THE SWEENEY - Log 8
Apr. 19th, 2026 03:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xp_changeling posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logsTopaz engages into a little high stakes underground gambling.
WARNING: Explicit content and language.
"You're going to need new clothes. And no, you are not going to like the reason." Adam said, as they walked along. He checked his watch; an ugly ostentatious thing he'd pulled from a safety deposit box that no one else knew existed, collecting some documents, ID, money and a few personal effects of his past life. The lighter especially was burned into Topaz' memories.
"Me? I can rock into the Three Eddies like this because I'm a magical geezer. Got a rep to get me through the door. Only two reasons that I'd bring someone like you along." Adam explained. "Unless you want me to get the information on my own."
"Just tell me what I need to get," Topaz said, already on her phone to text Marie-Ange. "I don't have to like it, I just have to wear it."
"I've always been a chav. Any bird I bring with me is going to be the same." Adam said. "The person you want to ask about it is Mandy."
Topaz nodded and switched to Amanda, typing up a quick question and hitting send. "And what do you need me to pretend I am?"
"The kind of girl that wants to fuck me." Adam said quietly.
Topaz considered this for a moment. Her expression made it obvious she didn't love the idea, but... she'd done worse things for this job.
"Okay. Do you need a stoic Lady Luck just there for looks type or the 'oh my gaaaaaaaaaawd baby you're doing sooooo good are you going to by me a nice purse after this' type or...?"
"Pure chav. We'll get you an outfit that fits the role. I mean, I can't imagine you've forgotten what I was like when I was trash. Now think of the kind of bird impressed by that with a bit of dosh available to indulge her tastes." Adam said.
"Yeah. I remember." Topaz bit down a shudder. "All right. Let's get some clothes and get to work."
***
The Three Eddies casino was floating and unmarked. You had to know someone to get in and have the money at the door to get through. They'd been held in posh restaurants, converted luxury hotels, theatres, once a boxing hall... the key to the exclusivity was high end stakes and a range of magical games available nowhere else. Adam walked through the door like a king returning to his court after a crusade, gaining the eyes of the punters who recognized him. He stepped to one side to allow Topaz through.
Today it was a restaurant with a high ceiling and a chandelier in the middle, casting off a low light. The mirrored walls reflected the activity in the building as people moved from table to table, throw chips down, drop their cards in defeat. As Topaz watched, a burly bloke approached one man who looked like his night was going too well, took him by the arm, and led him to the back.
Topaz took all this in with one sweeping gaze as she fixed her faux leather jacket around herself. The look they'd put together for her worked, even if everything felt a little tight - a bright pink tank top that didn't leave much to the imagination, jeans that were fashionably ripped in certain places, and a pair of boots that went up to her thighs. She was projecting a very careful of empathic aura of "don't look here" to keep anyone from looking too close at her.
She turned back to Adam with a glowing, placid smile on her face. "Oh my gosh! This is amazing!"
She threw herself at him to hang on his arm, ready to be led into the magic.
"Like I said. All the best places, right?" Adam drawled, escourting her towards the back. Eddie got up, holding up his hand.
"Oy, Adam. Thought you were gone. Your ticket has been punched."
"Has it? You want to stop me?"
"Twat. You haven't-" Eddie came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Now lad, I think we can trust our old friend. Pretty bird you brought. You staking her?"
"I am."
Topaz acted none the wiser to the clear tension; she was looking around in wide-eyed wonder, obviously gawking to cover up the fact that she was trying to get a good look at everything going on.
"Adam said he'd buy something nice if I was a good luck charm," she said with a bright smile, squeezing his arm once - a quick signal to let him know that there was nothing immediately suspicious and nothing to worry about.
"Let not fuck about, Eds. Got a nelson for you." He said, his smile the right touch of feral. "Heard that you sourced muscle for a job recently. Against a certain cunt that 'parently had run of you lot since I've been tied up. Curious who sourced it."
"And why would we tell you about a job? If the bird is the offer, you are very short stacked indeed." Eddy said and his two partners nodded in agreement. Adam's smile only grew.
"How about a little prime on that?" He said. "You and her. Your special poker game. She busts you, you tell me what I want to know. You bust her... I'll owe you a favour and... fuck it, you can keep her as well." He turned to Topaz, his eyes hinting for her to go along with it as the Three Eddies conferred. Finally, they nodded as a group.
"We'll get the table set up."
Topaz put on a wide-eyed stare, looking at Adam with curiosity and confusion in her gaze. "Are you sure Adam? I ain't even that good at Go Fish."
She heard one of the men chuckle; all three were practically radiating smug satisfaction. Good.
"Nah, you're a diamond." He said, taking Topaz to one side. "This game is rigged but these cunts seem to have forgotten that I helped rig it. Tell me you know the rules for poker."
"I learned from the best," Topaz said with a nod. Poker with Doug was basically an entire training course.
"Good. Because this deck is magic. Your hole cards will stay the same, but the turn and the river will change the flop cards." Adam explained quickly. "Fortunately, I was the one that enchanted it for them. 't's got a little hack. If you have a pair under five as your hole cards and only one face card comes up on the flop, at the river, it will change it to match your hole card." He whispered quickly before stepping back to accept a fresh drink while Topaz sat down at the expensive green felted poker table.
Topaz ran over Adam's words in her mind as the cards were dealt out and Eddie gave her a quick rundown of the rules. She gave him a beaming, vacant smile when he was done and said, "Sounds easy enough! Are we starting now?"
He smirked across the table, clearly anticipating an easy win.
The first few hands were easy. Eddie won but Topaz played tight, trying to read the changes in the cards. The shifting flop based on the turn and the river made it more advantageous to push hard earlier, trying to push the other player out while they had certainty, but with the stakes, it was hard to stake a specific hand. Topaz was caught out on a river that turned her pocket cowboys into being on the wrong end of a flush draw that hit. It knocked out a third of her stack, leaving her short stacked, a fact that she smiled and simpered around, seeming not to know.
"Don't worry Adam, I've got this," she reassured him with a dazzling smile while the Eddies exchanged looks and snickered. They were feeling cocky. Good. She turned her smile back to her opponent, feeding into the cockiness. The more egotistical they were, the more careless they would be.
Eddies got aggressive, pushing hard on marginal hands to try and kick her legs out from under her, but she used it to get back in, carving away chips. She dragged two pots, hanging on as the river turned both of Eddie's hands into weaknesses. Now their stacks were even and a pair of fours slid across the table to her. She tucked them neatly in, nudging him to be aggressive with her powers. The flop included a Queen, all but broadcasting he was holding Canadian Aces. The turn changed nothing big, but he went all in, as she matched him. At the river, the flop changed, turning the queen into a four. She pushed the rest of her chips in with a smile and turned over her hole cards: triple 4s.
"Fucking hell..." Eddie said with a sigh.
"Oh, does that mean I won?" Topaz asked innocently as the Eddies exchanged sour looks. "And you have to answer Adam's question now, right? That was the deal?"
"Yeah, yeah." He said sourly as Adam sat down.
"Told you she was mint." He finished off his glass. "Who grassed up the Sweeney? I know your lot provided the muscle but who ran the cutters?"
Eddie looked for a moment like he was ready to boycott the payment, but the look in Adam's eyes and something in the back of his head told him it was a bad idea. "Gentleman Jian. He needed some muscle not attached to him in case of barney."
"And we're done here. Oh, and you better cash her out. Every fucking quid, sharpish." Adam said, as they started to count chips and lay down bills for Topaz. A hundred grand in pounds was finally bundled and presented to her.
The shock was real this time. Topaz quickly covered it up with a smile and a drawn out, "Woooooooooooooooow! That's incredible!"
She took the money and tucked it into her jacket, giving the Eddies one last shining grin. "Cheers!"
WARNING: Explicit content and language.
"You're going to need new clothes. And no, you are not going to like the reason." Adam said, as they walked along. He checked his watch; an ugly ostentatious thing he'd pulled from a safety deposit box that no one else knew existed, collecting some documents, ID, money and a few personal effects of his past life. The lighter especially was burned into Topaz' memories.
"Me? I can rock into the Three Eddies like this because I'm a magical geezer. Got a rep to get me through the door. Only two reasons that I'd bring someone like you along." Adam explained. "Unless you want me to get the information on my own."
"Just tell me what I need to get," Topaz said, already on her phone to text Marie-Ange. "I don't have to like it, I just have to wear it."
"I've always been a chav. Any bird I bring with me is going to be the same." Adam said. "The person you want to ask about it is Mandy."
Topaz nodded and switched to Amanda, typing up a quick question and hitting send. "And what do you need me to pretend I am?"
"The kind of girl that wants to fuck me." Adam said quietly.
Topaz considered this for a moment. Her expression made it obvious she didn't love the idea, but... she'd done worse things for this job.
"Okay. Do you need a stoic Lady Luck just there for looks type or the 'oh my gaaaaaaaaaawd baby you're doing sooooo good are you going to by me a nice purse after this' type or...?"
"Pure chav. We'll get you an outfit that fits the role. I mean, I can't imagine you've forgotten what I was like when I was trash. Now think of the kind of bird impressed by that with a bit of dosh available to indulge her tastes." Adam said.
"Yeah. I remember." Topaz bit down a shudder. "All right. Let's get some clothes and get to work."
***
The Three Eddies casino was floating and unmarked. You had to know someone to get in and have the money at the door to get through. They'd been held in posh restaurants, converted luxury hotels, theatres, once a boxing hall... the key to the exclusivity was high end stakes and a range of magical games available nowhere else. Adam walked through the door like a king returning to his court after a crusade, gaining the eyes of the punters who recognized him. He stepped to one side to allow Topaz through.
Today it was a restaurant with a high ceiling and a chandelier in the middle, casting off a low light. The mirrored walls reflected the activity in the building as people moved from table to table, throw chips down, drop their cards in defeat. As Topaz watched, a burly bloke approached one man who looked like his night was going too well, took him by the arm, and led him to the back.
Topaz took all this in with one sweeping gaze as she fixed her faux leather jacket around herself. The look they'd put together for her worked, even if everything felt a little tight - a bright pink tank top that didn't leave much to the imagination, jeans that were fashionably ripped in certain places, and a pair of boots that went up to her thighs. She was projecting a very careful of empathic aura of "don't look here" to keep anyone from looking too close at her.
She turned back to Adam with a glowing, placid smile on her face. "Oh my gosh! This is amazing!"
She threw herself at him to hang on his arm, ready to be led into the magic.
"Like I said. All the best places, right?" Adam drawled, escourting her towards the back. Eddie got up, holding up his hand.
"Oy, Adam. Thought you were gone. Your ticket has been punched."
"Has it? You want to stop me?"
"Twat. You haven't-" Eddie came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Now lad, I think we can trust our old friend. Pretty bird you brought. You staking her?"
"I am."
Topaz acted none the wiser to the clear tension; she was looking around in wide-eyed wonder, obviously gawking to cover up the fact that she was trying to get a good look at everything going on.
"Adam said he'd buy something nice if I was a good luck charm," she said with a bright smile, squeezing his arm once - a quick signal to let him know that there was nothing immediately suspicious and nothing to worry about.
"Let not fuck about, Eds. Got a nelson for you." He said, his smile the right touch of feral. "Heard that you sourced muscle for a job recently. Against a certain cunt that 'parently had run of you lot since I've been tied up. Curious who sourced it."
"And why would we tell you about a job? If the bird is the offer, you are very short stacked indeed." Eddy said and his two partners nodded in agreement. Adam's smile only grew.
"How about a little prime on that?" He said. "You and her. Your special poker game. She busts you, you tell me what I want to know. You bust her... I'll owe you a favour and... fuck it, you can keep her as well." He turned to Topaz, his eyes hinting for her to go along with it as the Three Eddies conferred. Finally, they nodded as a group.
"We'll get the table set up."
Topaz put on a wide-eyed stare, looking at Adam with curiosity and confusion in her gaze. "Are you sure Adam? I ain't even that good at Go Fish."
She heard one of the men chuckle; all three were practically radiating smug satisfaction. Good.
"Nah, you're a diamond." He said, taking Topaz to one side. "This game is rigged but these cunts seem to have forgotten that I helped rig it. Tell me you know the rules for poker."
"I learned from the best," Topaz said with a nod. Poker with Doug was basically an entire training course.
"Good. Because this deck is magic. Your hole cards will stay the same, but the turn and the river will change the flop cards." Adam explained quickly. "Fortunately, I was the one that enchanted it for them. 't's got a little hack. If you have a pair under five as your hole cards and only one face card comes up on the flop, at the river, it will change it to match your hole card." He whispered quickly before stepping back to accept a fresh drink while Topaz sat down at the expensive green felted poker table.
Topaz ran over Adam's words in her mind as the cards were dealt out and Eddie gave her a quick rundown of the rules. She gave him a beaming, vacant smile when he was done and said, "Sounds easy enough! Are we starting now?"
He smirked across the table, clearly anticipating an easy win.
The first few hands were easy. Eddie won but Topaz played tight, trying to read the changes in the cards. The shifting flop based on the turn and the river made it more advantageous to push hard earlier, trying to push the other player out while they had certainty, but with the stakes, it was hard to stake a specific hand. Topaz was caught out on a river that turned her pocket cowboys into being on the wrong end of a flush draw that hit. It knocked out a third of her stack, leaving her short stacked, a fact that she smiled and simpered around, seeming not to know.
"Don't worry Adam, I've got this," she reassured him with a dazzling smile while the Eddies exchanged looks and snickered. They were feeling cocky. Good. She turned her smile back to her opponent, feeding into the cockiness. The more egotistical they were, the more careless they would be.
Eddies got aggressive, pushing hard on marginal hands to try and kick her legs out from under her, but she used it to get back in, carving away chips. She dragged two pots, hanging on as the river turned both of Eddie's hands into weaknesses. Now their stacks were even and a pair of fours slid across the table to her. She tucked them neatly in, nudging him to be aggressive with her powers. The flop included a Queen, all but broadcasting he was holding Canadian Aces. The turn changed nothing big, but he went all in, as she matched him. At the river, the flop changed, turning the queen into a four. She pushed the rest of her chips in with a smile and turned over her hole cards: triple 4s.
"Fucking hell..." Eddie said with a sigh.
"Oh, does that mean I won?" Topaz asked innocently as the Eddies exchanged sour looks. "And you have to answer Adam's question now, right? That was the deal?"
"Yeah, yeah." He said sourly as Adam sat down.
"Told you she was mint." He finished off his glass. "Who grassed up the Sweeney? I know your lot provided the muscle but who ran the cutters?"
Eddie looked for a moment like he was ready to boycott the payment, but the look in Adam's eyes and something in the back of his head told him it was a bad idea. "Gentleman Jian. He needed some muscle not attached to him in case of barney."
"And we're done here. Oh, and you better cash her out. Every fucking quid, sharpish." Adam said, as they started to count chips and lay down bills for Topaz. A hundred grand in pounds was finally bundled and presented to her.
The shock was real this time. Topaz quickly covered it up with a smile and a drawn out, "Woooooooooooooooow! That's incredible!"
She took the money and tucked it into her jacket, giving the Eddies one last shining grin. "Cheers!"
