kineticcajun | 9th Card Dealt [Action/Voice]

[Another wave of New Feathers, some of them familiar faces, has filled Gambit with an overabundance of restless energy... moreso than usual, even. And so, bright and early, he's out at the Battle Dome to blow off steam. It's also a good way to work through any number of restless thoughts he's been stewing over lately. At least, in Gambit Terms, it's a good way of getting thinking done.

After fighting off waves of zombies, knocking a building down on Sabretooth, and blowing up Malnosso droid lookalikes, he's settling down a bit into a basketball game.

"A little bit" because every few successful baskets, he charges the ball and blows up the basket.

Gotta keep things interesting, after all.

And of all things to get him thinking, this is it...]

[Voice]

Y'know, I been here a year already an' it's 'bout time I asked about this.

We got people wit' all kindsa powers 'round here, right? Shootin' fireballs an' summonin' wind outta nowhere? There's gotta be someone in this place who can drop a slab of cement down for a basketball court, neh? Grass an' dirt roads don't work as good for that kinda t'ing.

Anybody who can magic up a good flat surface, lemme know. An' anyone up for a game once it's thrown down? Lemme know that, too. Game ain't as much fun solo.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Oh c'mon, Rogue, admit it. He's not all bad.]

Embarrass me? Chere, I'm sure you're good, but I wouldn't be goin' down wit'out puttin' up a good game first.

[Hmm.... nope.

But, you know, sometimes she's mean. So her tone is a touch sultry when she speaks.]

Promises, promises.

[And then she shuts the book. But hey, she's around. Rogue is nothing if not a creature of some routine - all the better to have it in order to break it. So it's entirely possible that they could be able to pick up this conversation at a later time in the Good Spirits, Library, or Battle Dome.]

[She has to know that tone drives him crazy. She has to. There is no way she doesn't know.

But he'll let it slide. For now. And he's not even really going out of his way to run into her later on, but lo and behold, there she is at Good Spirits when he wanders in later that day. Definitely not going out of his way. That was just luck. Of course.

Luck that will inevitably lead to him drawling out a joking greeting as he slips past her.]

Well, if it ain't the Queen of Basketball.

[Rogue really shouldn't have spoken to him. The way he'd intervened on the mission had gone a long way to restoring some confidence in him, and she'd been willing to open up the lines of communication again by returning his birthday present gesture, but...

...but talking to him made him weigh on her brain. And she hadn't been able to shake their conversation all day.

And now, here he was. Oh well, defensive face on, eyebrows up.]

If I'd known kickin' your sorry butt would make me royalty, I'd have done it a long time ago.

[This is almost like the good old days. Almost. But the snarking is so very welcome. He's missed it more than he'd care to admit to.]

Ah, chere, you kicked my butt plenty'a times. You're prob'ly queen of more t'ings than I'm even countin'.

[There is a small, but just distinct enough pause before he adds:]

But I ain't sayin' you kicked my butt at basketball 'til it's proven.

[Rogue shrugs.

She's tempted. She's not going to lie to herself, she's very tempted.

But it's not good enough. Twice burned, eight times as shy.]

I reckon I can rest on my laurels.

[And he is not deterred in the slightest. Maybe he should be, but he isn't.]

Where's the fun in that? 'Sides, never took you for the sort who'd turn down a challenge.

[Okay, that might not be entirely fair, but he's really missed the banter.]

[She leaned back and regarded him, draping one hair behind her chair's back.]

Big words from a man who doesn't even have a court.

[He leans back a bit to balance on the edge of a nearby table, folding his arms over his chest. And grinning.]

Au contraire. Jus' not one that's outside the Battle Dome. That ain't the same as not havin' one at all.

[She drawled out:]

As I recall, the last time you challenged me in the Battle Dome ya went home with your tail between your legs.

[A certain motorcycle race comes to mind.]

[Ego. Slightly bruised. But only because of the implication that he ran away from the challenge.]

That was a tie, chere. 'Bout time we had a tiebreaker, I t'ink.

[Although another motorcycle race would be more fun than basketball, most likely, but we'll just ignore that.]

9th Card Dealt [Action/Voice]

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