A Game of Chance
"No, it's a game of chance, Atton, doll," she breathed, grinning a broad, seductive grin. "Can you take the odds?" – LSF Exile/Atton
Rated PG13
Disclaimer: is pointless.
A Game of Chance
Relina stared blankly at the blue, glowing Pazaak table, her eyes sliding in and out of focus. This game was getting out of hand… and getting incredibly wearying. The stakes were getting higher, and Atton wasn't letting up in the slightest.
I've never been able to beat him before, she thought. Why did I try now? She shook her head, groaning. She glanced at their scores and back down at her deck.
"Got a problem?" Atton asked, lounging in his seat, his fingers steepled over his abdomen.
"No," she squeaked. She switched the order of her cards around, trembling. She had to get two… just two… and she didn't have the right card to lay down. She'd have to trust in luck. Holding her breath, she cautiously pulled a card.
Three.
"Busted," Atton chided. He considered her for a moment and flicked a finger. "Belt."
Relina glowered at him, and obediently undid her belt. She slammed it onto the table with a metallic bang, disturbing the cards. "You bastard."
He shrugged, an uncontrollable grin spreading over his face. "You can't quit now, babe. We're just getting started."
A small growl of irritation rose in her throat. "I don't know why I agreed to this," she grumbled, gathering the cards and shuffling them.
"I don't either, but I'm not complaining," Atton replied. He put an accent on the 'e' in either; she wondered where he had picked that up. He snickered, waving his booted foot at her. So far he'd only had to remove his jacket and the outer layer of his double-shirt. From the way the game was going, he wasn't going to have to take off more soon.
"This is stupid," Relina gasped at last, her eyes darting towards the window of the apartment. They'd been staying at Nar Shadaa for a while… and it was becoming apparent that everyone wanted to leave, even Atton, though he would never fully admit it. "I quit."
He laughed loudly, richly. "Uh-ah. You can't quit. It's against the rules."
She looked back over to him and rested her forearm on the table, leaning close and raising her eyebrows, turning her eyes into slits. She drew her tongue over her lips and said silkily, "Do I look like I obey the rules?"
He blinked. "No," he said after a moment. His customary grin flickered back on. "Not really. But neither do I, Lena, doll."
"Don't call me that."
He mimicked her expression, leaning on the table with his face set into a sly, dangerous look. "Do I look like I obey the rules?"
She gasped and thrust the cards in his face.
His grin turned nasty. "Oh, you want to play that way, do you?" he said, but his voice was soft, and Relina realized she had crossed a line.
"Sorry," she muttered. She helped him pick up the cards and set them back on the table.
They continued playing, and she was finally stripped down to her underwear and a sock. Atton ended up losing both of his shoes and socks, and his belt, but he was far better off than she.
He stood up. "It's a game of wits, Lena, doll," he said. "I shouldn't have practiced my talents on an unarmed opponent."
She jumped to her feet and pinned him against the wall. "Listen, you," she hissed.
He smiled back at her disarmingly.
She slapped his chest and folded her arms. "You're unfair."
Atton shrugged.
She paced the room and came back. To his utter surprise, she pressed a hand to the wall by his head, and leaned close, so that he could feel her breath on his face. Her eyes bore into his, and he shifted uncomfortably. "No, it's a game of chance, Atton, doll," she breathed, and grinned a broad, seductive grin. "Can you take the odds?"
Her expression was too much. He shut his eyes and slipped out from beneath her arm. He sat down at the table. "You're not finished."
She smirked some sort of feral, thirsty smirk, and sat down again.
18-20.
"I swear…" she hissed, slamming her palm on the table and re-dealing.
He grinned. "Shirt."
"NO!"
"Shirt."
"I hate you."
"Shirt!"
"FINE!" She did as she was told, but reluctantly, and violently threw her shirt at his face. "Your go, Bantha-brain."
25-20.
She gaped. "I don't believe this!" she shrieked.
He grinned at her. "You know," he said, "you aren't half bad. I've been cheating."
She stared, eyes wide, mouth open. "WHAT?"
He smirked at her. "Hey, I do a lot of things I ain't supposed to."
"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?"
He shrugged. "Wanna find out?"
"YOU!" she screamed, now so angry that she was sputtering. She jerked to her feet. "YOU – YOU – YOU SCRUFFY, DROOLING… YOU SLIMY – Y-YOU NASTY, SICK MONKEY-LIZARD – YOU – YOU BANTHA! YOU NERF-HERDER!"
Atton laughed, and this spurred her on. She spluttered and screamed until she lost all of her steam and stomped out of the room, crashing right into Kreia.
"Peace, clothes," Kreia barked, and swept out of sight.
Atton was now in such a fit that he couldn't breathe. He beat the table with his fist, shaking with the force of his giggles. Relina stepped up behind him and slapped him on the back of the head. "Give me my shirt," she growled.
Atton gasped for breath, his face beet red. "No – I – keep – it," he wheezed, wiping a tear from his eye.
"You WILL NOT!" she cried, falling over backwards.
He giggled. "No, I won't," he said, and tossed her the shirt.
She held it in her hands, her eyes wide. "You're a maniac, Atton Rand."
He smirked, leaning back in his seat, and pulling out a cigarra. "No," he said. "I'm just a game of chance."
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Author's Notes: Inside joke. Heh. Oh, and I'm still on Telos. Can't work up enough credits to pay that Duros. Aaaagghhhh. –dies-