tampered | Log: Complete

Log: Complete

When; August 18th
Rating; PG? Will edit as needed
Characters; Frederick Abberline and Faye Valentine
Summary; Meeting for cards.
Log;

Frederick was much more comfortable with the return of all his clothing (it was interesting that in his 'assigned' room, a wide variety of his personal belongings including a large chunk of his wardrobe had appeared in the 'oops' boxes) - nakedness on his own time in private was one thing, but to know there was simply no option due to some great cosmic prank was unnerving. Even with Victoria, most of their intimate time still involved... layers. It didn't help that he was pale (even for an Englishman) and had a history of malnutrition due to his addictions.

Miss Valentine's apparent fascination with his nude form perplexed him. However, she was friendly, and he was without a great many friends or even acquaintances in the city. He sat at a small table in the cozy, casual cafe, absently rolling a cigarette (being so expert at it by this time that he hardly had to look down at his hands), awaiting Faye's arrival.

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For all intents and purposes, Frederick was a team player, and she liked that. He took Faye's hand when she laced it through his arm and even laughed a bit at what she had said. Looking up at him, she was a bit surprised to find herself momentarily nervous with excitement, almost as if she had woken up and was sixteen again and on some sort of stupid date. But Faye Valentine didn't go on dates, and she reminded herself of that as he led them to what could only be his apartment building.

"It can only be a good thing," she said, playing along. "Maybe we can add some leaves to those branches before too long."

Faye thought that his apartment was comfortable, cluttered and very much not like the past places she had lived, which was why she liked it. She stepped inside, going up on the tips of her toes to stretch, and glanced at Frederick over her shoulder, "Couch is all right to sit on, right?" She didn't know why it wouldn't be.

"Leaves.." he gave another half-smile, and walked into the room, motioning for Faye to take a seat. "Of course," he said. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Abberline momentarily slipped into the small kitchen, and returned with two bottles of some sort of new aged ale that he'd become rather fond of during the slow moments of the day (the buzz drowned out the ticking when the absinthe wore down).

"I don't know," Faye replied, throwing herself down onto his sofa and crossing her legs. The apartment was a little warm for her taste, but that was probably because she was used to living in a freezing ship. She felt a little flushed and was worried that she might start doing something stupid, like sweating, but a pleasant breeze blew in from one of the windows, as if it were on her side. "Some people are stingy with their couches," she finished with a shrug.

He handed her a bottle of what looked like ale but could have been anything in this city. The liquor she'd had since arriving had been unusually strong, so she thought (and maybe hoped) that this stuff would be stronger as well. She got the cap off easy enough, dropping it on the table and scooting over a bit, asking with humor, "What, don't want to sit with me?"

"Stingy with their...? Hm."

Frederick sat down on a chair opposite Faye, a coffee table between them. "Be hard to deal, eh?" He smiled again in what might have been a mischievous fashion, but it was gone quickly. He rolled yet another cigarette, and lit it. He was quite lucky that a store about this place was well equipped with the making of his own preferred items, otherwise he might go mad. It was almost amusing that so many others were so dependent on manufactured goods.

"Would you like to deal again?"

Faye tried hard to look disappointed, but it wasn't the easiest thing to do when he began the game again. Watching him roll his own cigarette, she took a quick drink and placed her bottle on the coffee table, lighting up her own cigarette from before. "Right you are," she replied, holding out her hands for the cards.

"Hand them over, and I'd be obliged."

He did so, and raised his eyebrows. "I'll be watching your fingers this time, Miss Valentine," he said, playing a hunch with a vague hint of a smirk. He settled back, awaiting the game. He wondered a bit how this would progress - he had a significant amount of clothing on, while Faye seemed to be lacking a great deal.

"Why would you have to watch my fingers?" she asked. "Afraid they might turn up someplace unexpected?" Faye smirked and picked up the cards, shuffling a false cut so that the situation would work to her advantage.

Abberline was watching her carefully, but even to her own eyes it looked like she was playing fair. If he caught her this first time, she told herself that she would play the game the right way. But he had to lose more than her--he was wearing far too many layers.

She dealt him two cards, suits up, and then dealt herself the cards she had cut. "Your move, cowboy," she said.

"Not your fingers, darling, your cards." He took a long drag and a swig of his drink. "Nineteen, I'll stay."

She shot him a look and tapped her ashes into an ashtray she found on the table, flipping her second card over. "Two and king. Twelve. I'll hit," she said, and flipped over the next card, which she had placed there herself. She hit once more after it, bringing her total up to twenty. "Oh, so close," she said. "I win."

Abberline quirked and eyebrow again, but said nothing. "You're a very lucky woman, so it seems," he mused, and tossed his failed cards over to her.

And then he removed his shoes.

She gathered his cards as he took his shoes off, shoving them back into the deck and shuffling again. Trying her trick from earlier this time, she slid a ten of spades into her sweater. "Lucky is... a loose term," she said, dealing out the cards. "They used to call me Poker Alice, you know?" Faye didn't feel the need to explain why, though she did feel as if she suddenly got rather quiet.

A quick drink fixed that.

"Poker Alice, eh?" he drawled over the name, clearly finding it a bit silly. "Faye's much better." He took a drink himself. "Another deal?"

"Of course," she said, dealing out the cards and thinking of his shoes. "We're just getting started."

She watched him arrange his cards neatly in front of him, and she said, "Poker Alice was the name of a legendary gambler. She never lost." There was a quick pause. The card in her sleeve scratched her skin. "I think I like Faye better, too."

Abberline wondered exactly where she was hiding the cards - if she was at all. The clear signs of addiction and the pride over her nickname more or less confirmed she was cheating. He wasn't entirely bothered, though - if he couldn't catch her at it, he all but deserved it.

"Nine. Hit me."

He disposed of the remains of his cigarette, and decided to finish off his bottle before rolling another.

Faye drummed her fingers against the deck of cards, waiting while he studied her. When he gave his instruction, she followed it, flicking the seven of hearts across the table. "Sixteen," she chimed. "Play it safe or take a leap, hun?" She was feeling hot again, and she wasn't sure if it was the alcohol--though she had always been excellent at holding it--or just the heat, since there was no breeze anymore.

She finished her own cigarette in time with him, and threw back a great deal of her drink too.

"Leap," he said, finishing off his bottle and setting it aside. He felt fine, really. Mildly entertained by the entire situation and doing something in this place. It occurred to him he should call on Scarab sometime soon, and see how she was settling in (not that he had any tips).

Faye chose another card from the deck and sent it the way of the others. It was a five. She smiled at him and took a drink. "What do you know?" she said. "Twenty-one."

She didn't know why she didn't just use the ten to make him lose. Perhaps it was because she was hot and kicking off her shoes seemed like a good idea.

Without anything other than her smirk, she dropped her boots next to Abberline's shoes.

"Lucky me," Abberline quipped mildly, and began rolling yet another cigarette. He was itching to drink or smoke something harder - he wondered if it was an impulse from just sitting about in his living room. Company was rare; his consciousness demanded stimulants while he was lounging. But no, now was not the time. Blasted addictions - he'd have to get those under better control.

Faye made a non-committal noise in the back of her throat. "Don't sound very excited," she told him, shuffling again and stretching out her toes. Her feet felt nice now, and it cooled the rest of her down. She furthered the feeling by taking down the rest of her drink while she dealt the cards again. It was like having an itch that she couldn't help but scratch. At least Abberline more or less seemed to enjoy indulging her.

"That stuff is weak, by the way," Faye said, indicating her empty bottle.

"Gambling has never enticed me as it has some," he said, taking a drag. "Of course, being a man of the law, I am predisposed to ... finding it disagreeable. Purely business, you understand." He gave Faye an obviously fake dour look, and then stood, taking the empty bottles away.

"It's all I have," he said, lying. He didn't know how he felt sharing absinthe at the moment. "So I suppose we'll have to make up quality for quantity." He returned, setting another two bottles before them.

Faye tried to decide if what he was saying was meant to be a jab at her, but she restrained herself from bristling, even if it wasn't, saying with a pleasant smile, "Well, we're not exactly gambling are we? At least this isn't what I would consider gambling. This is just a good time." She passed a hand through her hair and said playfully, "At least you can't arrest me."

"A man after my own heart," Faye said agreeably, cracking hers open and lighting another cigarette. At this rate she was going to smoke her whole pack away before either of them even got down to underwear. "What's the total on those cards, Inspector?"

Abberline could tell he had rattled her, and found it interesting. He used to get very touchy when people called him in his own addictions - she'd grow out of it. Or she'd grow out of them. One resigned themselves to their fate after a while.

"Thirteen. I'll chance another." He took a drink, and then said, "Would you like to smoke one of mine? You needn't run out of yours, I understand they're hard to come by here."

She picked at the corner of her mouth with a thumbnail, staring at the cards for a moment. Faye dealt him the ten she kept in her sleeve and wondered idly if her cheating would ever stop. Probably not. "Twenty-three," she said. "Ante up."

"That would be nice, to have one of yours." She extinguished hers and slipped it back into the red packaging. "They are hard to come by, even more so considering my money is nearly non-existent." Faye sighed, playing with her unturned cards and waiting to see which article of clothing he chose.

Abberline rolled and handed her a cigarette, and then stood to remove his jacket, leaving him with his vest and shirt - still entirely covered except for hands and face. He folded it neatly and hung it on his chair back.

"It seems you're beating me quite soundly," he said. "But there is always time for revenge, hm?"

Faye took the rolled cigarette and lit it. They tasted a bit different, but she like it and inhaled deeply, watching him remove his jacket while she dealt and cut the deck to her advantage. A little part of her wanted to get caught--just a little, just to see what he might do. "I do have talent on my side," said Faye, cupping her chin in her hand and leaning forward. "There's always time for revenge, and you do have the upper-hand, considering the difference in layers."

She nodded to his cards. "Seven. Hit?"

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