xp_logs | Wendy: Pirate Treasure (Reply)

Remy and Ororo earn a little money once they make it to Chicago.

Ororo watched silently as Remy set up the small table that would soon host their distraction-game. She had to give him one thing - he had picked what seemed to be the busiest streetcorner in all of Chicago to set up his game. People jostled her from all sides, and she had to be very careful not to get swept away with the crowd. She was once again wearing the scarf over her hair, her normally-serene features set in a hard expression that discouraged people from trying to talk to her. Her part in this was to be unremarkable, invisible, unseen; Remy was the attraction here.

LeBeau had set up a couple of plastic milk crates, and was already moving cards around. He ran double run-ups and cascading loops, earning a small crowd with his movements. Finally he shifted and laid three cards down, pocketing the rest of the deck.

"Everyone see de red queen?" He said, flipping up the Queen of Hearts. He moved his hands again. "Dat's de last time, less course any of you got de balls to try and find it. My hands and your eyes. Which one is faster, neh?"

"It's only three cards," one heavyset man in the crowd said, above the murmuring of the others. "Besides, it's not about who's faster, it's just plain ol' odds. Simple."

"Dat's right. So simple dat I bet five dollars says you can't." Remy said, pushing the cards around as the man extracted a five and laid it down. Remy's hands moved, fast but not blinding. When he stopped, the other man tapped a card and Remy flipped it over.

The Queen of Hearts.

"Merde." Remy muttered, as he slipped a five over to the man. "Double or nothing?"

"Sure, why not?" the man said with a grin; humoring the card shark. He pulled out another bill and laid it on the table, inching closer to watch as the cards began to move again. As he did so, Ororo slipped through the crowd, occasionally bumping into someone and muttering a terse 'Sorry'. Lifting the wallets was as easy as she remembered; caught up in the game, people were amazingly inattentive to their personal space and belongings.

The man picked the queen again, taking a ten from LeBeau, who looked visibly shaken.

Over the next twenty minutes, men in suits lined up to take money from the hapless would-be card shark, and Remy played the part of the loser to perfection; cursing, arguing, and lamenting each bill of his that was lost into another banker's wallet. Wallets that Ororo could see exactly which pocket the 'winner' placed it in.

Eventually, the lunchtime crowd began to disperse, though many of them left lighter in the wallet than they realized. A few lingerers stayed behind to poke fun at Remy, amused at the terrible run of luck he seemed to have had. From behind their backs, Ororo caught his eye and grinned - a more carefree expression than he had seen on her face in days.

Remy packed up his cards, making a constant stream of curses at those who left. Finally, he walked away, ducking into the alleyway that they had arranged to meet in. He fished for a cigarette, lighting it with a match as she came around the corner after. "How'd we do, chere?"

"Not too badly," 'Ro replied coyly, digging into her pockets for the cash she had taken. For a moment she had something of a flashback - she remembered gathering into a group, each person eagerly offering up the contents of their pockets for inspection, hoping to have gotten the most for the chance at the tiniest bit of praise. She wore a thoughtful expression as she pulled out the neat roll of bills, holding it out for Remy to peruse.

Remy took the roll, turning it sideways and squinting at it. "Looks like 'bout five hundred or so." His casual appraisal was the same as a dozen conmen and petty thieves of her youth. "Dey were right, Stormy. You one hell of a thief in you day. I haven't seen lifts dat sweet outside de guild, and damn few as good in."

"It should be enough for now, at least," she replied, suddenly feeling a bit bashful for some reason. Of course Remy knew what he was talking about, and it wasn't as if her background was a secret from him. All the same, it felt a bit odd, letting him have this glimpse into her past. "For clothes and whatever else we may need here."

"And I think de very first thing dat we deserve is a drink and something to eat." Remy said, tossing the money back to her. "Den we'll get settled in and try to find Landin. Besides, after dat performance, you've earned a toast."

The look in her eyes was bright and intriguing; obviously Ororo didn't hate all of her past experiences as much as she claimed.

The money disappeared into Ororo's pocket and she cast her eyes elsewhere, though a small smile played over her lips. "And you as well," she said. "Losing that badly must work up an appetite."

"Bitch." Remy muttered as they went in search of a meal.