Twenty on Red [Taryn]

[beckwithrosalind]

There was nothing that relaxed Corin quite like being in a casino. They felt like home, and this one was a favourite in particular. Unfortunately, people did not take too kindly to him relieving them of so much of their money so he had to be careful not to make too many appearances in a single establishment otherwise people might start to notice him. It had, however, been a good few months since he had been in this one. He was currently sat at one of the blackjack tables, because, while he preferred poker, blackjack was a much quicker way to get money. 

"I'll split these." He told the croupier, gesturing to the two eights in front of him. A few feet away from him an extremely irritating woman was throwing chips randomly onto the roulette table. With a quick flick of his wrist he made sure that the ball would not fall onto any of her numbers. There was something rather satisfying about creating misfortune for others and he smiled to himself as he heard her reaction to losing all her bets. Such was his satisfaction that the croupier had to ask him twice whether he wanted another card or not. "Yes, thank you." He noticed the croupier's look of surprise, and so he tried to look like this was actually him taking a risk. 

What a spot of luck, he thought rather dryly as the card he had wanted was presented to him and there were a few murmurs from his fellow gamblers. The roulette table, however, was still catching his eye and he was starting to think that it would be more fun than the current game so he pushed a couple of chips towards the croupier before scooping them up and heading over to where the irritating woman was still losing. It was a lot easier to cheat on the roulette without causing suspicion, so he dropped a couple of chips onto the section for the middle twelve numbers and gave his wrist a flick just after the ball fell into the wheel. 

After ten minutes or so he was sat behind a rather hefty pile of chips and having to ignore the advances of a rather drunk middle aged woman. She kept "accidentally" leaning on him, despite him deliberately pushing her off of him. With a sigh of irritation he gestured towards one of the passing waitresses. He was definitely going to need a drink if he was going to have to put up with this. 


Tagged: Taryn

[taryn cain]

This was it, Taryn Cain had finally found the man that would lead her to more people like her; people with abilities -  'mutants'. Everything she's done in the last few weeks had lead to this moment. Coming back to Chicago under the pretense of seeing friends, finding out as much as possible about this 'Corin Danvers' and the group of people known as the 'Brotherhood', learning where he'd be likely to go in Chicago, and coming here every night for the last week and a half. All of this had lead to her finally finding this man and hopefully her route to discovering more people like her. After half an hour of looking around the casino, she spotted the young man with his mousy brown hair and bright blue eyes standing by a roulette table. 

He had obviously been using his abilities to improve his chances of winning because he appeared to have a rather substantial amount of chips in front of him. Either that or they were owned by the middle-aged woman who was attempting to get her drunk claws into him, but given the circumstances and what she knew of Corin's own abilities that seemed highly unlikely. Feeling like saving him from this woman who was obviously bothering would be a good way in, Taryn finished her cocktail at the bar and started to move towards the roulette table the dysfunctional pair were occupying. 

As she approached, the young man looked up at her and gestured for her to come over. At first confused, Taryn quickly remembered that she was in fact wearing clothes that could easily see her mistaken for one of the casino's waitresses. A deliberate choice, given that being in the same casino every day for over a week would be a little suspicious given that she doesn't gamble and if any of the regulars continuously noticed her it would be better for them to think she was a waitress. Corin, however would not have seen her before, and so Taryn saw this as an opportunity to get a conversation going that wasn't about his latest drink order.

'Hi, I'm Taryn and I won't be your waitress today because I don't actually work here, but I'll be happy to get some drinks with you if you explain this game to me and what makes you just so good at it.' She may be exuding some sass with her opening remark, but she's learnt how to open conversations with guys, especially ones that she needs to get some information out of.

[beckwithrosalind]

Right. Well, Corin had not been expecting that. If the girl was going to insist on looking like a waitress in a place full of people getting drunker by the second then she could hardly complain when someone took her for someone who could help in his pursuit of alcohol. He just stared at her for a second, eyebrows slightly raised in surprise before remembering that she'd said something that actually warranted a response. "You'll be happy, will you?" He asked with a small smile while fiddling with a chip in his hand. The girl was pretty enough, and even if she hadn't been she was far prettier than the woman who was still trying to attract his attention. Corin gestured to the empty seat to the other side of him, "Well, why don't you sit yourself down, Miss..." He left the sentence hanging, hoping for her to tell him her name.

She seemed to be on her own and while that wasn't a particular strange occurrence it did seem odd that she was both on her own and, by her own admission, didn't know how to play roulette. Maybe she favoured other forms of gambling, or she was one of those women...Well, if she was she was going to be disappointed. He was too busy making money to be interested in that sort of thing, and even if he was in the mood she wasn't his type. "So, what can I get you?" He asked, looking to see if he could find someone who actually could bring him a drink.

[taryn cain]

Taryn sat herself next to Corin in the seat he had gestured she take. This was a good start. He could very easily have told her to get out of his face and she'd be left to find another way to meet more mutants like her. 'I'll have another Manhattan, please. Gonna get it from a real waitress this time?' He didn't need to know that it'll be her third of the night but she can hold her drink she'll be fine. Even though she'd seen pictures of the man before, seeing him up close and in the flesh certainly made a difference. His eyes were far more piercing and his face looked softer than the photos had lead her to believe. 

She knew that it would appear suspicious in immediately coming out with the fact she had no idea how to play roulette, though to be honest roulette was one of the few games she did actually have a bit of an idea about it. Not that she had ever played herself, but it seemed a pretty simple game and after being in a casino for a week and a half constantly you do pick these things up. She'd seen alot of people lose alot of money on this game. Corin obviously was not one of these people, however, given what he can do.

His power. The reason she's actually here. Probability manipulation sounds like alot of fun, probably moreso than her own power to oppose things. Taryn really wanted to get to the topic of mutants as soon as possible, but with that older woman still clinging to his other side that would be difficult. She needed to leave soon. Perhaps if she holds Corin's interest for long enough the other woman would get bored and leave them to their peace. At least with the amount of waitresses in the vicinity they wouldn't be waiting long for their drinks. That she was not paying for. Because she has skills.

[beckwithrosalind]

Hmm. Obviously his new companion didn't wish to divulge her name, which to him seemed rather odd but he didn't question it any further. It looked as though she wasn't in the best of moods, and Corin wasn't particularly interested in seeing her in a worse one. He raised his eyebrows at her question but didn't respond - again, he didn't want to ruin her mood even more. Clearly his plan of a quiet night was not allowed to continue. Instead he just gestured to a young woman who looked a lot more like a waitress and ordered a Manhattan and a whiskey.

He shuffled in his chair so he was facing the young woman, and had his back to the older woman who was apparently not taking the hint. Without taking his eyes of the brunette he placed a couple of chips on the table and told the croupier to place them both on number eighteen. "It's a game of luck," He began and looked over at the table, "The croupier drops the ball on the wheel and if you're number comes up," he smiled and rubbed his forefinger against his thumb. He didn't go on to say that for him luck wasn't really necessary as he could make the ball land on whatever number he wanted.

The waitress returned with their drinks, after he had paid he raised his glass and waited to see if the woman would do the same, "Cheers." He said, just in time for the croupier to announce that no more bets were being placed so Corin subtly flicked his wrist, the action he did when he was using his power and then pushed a couple of chips over to his companion. "Would you care to place my bet?"

[taryn cain]

As Corin ordered his whiskey and Taryn's Manhattan from someone who actually works at the casino, she took the time to notice him in detail. He seemed quite a bit taller than herself, yet certainly not the tallest of guys. He was slender too, though his build was largely hidden by the fancy suit he was clothed in. He certainly looked the part for this kind of lifestyle, seeming filled with confidence. Though you would be too if you knew that every bet you placed would win.

Corin soon turned in his chair and directed his attention more directly to Taryn. He began explaining the game to her and placing chips on the number eighteen. He told her it was a game of luck, though they both knew that luck had nothing to do with it in this cicumstance. She acknowledged what he was saying with a slight not and a smile, making sure he knew she was paying attention. By now Taryn had noticed that the other woman had stopped trying to attach herself to the man, which certainly helped her greater aim. 


The waitress quickly arrived with their drinks and Corin paid for them, likely with some of the money he'd won at the Blackjack table earlier in the evening. He rose his drink and Taryn joined him. 'Cheers' they both announced with shared amounts of vigour. 'Would you care to place my bet?' asked Corin as the man in charge of the game called no more bets. This confused Taryn slightly, but she moved the chips he passed to her onto the board anyway. She noticed him subtly flick his wrist as the ball was spinning on the wheel, and thought to herself that must be his way of using his power. She gave a knowing smile and said 'So it's all a game of luck then, even for you Corin?'. She was half tempted to arrest the momentum of the ball just to throw him off, but thought better of it.

[beckwithrosalind]

Well, it wasn't really a game of luck to him, more a game of causing luck but he obviously wasn't going to just announce that to everyone. Last time he'd shown his powers in public Erik had had to come to his rescue, and although that encounter had certainly had its advantages and given him an actual goal, something to work and strive for, he wasn't particularly in the mood for fighting the cause tonight. He respected Erik, of course he did, and shared his views about mutant rights but he couldn't help but think that sometimes it was a bit...heavy. Not that he was going to say that to him, he wasn't an idiot. But he did appreciate times like this when he could just relax and, for want of a better phrase, get back to his roots.

"It's a game of luck for everyone," he replied and took a sip from his whiskey. Normally he automatically pulled a face whenever he drank it, but he managed to remain composed. He didn't actually like the stuff, but was hoping that one day he would acquire the taste. It was stupid really, but it was apparently his father's drink of choice so he was determined that one day he would like it, or at least find it tolerable. Until that time, however, he was going to have to suffer, but suffer without showing it.

Corin should probably have been paying attention to the game at hand, and had he been alone he would have done - not that it would make any difference as he knew he was going to win, but to keep up appearances at least. At the moment, however, he was much more preoccupied with the woman next to him. What had she said her name was again? Taryn? Or had she just been being facetious? Well, either way it was what he was going to call her. "So, Miss Taryn, at the risk of sounding horribly cliché," at this point he started smiling at her because even he couldn't believe he was about to say the next part, "What is a girl like you doing all alone in a place like this? Have you not heard tales of casinos?"

[taryn cain]

'It's a game of luck for everyone'. Everyone that doesn't have the ability to manipulate probabilities that is. She knew Corin's power, and were they not in such a public place there would be no beating about the bush, but for now Taryn would have to survive the charade. He took a drink of his whiskey, and pulled a subtle face of distaste before rapidly covering his expression. Taryn wasn't a fan of whiskey either so she understood Corin's reaction, and took a sip of her cocktail to stifle any potential brewing smile or laughter at his expense.

It took a few moments of her wondering just how often Corin did this whole 'pretending to like whiskey' thing before Taryn noticed that he'd actually asked her a question. And also called her Miss. That didn't happen often. She gave a smile 'Maybe I just like casinos, have you considered that? All the lights and sounds of people losing their life savings, and occasionally winning them back. Regardless of the tales of some casinos, I'm far more interested in the tales I've heard of you Mr Danvers.' If he doesnt get the gist that she knows what he can do after that then this would be a very difficult task indeed.


After this, she chanced a look at the roulette wheel, seeing as Corin had decided to not even pretend to be interested in the outcome. Taryn knew it would land on eighteen, he'd used his power to manipulate the outcome, nothing could go wrong. Or so she thought. The ball landed on number twenty-six. A number that most certainly wasn't eighteen. There were disgruntled moans around the table, but none of them were as shocked as Taryn, and if Corin had noticed, she was sure he'd be sharing her reaction. She turned to look at him in disbelief and in the process knocked over his whiskey. Without thinking she cast out her hand and cast the purple ring of light around the glass just before it hit the ground, cancelling out all motion of the drink and preventing a spillage. She let out a sigh of relief, before realising what she'd done and cursing herself under her breath.

[beckwithrosalind]

Corin was surprised by her response, which was probably evident by his raised eyebrows. She'd heard tales of him? And there he was trying to keep a low profile, or, perhaps more likely she was merely humouring him. Either way, he was curious to see where she was going with this. It was possible that she'd seen him before, she had just said she liked casinos after all. It wasn't a huge stretch of the imagination to think that she recongised him from some other night. "And what tales would those be?" He asked and took another sip - it didn't taste any better than the last one. "All terribly impressive, I hope." There was a joking tone to his voice, but he was actually interested to see if she had been aware of him; his ego would be rather pleased if he had managed to acquire a reputation.



The reaction of the other gamers brought his attention back to the table and- hang on. That wasn't right. His chips were on eighteen and the ball was on twenty six. He pressed his lips together, eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion. That didn't make any sense...he had actually remembered to manipulate the ball, hadn't he? Or had he forgotten, having been distracted by Taryn? Either way, he'd lost some of his chips and wasn't happy about it. Some extra concentration would be required next time, and a bigger bet to win back what he had just lost.



This confusion, however, was quickly replaced by another kind as he had turned around just in time to see his glass being surrounded by some sort of purple light which had seemingly managed to stop his drink spilling everywhere. Well, he certainly hadn't done that. He sighed and returned the glass to the position it had been in a few moments previously. "You should be a little more subtle." He said, the humour in his voice having gone, "That's the sort of behaviour that gets people into fights."