Jay sniffled loudly, a cup of coffee on one side and a box of tissues on the other as he shuffled the deck of cards in his hands. He was thrilled to be awake and better, he really was but...god, so bored! He spread the cards and scooped them back up, reshuffling them again.
Rogue pushed into the kitchen and automatically made her way to the cabinet where she hid her stash of chicory, frowning at the half-full pot already brewed of regular coffee. She grumbled and moved to search for a spare coffee maker. After she turned she finally saw Jay and blinked. Not a hallucination from lack of caffeine. She knew he was awake. She managed a smile and a wave before going back to making her chicory.
Jay muttered something in bunged-up patois and carried on shuffling. "Sorry 'bout d' coffee. Was told no caffiene but Ah ain't givin' dat up." He sniffed again, pausing in the shuffling to pick up his cup. "Ugh."
Darren wandered into the kitchen, whistling out of tune and carring what looked like fake pigeons on stands, "Morning all."
Rogue waved a hand dismissively and moved to sit next to him while she waited for it to finish brewing. She nodded a hello at Darren before putting her elbows on the table, chin in hands, and closing her eyes.
Christopher walked slowly towards the kitchen being drug by the smell of coffee. As he came through the kitchen door slowly he grunted. "So tired...." He grumbled a little and then saw Rogue. "Hey Rogue how's the coffee this morning?"
Jay took a gulp of coffee and nodded to Darren, before spreading the cards and scooping again, flipping them between his fingers quickly and easily. Well, looked like the coma hadn't affected his skills at least.
Rogue opened one eye and arched an eyebrow, "Ah don't share mine. Regular coffee's over there," she nodded.
"Y'all share it with me."
"Hush up."
"You're so mean, what ever happened to being nice to your fellow statesman."
"Mornin' happened."
"Aww not a morning person Rogue? I'm an early riser myself." He shot her a playfull wink
Jay sniffed loudly and then sneezed, wings flaring as he dropped the cards. "Merde."
Darren frowned at Jay, "You okay man?" he tossed the pigeons from hand to hand.
Rogue winced and pulled a tissue for him, "Bless ya, sugah." She blinked at Chris and almost responded before her coffeepot beeped and she got up to fix herself a cup. She closed her eyes as she took the first few sips, a small smile slipping over her face. "Not b'fore mah chicory, nope."
"Yeah, dude, just like Ah got a bad cold. Ugh. Ain' had a cold since d' wings grew." He took the tissue gratefully and blew his nose. "Mind ya, at least Ah don't feel as shit as before d' coma. Dat's a relief."
Wade burst through the kitchen's backdoor, "GoooooOD MORNING MY FELLOW STUDENTS!" Wade yelled out. His yelling was only overpowered by the sheer loudness of his multicoloured pants, shirt, jacket, and rainbow clown wig.
"Hmm, I smellee coffee, good thing I don't need a pick me up, I practically got redbull on an I.V. drip, oh all right, just one cup, maybe two or four." he said in one breath.
He leant down, picking up the cards and shuffling them back into a pack absently, fingers moving quickly as he stacked it and then shuffled - before staring at Wade. "...Wow."
"Uhmm hi there Mr. Rainbow"
Darren paused, blinking at Wade, "Morning Wade."
Rogue winced at Wade's yell, "Mornin' darlin'."
"I know, I know, but I couldn't find my glitter jacket. Hey.....Guy! Nice seeing you again!" Wade sauntered over to Darren and blatantly 'whispered' loudly, "Who's the new dude, and why haven't I met him yet? He looks so...average."
Rogue made her way back to her seat beside Jay, drinking from her cup and ignoring everyone else while she enjoyed it.
Jay tore his eyes off Wade, rubbing them. "Damn...dat's just makin' my head hurt more. But he's got a point, don't think Ah've met y'all yet." He eyeballed Chris.
Darren snickered, "That's Chris, he has ultimate smashing power."
"He's fun ta spar," she grinned at Jay, "An' ta tease."
"You're not too bad yourself there Rogue. And no Darren it's the table cracker." He laughed a little.
"Well, Ah don't spar an' Ah don't think he'll enjoy d' sort of teasin' Ah do...probably." Jay grinned, cards in one hand as he took another drink of coffee. "Joshua, but everyone calls me Jay. Call me 'angel' an' dere may be pain."
"But ya are an angel," she smirked.
The hand holding the cards twitched. "Please don', Rogue."
"Smashing, cracking, same diff, speaking of which do any of you guys know why some of my perimiter cameras were broken?" he held up the pigeons, "I'm just on my way to replace them."
Rogue frowned, "Ah ain't allowed ta say ya nice anymore?"
"Tweety bird pidgeon angel, if you really want to make him sing sad songs." Wade suggested before sauntering over to the coffee to pour a cup.
Jay shrugged. "Don't look at me, dude, Ah'm confined to d' school." He flashed a smile at Rogue. "Y'all can say Ah'm nice, but Ah grew up in a fundamental Christian family. D' name 'angel' was a little over-used."
"Uhmm ok... I'm Christopher. Just call me Chris. And no I prolly wouldn't find your teasing fun but then again I don't find Rogue's that fun either." He gave her a slight glare
"Oh oh oh, there's also red robin!" Wade cheered from teh sideline and drank from his cup.
"Wasn't usin' it as a name, darlin'." She gave him a smile, "Never have with y'all. Know better." She looked up at Darren and frowned, "No? Sam's been doin' better at landin'..." Rogue actually laughed at Chris and finished her coffee.
Jay blinked at Wade and grinned. "If Ah didn't have dis Legacy shit, Ah'd sing for y'all, but Ah don't wanna wreck my throat."
"Really?" Darren frowned, well ... that kinda explained why Jay never talked about his family, gay and a mutant? Poor guy, "Meh, maybe Sel's right against the squirels and mole people plotting against us?"
He absently concentrated back on the cards, wishing he could go out for a flight. Absently he dealt out a couple of hands of poker, sighed, and shuffled them back in. He missed going out.
"Squirrels plot 'gainst Bobby f'r sure."
Darren put the fake birds down on the table with a sigh, Jay seemed kinda down, "Hey man ... do you wanna maybe play a game or something to distract yourself? The cameras can wait."
"Argh, Mr Aviator, if you getting anymore depressed your wings will turn blue. Deal me a hand man. We can make it interesting, if you win, you get the new guy for th enight, if I win, you get Rogue for the night." Wade said as he sauntered over ot the table to sit across from Jay.
"Yeah I don't think I'll agree to that."
Wow, you actually remembered someone's name. Wade chocked on his coffee.
Rogue blinked at Wade for a moment, "An' all he'd have me do is cook more'n likey. So Ah'm oddly ok with y'all usin' me as a bettin' piece..."
Jay blinked up at them. "Huh? Oh...sorry, Ah'm just feelin' kinda shitty an' bored." He looked down at the cards. Well...why not. "Anyone play poker? An' switch Chris out for Darren - den we'll talk." Jay winked.
"Don't know how to play. Never learned."
Rogue stared at Chris for a moment. "Siddown an' learn then."
"Heck no, I'm needing C3PO for a game of Pong after this." Wade added.
She pushed away from the table and poured herself a fresh cup before coming back and sitting back down. "Deal me in, darlin'."
"Uhmm ok..." He sat next to rogue. "Gimme a hand with learnin kay?"
Jay cut the cards, shuffled and cut again. "Just as well y'all in d' presence of a master, den, eh?" He grinned, then coughed. "Rogue can team wit' ya until y'all learn, and we'll go easy."
"Havn't played since I was thirteen," Darren smiled, "used to play with my sister for matchsticks, think I'll just watch the first game to refresh myself, if that's okay with everyone?"
Rogue arched an eyebrow and sighed, "Fine. Dunno how good Ah'll be this early though."
Wade rubbed his hands, "Oh if the boys and girls at the WSOP could see me now." Wade glee'd and patted the table.
"Well, ain't like dis is a professional game." He smiled. "And Ah ain't exactly up t' scratch." He paused in the shuffling to sneeze into a tissue. "Ugh." He dealt out the hands, missing Darren, before putting the cards by his hand. "And it ain' stacked either."
Rogue pulled up their hand and showed it to Chris, "Gotta get tha highest hand at tha table," she looked over to Jay, "Any wilds, sug?"
"Uhmm what's the highest? Straight kings? Straight Aces?"
"Nope, keepin' it simple. Highest is d' Royal Flush."
"That is what?"
"When Prince Charles pulls the plunger."
Jay grinned. "Ten t' Ace of d' same suit. Called d' Royal Flush because it has d' Jack, Queen and King in." He took a sip, then nearly spat it out at what Wade said.
Rogue barked a laugh at Wade and shook her head. "What Jay said f'r tha game. What Wade said f'r England." She looked at their hand, "If ya don't like a few o' ya cards, ya got tha option ta pass 'em back ta tha dealer an' get new ones." She flicked their hand, "Which ones ya think we should trade, if any?"
"Uhmm the two?"
Rogue wanted to smack her forehead, "Don't tell 'em. Just point."
Jay sniffed, his cards still face down on the table, smiling behind his cup. Yeah, he missed playing, but he was going to need to get his hand back in. "It'll come."
Wade looked at sensei and student and shuffled his cards quickly in order again. "Huzzah, two for me, senor." Wade asked.
"Oh ok sorry..." He pointed at two of the cards he thought were bad ones.
Jay flicked out the two for Wade, half-listening to Rogue and Chris. "Didn't know y'all played, Wade."
Rogue laughed a little and pulled the two of them, passing them face down to Jay, "Two." She didn't quite agree with the second one he'd picked, but she was gonna let this be 'his hand'.
Jay slid over two, taking the ones she was swapping.
Darren watched the game, chin in hand.
Rogue nodded her thanks and pulled them into the hand, taking a sip of her chicory as she looked it over.
"I dabble, here and there. " Wade said, rearranging his cards again and waited for the rest. "Had to sell a kidney to pay for a bet. That was an eye opener. Not really though, but it did cost me an arm and a leg." He grinned evilly.
Rogue arched a silent eyebrow at Wade.
Jay smiled a little uneasily, not sure if he should believe Wade or not. "Heh...Ah make sure not to put out too much for dat reason. Never play more'n Ah can afford, anyway. We all done?"
"We done, Chris?"
"Uhmm are we?"
"Lookit tha hand an' y'all tell me, sugah."
Jay grinned. "If dere ain't any more cards, sure."
"Uhmm I guess are three Aces and two Kings good?"
Rogue thwapped him on the head with their hand.
"Good heavens man, that's hte worst kind of hand, you gotta fold with that."
"What!?!" He held his hand where she smacked him.
Darren snorted.
"What'd Ah tell ya 'bout sayin' shit out loud?"
Jay shot Wade a look, then shrugged. "Give d' guy a break, it's his first hand." Still couldn't stop the smirk, though.
"It's mornin'. Nobody gets a break 'round me but Sam 'till 'bout eleven."
"You should be nicer to a newb." He frowned. "I've always been nice to you." He stuck his tongue out at her.
Wade's cellphone alarm went off and he looked horribly confused. He flipped it open and suddenly stood up, "TODAY'S NOT SUNDAY?! Craps, I'm probably late for work." Wade looked up and yelled, "R2, take over for me!" and then dashed out of the kitchen past the white cat.
"... Um ... okay?" Darren blinked, peering at the cards that had just been thrown at him, "Later Wade ..."
Jay grinned. "Y'all want a new hand, Daz?" He winked. "Ah'll let ya."
"Um ... yeah, I think so," Darren pushed the card across the table, "if you keep on calling me Daz I will start calling you angel, man."
"Den Ah'd have to give y'all d' puppy eyes, man, an' we both know y' cain't take dem." Jay grinned, shuffling the hand back in and dealing him a new one.
Rogue slid their hand over as she waved Wade out. "Never tell ya hand 'till it's lyin' flat f'r everyone ta see, Chris."
"We might as well just deal again actually," he waved at the girl in the doorway, "fancy joining us?"
"You know... " Hepz mused to herself. "Just when I think that guy can't get any stranger..." She shook her head and wandered towards the card game. "Mind dealing me in?"
Jay grinned. "Nah, had late-comers to a table 'fore. Hey, Hepzibah." He coughed into a tissue again and dealt her a hand. He still hadn't looked at his own.
"Hey yourself! Good to see you up and about again." She crouched up in the chair Wade had vacated. "Thanks," she grinned toyed with the facedown cards.
"Hey, Hepz." Rogue looked over at Chris, "Y'all think ya can do ya own hand now?"
"Y'all can pick up an' check your cards." Jay nodded to Hepz, tapping his own. "Ah look at mine last."
Hepz's tail ticked as she picked up her hand and grinned. "Hey Rogue - good to you out and about again too."
Darren sneaked a peek at his cards, memorised them and then set them back down on the table looking faintly smug.
Rogue laughed and pulled up their hand, "Yeah well... Ain't really fond o' tha med lab much anymore. Been stickin' more ta our own room these days," she gave a naughty eyebrow wiggle and then frowned. She'd been hanging out with Bobby too much if that were that automatic.
Jay glanced at Darren and resisted rolling his eyes. "We all done swappin' out? Rogue, ya want a hand yourself? An' it's great to be out, Hepz." He smiled. "Jus' wish Ah was hundred percent."
"Hmm I think I'll watch you play this hand Rogue kay?"
"Alright. Guess this is mah hand, Jay," she laughed.
"Awesome." Jay nodded, trying hard to keep from turning professional. Damnit.
"Oh crap forgot to feed my fish!" Christopher bolted up and ran towards the door. "Later guys thanks for helpin me learn a little bout poker. Hey Rogue. Sparring session later?"
"Sure!" Rogue blinked but waved as he ran out.
"New kid?" she motioned over her shoulder as Christopher left.
"Cute kid." Jay smirked.
Hepz looked at her cards and discarded two of them. "Hit me, Jay."
Jay flipped out two, sliding them to her.
Darren discarded a card, "Pass it over Jay."
Hepz nodded and picked up her new cards and tucked him into her hand. Her tail kept a steady tick against the chair legs.
Jay smirked. "Remember your ass is ridin' on dis, dude." He winked, sliding one over. "Can Ah do my hand now, or is dere any more?"
"Huh?" Darren frowned, checked his card and slid it into his hand.
"Wow - I should have asked the stakes before I sat down I guess," Hepz smirked. "Didn't know we were trading for body parts and sexual favors." Her grin was absolutely preditory.
"Wade bet y'all against Rogue. If your hand wins, y'all are safe, if not..." Jay gave a leer before coughing again.
Darren groaned, "Oh man, you're not taking that loony seriously are you?"
Rogue passed over two, "Gimme two, darlin'."
Jay just grinned at Darren. "Course not." He slid two to Rogue. "Jus' remember you owe me."
Rogue readusted her cards and nodded absently at the new hand.
Jay picked up his own hand, sorting it out quickly and immediately discarding three, pulling out three more and then smirking at everyone. "Anyone wanna put in body parts or sexual favours now den?"
"Think Sam'd kill me if Ah did that," she smirked.
"We could always play for cutlery? It's boring if there's no chance to bluff," Darren smirked.
"Or clothes." Jay blinked innocently.
Rogue grinned at that, "Ah'd go f'r that."
"Though ... I do realise that maybe I should have suggested tht before the cards were delt ... and it's too early for strip poker," he groaned.
Hepzibah laughed. "There once was a time Jay-bird. But Hec's holding those cards."
"You don't sleep." Jay smirked. "Hec ain't got a thing to fear from me. Alright, Daz, get d' cutlery."
Darren turned his arm techno-organic and reached across to the other side of the kitchen, opening the draw and grabbing all the silverware inside, "I've just realised I can't follow through with my threat without sounding gay, so maybe I'll just call you Ray instead."
"...Ray, the hell?"
"Raphel, the one who's always shown with red wings?" Darren started to toss random bits of cutlery across the table-top to the players, "Mom's a catholic, and I am technically, abit a very, very lapsed one, I know this shit."
"...You're catholic?" Jay snorted, picking up his. "Alright, Ah'm d' goddamned dealer, so Ah go first an' Ah bet...a knife." He winked conspiritually. Raphael? Well...he couldn't say he minded...kinda. From Darren, anyway.
"Not anymore, I don't believe in shit, never really believed in it anyway, I only went through with the communion and confirmation 'cos there was cake," he tossed a spoon into the middle of the table.
"Wasn't Raphel one of the teenage mutant ninja turtles?" Hepz wondered out load and tossed in a fork that landed with a metallic clink on top of the spoon.
"Yeah, he was the cool red one that everyone wanted to be when they grew up," Darren nodded.
"Never watched 'em. Rogue?"
"Really? Man you had a deprived childhood," Darren snorted.
Rogue tossed in a spoon and a knife.
"Livin' dangerously dere, girl." Jay grinned. "Had 'mutant' in d' title an' was dangerously 'violent'." He sniffed, tossing in a fork.
"... Damn, they really were fundies, how much do you think a plastic spork is worth?" Darren held the implement up.
"About ten spoons. An' ask me about dem later." Jay sneezed.
Hepz shrugged. "The TV was the baby sitter for most us kids." She chuckled at the banter between Jay and Darren.
Darren tossed the spork in, "Sure thing, and I think the TV babysat every kid, everywhere."
"In dat case, God was my babysitter." Jay muttered darkly.
"Oh man, they didn't make you watch God TV did they?" Darren pulled a face.
Rogue took a sip of her chicory and leaned back in her chair, fully confident in her hand.
Jay simply gave Darren a look. "Any other bets, guys? Sweet hand is pretty sweet, an' Ah'd hate t' watch you eat with your fingers f' a day."
"Hepz? You gonna toss in?"
"Oh! I remember I got fostered at the old woman's house once. She had 4 TV's and they were all tuned to a different TV preacher 24 hours a day.." She shudder. Crazy old bat! "Yup I'm good." she nodded to Jay.
"Fuck! isn't like the seventh level of hell? TV evangalists?"
"Rogue?"
She nodded with a wince. "Gold Rolexes and everything." She wondered idlely what ever happened to crazy old lady McCready.
Rogue arched an eyebrow at Darren, "Darren."
"You gonna toss anything in or are you folding?" He smirked back at her.
She smirked and pointed at the knife and spoon she tossed in during his banter with Jay.
"Ah don't fold."
Jay kept his mouth shut as they talked about TV evangalists. It had been a long time since he'd thought about his 'stepdad'. "Alright, nex' round of bettin', unless y'all think your hand ain't worth it." He put in another knife and a fork.
Darren tossed in two forks and a potatoe peeler.
Hepz piled a butter knife and grapefruit spoon into the pot.
Rogue put in a soup spoon, shrimp fork, and steak knife.
"...Well shit, we have some random crap in dis place." Jay chuckled, glancing at his hand and tossing a bread knife on.
Rogue laughed at that and shook her head, "Yup."
Darren added something that looked like it was designed to do something intensley personal to female elephants ... but he figured was probably used to do some king of decorating shit, "Are we gonna limit the amount of rounds here, since I don't think any of us are the folding types."
"Probably a good idea," Hepz grinned. "Otherwise, we might run out of utensils and have to run up to the lake house and raid Remy's kitchen." She couldn't help the mental image there. "Don't think Tante would care for that."
"One more. Den Ah wanna see cards or foldin', kiddies."
Darren looked down at his cards and gave a little sigh, no way could he win with those cards, "Fold, in that case," Darren showed his hand, five and three of spades, eight and ten of hearts and a single, lonely ace of clubs.
"Shit huh?"
Rogue laughed, "So long as we leave her tha wooden spoons ta beat Remy's hide, think she'd let us borrow 'em."
"Yeah, sucks to be y'all, Daz." Jay grinned.
"Hepz stared at the hand and then patted Darren on the should sympathetically. "Better luck next round, dude."
Jay studied his hand, before tossing on an entire ladle, smirking. "Guess Ah'll be gettin' a maid after all."
"A whole ladle?" Hepz smiled and slide a bread knife towards the pile.
"A maid?" Rogue arched an eyebrow and tossed in a spatula and another fork. "That's seriously what y'all'd use him for?"
"Well, he'd be wearin' a maid uniform..." Jay smirked. "Alright, show 'em, ladies."
"Fuck you man."
"Please."
"Or would ya rather Ah was wearin' d' skirt?"
"I've seen your legs when you stagger to the bathroom in the morning in your boxers, I never want to see them again."
Hepz laid down her cards. A pair of kings, queen of hearts, 7 of spades and 4 of hearts.
Rogue set hers down next, knowing she was fucked, but had fun bluffing. "Pair o' threes, eight an' jack o' diamonds, an' a king o' spades."
"Looks like it's just us two, Jay-bird," Hepz raised her eyebrows, her green eyes glittering. "Your turn."
Jay snorted, laying down his 10, king and ace of diamonds, 9 hearts and 10 spades. "Looks like y'all are queen of d' spork, Hepz." He muttered. "Man, Ah need to get my hand back in 'fore Ah start playin' properly again."
Darren snorted at the cards being shown, "Man, my hand really did suck donkey balls, congrats Hepz."
Hepz laughed and dragged all the cutlery towards her. "Queen of hearts anyways," she nodded to her single queen. "Much obliged, Darren. But look at it this way - your next hand almost has to be better than your last one!" She nudged him good naturedly.
"Don't say that woman, you know you'll jinx it," Darren nudged her back.
Jay snorted, gathering the cards and shuffling the deck, fingers moving too fast to been seen as he stacked it. "Alright, anyone for another hand?"
