[ Tseng's got a much better angle in mind, now that Reno's got everyone's attention. As far as he's concerned, it doesn't matter if they're improvising this close to the end game; it's been fifteen years of them reading each other's subtle cues in the face of almost certain death. Reno will be able to divine a character shift, no problem.
He starts following Reno's lead. Looks at him before he plays every card. Stutters when his hand goes up his thigh. Already, their opponents are starting to overlook him, getting the picture he's trying to portray: he's some kind of self-important nobody, probably some fat cat's son all stuffed full of old money and venturing down-Plate for a sense of adventure he can't get where the sun shines. He lets it look like Reno's playing him, looks for much longer at Reno than at anyone else, pours everything he never had into an obvious desperation that practically drips from his gaze. He presses too many kisses to Reno's neck—or just enough, considering each one is slow, stroked, counting out the number of sides on the card he needs. Reno, he's sure, has hands quick enough to filch it in plain sight.
Just in case, he clears his throat and plays a bad card. The Hijo mutters something in another language that Tseng pretends not to understand. He smiles at him instead, blank as a whiteboard as his card is flipped. ]
Shit! This is my engagement ring money you're stealing here. Gonna get married right on the bay in Junon, aren't we, doll?
[ Tseng slaps a stack of gil in the center of the table. It's enough to quiet the tittering Tianshi leaning in to whisper, enough to wipe the glower off of the Hijo's face. Sun Fu exchanges glances with the rest of the table, then nods and clears the space. ]
[ The money goes down, the eyes go down with it, and Reno has the card Tseng has asked for palmed in a flash. He pretends to pout as the gil is raked into the center, and what a stunning pout it is, enough to draw eyes to him again, all trained on the pretty face and the lovely lips and missing entirely the way he slips the pinched card into Tseng's hand. It's this same card Reno indicates with a delicate touch of his fingertip, slipping it apart from the rest. ]
This one.
[ You can practically hear the gears turning in the heads of the other men at the table when, lo and behold, this card the lady's chosen is the one that saves the day. Their eyes are all over him and it isn't just the low cut of the dress and that dazzling smile, it's, ahh, so she's the brains here. It doesn't keep him out of harm's way in the least, really, but it's enough to make anyone think twice about what a gal like this might be here for. Whatever gets him face to face with the man he wants to see, gets Tseng shaking hands with whoever he has to.
It's just a matter of working the crowd. These worker bees are easy to sway and liven up, and that man from the southern peninsula, well, they like a little spice to their lives, you know. The longer it goes on, the more confident Reno gets. If there was anyone they were actually saving those seats for, they don't ever seem to arrive, and eventually a waitress is brought in to serve them drinks. Reno only wets his lips, which while the obvious ladylike thing to do is also for two main reasons: because he hasn't really drank since Gooski's and would rather not, and because there is absolutely no way he's letting his guard down in this place. A couple more rounds, another pass from the waitress, and Reno sees one of the Tianshi stop her to murmur something in her ear; she nods, and exits through a different door, one no one has come in or out of thus far this evening. To fetch the special liquor? Or something else? ]
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He starts following Reno's lead. Looks at him before he plays every card. Stutters when his hand goes up his thigh. Already, their opponents are starting to overlook him, getting the picture he's trying to portray: he's some kind of self-important nobody, probably some fat cat's son all stuffed full of old money and venturing down-Plate for a sense of adventure he can't get where the sun shines. He lets it look like Reno's playing him, looks for much longer at Reno than at anyone else, pours everything he never had into an obvious desperation that practically drips from his gaze. He presses too many kisses to Reno's neck—or just enough, considering each one is slow, stroked, counting out the number of sides on the card he needs. Reno, he's sure, has hands quick enough to filch it in plain sight.
Just in case, he clears his throat and plays a bad card. The Hijo mutters something in another language that Tseng pretends not to understand. He smiles at him instead, blank as a whiteboard as his card is flipped. ]
Shit! This is my engagement ring money you're stealing here. Gonna get married right on the bay in Junon, aren't we, doll?
[ Tseng slaps a stack of gil in the center of the table. It's enough to quiet the tittering Tianshi leaning in to whisper, enough to wipe the glower off of the Hijo's face. Sun Fu exchanges glances with the rest of the table, then nods and clears the space. ]
That's right.
[ Tseng loops an arm around Reno's shoulder. ]
Help me out here, babe. I'm feeling lucky.
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This one.
[ You can practically hear the gears turning in the heads of the other men at the table when, lo and behold, this card the lady's chosen is the one that saves the day. Their eyes are all over him and it isn't just the low cut of the dress and that dazzling smile, it's, ahh, so she's the brains here. It doesn't keep him out of harm's way in the least, really, but it's enough to make anyone think twice about what a gal like this might be here for. Whatever gets him face to face with the man he wants to see, gets Tseng shaking hands with whoever he has to.
It's just a matter of working the crowd. These worker bees are easy to sway and liven up, and that man from the southern peninsula, well, they like a little spice to their lives, you know. The longer it goes on, the more confident Reno gets. If there was anyone they were actually saving those seats for, they don't ever seem to arrive, and eventually a waitress is brought in to serve them drinks. Reno only wets his lips, which while the obvious ladylike thing to do is also for two main reasons: because he hasn't really drank since Gooski's and would rather not, and because there is absolutely no way he's letting his guard down in this place. A couple more rounds, another pass from the waitress, and Reno sees one of the Tianshi stop her to murmur something in her ear; she nods, and exits through a different door, one no one has come in or out of thus far this evening. To fetch the special liquor? Or something else? ]