts
Playing for Keeps
1 reviewLuxord meets an amusing pirate in a bar and makes him an offer he can't refuse. The odds were always in his favor. Luxord and Jack Sparrow.
1Funny
Playing for Keeps
It was certainly an unsavory sort of place, he thought. The air in the crowded bar was thick with the scent of alcohol, cigar smoke, and cheap perfume. The voices of those inside conglomerated into a loud unintelligable rumble, intermingled with shouts and whistles for the serving girls. A man with eyes red from too much drink stumbled into his path, and he sidestepped quickly to avoid being knocked over. There was a nasty-looking brawl in the corner; a red-haired girl winked at him as she passed, carrying a tray of drinks. Luxord smirked; it was perfect. Oh, how he was going to enjoy this mission.
He made his way to the corner of the bar and noticed someone watching him. It was a man, a rogue in appearance. His tangled mess of dark hair was interspersed with colorful coins and trinkets, and his beard was braided into two forks. He was leaning back contentedly in his seat (or perhaps just drunkenly), his feet crossed in front of him as he sipped at the pewter tankard. He squinted at Luxord in one-eyed surveillance as the other man approached and sat opposite him.
"Nice jacket you got there, mate," the man said, and a few golden teeth flashed in the murky light. "Reckon it cost a fair amount of gold, eh?"
"You could say that," said Luxord, handing over some coins to a serving girl for a pint of amber-colored rum. It was merely for show; no amount of alcohol could intoxify a Nobody.
"Now I understand that Tortuga is a hit with the locals," the strange man continued amiably, "but what is a great grand toff like yourself doing in such a scallywaggin' little establishment?" Luxord chuckled, pulling out a pack of cards from the pocket of his jacket.
"It really is quite a long story, I regret to say." The man clearly perked up at this, sitting up straight in his chair and looking at Luxord with eager eyes.
"Ooh, I love stories, mate! No worries there," he said, and pointed at himself with a grimy finger. "Captain Jack Sparrow at your service, savvy?"
Captain of what? Luxord wondered. He began to shufffle the cards with nimble fingers, and arranged them in neat stacks on the wooden tabletop.
"However, I'll need some incentive to recount my tale. How about a game of cards?"
"Blackjack?"
"If you wish."
"What's the wager?"
Luxord smiled, resting his arm casually against the chair arm and crossing his legs. It was best to get comfortable. "If you win, I tell you my whole sorry tale. If I win," -- he saluted Jack with a tilt of his head -- "you must give me your most precious possession."
He watched the other man's face carefully as he considered the offer. Jack was staring at some space above them, his forehead furrowed and a slight frown on his face. Finally he placed both palms against the table in finality.
"Deal."
The blond-haired man shuffled the cards expertly, then dealt them for he and Jack, and settled back into a position of ease.
He stroked the shiny plastic back of the Jack of Spades, grinning at the utter irony of the situation. Interesting that a man would give up everything, including his heart, for a fleeting fantasy, when all along Luxord had had nothing to offer in return. He didn't need to keep his end of the bargain.
Because Luxord never lost.
It was certainly an unsavory sort of place, he thought. The air in the crowded bar was thick with the scent of alcohol, cigar smoke, and cheap perfume. The voices of those inside conglomerated into a loud unintelligable rumble, intermingled with shouts and whistles for the serving girls. A man with eyes red from too much drink stumbled into his path, and he sidestepped quickly to avoid being knocked over. There was a nasty-looking brawl in the corner; a red-haired girl winked at him as she passed, carrying a tray of drinks. Luxord smirked; it was perfect. Oh, how he was going to enjoy this mission.
He made his way to the corner of the bar and noticed someone watching him. It was a man, a rogue in appearance. His tangled mess of dark hair was interspersed with colorful coins and trinkets, and his beard was braided into two forks. He was leaning back contentedly in his seat (or perhaps just drunkenly), his feet crossed in front of him as he sipped at the pewter tankard. He squinted at Luxord in one-eyed surveillance as the other man approached and sat opposite him.
"Nice jacket you got there, mate," the man said, and a few golden teeth flashed in the murky light. "Reckon it cost a fair amount of gold, eh?"
"You could say that," said Luxord, handing over some coins to a serving girl for a pint of amber-colored rum. It was merely for show; no amount of alcohol could intoxify a Nobody.
"Now I understand that Tortuga is a hit with the locals," the strange man continued amiably, "but what is a great grand toff like yourself doing in such a scallywaggin' little establishment?" Luxord chuckled, pulling out a pack of cards from the pocket of his jacket.
"It really is quite a long story, I regret to say." The man clearly perked up at this, sitting up straight in his chair and looking at Luxord with eager eyes.
"Ooh, I love stories, mate! No worries there," he said, and pointed at himself with a grimy finger. "Captain Jack Sparrow at your service, savvy?"
Captain of what? Luxord wondered. He began to shufffle the cards with nimble fingers, and arranged them in neat stacks on the wooden tabletop.
"However, I'll need some incentive to recount my tale. How about a game of cards?"
"Blackjack?"
"If you wish."
"What's the wager?"
Luxord smiled, resting his arm casually against the chair arm and crossing his legs. It was best to get comfortable. "If you win, I tell you my whole sorry tale. If I win," -- he saluted Jack with a tilt of his head -- "you must give me your most precious possession."
He watched the other man's face carefully as he considered the offer. Jack was staring at some space above them, his forehead furrowed and a slight frown on his face. Finally he placed both palms against the table in finality.
"Deal."
The blond-haired man shuffled the cards expertly, then dealt them for he and Jack, and settled back into a position of ease.
He stroked the shiny plastic back of the Jack of Spades, grinning at the utter irony of the situation. Interesting that a man would give up everything, including his heart, for a fleeting fantasy, when all along Luxord had had nothing to offer in return. He didn't need to keep his end of the bargain.
Because Luxord never lost.
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