tamcranver (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
tamcranver) wrote2004-04-08 11:24 am
tamcranver) wrote2004-04-08 11:24 am
Entry tags:
Beginner's Luck
For the ff_friday "luck" challenge: River, Jayne, and Wash play cards. As it turns out, River doesn't really need luck.
“Now, this here game’s all about reading people,” Jayne said with what Simon felt was an unpleasant leer at River. “The cards don’t matter; that’s all luck. It’s all about lookin’ at the other fellas and knowing what they got before they figure out what you got.”
“Yeah, you’re just a bottomless font of wisdom,” Wash said impatiently. “You don’t mind if we play cards, do you?”
Jayne made a face, but he grabbed the deck from the center of the table and tapped it hard against the edge. Without shuffling it, he laid the top card in front of him. “All right, apples are tall.”
Wash squirmed, and Simon wondered if he played cards very often. He didn’t seem to have much of a poker face. “Eh…I’ll take two.”
“Kay,” Jayne said, staring at his hand with a poorly disguised grin.
Wash waited a moment for Jayne to give him the cards, then, sighing, reached out to take them himself. “Some dealer you are,” he muttered.
“You?” Jayne said roughly to River. She said nothing, looking intently at her cards.
Jayne scowled darkly at her, and it was only a matter of time before he shouted at her or (heaven forbid) reached out to poke her. Simon, eager to prevent a meltdown, called from the counter, “It’s your turn, mei-mei.”
“I know, Simon,” she said, not looking up from her cards. “I’m thinking.” After a moment, and with an air of leisurely satisfaction, she said, “One.” Jayne, still irritated, slapped it down in front of her. She picked it up, her face unreadable.
Jayne peered through his cards. “Looks like Wash gets the tall.”
Wash groaned. “Why do I even bother?”
Jayne gave him a smug grin. “You fold?”
“Eh….” He thought about it for a moment. “No. Might as well have one more turn.” He picked up the tall card and glared furiously at his hand. “I guess I bet…garbage duty.”
“Ha!” Jayne said triumphantly. “Less garbage for me!” He lay down his cards—a plum, an cherry blossom, an orange, a dragon, and a peach. Strait flush. “Beat that!”
River grinned. “Royal flush,” she said, laying out her own cards.
It only took a moment for the triumph in Jayne’s face to turn into an angry, boiling red. “Gorrammit, I think you’re cheating!”
Wash snorted derisively, and Simon was stung at this attack on his sister’s honor, but River remained perfectly calm. “I don’t have to cheat,” she said. “I have better cards. You’ve been grinning surreptitiously at me and Wash for the last four hands, but I knew you didn’t have an apple because I have one, and you put one down two hands ago, and Wash already had one, but then you gave him another. You wouldn’t look so confident if you didn’t have something good, but you couldn’t possibly have a royal flush without an apple, so I put down my plum--” she indicated with a flick of her finger the plum Jayne had just put down— “and picked up a dragon instead. Royal flush. I win.” She scooped the pile of papers into her lap and sorted through them gleefully. Simon wondered if he would be able to persuade her to let him cash in on some of those chores.
“Shiny,” Wash said, looking impressed. “Remind me not to play cards against you any time soon.”
“Beginners’ luck,” Jayne said sullenly.
“Now, this here game’s all about reading people,” Jayne said with what Simon felt was an unpleasant leer at River. “The cards don’t matter; that’s all luck. It’s all about lookin’ at the other fellas and knowing what they got before they figure out what you got.”
“Yeah, you’re just a bottomless font of wisdom,” Wash said impatiently. “You don’t mind if we play cards, do you?”
Jayne made a face, but he grabbed the deck from the center of the table and tapped it hard against the edge. Without shuffling it, he laid the top card in front of him. “All right, apples are tall.”
Wash squirmed, and Simon wondered if he played cards very often. He didn’t seem to have much of a poker face. “Eh…I’ll take two.”
“Kay,” Jayne said, staring at his hand with a poorly disguised grin.
Wash waited a moment for Jayne to give him the cards, then, sighing, reached out to take them himself. “Some dealer you are,” he muttered.
“You?” Jayne said roughly to River. She said nothing, looking intently at her cards.
Jayne scowled darkly at her, and it was only a matter of time before he shouted at her or (heaven forbid) reached out to poke her. Simon, eager to prevent a meltdown, called from the counter, “It’s your turn, mei-mei.”
“I know, Simon,” she said, not looking up from her cards. “I’m thinking.” After a moment, and with an air of leisurely satisfaction, she said, “One.” Jayne, still irritated, slapped it down in front of her. She picked it up, her face unreadable.
Jayne peered through his cards. “Looks like Wash gets the tall.”
Wash groaned. “Why do I even bother?”
Jayne gave him a smug grin. “You fold?”
“Eh….” He thought about it for a moment. “No. Might as well have one more turn.” He picked up the tall card and glared furiously at his hand. “I guess I bet…garbage duty.”
“Ha!” Jayne said triumphantly. “Less garbage for me!” He lay down his cards—a plum, an cherry blossom, an orange, a dragon, and a peach. Strait flush. “Beat that!”
River grinned. “Royal flush,” she said, laying out her own cards.
It only took a moment for the triumph in Jayne’s face to turn into an angry, boiling red. “Gorrammit, I think you’re cheating!”
Wash snorted derisively, and Simon was stung at this attack on his sister’s honor, but River remained perfectly calm. “I don’t have to cheat,” she said. “I have better cards. You’ve been grinning surreptitiously at me and Wash for the last four hands, but I knew you didn’t have an apple because I have one, and you put one down two hands ago, and Wash already had one, but then you gave him another. You wouldn’t look so confident if you didn’t have something good, but you couldn’t possibly have a royal flush without an apple, so I put down my plum--” she indicated with a flick of her finger the plum Jayne had just put down— “and picked up a dragon instead. Royal flush. I win.” She scooped the pile of papers into her lap and sorted through them gleefully. Simon wondered if he would be able to persuade her to let him cash in on some of those chores.
“Shiny,” Wash said, looking impressed. “Remind me not to play cards against you any time soon.”
“Beginners’ luck,” Jayne said sullenly.