52
The card game was held in the back of an old bottling factory, the machinery long since dead but some still had bottles hanging from the couplings like a weird musical instrument about to be tuned up.
Ianto was walking briskly as was his way and Jack found himself again at his heels. They entered the room that had light and sound, cigar smoke and potato crisps spilt on the floor at some stage as laughter rang out.
Ianto landed in the nearest chair with a thump and a bored expression, pulling a wad of cash from his jacket pocket and flicking it at the dealer "cash me in Gerrik."
The Blowfish blinked slowly and then did as he was told as the table fell silent, Jack standing back to watch Ianto work. This was a tactic he knew well. Fake it 'till ya make it. Always worked for him too. Just act like you are supposed to be there and they accept it as a given. With three heads of London that Jack recognized there, no one was willing to ask who had invited him for fear of insulting whoever had. Ha. If they had, the answer would have horrified them all. Faith had threatened all of them at some stage, deservedly so. Why one HAD spoken up, to her demand.
The only one at the table who looked like he was not enjoying the game all of a sudden was the pig headed man, his weirdly pink eyeballs rolling around the table to see if anyone was going to say anything and when it became clear that no one else was, he said calmly "Who invited a fucking Kingsman."
Ianto was calmly stacking up poker chips and he looked over at Pigsy like he was being silly "Why you silly man… you did!"
Now several heads swiveled to watch the pig head glare and then Pisgy sneered "Why would I want you here?"
"Well, you wanted me attention didn't you? Ending those Blowfish after me like that? Hmmmm? You think I did not find out who sent them to damage and destroy shit? Tisk, tisk Pigsy old chum… sorry… that was a poor choice of words. King Leroy… my condolences. I think one of them was fomr one of your shoals. Sorry… it was a bit of a mess in the end."
The dealer had dealt the card and sat silently watching as Ianto lifted the corner his to see and hum, then flick in a chip "I'm in."
"What do you mean… one of mine?" the Blowfish King demanded. Not a real king. He just called himself that, he was sort of the leader of the gang here, a kingpin at best but sometimes when you think you are a big fish in a little pond… well… you know how it goes.
"Kippy. With that little anomaly on his fin… shaped like a bite. I only saw it afterwards and recognized that they were your men. Surprised me, I would not have thought you would ever want to shake the tree of the Kingsmen to see who might fall out. Especially since the one they targeted was not one from around The Table." Ianto smiled softly as he then looked at the cards again "Gonna see me?"
"Kippy. He is a good boy, he would never go behind me back and attack a Kingsman."
"He's not a Kingsman! He's just a little wannabe that didn't get to wear a real suit" Pigsy blurted "He's not got a name!"
Ianto snorted softly as he leaned back and Jack reached around him to flick the signet ring into the pot on the table, Hillman's ruby encrusted piece of gold shit glistening in the artificial light.
"See you." Jack siad as he placed a hand possessively on Ianto's shoulder and then added "And he didn't have to earn a name. He had one since birth!"
"Hmmmm" Ianto hummed as he looked to one of the others "Otto? Come on man… don't make it a two dog race now."
Wordlessly the Blowfish flicked chips into the pot and tried not to stare at his king. Leroy then asked "And what… prey tell… did my boys exactly do with Hillman? I am surprised, his ring is his favourite thing. To take it from him like that, he will be pissed."
"Not really. Not enough of him left to be that pissed" Jack answered calmly "The helicopter went boom and so did he."
Leroy sat bolt upright in his chair "Helicopter? MY helicopter?"
"Well to riddle the Kingsman Store to an extent that it was destroyed… a landmark place since it was where they originally started…. He needed that big gun. Of course… I didn't need that big of a gun at all" Ianto shrugged as he looked at his cards again. "He lit it up."
"Come again?"
"I hear that so often" Jack grinned like a predator, his eyes shining evilly in the light.
"Look. Pigsy here got Hillman and four.. five… I don't remember how many Blowfish… we did not recover all the parts to count heads, might be ten even … to come and kill us. Destroy the treasured Kingsman Store and generally start a war between the Kingsmen and Blowfish. Only… Hillman got dead and you got found out as a swill stirrer Pigsy Fucker Face." Jack said with glee, unable to contain himself.
"Easy Jack, let's not be rude. We are guests at someone's game" Ianto scolded gently, "And King Leroy here knows attacking me would never get the Kingsmen into a messy battle. Not when I am not a knight of the round table."
"No. you are not. You are the Dragon" Leroy said with horror as he remembered the story his father told him of the places in the fable "You are Ianto Pendragon."
"Hmmmmmm. Yes. Well… let's see the cards then" Ianto said as he flicked his over and looked around the table. The four kings sat mockingly on the table with the ace of spades. Everyone else was flipping theirs over as well. Ianto checked them all and finally looked at Pigsy "Well? Come on… show me your hand. I've shown mine. I have kings high."
"He folds" Leroy said as he shoved the pot in Ianto's direction. "You win."
"Well now… that's a good hand. Well, I guess we all know where we are and all the cards are on the table now. Thank you King Leroy, as always, you put on a good spread. But my beloved Captain Harkness and myself are going to leave now before we sour your evening too much. Oh, and Pigsy, next time you try to flame me, remember that a Dragon cannot die by flame… only grow more powerful." Ianto rose and shot his cuffs.
Jack leaned around him once more "Next time you come at us for destroying something you should not have had a hand in in the first place… remember that we know ALL the secrets of that lab and all the little things going on and unless you want the world to know the Blowfish test subjects were being tortured like that… I suggest you shut your piggy facehole."
Ianto had let the dealer cash him out and after a moment he flicked the ring at Leroy, letting it bounce across the table for him to slap his hand down on. "That was yours originally, hopefully the next one to wear it remembers who his fealty is to. Oh, and as for the cards …. They were foretold to be in our favour."
Jack did one more glance around, flicking photos on the table now as he winked and took off after Ianto who was already slinking out the door. The photos taken at the lab while Brac was being extracted showed Blowfish heads in tanks, clearly still alive and in agony.
As the door swung shut Pigsy stated to make a nervous snorting noise.
Jack and Ianto walked with the air of righteous men, stepping over the unconscious men inside the door that had been useless doormen and more useless bodyguards. Seriously… Ianto let Jack take them on his own. Blowfish are such terrible fighters.
"Sushi?" Jack called out as they reached the Torchwood SUV and Ianto pulled a face at him before answering that he would prefer fish and chips. They both smiled softly as they clicked seatbelts. Safety first now.
Job done.
Pigsy was about to wallow in some REAL shit now.
