The Eleventh Trial

[catcophonous]

Who: everyone
When: Day 23, evening
Where: The Trial Zone

[Just as twilight darkens the clearing, you hear the train's customary shift, the sign of a Trial.

Outside in the clearing, a brick building has appeared. It's shabby, paint peeling from the heavy door, but the windows are full of neon signs advertising various brands of liquor. From inside you can hear the thumping of bass, and the faint sounds of a rowdy rock song.

A voice chimes in, lazy but amused.]

You all know what this is. I'm not "come hither"ing you. Just get in here.

Comments

[bad_crowmance]

Hmmm, I wonder.

[ He knows they both know the answer to that. ]

[voreaciously]

I am sure you are.

[She knows what she can do with them even if she is pretending otherwise.

And yet, there is still more she can do. But, for now, she thinks she would like to see things a little more even between them.]

[bad_crowmance]

[ Crow's perfectly willing to get back down to business and by business I mean poker. Losing only seems to make him invigorated, trying with new zeal to get back ahead. ]

[voreaciously]

[He's still ahead by a hundred sparks, technically, but she's looking to get those back, and then some.

Really, she also just wants to see how much of Crow she can come to see. But, he has her at a disadvantage, or so it would seem, with her lack of clothes. As she loses, she simply removes one ribbon at a time.

She has four.]

[bad_crowmance]

[ That's a tease, but a tantalizing one-- so he isn't complaining. Yet. He's going to try and press his advantage, see if he can get all four ribbons undone-- but it's thrilling that he's not as absolutely certain as he was that he can beat her. ]

[voreaciously]

[He radiates salacious determination like a heat lamp, she finds it oddly charming even if she is just as determined not to give in easily, if less obvious about whatever else this may or may not be doing to her.]

[bad_crowmance]

[ He meant it when he told her before that competition is a turn-on for him-- but more than that, he genuinely enjoys it. But raw determination isn't always enough, and even though he's good at what he does-- even when he's not cheating-- he's not perfect, and there's probably an opportunity or two for her to win despite his best efforts. ]