Catch-22: The Rules
By: M14Mouse
Summary: Yu knew the Velvet room and he knew that this wasn't the Velvet room at all.
Disclaimer: Don't own them.
Blackjack is very scientific. There's always a right answer and a wrong answer. Do you take a card, increase your bet, bet big or bet small. There's absolutely a right and wrong answer.
-Charlie Ergen
God damn it, Gambler. I am going to have Dad feed you terrible curry! There will be terrible coffee to go along with it and…
Yu wasn't going to lie. He kindly tuned her. He had done the same thing to Rise from time to time while in the tv world. Their constant yelling kind of drove him nuts and gave him a headache. Sometimes, he had to focus on the task at hand. Quickly, he turned into an empty hallway as he heard the footsteps behind him. He wasn't built for speed like some of the others. He needed a place to blend in for a moment.
Yell at me later. Are there any games going on in any of the rooms?
Uhh…yes…Game of blackjack on the third table to your right once you get to the main hall. What are you doing?
Once he made it to the main hall, his eyes darted around for a moment then settled on a jacket sitting on a stool near one of the bars. That should work. He stopped running and turned his pace into a brisk walk. First thing, he learned…walk, don't run. With ease, he took off his hat, glasses, and jacket. He switched out the brown jacket on the chair with his gear. He moved toward the blackjack table that Oracle was telling him about.
He slipped into a chair next to an older gentleman. He glanced over at the players at the table. It told him all he needed to know. These players have been playing for a long time. New players or "tourists" are often an excitable bunch. From his persona's point of view, they can help or hinder a good game. He placed his chips on the table and raised his hand to indicate for him to be dealt into the game.
The dealer passed out cards.
He picked up cards from the table and did a quick glance. This wasn't really important. He was paying more attention to the police and guards running around. Few of them brushed pass the table. There were some guards by the entrance but they were no longer covering it like locusts…since they caught Joker. They were probably searching some other areas for any other thieves. God, he hoped that their plan worked.
Not a bad hand.
18.
He shook his head no when the dealer asked him if he wanted another card.
Not going to press your luck?
There is no point. This wasn't the main objective here.
You lose a hand to win a hand.
He heard the men groan slightly as they lost. He glanced at the dealer's hand.
A 20.
Of course, the dealer was going to win. He grinned a little at the dealer and gentlemen at the table as he got up. He walked back to his stuff and slipped off the borrowed jacket. He slipped back his attire and walked toward the one of the side exits. No doubt they covered the exits but he had a plan for that too.
Smooth moves, Sensei.
He grinned a little at Skull's voice.
He does have better moves than you when it comes to well….everything.
HEY!
He smiled. Those two…
He found the exit that he wanted to use. Of course, there was a guard standing there. He pulled out his deck of cards out of his pants pocket.
He shuffled the cards in his hands and picked the first card on top. He heard his persona's laughter echo through his head.
It would do.
He slipped the other cards back into his pocket. He got up from behind his hiding spot just around the corner. With confidence, he approached the shadow guard. The guard turned toward him.
"Huh?" The guard said as it finally spotted him.
He mumbled a spell softly under his breath. Then he reached over and touched the card on the shadow's forehead. The effect was instantaneous.
He could see the confused expression on the shadow's face.
"SIR…I saw them! The thieves…they were running that way," He said in a false panic as he pointed in the opposite direction from where he was going.
"Right…Right…thank you…." The confused guard said as he ran in the direction that he pointed.
He waited for a moment to approach the door. He wanted to make sure that the guard was gone. He walked toward the exit and opened the door. He walked out into the main path near the main entrance. Police and shadows were running past him. They pay no attention to him. Finally after he was far enough away, he glanced over the shoulder. It was still a mess with police and guards running about the entrance. People were huddling around the exit. He shook his head for a moment. Even shadows wanted to see the action. He turned away and made his way toward the meeting point.
Then he heard the sound of a clicking gun behind him. He stopped for a moment and looked over his shoulder.
"Crow."
"Gambler"
-P4P5P4-
He looked around at his new apartment. He set his bags near the door and started to look around.
It was nice. Although, it screamed Mitsuru-san's design choices. Especially partnering with Mitsuru-san for several missions, he knew her tastes. The floors were covered in black title. The kitchen counters were made of white granite coupled with brand new appliances. The walls were white and so was the furniture. He did like the windows…he had a view of the entire city.
He shrugged his shoulders. It didn't really matter. He would make it home soon enough.
He would need to shop for some food because there is no telling what she brought. Much like Chie and Rise, she couldn't really cook. It was always an interesting experience when they decided that it will be a good idea to cook a meal for their parties and meet-ups.
It always ended….badly. His stomach twitched at the memory.
Well…on the positive, no one died.
Oh, he also needed to call his friends and his uncle and cousin to tell them that he made it. They will probably plan ways to hang out since he will be home for a while. He looked forward to that.
He needed to explore his apartment and the area around it.
He yawned.
First off, he was going to take a nap. Then he went down to the convenience store to pick up some dinner or at least some snacks. He walked over to the sofa and took a seat. He yawned again as he settled into the sofa.
He stared at buildings through the windows as he drifted off to sleep.
He felt a jolt in his body that woke him up.
He blinked awake and frowned. There was fog in the air. He sat up to realize that he was on a bed now instead of a sofa. He looked around to see a small light in the distance. Besides that, there was no definition to the room. It was endless with darkness and fog.
Instantly, his hand went for his sword. He cursed himself when he found that it wasn't there. He felt Izanagi close at hand. That gave him some sort of comfort because this place wasn't the Velvet Room at all.
He heard a chuckle in the air. He eyed the small light in front of him. Slowly, he got up from the bed and walked toward it. Slowly, the fog began to disappear to reveal Igor sitting at the desk with a desk's light. He could make out some papers near the corner. There was a chair in front of him and a desk.
"Welcome, have a seat." Igor said.
His head tilted slightly.
"No thank you," He said as he looked around the "room." It wasn't endless as he thought. Were those bars that he could see?
His response seemed to catch Igor off guard.
"It would be proper to have a conversation sitting down."
"I would but you aren't Igor."
The fake Igor blinked then laughed.
"Oh, how could you tell?"
"For one…you don't sound like him at all. Second, we never met anywhere but my Velvet Room. Third, he always has an attendant around. Fourth, his nose is bigger," He said with a shrug.
"May…may…you are a clever one. Igor did well to choose you." The fake Igor said.
"So, who are you?"
"I cannot reveal that information. You see…Igor and I have decided to play a game. All of the new players haven't arrived yet but soon."
That sounded like Igor. That is why they had to stop playing poker and blackjack. He couldn't stop playing his games.
"If I am not a player, why bring me here?"
"I feel that your presence might disrupt our little game. You do have the power to change events at all."
His eyes narrowed. He felt Izanagi close at hand. One crashed of a card…he would be here.
The fake Igor raised his hand.
"Be at ease. I do not wish to harm you. In fact, I find you…interesting. That is why I want to play a game with you."
"What is it?" He asked.
"The game is simple. There have been oncoming events that have caught your attention. Of course, I can imagine that you want to find the real Igor. So, I will allow you to stay and be an observer of these events. Maybe one side will find him…maybe not. That is one choice," Fake Igor said.
"The other?"
"Or I will allow you to become a player. You are bound by the rules that I have set for them as well. If…and when you met those other players, you can't speak of the events that happened here."
"There is a catch."
The fake chuckled. Oh, yes, there was a catch.
"Those are the general rules of our little game. We will discuss more if you agree to play."
"If I refuse, what happens?"
"Then I will remove you from the playing field."
Izanagi groaned. In the distance, he heard the sound of thunder. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw lightning. The false Igor flinched a little.
"Of course, no harm will come to you if you do say no," The fake said with a nod.
"Give me 24 hours to think it over."
"Very well. I hope that we come to an agreement. Enjoy the rest of your nap."
The false Igor's laughter echoed through his head as his eyes snapped open.
End of the Rules
Next Chapter: The Field of Play
A/N: Wow...thank you guys for the support! It has been wonderful. First, I am sorry that it took so long. Chapter 4 was link to Chapter 2 and I wanted to get both chapters right. Although, I have a feeling that I am going to continue mess with chapter 4 until I post it. Second, I am looking for a beta reader. I am going to need someone bounce ideas off of and edit some of my tenses. The little hamster of a muse wants to go in a million different directions and I really need to get a handle on this before it drives me nuts.