Queens, Jacks and Fast Shuttles

Posted on Sun Nov 25th, 2012 @ 3:13am by Lieutenant Tettly Biggs & Lieutenant JG Elisabette Souda
Edited on on Tue Nov 27th, 2012 @ 8:22pm

Mission: Klingons on the Starboard Bow
Location: Shuttle En Route to the Endeavour
Timeline: (Backpost) Pre-Crossing the Border

For about four hours El had been able to contain herself to the padded shuttle chair reading from a collection of backlogged subscriptions uploaded onto a PADD. Fashion, scientific journals, news editorials, weapons zines.. the conglomeration had made her restless and bored, as her nose being buried in her reading had kept her from becoming involved in any kind of conversation what so ever. And she had promised herself to attempt to be more out going, so..

So...

So El floundered for something to say that didn't sound decidedly boring. 'Headed for a new post?' No. That was too mundane. 'Where are you headed?' Too standard. She glanced down at the open article on her screen then looked at the man seated across the row from her with an appraising eye. Back to the article, then at him. Finally she leaned over far enough to clear the aisle and held it out for him to see a little abruptly. "The red would do well on you with your coloring. Just without the lower vee to the collar unless you like the pirate look."

Tettly looked at the PADD suddenly jutted in front of him and frowned a little looking at the woman in a red dress on the main page. Fair enough, she had the same skin tone and hair color but... "I uh... I don't think I'd look too good in a dress, miss..." He replied, with a hint of uncertainty in his voice. She'd noticed him staring at her chest, hadn't she. Dammit, he'd really been trying to be subtle...

"I wasn't meaning in the dress, silly. I was meaning the color. Not many people could pull it off without making it seem gaudy. You could do it." She set the PADD on her lap then offered out a hand. "Elisabette Souda. I'm going stir crazy sitting here, so I thought we could talk unless you happen to have a deck of cards or something. I lost mine sometime last year and I forgot to replace it in my carry on."

"Oh..." Tettly said, an innocent (and somewhat relieved) grin crossing his face, "I'm Tettly Biggs... you can just called me Biggs, if you want. I'm board out of my skull too," Tettly replied, taking the proffered hand. "But, conveniently," He said, reaching into his pocket and producing a deck of cards... then quickly stashing it back when he realized that was his "special" deck with the pretty girls, "uh..." *rummage rummage* "CONveniently," He said, emphatically, producing a different deck, "I never go anywhere without my deck of cards."

El raised the arm of her chair and swung around to face him. If anyone had to pass by she could easily tuck herself back into her tiny row. "All right then, what's your poison?"

"Uh... blackjack?" Tettly offered. This would be like taking candy from a baby.

====

"Yeah, but I don't have any money left," Tettly replied two hours later, his expression bleak. "What the hell am I supposed to ante in with?" He groused.

"Boot laces." Responded the chipper Souda as she shuffled the cards in and out of fan patterns across the back of the PADD. "That gives you at least two more chances to win back your losses Mister Biggs. I can be fair. I can be just. I can have your boot laces." Teased the blonde. She continued to fool with the cards as she waited for an answer. "So whattya say? You in? Are you good for it?"

Tettly frowned at her, then abruptly reached below the seat and started fumbling with his boots. A moment later he slapped his boot laces on the table, "All in." He said, flatly.

"That's a good man. All righty then.." Souda gathered up all of the cards into a deck again, gave them a quick shuffle and then started laying out cards. "Seven for the gentleman, three for the lady.." She peeked at her down card then grinned triumphantly. Mind you, every hand so far had come with lofty grins or worried frowns or sideways knowing glances that had not a thing to do with what she had for her cards. "I'll stay." She drawled in a fair imitation of Tettly's southern accent.

Tettly screwed up his face in a disapproving look, "Ain't no reason to tease, ya know?" He grumbled. Checking his cards... He had a 7 up with a Queen hiding under... Even with an Ace, she wouldn't be over that... "Fine, I'll stay, too."

"I'm not teasing. If I was-" As fast as she could El pinched the grumbling man on the arm. Socializing was fun as it turned out! "-I'd pick on you." She flipped her cards to show a two as the other side of her pair. You win, big guy."

"Ow!" Tettly yipped at the pinch, then a hint of a smile returned to his features as he pulled his laces and the money he'd won back to him. "I think yer lettin' me win, missy."

She shrugged as she started shuffling again, her eyes not giving any hint as to whether she was or not. "Ellie, yes, Missy, no: I'm just playing for fun." Truth be told she was having fun just killing time and being quirky. All too soon there would be too much serious matters to attend to. "Do you think we have time for another round?"

Tettly looked over the top of the seat in front of him for the chronometer on the shuttle wall, "Oh yeah. We got thirty minutes yet," He explained. "Know anything about the Endeavour?" He asked.

"Only the reputation of the name and the size of the ship: big on both accounts if you know what I mean. I'm not up to speed on the people serving on it. People aren't my thing: I'm obnoxious." Souda admitted with a shrug that wasn't at all apologetic. "I'm a pain. I've been working on it, but success comes in really tiny increments. What about you? What's your post?"

"Don't seem all that obnoxious to me," Tettly muttered to himself. "I'm the Chief of Security on the ship. Well... will be, I guess. Once we actually get there." He explained. "I am a people person, but I don't have much of a bead on any of them yet. Give me a bit on the boat and I'll let you know," He said with a grin. "I'll stay."

She'd figured him for security. His posture wasn't right for a marine. His mannerisms didn't quite fit anything else. "Thanks for saying that." She didn't quite believe him, having suffered pinching and teasing and the taking of his money, but it was nice to hear all the same. "You haven't seen me in work mode: turn on, tune in, drop out. Creative, hyper-attentive with minor strokes of ruthless business organization. Science Chief. One more for me.. And call."

"Yeah, well, so long as you don't go rompin' on anyone, and stay outta my brig, we should be fine," Tettly said with a chuckle, trying to imagine the blonde in a fist fight. "Wacha got, Ellie?" He asked, trying her suggested nickname on for size.

"Six, eight, four: eighteen." El fanned her cards out to show them as she said it. "What exactly is a rompin'? Whomping? Romping? Wampum? I don't understand.."

"Nineteen," Tettly said with a proud grin. He left his ante on the table, might as well stay all in till he got it all back. "Another hand if you please," He said with a grin.

"A rompin... you know... when you... uh... it's a fist fight, I reckon." He offered... didn't everyone know what a rompin' was?

"Ohhh I didn't know it could be called that, sorry. Sometimes I get caught up in colloquialisms and slang. I have to have it used a few times before I make all the ends meet." El reshuffled all of the cards and dealt out four. Two down, two up. Her show was a 2. "Take a peek, long arm, and give me the word."

Tettly smirked at her, seeing a Jack atop his pile. He peaked at the bottom card and rolled his eyes, snapping the cards back down with a sigh.

"I'll stay, I guess," He said with a shrug.

El pursed her lips, watching his intently. The corner of his lip had just the slightest twitch when he looked at his cards. "Mister Tettly?" She asked as she dealt herself another card, bring the grand total of her hand to sixteen. "When you read, you move your mouth."

Tettly furrowed his brows, "I do not." He declared matter of factly.

"You do, too. You might not use words per say, but you've got a tell to a practiced eye. Stay away from the big card parlors until you get that fixed, huh? They play for keeps there, I only play for fun. Show." She said, flipping her cards.

Tettly flipped his cards and showed the Ace he was hiding, "Doesn't help you much if I mouth nine, now does it," He said, realizing that he'd crashed her little game at last. "And no fair not tellin' the guy yer playin' with that you read lips."

"All's fair in love and war. Besides, if I didn't read lips I'd be in trouble now, wouldn't I?" Gathering all the cards together one final time, El nudged the pot from last hand forward then a few more for the final wager. "One last huzzah?"

"Nah," Tettly said with a smirk, realizing he'd won most of what he'd lost back, "It wouldn't be gentlemanly of me to leave a lady broke," He said with a wink. "Sides, they'll be calling for final dock in about five minutes," He reminded.

"All right then." She handed him back the deck of cards, took a moment to right her belongings and slipped back into her seat properly. "Thanks for the games. It really helped the time pass."

"No doubt about it. Hit me up any time you wanna lose your socks, now that I know what you're doing," Tettly said with a chuckle. "Want to give the CO a double whammy of awesomeness when we get on board?" He asked with a wry grin.

"A..." Double what? El shrugged her shoulders for what had to be the thirtieth time since the card game had started. "Meet him together? Sure. I can do that."

Tettly chuckled to himself, "Kid," He said in his farm-boy drawl, "Do I got stuff to teach you."

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Lt. Tettly Biggs
Chief of Security
USS Endeavour

and

Lt. JG Elisabette Souda
Chief Science Officer
USS Endeavour