Useless Notes: Solitaire is about one of the loneliest card games in the world and up until now, it was the only game Coyote Starrk had ever played. Good thing he doesn't have to play by himself anymore now that he's met Lilynette.

Disclaimer: Bleach doesn't belong to me and neither does the song Stay Beautiful. They belong to Kubo Tite and Diggy-Mo.

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Shining Velocity

5. Save me from solitaire.

Solitaire is about one of the loneliest card games in the world and up until now, it was the only game Coyote Starrk had ever played. There was no need for opponents, no bets were made and for some reason, it seemed to be a game played only in silence.

But Starrk liked silence. Silence was good. It was good to not talk sometimes and just listen to everything else going on around you. Starrk liked listening and he never pegged himself to be a talkative kind of person anyway. But sometimes, being alone in the silence makes you think about things you'd rather not think about. Silence was good, but it was also in silence Starrk realized just how lonely he was.

He couldn't remember the last time he went out with a few friends to have fun. He didn't even think there ever was a time. He used to tell himself that he was fine and that he didn't need anyone else but himself. But seeing all the other bar's patrons yell loudly to their friends made him wish he wasn't so alone.

He would be invited to games by the bartender sometimes, but Starrk knew it was only because he felt sorry for him. The tall, lazy-looking man had been coming into the bar for as long as he could remember, but he hardly had anyone else to drink with. He drank the same thing every night and sat at the same place every time, just staying there, playing solitaire all by his lonesome.

So he'd be invited to play with the bartender and some of the other regulars in an all-out poker card game. But Starrk wasn't too fond of betting, so it was only a matter of time before he stopped playing with the guys and retreated to his table to play solitaire again.

At first, he was being looked at by everyone else and Starrk figured they hadn't seen anyone as lonely as him in their entire lives. But eventually, the lookers stopped looking, only glancing towards his table sometimes out of respect for him. Because really, who else would have the guts to walk into a bar and just drink and play cards all by himself? Starrk wasn't someone they felt sorry for- he was someone they admired. So they left him alone to play by himself. But that didn't mean they couldn't talk among themselves and speculate on his past.

Some said he might have been a hitman for hire while others guessed that he might have been a father who lost his entire family to a rival gang's shootout. Still, some others were positive that he was the lone survivor of that big gang taken out weeks ago and that he frequented the bar to be on the lookout for anyone who had a hand in that. Needless to say, that particular story frightened the enemies of that gang and they left the place, afraid Coyote Starrk would take his revenge on them.

Starrk let them talk, never confirming nor denying their stories. It wasn't like he wanted to get famous anyway.

In fact, Starrk wasn't sure what he wanted for himself. Being alone allowed him to do whatever he wanted without anyone else interfering. But on the other hand, things could get pretty lonely… It wouldn't hurt if Starrk had at least one friend to talk to in the entire bar, but the problem was everyone else was too scared of him to be his friend.

Which was why it surprised him to see a small green-haired kid standing by his table, sipping on a small carton of milk.

Starrk stopped shuffling his cards and stared at the kid in surprise. This was the first in a long time anyone had the courage to approach his table and for the man, it was a welcome change. But he didn't think the stranger would be this young.

The kid- girl, Starrk noted, seeing her green hair peek out from under her cap- stood silently, staring at Starrk, while still sipping her milk. Their staring contest continued for around more than a minute and Starrk was relieved to see that no one had taken notice.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "O-oi," he started. "Are you just going to stand there, kid?"

"I'm not a kid!" the girl yelled suddenly, making Starrk wince at the sudden noise. "Old man."

And before he could say anything else, the girl sat herself down on the chair opposite his and put her milk carton on the table.

"You play poker?" she asked suddenly.

"Hey wait a minute!" Starrk interrupted. "Who are you anyway? And what are you doing over here at my table in the first place?"

She looked at him, eyebrows raised, as if this was the first time anyone had questioned her. "I just wanna play something with someone," she finally said. "Name's Lilynette."

"I'm Starrk," he introduced himself in turn. "And if you wanted to play poker, there's a lot of people here who play that."

Lilynette frowned. "Nah," she said, looking around the bar. "Too noisy."

Starrk had to smile at that. "Well there's something we share in common." He started to shuffle his cards again, while observing Lilynette look around the bar again.

He hadn't seen her at the bar before and her first time here was obvious in the way she approached his table first. Clearly, she didn't hear all those stories the other patrons made up about him.

"Say mister," she asked suddenly, turning to look back at him. "Is it true what they said? That you lost your family to another gang?"

Okay. Maybe she did.

He dealt them their cards. "Is that what they're saying about me now?" he looked on at her in amusement.

She raised her eyebrow again. "What's that look for?" she demanded hotly. "Even if it was true, I wouldn't feel sorry for you anyway!"

"Yare, yare," he sighed lazily, catching her attention. "You came here to play and not to talk. Come on already, I want to sleep."

"I don't care!" she shot back. "We're gonna keep playing even if it takes all night! You're not going to sleep unless I say so!"

Starrk poked a finger into his ear and winced again at her yelling. Geez, he didn't expect his new friend to be this loud. But one friend was better than nothing, he figured. Even if she could have been old enough to be his daughter.

"You know mister," she said suddenly, her eyes glued to her cards. "I like you. You're quiet. Not like everyone else here."

He smiled, keeping an eye on his cards. "Well thank you," he replied. "No one's said that before."

She blushed. "Sh-shut up and play! You're just tryin' to distract me so you can win this round! Well just watch me, I'm going to win this round and then you'll be sorry!"

The days went by and although Starrk entered the bar alone, he was never on his own for long. A small girl always came in after him and sat down with the tall man to play cards. Starrk would always pay for their drinks; he, a bottle of gin and she, a carton of milk. Even if the girl yelled at him every chance she got, and even if he only scratched his head silently, it was clear to everyone else that Starrk was happy.

And so, business came in as usual at that bar and everyone had nothing short of a good time while inside. However, now that Starrk wasn't alone now, it led the other patrons to think of new stories about their guy.

Where did the girl come from? How did Coyote Starrk get all the money to pay for their drinks every night? Why didn't they notice the girl come in the first time she appeared? And what made her go over to Starrk's table instead of the others'?

And before either of them knew it, stories started spreading around again. Maybe the kid was a daughter from another marriage? No, others argued. She might be the kid of one of those dancers in the bar next door- you know, the one he might have gone to first when his entire family died? Some didn't buy those flimsy accounts. They reasoned that the girl might belong to the rival gang who killed Starrk's gang before and he might be taking her hostage. Others believed however, that the girl just might be the man's reincarnated dead wife, which explained why she went to his table first.

Starrk let them talk, never confirming nor denying their stories. It wasn't like he wanted to get famous anyway.

But there was one thing he was sure of. Being alone may have had its rewards and perks, but he didn't mind a little noise to fill in the lonely gaps of his existence. He had a friend now, and it didn't matter that she was years younger than he was, or that she had a big mouth that could go on talking forever. She wasn't scared of him when they first met, and for that Starrk was grateful.

He brought his deck with him every night to the bar now and as he shuffles it, waiting for Lilynette to come in, Starrk feels relieved that he doesn't have to play solitaire anymore.

Not for a long time to come.

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A/N: Is Lilynette too young to be playing poker? Was Starrk a little too dramatic to be playing solitaire all by himself like that? Were the other patrons' stories more convincing than mine?