I do not own RWBY or make any money from this work of fiction. RWBY is owned by the good people at Roosterteeth and whoever they are partnered with (I think). I'm not listing them all off, because . . . well, I've kinda lost track as to who they're partnered with.
A/N: Midterms are over! I'm alive! . . . Sorta. Does being tired count? Anyway, I know I promised this almost two months ago, and I didn't ante up, so I think I'm just going to stop posting times that I WANT to post things and just take it in stride, cause let's face it: I suck at handing things in on time.
Also, my beta reader made a pretty good point: this chapter is WAY too long to read in one sitting, so I broke it into four separate chapters that I'm just going to post all at the same time. Just to give you a reference, this chapter was initially 42 pages by the time I was done, so each chapter is approximately 10~12 pages long. I'm not going to be writing any more messages until the end of chapter four, because TECHNICALLY that's where chapter 1 was supposed to end. Anyway, hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 1: Games of Chance, Games of Fate
XX 60 Years Ago XX
"Officers! Officers! Stop that thief"
Oh, shit. Looking over his shoulder, Ozpin sped up as he noticed the two police officers making their way over to him through the crowd of people in the open-air market. Behind them, the angry stall owner he had just "procured" a bag of apples from was pointing angrily at him, egging the officers to chase him down.
Turning back around, Ozpin weaved his way through the crowd, keeping his head low and tucking his apples and bread under his arms. Less than a second later he heard the angry voices of the officers telling the crowd to make way for them. Realizing that he didn't have much time before the police would have eyes on him, Ozpin did his best to blend in with the wall of people moving to the east side of the market.
With the crowd parted in two, the officers split up to search the two groups, stalking through the crowds to find the vendor's thief.
Thinking fast, Ozpin remembered that aside from the north and south exits to the Market, there were also a few alley entrances. Being as innocuous as possible, he slowly backed up to the nearest one only a few meters away, doing his best not to bump into anybody and drawing the attention of the police.
Only a few steps away, and with both officers currently searching through the group of citizens on the south end of the Market, Ozpin was sure that he was free and clear. Sadly, his luck never ran that well, because at that moment the vendor he "procured" his dinner from decided to join the search and immediately noticed Ozpin.
Then again, it really wasn't that hard. Even at 17, Ozpin was already 6'1", and had to hunch over to better blend in with the crowd.
As the vendor yelled at the crowd to "Get the fuck out of my way!", the police heard the commotion and joined the vendor as he pushed his way through the crowd to get to Ozpin.
Ok, you know what? To hell with this. Turning around, Ozpin sprinted out of the crowd and down the alley, his feet pounding a frantic staccato on the stone beneath them.
Looking over his shoulder, he could see that his pursuers where almost free of the crowd. Thinking fast, he saw the exit and a side-branch of the alleyway. Please let me be remembering this right . . ..
Turning down the side-branch, he had to suppress a cry of relief as his memory proved correct: lining the alley walls was a series of dumpsters and trashcans. As quickly as he could, he climbed into the nearest dumpster that had one of its two flaps open and squeezed himself underneath the closed flap, all the while doing his best to ignore the smell of trash and human refuses. That's a diaper next my head, isn't it?
Trying to slow his breathing, Ozpin could hear the sound of footsteps. Because of the echoing of the alley he couldn't tell how many sets there where, but he wouldn't be surprised if the street vendor was also accompanying the officers.
Taking his hand off the bread, he used it to cover his mouth and quiet the sound of his breathing. It didn't take long for the footsteps to be heard pounding down the alley he was hiding in.
"Shit! Where'd he go!?" called one of the cops.
"I don't know! I swear I saw him run down here," said the vendor (Ozpin recognized his voice from when he called the police).
"Alright. I'll go down the other alley. You go down this one. Stay in radio contact." With that, all three sets of footsteps gradually faded away as the three pursuers disappeared.
Still trying to be quiet, Ozpin decided to wait a few minutes. While he knew that they could come back to investigate the dumpsters at any time, they could just as easily be waiting at the entrances of the alleys, just waiting to hear footsteps.
After waiting a few minutes to make sure that it was safe, he extricated himself and the food (thank goodness that all the food was in plastic bags) from the dumpster. Looking around, he saw a maintenance ladder a few dumpsters down from the one he was hiding in.
Making his way towards it, he placed the plastic tassels of the bags into his mouth and proceeded to climb the ladder up to the roof. It was a tall apartment complex, so by the time he reached the top he was out of breath. Taking the bags out of his mouth, he took deep, grateful breaths into his lungs.
While he was catching his breath, he looked out across the city. From up here, he could see the pink forests of the Forever Falls to the north, and the blue waves of the Bay of Bethany to the west, found between Vale and Patch. To the south were the lush, green forest and the settlement of Mountain Glenn. And to the east . . ..
Sighing, Ozpin thought to himself, Time to head home. Everyone must be hungry.
Making his way across the rooftops, Ozpin took his food and headed east towards the slums on the outskirts of Vale, just outside the city borders.
XXXXX
Man, that took forever. The sun was almost down, casting an orange hue across the sky. It had been a hot day, and the sweat on Ozpin's skin, along with the heat of the sun, only made the stench that clung to his body from the dumpsters even worse.
Climbing down another maintenance ladder, Ozpin made his way to the ghetto in the suburbs. Making sure to avoid some of the more well-known hotspots for criminal activity, Ozpin made his way through the ghetto and to the slums. He'd lived here so long that the ramshackle state of the "houses" didn't even faze him anymore. At least in the ghetto you can live in an abandoned building. Here in the slums, we're lucky if we have a tarp to keep the rain out. Most of the slums where made up of recycled or stolen sheet-metal, rotting wood, and tarps and blankets.
Walking through the slums, Ozpin could hear the sounds of people talking, yelling, and (occasionally) fucking. Man, there is just no privacy in this shithole. In the distance, he could even hear a baby or two crying out for their mothers to feed them.
Soon enough, he found himself standing outside his door… or more to the point, his tent flap/blanket. His home was made up of nothing more than four pieces of varying sizes of sheet metal, and a large faded-blue plastic tarp for a roof.
Pushing the blanket aside, Ozpin stooped down to enter his home and called out, "Hey! Who's hungry?"
The sound of running footsteps answered him, and a blur of grey and black launched itself at him and snatched the food from his hands. As the blur vanished behind a fold of the overhanging tarp, Ozpin chuckled. "Geez, Valentina. You gonna share any of that? I mean, I did go and get it myself."
Poking her head out from behind the tarp, a pair of warm, chocolate-brown eyes stared back at him. "Sorry, Ozzy. I'm just ssssuuuper hungry." With that, she took a large, gap-toothed bite out of one of Ozpin's apples. "By the way," she said between chewing mouthfuls, "you smell awful."
Rolling his eyes, Ozpin said, "Gee, thanks Val."
"Oh Oum, what is that smell?" called out another female voice further in the tent. Stepping around another dropped flap was Ozpin's younger twin sister, Cherise.
Both of his sisters were remarkably similar in appearance. With pale smooth skin, long black hair, and warm, chocolate-brown eyes, they were like a mirror through time, considering how much they favored their mother Dorothy.
The only difference between the two sisters, besides their age, size, and maturity, were Valentina's missing teeth, her white-faded-to-grey dress, and her hair done up in a pair of ponytails, held together with grey ribbon. As for Cherise, she wore a similarly white-faded-to-grey dress and a yellow scarf wrapped around her neck, with her hair done up in a ponytail that went all the way down to the base of her spine.
As for Ozpin, he favored their father in terms of looks. His hair was brown and naturally a tussled mess like his late father's. He also had his father's silver eyes. Hell, he even had his father's height. His mother used to describe their father as a mountain of a man, who easily reached 7' in boots. In turn, she was rather petite, at 5'3''.
Cherise wasn't much taller than their mother at 5'7'', and their baby sister Valentina, at 7 years old, barely came up to Ozpin's knee. But as Ozpin has learned over the years, despite his sister's diminutive size, she was very fast.
Walking up to Ozpin, Cherise took a deep sniff of him then reared backwards and pinched her nose. "By the gods! Ozzy, you smell like a dumpster! Where the hell have you been all day?"
Embarrassed, Ozpin scratched the back of his head. "Oh, you know. I've been . . . out. Anyway, how's mom?"
That seemed to get Cherise off the topic of Ozpin's stench. It also had the adverse effect of blowing the wind out of her sails. Sighing, Cherise said, "Same as always: completely dead to the world."
Poking her head out from behind the flap where she was ravishing the food, Valentina said, "Thas nawt twue!" Swallowing her mouthful of food, Valentina continued with, "She got up earlier and ate lunch with me. She even ate a full slice of bread!"
Both Ozpin's and Cherise's eyebrows shot skyward. Ever since their father had been reported as KIA four years ago, their mother had been an emotional, inconsolable wreck. Their dad had been a soldier in the Valeian army and the breadwinner of the family; their mother had a physically weak constitution, making even running for short periods of time very difficult, something Cherise has sadly inherited.
Even though she was emotionally unstable, their mother understood that she needed to pick up their father's pension, or they would be evicted from their apartment. To support their mom, the twin's had tagged along with her. That had been a mistake: the official at the pension desk had been incredibly rude, and denied them their father's pension, saying that their father wasn't killed in action, but in a whorehouse. Ozpin knew that couldn't be true; their father, Marvel, had loved Dorothy almost beyond reason. But their mother had taken those words like a physical blow to the heart. Ever since, she'd been all but dead to the world, staying in bed and doing nothing.
Shortly afterward, they'd been forcefully evicted from their apartment for non-payment and had all their stuff sold by the landlord to pay back the living expenses. Despite this, they'd been incredibly lucky; thanks to the influx of refugees from Mistral, the city had been forced to build refugee camps, which eventually deteriorated into the slums that they lived in today.
They'd been lucky to find a place in the slums and scrounge together a meager life. Cherise had been able to work at a launders for a few months, but her body couldn't hold up under the stress of her job, or even the weight of the clothes, and so she had been fired. As for Ozpin, he had taken more . . . drastic measures, stealing food, clothes, supplies, and money whenever he could. He had tried getting a job in restaurants or construction, but no one wanted to hire a young vagrant. One of the best ways he had learned to make money was by cards; watching people play games of poker and other card games, Ozpin had learned how to hustle people. It was especially easy to win a few hands when the poor stooges he was playing where drunk off their collective asses on Friday nights.
Ozpin was so happy to hear that his mother had done something today that he actually smiled. Turning to Cherise, he said, "Maybe she's finally starting to get better?" He didn't even bother trying to hide the hopeful note in his voice. After all the crap they'd been through in the last four years, there family needed some kind of win. Even if that win was just their sickly mother finally waking up from her emotionally induced coma.
The corners of Cherise's lips began moving upwards as she said, "Maybe, yeah."
Wrinkling her nose, she continued, "But Ozzy, seriously, you need to bathe yourself or we'll all suffocate."
His cheeks mottled with red, Ozpin said, "Uh, yeah. I'm gonna head down to the stream and wash up, then I'm going to head to the Rocker. Ok?"
Her brow creasing in concern, Cherise said, "That's fine. But Ozzy, you should eat something before you head to that bar."
Smiling sheepishly, Ozpin headed for the tent flap to leave. Calling over his shoulder, he said, "I already ate this morning. It wasn't much, but it should tie me over for a few more hours." He was telling the truth . . . sort of. Earlier in the day he stole a head of raw cabbage and ate it. His stomach had been growling on and off for hours since he'd eaten it.
As if she could tell her big brother was lying, Valentina rushed back around the drooping tarp and grabbed Ozpin's hand as he was about to leave the tent. Before he could ask her what she was doing, Valentina placed an apple in his hand. Looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes, Valentina said, "I heard your tummy rumbling. You shouldn't lie, Ozzy. Also," she leaned in conspiratorially close to her brother, "what about the ghouls? Cherise told me they eat boys and girls that lie. She said that they say we taste like chicken." That last part she said with mock fear in her voice.
Smirking, Ozpin looked to Cherise over Valentina's head, who in turn gave him a sheepish grin. Smiling wide, he said, "You're right. I shouldn't lie. Thank you very much, Val." Stooping down, he gave her a quick kiss on her forehead.
As he stood back up, Valentina wrinkled her nose and said, "Big sissy is always right, and she's right right now: Ozzy, you need to bathe more often. Like me!" With that said, she put both arms akimbo on her hips and preened like a peacock.
Laughing, Ozpin said, "Alright, alright, I'm going so I don't stink up the place. See you two later tonight." And with that he left.
Walking over to Valentina, Cherise bent down and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you so much for looking after your big brother. You're such a perfect little angel." Cherise meant every word she said. Ever since they were little, Ozpin had always viewed it as his job to protect Cherise, and when Valentina had been born, that responsibility had extended to her as well. But when their father had died and their mother had fallen into emotional disrepair, Ozpin had taken his responsibilities of looking after them to a level of sheer absurdity, often neglecting his own physical and emotional needs. For that, Cherise would always be grateful to him for being a crutch that they could all lean on, but she hated how stubborn he could be when she offered to help him. The only person who could ever seem to get through that thick skull of his to remind him that he needs to take care of himself as well is Valentina. She would always love her siblings for being there for each other.
Outside the tent, Ozpin looked down at the green apple in his hand and smiled. Leave it to Valentina to remember that he liked the sour apples. Speaking of Val . . .. With a finger, he pulled the collar of his shirt up to his nose to sniff himself. Jerking his head backwards, he gagged in revulsion. Oh gods, I smell like shit. Yeah, ok, time to wash.
He quickly made his way south through the slums to Lux Lake. While small, Lux Lake fed a river that, further east, merged with other rivers to make a large tributary. He made his way to the river (it was illegal to swim in the lake, for fear of aggravating it's ecosystem). Placing his apple in his mouth, he jumped into the slow moving river fully clothed. He only had the one pair of clothes, so he needed to get rid of the stench from both his body and clothing.
After washing himself and his clothes, he put them on a nearby rock to let them dry, then went back to the river. Laying in the shoals, he let the river water cover his modesty as he ate his apple. By the time the sun had set and the moon was high in the sky, both Ozpin and his clothes where dry.
Nibbling on his apple core, he made his way toward downtown Vale through the ghetto, hoping to get to the bar known to most as "The Rocker." Its actual name was Ail de Virée, a pub that has been around for as long as anyone alive can remember. The locals had given it its new moniker due to all the bands that played as live entertainment, keeping other businesses down the street "entertained" with the music that screeched out the doors and windows.
As Ozpin finally found himself in front of the ale house, he still couldn't help but be impressed by the size of it all. A block wide, the Rocker is three stories high and made of red bricks and mortar. A large sign over the main entrance read "Welcome to Ail de Virée." In smaller words next to the welcoming, it read "A.K.A., The Rocker. Bitches." Ozpin laughed as he saw the little message under the welcome. The owners of the bar changed the message under the welcome sign every week. Along with the new message came a betting pool with the regulars to see whether the new message would have any cusses in it.
Smiling, Ozpin crossed the street and pointing up to the sign, he said to the bouncer, "Looks like I made 100 lien. Go me." The bouncer fist bumped him and let him in, no questions asked. You know it's a problem when they recognize me to the point that they don't even ask me my name at the door.
Stepping through the open double doors, Ozpin braced himself for the sound of loud, angry rock music as he stepped onto the wood floor covered in wood shavings and sticky spots from spilt alcohol. Between the rock band (he didn't have a damn clue as to who they were) and the talking and screaming of the crowds packed around the numerous tables and around the bar, he was amazed that he never walked out of here deaf.
Heading to the bar, he signaled the bar tender, pointed at himself, and screamed, "HEY! OZPIN! OZPIN! I BET ON THE MESSAGE! CHECK THE LIST!"
Looking down at a roster nailed onto the back wall of the bar, the bartender looked back at Ozpin and waved him forward. Once Ozpin had kneed and elbowed his way to the busy bar, the bartender reached out and gave him ten 10 lien credits. Beaming, Ozpin took them and shook the bartender's hand before squeezing his way back out of the throng of people.
Looking around, he could see the band playing on a stage on the wall opposite the bar. Wonder if I can find Stephen. With that thought newly formed, he felt someone poke him viciously in the back of his right shoulder. Spinning to the left, Ozpin grabbed the wrist of a tall, dark-skinned man with greasy green hair. Smiling, Ozpin said, "Speak of the devil, if it ain't Stevey Sustrai."
Grinning back at him, Stephen was easily taller than Ozpin by a few inches. With slanted eyes and sharp cheekbones, along with a sharp nose, Stephen was handsome in an exotic way. Something that he used to his advantage in the slums and bars of the city.
Bringing Ozpin into a one-armed bro-hug, Stephen clapped him on the back and said, "And if it ain't the Magician himself, Ozpin Ozma. Heard about your latest run-in with the fuzz. Seriously, how do you get away from them? The only reason I got away last time was because it was a lady cop." He gave Ozpin a lecherous smile and a wink.
Ozpin rolled his eyes. Stephen easily fit the description of a manwhore. Worse part was that he got away with it so easily. No, the worse part was when I had to break the news to his pregnant ex-girlfriend. My balls still hurt from when she almost ripped them off. Honestly, Ozpin wouldn't be surprised if Stephen had bastards aplenty. As for Ozpin, the simple fact was that he wasn't interested. While he could most certainly admire the female form, he had no way in which he could procure contraceptive, and he refused to bring an innocent life into this cruel world when he had no way in which he could provide for it. And that was saying a lot, given that he already had three mouths to feed, not including his own.
"Just make sure I don't have to break the news that you're no longer interested. There's no way in hell that I'm ever going to be your breakup crew ever again. I repeat: Never. Again." Ozpin made sure that his tone was very empathetic.
Stephen rolled his eyes and blew him a raspberry. "Geez, for someone who makes a habit of evading the cops, you sure are a baby when it comes to talking to women. Wimp."
Ozpin gave him a droll stare for that comment. "Talking to women isn't the issue. Talking to your woman is. I bet you've never had one come after your family jewels with a butter knife."
Leaning in close, Stephen patted Ozpin on the back. "That's what I got you for. And speaking of jewels, on the game floor," Stephen pointed to the upstairs floor, "are a group of, get this, drunk-of-their-asses soldiers. You heard me. Between the two of us, we'll be cleaning house."
Now there's an idea that I can sink my teeth into. Ozpin couldn't keep the grin off his face. "Guess it's a good thing I've been practicing my card tricks," said Ozpin, sliding a deck of cards out of his dirty sleeve.
XXXXX
"That them?"
"Oooh yeah, that's them." Leaning in close, Stephen said, "They've been here since the doors opened. I have no idea how it is that these guys are still on their feet. They've been drinking since they walked in. I mean, just look at all those cups! Seriously, how are these guys not on the ground?" Looking at all the mugs strewn on the table, and the small piles forming under it, Ozpin couldn't help but agree. These soldiers must have livers of steel.
Sitting around the gaming table that Stephen was pointing at was a group of soldiers in various undress of their military uniform. One of them was even wearing an old-style Mistralian top hat. I want that. I so want that. The thought went through Ozpin's head before he could really think it through.
One of the soldiers, a man with gray hair, slurred, "Yeah~, when we're done, I'm, I'mma move my kid an' wife to G-g-glen. Mountain. Heard that they need people to live . . .." The man couldn't even finish his sentence. His face was flushed red from drink, and he was hanging half out of his seat, using his stomach as a coaster for his mug of beer.
Smacking his hand onto the table, another man with triangle-like wolf ears poking out from under his lightly-curled brown hair laughed raucously as he continued to smack his hand on the table. "Why wouldj'a wanna goch's out there? There'sh nothin' out there." His over-the-top behavior nocked cards, chips, and money around the table.
The gray-haired man leaned forward, knocking his mug and its contents all over himself, and said, "Caushe, cause Mantle ain't going tho last another fucking week! And after, after all this bullshit, I wanna quite life, you kno-"
"Will you two quit blatherin' on and put your fucking cards down?! I want muh money!" interrupted the only woman at the table. She seemed young, far younger than the rest of her associates. She had brown hair cut in a low bob around her shoulders, bright green eyes, and her cheeks where flushed from drink like everyone else at the table.
A chorus of cheers rang up from the rest of the occupants of the table. Well, except for the man wearing the top hat. He just sat there, calmly sipping his drink.
As the group finished that round of cards, a chorus of angry outbursts and groans rang out. The only one to exclaim in glee was a young man with blonde hair and striking blue eyes. "Ah yeah, gimme the money!"
Insults and threats flew around the table as the young man claimed his winnings, but no one actually got up to make good on their threat. Ozpin breathed a sigh of relief at that. At least I don't have to worry about them getting violent with me if I win. I really don't like my chances against a trained soldier, let-a-alone an entire table of them.
Having wasted enough time, Ozpin nods to Stephen before approaching the table. "Excuse me," he asks politely, "but what game of cards you all be playing?" A few of more sober members of the table groaned at his poor attempt at sophistication. "Faaaaail," slurred the gray-haired drunk.
Without even looking up from his winnings, the blonde man answered, "Poker. What of it?"
Smiling, Ozpin asks, "Would you guys mind if I join you? It's been a while since I've had a chance to play."
At that, everyone, including the blonde man (that Ozpin realized was probably no more than a year or two older than him) looked at Ozpin through their various versions of beer-goggles to scrutinize every detail about him. Of course, there was one detail that was painfully obvious, and it was the green-eyed woman (that Ozpin could have sworn was the same age as himself) who oh-so-kindly decided to point it out. "Sorry, stranger, but we're playing for keeps. If you don't have any money, than there's really no point in you playing with us."
Giving her a genteel smile, Ozpin took the stack of credits out of his pocket to show the table. "This good enough for an entry fee?" Everyone around the table stared at him and, more appropriately, the money in his hand.
Slowly lowering his cup from his lips, the man in the top hat asked, "Now, just where did you get all that?"
Ozpin shrugged nonchalantly before he replied. "I won it from a bet with the barkeep. I can promise you it's not stolen." Silence settled across the table as some of the more sober members of this drinking party looked at each other uneasily. As for the man in the top hat, he just continued to stare at Ozpin from underneath his hat. Shrugging, Ozpin said, "Ask Morty downstairs; he's the barkeep, and he can back up everything I said. So, can I play?"
After another moment of silence, the soldiers all looked to the man in the hat. He copied Ozpin's shrug, and said, "Sure kid, you can play. Just don't get mad when you lose your money."
Ozpin smiled at their acquiescence as he quickly pulled up a chair from one of the nearby tables. He sat himself between the blonde boy and a heavyset man who smelled strongly of hard liquor and sweat. Wrinkling his nose, Ozpin did his best to ignore the smell. And here I thought I needed to bathe more often. Oum, that is just rank.
The drunken man with gray hair dealt the new hand. As he finished dealing, Ozpin picked up his cards, but didn't bother looking at them just yet. Instead, he used them to shield his eyes as he looked for Stephen. After a moment, he found him standing a few feet behind an older man at the table with white hair. Stephen was standing just far enough away that no one at the table took any notice.
As Ozpin made eye contact with Stephen, Stephen used three of his fingers to scratch a place just above his heart, and then, making his finger into a V, he scratched under his left eye. Three of Hearts, and Jack of Clubs. Taking a quick peek at his own hand, he had the Ace of Spades and a Five of Hearts. Checking the flop that's been dealt so far, he saw that there was a Queen of Diamonds, her consort the King of Diamonds, and a Five of Clubs.
Ozpin made sure to keep tabs on Stephen and the signals he was sending him. So far, he only had two other people to contend with, but that could all change when the dealer placed the next two cards down to join the flop. Playing it safe, Ozpin stayed in with the minimum bet.
By the time the flop was completed into the river, half the table had folded. As it was, most of them where broke by this point. They must have been playing for as long as they've been drinking, thought Ozpin. And speaking of drinks . . ., thought Ozpin as the third waitress he'd seen since sitting down came by to pass out another round of drinks. How have these people not died of liver failure yet?! thought Ozpin incredulously as he watched the fat man next to him chug down his beer in one loud, disgusting gulp.
"Need anything?" the waitress asked Ozpin.
Smiling politely, Ozpin was about to decline, but the man in the top hat interjected before he could get a word out. "Get him some coffee. The kids about to fall asleep. Oh, and put it on my tab."
Ozpin was shocked. While it wasn't alcoholic, no one had ever been thoughtful enough to buy him a drink. Especially considering that I'm trying to scam him and his friends, he thought. He was curious as to how the man in the hat even knew he was tired. Thought I was hiding it rather well.
Thanking the man in the hat, Ozpin took a grateful sip of the brown liquid as soon as the waitress came back with his order. He sighed contentedly as he swallowed the warm liquid. It had been a long time since he last had coffee. In fact, the last time he had coffee was with his dad, one of the few times that he had been given free leave. That had been six years ago. I forgot how good a good cup of coffee tastes.
Looking back down at the river and run, Ozpin looked at the two other cards. Along with the three original cards that made up the flop, there was also an Ace of Hearts and a Two of Diamonds. A flush or straight were completely out of the question. His only legitimate option was to go in with a two pair of fives and aces or pack it in now. Taking a quick sideways glance at the blonde boy next to him, Ozpin grimaced. But if someone also has an ace, they could beat me in a tie if they have queen. . ..
With a bit of sleight of hand, Ozpin switched the Five of Hearts in his hand with the King of Hearts that accompanied the deck in his sleeve. Thanks to the signs that Stephen had been throwing at Ozpin, Ozpin knew that none of the other players had the King of Hearts, so he didn't have to worry about being caught cheating.
As the last bets where made, Ozpin continued to play it safe. He didn't want to rouse suspicion that he might be cheating by making a large bet on his first round.
With the final bets made, the dealer called for everyone to show their hands. As they went around the table revealing their cards, Ozpin was relieved to see that Stephen's intel was correct. There had been a few times in the past where Ozpin had misinterpreted their code, or where Stephen had not seen the card properly, and it had cost them.
A few of the hands had a pair, but only the blonde boy next to Ozpin had two pairs. Beaming, the boy waited for Ozpin to throw down his cards, his hand already hovering over the pot. Sighing theatrically, Ozpin put his cards on the table for everyone to see.
Taking his sigh as a declaration of defeat, the blonde boy moved to scoop up the pot without even looking at Ozpin's cards. "Sorry bud, better luck next time."
"Um, Noa?" called out the girl with the green eyes.
Looking up, Noa said, "What is it Dili?"
Smiling teasingly at him, Dili pointed to the pot he was trying to scoop up and said, "That's not yours. The new kid won."
His eyes widening in shock, Noa turned around to see Ozpin smiling like the rat that got the cheese as he pointed to his superior cards. "Oh shit," mumbled Noa. Grinding his teeth in frustration, he pushed the winnings towards Ozpin. Still smiling, Ozpin "graciously" accepted the pot.
As he moved the chips and money around, Ozpin used the distraction to once again switch the King of Hearts and the Five of Hearts, making sure that his cards where facedown beforehand. Along with everyone else he tossed his cards into the center of the table for the gray-haired man to pick them up, making sure that his where facedown so that no one saw the discrepancy and called him out for cheating.
As the night wore on, Ozpin continued to act as if he were a child playing a game, making sure to lose some rounds so as to avoid suspicion. Slowly but surely, Ozpin began to rake in the soldiers' earnings. A few years back, he might have felt guilt over his actions, but after living in the slums for so long, all Ozpin could think about most days was how he was going to make up the money for his mother's and sister's medicine. It was a source of constant panic and anxiety for him, especially given how Cherise's frail body had almost given out on her when she worked at the launders. He'd already lost his father, and that loss had cut him soul-deep. He refused to go through that kind of experience again. Especially considering that I can prevent it this time. And all I have to do is play dirty.
As the hour neared 4AM, the bartender yelled, "Last call! We close in 10 minutes!"
Looking down at his winnings, Ozpin was more than pleased with the night's earnings. There must be over two grand here, thought Ozpin with glee. Even if he had to split the winnings 50/50 with Stephen, Ozpin would have more than enough to pay for his mother and Cherise's medicine for the next month.
Looking up around the table, Ozpin couldn't stop his greed from zoning in on the few people at the table who still had some money. "Anyone want to play one more round?" asked Ozpin innocently. He was met with a strong round of disinterest and angry "No!"s.
Sighing, Ozpin began to place his winnings in his pockets. Then a voice rang out. "Sure, I'll play one more round." Turning around, Ozpin looked to see who had said that. To his surprise, it was the man in the top hat, his hand raised to get Ozpin's attention.
Smiling, Ozpin put his winnings back on the table. "Alright. Just you and me?" asked Ozpin.
Indicating the rest of the table with his mug, the man in the hat smiled and said, "Yeah. I think everyone else is fed up with you and your friend's little tricks. What say we keep this nice and clean?"
The other soldiers at the table looked to the man in the hat in confusion, but Ozpin's eyes widened, and for a moment the blood drained from his face. Shit! he thought. Does he also know about my sleight of hand? Oh, please no. Laughing nervously, Ozpin casually rolled his neck from side to side; his signal to Stephen that they've been caught and that he needs to back off. Luckily, it didn't seem like anyone else at the table understood the hidden message in the man in the hat's words or in Ozpin's actions. Either they were too drunk or too stupid to realize what they meant. Or they just don't care.
The man in the top hat smiled as if he knew that Stephen had backed away from the table. "Good. Now, let's make this interesting. Felix," he called over to the gray-haired drunk, "deal me and the kid in."
Once the hands had been dealt, the man in the top hat leaned over the table and slammed his hand on Ozpin's card. Ozpin's eyes went wide at this action. Lifting his hat with his other hand, the man in the hat gave Ozpin a good, hard look. This gave Ozpin a chance to finally take in this man's features. Forest-green eyes, strong cheekbones and nose, and curly, unruly black hair.
Whatever the other man saw in Ozpin made him smile. "Ok, kid. So here's how things are going to work: Felix here," he nodded his head over to Felix, "is only going to deal the first three cards. As for you and me, we're going all in, blind. If you think you might lose, than I suggest you back out now. This is the only chance you get."
Trying to match his confidence, Ozpin plastered what he hoped was a cocky smile on his face. "You're on. But I'm not sure you can match me. I have about two grand here," said Ozpin, indicating his pile of loot with his head.
Smiling in turn, the other man reached into his pockets and took out his wallet. Before Ozpin could say anything, the other man flipped his wallet upside-down. Out fell a couple dozen 100 lien credits. Ozpin's eyes widened in shock and, he'd be embarrassed to admit, greed. "I think I got it covered," said Top Hat.
Ozpin's brain nearly short-circuited at the thought of getting his hands on that much money. We wouldn't have to worry about mom and Cherise's medicine for months! We could buy some good, warm food. Maybe I could buy us some clothes, clean myself up, and try to get a proper job! Maybe, with time, I could move us back into the city . . .. On-and-on went Ozpin's thoughts, thinking about how he could use that money to better his families situation. If he could pull this off, this would easily be the biggest haul he had ever made in a scam.
"So," said Top Hat, bringing Ozpin's mind back to the here-and-know, "you in?"
Before Ozpin could stop himself, he said, "Hell yeah! Bring it on!"
"Good," said Top Hat. He began to pull away, but stopped himself. "Oh, and one more thing," said Top Hat, giving Ozpin a gimlet stare. "Do not disappoint me." With that, he proceeded to sit himself back down in his chair.
As he finally got out of Ozpin's face, Ozpin realized something strange. He didn't smell like alcohol. He smelled like something… bitter? Ozpin's sight zeroed in on Top Hat's cup, currently resting on the table. To his surprise, it was filled with dark-brown, frothing liquid. Coffee?! You mean he's not drunk?!
Ozpin's head snapped upwards to meet Top Hat's knowing gaze. He gave Ozpin a shit-eating grin and took a long sip of coffee.
In that moment, Ozpin didn't care that he had been tricked, or that Top Hat probably knew that he had been switching out his own cards. I can't lose this. I need that money!
Desperate, Ozpin picked up his cards and gave them a look. He had the Four of Spades and the Jack of Spades. Looking at the flop that Felix had just whipped down, Ozpin's heart nearly stopped in his chest. On the table was a Five of Spades, Six of Spades, and a Seven of Spades. I have a flush! I have a fucking flush! Ozpin wanted to cry out in joy. But then the pessimistic part of his brain had to kick in: But what if he also has a flush? What if he has a higher card, like the queen or king?
Looking up, Ozpin wanted to wipe that calm, arrogant smile off of Top Hat's face. Fuck it. I'm not going to lose this money. Doing his best to keep his poker face in place, Ozpin did a quick sleight of hand, switching the Jack of Spades with the Eight of Spades. Good. Now I have a straight flush. There's no way he has a royal!
In a bored tone, Felix said, "Will you two fhuckers shtop staring at each other and just put your fhacking cards down?! I gotta piss!"
Looking back up, Ozpin threw his cards down with a flourish and said, "Straight flush. Beat that."
Smiling, Top Hat calmly placed both his cards on the table. Ozpin blinked in confusion. A ten and an ace? They're not even the right suite. Why is he so –
As he looked up from the cards, Ozpin saw a very angry frown on Top Hat's face. But no one else around the table noticed. Instead, they all groaned and laughed at their leaders expense. At that moment, the bartender came upstairs and said, "Guys, last call! Either order a drink or get the fuck outta my bar!"
Looking up at the bartender, Top Hat smiled and said, "Calm down Marry, we were just leaving." Pushing the money towards Ozpin, Top Hat got up and signaled everyone else to leave with him.
Growling low in his throat, the bartender said, "It's Morty. Asshole."
"Whatever!" called the faunus. "We're all too drunk to give a fuck!"
The last to head down the stairs was Top Hat. Grabbing a cane with a strange cog and lever attached to the top, he made his way towards the stairs, but stopped next to Ozpin. Placing his free hand on his shoulder, he dropped four cards in front of Ozpin. Looking up at him, Ozpin was caught off-guard by the angry frown on his face. "I am very disappointed." And with that, he hobbled away, leaving Ozpin the only one at the table.
Gathering his earnings, Ozpin took a quick peek at the cards. What he saw shocked him. Two of the cards where the ones that Top Hat had laid down on the table earlier when he lost. The other two was the Nine and Eight of Spades. If he had these originally, then . . .. He knew. He knew the entire damn time. Why didn't he call me out on it? That's when he realized what had happened: Top Hat had also used sleight of hand to change his own cards. But instead of using them to win . . . He was throwing me the round.
With that gut-punching realization, Ozpin couldn't stop the guilt and remorse from creeping in. But that begged the question . . . Why the charade? Why psych me out? It doesn't make any sense.
Shaking, Ozpin hastily finished collecting his money and went downstairs. Before he went outside, he felt someone grab his arm and pull him toward a table. Realizing it was Stephen, Ozpin didn't bother fighting his grip.
Once they reached a table, Stephen sat Ozpin down and said, "Holy shit, I thought he was going to kill you."
Swallowing hard, Ozpin realized that when Top Hat had grabbed his shoulder he had expected the same thing. He was so scared that his hands were shaking. "Yeah, well, guess he had a change of heart. I'm still breathing right? Cause if this is what heaven looks like, I have some major complaints."
Suppressing a laugh at Ozpin's misplaced humor, Stephen said, "Heaven? Seriously? Hate to break it to you dude, but you and I are both going to hell in a hand basket. Anyway, you got my cut?"
Still trembling, Ozpin said, "Uh, yeah. Here you go." Taking out about half the credits he earned that night, he handed them over to Stephen without even thinking about it.
Stephen's eyes lit up when he saw the small pile of credits. "Damn, dude! Talk about a score." Quickly pocketing the money, Stephen said, "Man, I hope I never go up against you in a game of cards."
Ozpin smiled. He had practiced sleight of hand so often that it was almost impossible to see, even with the person standing a few feet in front of him. But the man in the top hat saw it . . .. Shaking that thought out of his head, Ozpin said, "Thanks for being my point-man tonight. Anyway, I have to get going. Hopefully the local clinic is still open."
This caught Stephen's attention. Smiling lecherously, Stephen said, "Getting those meds for your sister? You know, I can always give her a shot –"
Before he could finish his sentence, Ozpin grabbed Stephen's face and squished his cheeks, making it hard to move his jaw. Leaning in close, Ozpin was smiling at Stephen in a sweet, caring manner – something that sent Stephen's self-preservation bells ringing loud and clear in his head. Please don't say it, please don't say it, thought Stephen.
Still smiling, Ozpin said, "Stephen, buddy, pal, old friend; how many times do I have to tell you? If you go anywhere near my sisters I will fuck you like a pig. Do I make myself clear?"
He had to fucking say it, thought Stephen.
Stephen raised his hands and gave Ozpin a double-thumps up to a tirade that he had heard many times before. For some reason, he just couldn't stop teasing Ozpin about it. "Ok, ok. I was joking, you know I was joking. Will you stop squishing my face? And stop threatening to fuck me. You know I don't swing that way."
Letting go of his face, Ozpin chose to ignore Stephen's last comment. Getting up, Ozpin headed for the door. "See you tomorrow, Steph," called Ozpin over his shoulder.
Exiting the bar, Ozpin headed up the street. The clinic near the hospital normally had a 24/7 pharmacy. I don't even want to think about how many people are dumb enough to try to steal from there.
P.S. Remember, don't be a hater, but be a CONGRATULATOR! And please leave a review, comment, or positive piece of criticism. Cause honestly, any kind of feedback helps me to understand what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong.