Of Luck and Booze (FINISHED)

Atriark heard his name being called. Cards? He was interested, the last time he played was....nearly two months ago. Wow, two months. Gotta keep from getting rusty.

"You in?" Atriark asked the mare who he had just learned the name of. The zebra turned to face the unicorn he had met not to long ago. Cross, if he remembered right. "I could play a few hands."

Lucky followed Cross to the table. "Dead drunk my *hic* ash! I'm barely even buzzed!"

Lucky took up the dealer's position, and set down the deck.

Suddenly, Lucky's attitude changed. Even though his words were still slightly slurred, he seemed to take on an entire new personality. "Alright, we're playing a non-standard game, I've got a pair of jokers in there somewhere, and I'm too lazy to dig 'em out. Count them as face cards."

She hadn't been angry, at least not at Lucky. She'd been angry at herself for throwing the mouthy little doll across the room like an foal. Now though everything was better, ponies around her were ignoring her, going on as if she'd never done anything strange in the first place. That was fine, great even.

There were moments when she thought that somepony might have been talking to her, the mention of Twilight Sparkle had done a bit to make her think that, but it turned out to be the dumb unicorn and some marks on his gear. In the end she sat for a bit, under the edge of the bar hugging her doll to her chest. ... "Shhh. Please not now." ... Sawdust's ears flattened against her skull as the doll began to talk to her again, advising her next course of action.

To Mrs. Sparkle there were friends to make, ponies to meet, ones who by their choice of gear and quality there of, would be powerful ponies to know, in some cases and just nice ones in others. ... She shut her eyes and shook her head, she couldn't, no, it just wouldn't happen, not that way. Wealthy ponies always get wealthy somehow and she knew that more ponies than would admit, made their money capturing and selling others. However.

... Sawdust opened one eye, her doll had made a very good point, none of the ponies she'd observed had any unexplained bulkiness in their saddlebags, no large floawing coats to hide them and no weird jingling that could be manacles. More over the town was to her knowledge a Free town, so they'd frown upon any attempt to enslave inside. Here was safe, or as safe as things got in the Wasteland.

She emerged and quietly insinuated herself at the table that was being occupied by the Stable Zebra, the dumb Unicorn and the pony she'd thrown her doll at. Then she chimed in a nervous warble in her voice, "M-mind if I join?"

Winter simply nodded as she went with the others to join in on the game. She was never the type of mare to gamble but this looked like a friendly game so she didn't see any real reason not to take part. She assumed her position and waited for the others to join them before the game would get started. Unknown to most Winter was actually fairly good with BlackJack but as previously mentioned she was never the type of pony to gamble her hard earned caps.

Lucky shuffled the deck (or shuffled it as best he could with hooves, they're not very versatile) and slid two cards to each of the four players at the table, one face up, the other face down. He then gave himself a face up and a face down card as well.

Lucky's face up was a 6, Atriark's was a Jack, Winter's was a 7, Saw's was a 10, and Cross's was a 9.

"Hit or stay?" Said Lucky, his poker face set in stone.

Atriark looked at his face up card, a jack of spades. Right off he knew that there was a good chance that he had a ten or another face card. Looking at his face down card, that hope was diminished. He sighed inwardly and tried, but hardly succeeding in hiding his disappointment.

He looked around the table, there was a 9, 10, 7, and a 6. Atriark found it odd that he had the only face card on the table. Usually there is more than one. Atriark thought for a second. Okay there's a good chance that winter has seventeen. Cross probably has eighteen to twenty. The dealer has a solid sixteen, maybe a seventeen if he's lucky. The new pony has a good chance of wining this and not hitting.

Hmm, low number this early probably won't end well for me. Still, I was taught a good way to play and I'm sticking to it.

"Hit," Atriark said.

Winter looked at her cards and flicked her mane a little out of her face. She looked at the other cards that were face up before calculating her own, along with her chances. She tapped her hoof before smirking, "Hit me" she said aloud to the dealer.

Cross took a quick second to examine his cards and think... he ushered "I'll stay" and then kept his head low

Sawdust's eyes flicked around the table, glancing heavily at the two that had made mention of her favorite pony from before the Megaspells dropped. She however responded when it came to be her turn if in sort of distracted way, "Oh um, stay." She knew well enough that the numbers here were not in favor of her getting the card she needed, then again that was nearly always the case.

Atriark looked up from his cards. So far only Cross was staying.

"Oh um, stay." Now the yellow mare was as well.

She doesn't seem so sure, I'm guessing she has a low number like 15 or 16. Atriark took a small sip from the bottle. Okay, I hope this doesn't impair my game. But, since there isn't any gambling, oh well.

"Ma'am" Atriark turned to the baby blue mare named Winter. "I don't believe you said why...why you were here."

Winter looked up as the Zebra once again aimed a question her way. She thought about it for a moment before coming up with an answer. "Well, I was simply passing through but I was getting thirsty. So I stopped in to get a drink before moving on" she said with a smile, "I'm not sure how long I'll stay here before I move on again though" she said before taking a pause to consider how to continue on the conversation, "What about you, what's your business here ?" she asked in a usual polite tone.

"I came here because my pipbuck wasn't working and I need my stable 113 barding repared." Atriark said.

He nearly facehoofed. Why did I just say that. I hope no pony from my stable heard that. Last thing I want is the memory.

Atriark hoofed his bottle, a memory of his mother teaching him how to sew up a wound flashed in his mind. He played with the scotch sticker with one hoof, waiting for the dealer to pass out the cards.

"I Knew it!" Sawdust blurted out, "I heard you talking, you knew her cutie mark and everything!" In an instant the Twilight Sparkle doll was out, staring listlessly, incredibly clean and not smelling at all of wee! She looks past the doll at the Zebra, this was where he'd talk and stuff and be all Stable Ponyish with knowledge and stuff, right? ... Don't crush my dreams.

Atriark took another swig of his scotch. "Please don't yell...I don't like attention. Yes I do know about Twilight Sparkle."

He took another pull from the bottle, trying to squash the memory of his mother teaching him of alcohol poising. "And that's *hic* enough for me." He said, happily, stoppering his scotch.

Reaching around, he put the bottle in his saddle bag, underneath his armored stable barding. Making sure the clasp was somewhat secure he turned his attention back to the cards, catching a glance of Winters flank.

"Has *hic* has anypony ever told you that you got a nice flank." He said without thinking as he set his head on the table.

Winter was looking at her cards, doing the maths and thinking on what every pony else could be holding. She was thinking of possibly getting herself another drink when she heard Ark make a comment on her flank. Her brow furrowed as her head whipped around to face the Zebra, an unamused look on her face as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, "That's highly inappropriate" she said sternly before adding, "not to mention rude" she said before moving a little further away. Her tail curled a little as she subconsciously moved it to hide more of her flank.

Cross had been looking at his cards, but underneath his hood he had been secreltly admiring the mare, who for for all new must've been new to Stableton...probably didn't even know what he had done...Still it wasn't like Cross to lose focus so he turned to the card game, but nonetheless it was quickly becoming apparent that the zebra "Ark", couldn't hold down his liquor.

"Has *hic* has anypony ever told you that you got a nice flank.". Cross's ears lit up...that was horribly rude and inappropriate, but still all Cross did was grit his teeth and try to keep himself from overreacting. Cross glared at Atriark.... he pulled out of his spot frim the table and walked around to the zebra.

"That was rude, please apologize" Cross maintained his frustrated look, there was no way he was just going to tolerate this. He spread his hooves, stood tall, and stared the zebra in the eyes.

And everyone was invited into a game of cards except him. He very silently groaned(and burrowed himself in his arms temporarily), and he was basically not included from anything. He got away from the bar, checked his saddlebags, and walked over to his own part of the bar, the corner where the table was. The Zebra hit on the girl with the light blue flank, again. The guy with the blue barding and apparently cool red hood said to say sorry. At least the guy could defend a girl. That Zebra was hitting on anything that moves and has a hoof, he also was drunk. Shield made a very poor of saying 'hi' to. He popped out a Mint-al before anyone could catch him, and bit down. It tasted so good, and it boosted a few other senses. He was going to cure it later if he ever found a doctor in this town, but that would deprive him of a possible advantage and deprive him of a disadvantage. And he also brought over his last beginners beer. If anything, this whole thing repeated. Again.

There was one eye that caught the Mint-al consumption, Sawdust had been mid way through a startled turning about, she'd forgotten all about Blazen Shield. That was dumb too since ... OK, right safe here. Reasonably, at least.

Dust half turned and just above the ambient din of the bar returned his greeting. "Hi." She watched him for a moment before her eyes flickered around the table to lock back onto the other ponies present. Her eyes caught the Zebra's Pipbuck and held there for another moment, she'd kill for a Pipbuck of any quality, to have an EFS to help keep her attuned to her surroundings to give her an idea as to who was dangerous and who wasn't. She'd heard about them dozens of times and she'd be delighted to ask the buck about it, except, he was drunk and horny and only had eyes for miss baby blue. Blue was an ugly color anyway.

In a sort of pointless spite she turned her attention back to Blazen Shield and promptly fell silent. What did you ask somepony you didn't intend to get to know? The concept was fundamentally contradictory and it left her mind locked.

Blazen managed to smile warmly at the mare. He too was nervous, even with the drug-enhanced version of himself. He got out of his seat, and went to another seat of the table. He pulled it out, and went back on his seat. "If you want, you can sit." He kindly said, and he drank a little more beginners beer. He started to like this stuff, mostly because it didn't make him drunk but it tasted like beer and slowly got better. He doubted he'd get a addiction, there wasn't much alcohol. Still, though, he already had a pressing addiction. Then his thoughts went onto the mare. She seemed incredibly nervous, but he seemed somewhat calm. When he first entered the tavern, a lot of things happened, including being kicked out. He snickered, smiling.

Sawdust looked at the seat warily, then slowly shook her head. She understood the gesture, it even brought back a mostly pleasant memory of her parents doing similar things for each other. It was the Gentlecolt thing to do but, "N-no thanks. I-I'd rather stand." ... "No way, shush." she continued under her breath, her head tilted slightly toward the doll in her pocket. It had at some point made it back into one of the Duster's many pockets.

Shield nodded, drinking more of the beer. He replayed the old music on his pipbuck and listened to it, smiling.

Atriark would have facehoofed, but what he did deserved more than that. He lifted his head up and smacked his forehead down on the the table with a satisfying THUNK!

"Siwezi kuamini waliotoka..." he mumbled, his face still making contact with the table.

Way to go Atriark, you just destroyed any chance of having the mare look nicely at you. Atriark sighted and closed his eyes, not wanting to even look at anypony else. Mom would be disappointed. She taught me better than this.

"Ma'am...I'm sorry." Atriark said softly, his voice full of remorse. He had made himself look like a fool. He did not want to be made to look like a stubborn ass. "It was *hic* a bone headed thing to say...If there is anything I could do to, in the slightest way, correct my *hic* my mistake. Please tell me and I would do it....It's just....I am sorry." Atriark pleaded, the last part coming out almost in a whisper.

He hoped that Winter didn't wish him away. But if she wished it, he would obey.

Winter Bell was surprised when the teleporting buck from earlier asked the Zebra to apologise to her for the comment. She didn't say as such but she grew a small bit of respect for the stranger pony considering she had never had a buck stand up for her like that before. If anything ponies in the wasteland were happy to let you squirm if it meant keeping their hooves clean. She was about to comment that it wasn't necessary when the Zebra buck apologised to her. She waited for him to finish before smiling a little, "Thank you and I accept your apology" she said softly, "And as for doing anything, just don't do it again" she said with a disarming smirk. Winter was never the kind of mare to hold grudges if a pony or in this case, a Zebra, was willing to apologize to her. If some pony apologized then that was the end of it as far as she was concerned. She looked up to the unicorn stallion from her seat and smiled, "Thanks, but you really didn't have to do that" she said.

Atriark nodded. He still felt like a complete ass, but at least he was forgiven. I guess she doesn't like to hold grudges. I'm surprised, most mares do.

"*hic* You're a nice mare miss. I will try to hold watch what I do next time." Atriark said. Raising his head he addressed Cross. "You know, you standing like that makes you look very.....stoic I believe."

Lucky passed out the cards asked for, and looked at his own.

Atriark was given a 10; Winter ended up with a king. Saw and Cross stayed, and Lucky pulled a 10 off the top of the deck.

"Flip your cards," Said Lucky, as he moved to show his 4. "Dealer's hand's 20."