Poker Night!

Who: Caius, Lydia, Dorian, and Mathias
Where: The Giamatti residence
When: 7:00 PM and Later

Caius blew a lungful of smoke into the dark air of the backyard as he leaned in the doorway. It was Wednesday night, he felt awesome, people were starting to arrive, everything was more than kosher. His mom was settled in her room for the night, humming as she knitted with her headphones over her ears, listening to a book on tape. She didn't mind this, really, she told Caius time and time again she liked the feeling of having people in the house, even if she never saw them. She trusted him to take care of anything that needed taking care of. He thought she just missed his brothers.

In any case, the basement was set up with the tables, music filtered up the stairs faintly, and he was watching someone else approach from around the side of the house. Caius didn't recognize the face, and he always knew his players. "Whoa there, compadre," he said as the dark-haired young man started up the steps. Caius gave him a crooked, reassuring grin. One had to be welcoming, but there were rules that had to be gone over with the new people.

"First time here?" he asked, even though he already knew. The guy nodded. After politely checking his ID -- no one under 21 was rule one -- Caius nodded and braced an arm on the other side of the doorframe. "Going through these fast, so listen close," he told him. "This is my house, and you'll have respect for it, or you'll never come back. Once you're downstairs, you don't leave downstairs until you're leaving the house. There's a toilet, beer, food, anything you want down there. You've got no business up here. We're here to have a good time, maybe take home some cash. You get trashed and rowdy? You'll be escorted out and you won't come back. You get caught cheating? Same deal. You catch somebody cheating? You come to me. Understand? You don't fight in my house. I've got more eyes on my side than you'll ever know."

Caius grinned a bit. "Don't get yourself in over your head. I can't stop you from being stupid, however, so that's just friendly advice. I don't loan money, I don't cover your debts, anything you owe anybody here is not my responsibility, and will come out of your own ass. Don't even ask me. And that works the other way, you're all grown ups, I'm not gonna do anything past banning anybody who doesn't pay you. If you owe me? We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Any questions?" The young man shook his head, so Caius nodded, grinned, and clapped him on the shoulder, ushering him through the door. "Stairs are on the right, have a good time."

Yeah, it might just be a good night. Caius went back to leaning and smoking, and checked his watch.

"Those rules apply to me?" Lydia asked, strolling up the walkway towards Cauis. She'd heard enough that he didn't have to repeat the rules, though she really just thought she'd watch for at least part of the evening. She couldn't afford to be completely out of pocket and it always paid off to learn her opponents. "What if I want to fight?" she asked, coming to stand close to him, almost in his personal space. "You gonna escort me out?"

She was feeling much better than the last time she saw him, well rested and de-stressed. She'd put forth the effort of looking good, though she didn't want it to appear she'd actually done so. Thus far, she had too much time on her hands, most of it spent cleaning up Eli's house, but today there'd been time for primping. With Caius, she knew it paid off. That usually made it worth it.

Oh damn. Caius grinned brightly as he watched her saunter up to him. He put his arm out again to brace against the other side of the doorframe. He leaned in just a tiny bit more toward her, nostrils flaring delicately. He couldn't tell what color stuff she was wearing, but she looked damn good regardless. Yes, most definitely a good night. "You're a special case," he practically purred, very pleased to see her. "I might escort you upstairs for a good stern ... talking to." Blatant flirting? Yes. He didn't think she'd mind much.

"Just a talking to?" she smirked. "You disappoint me. I'll have to amp it up a bit and see if I can't get something a bit more firm." This was a far better air than they'd had about them last time, each equally exhausted and unable to flirt properly. Lydia was enjoying herself already, which promised good fun for the rest of the night. "Do you need to check my ID?" she asked, amused. She'd make the cut off regardless, but she wasn't sure if he knew that, or if he cared.

"Oh I'm sure you could manage," he said, grinning his fool head off. She carried herself like Trouble, after all. He liked it. Probably a bit too much. Caius knew she wasn't underage, since she'd been carrying her own beer around the first night they'd met, but he held his hand out regardless, trying to sober his face up a little and failing. "Yes ma'am, I'm afraid so. I need to know I'm not going to get arrested if you get drunk and start beating people up. 'Course ... if you get a little too tipsy, I might have to keep you here. I couldn't leave it on my conscience to let you drive home drunk." He arched an eyebrow and grinned a little wider.

"So long as I don't play poker after I'm drunk, I could deal with that," she grinned, getting out her license, just because. "Might even encourage it," she smirked. Lydia had decided earlier that afternoon that going home was optional, considering her aunt could show up at any time. Plus, Syn seemed intent on hanging out why Eli was sleeping, so she didn't have to worry about him. One night out wouldn't hurt anyone.

"Ophelia, hey?" he asked, looking at her license with some amusement. He passed it back. "I suppose you can come in," he said, at last letting that arm drop. He shifted upward a bit to give her more room to get in. But not too much room. In fact, she'd probably have to brush by him to walk in the house. He was okay with this plan. Caius just grinned back.

"Poppy," she said, shortening her middle name to something she preferred. "Don't call me Ophelia." That was one thing she wouldn't take from him yet. Maybe if they got to know each other better, but not yet. "Thank you," she said, brushing past him, her body pressing against his in the process. "Will you be in soon? Or do you guard the door all night?"

He held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "Just proving I can read is all," he said with a lazy smile. He eyed her a little bit, very much enjoying the brief contact. Caius checked his watch again. "I usually switch out with Jake around eight-thirty," he said. "Go on down, get yourself a beer. Hang out, come back up if you want. Mi casa es su casa and all that happy shit."

"I trusted you were able to read," she said, rolling her eyes, though she didn't mind the way he looked at her in the least. As he directed her into the house, Lydia laughed and gave him a nod. "Will do, captain. Want me to bring you up a beer?" she asked, overall in a good mood. She wouldn't be offering otherwise. There were people to meet and mingle with.

"Nah, I'll have plenty when I get down there," he told her with that half-grin. "Go and have fun." He was utterly comfortable with her in his house around his -- mostly male -- friends. Not that there was any sort of Them yet, but Caius tended to be trusting. If she found somebody she liked better, even, good on her. That was just how life rolled on. He gave her a warm grin and turned back to watching the door. Not too much longer. He had an itch to play.

~*~

Caius was downstairs by the time Dorian and Mathias arrived, seated at one of the tables with a beer beside him and a couple of stacks of chips in front. He'd put Jake -- a regular and one of his best friends -- on the front door for an hour and a half, for the people who filtered in late. He knew to run down the rules real quick for any new faces. After all, Caius couldn't very well be hospitable if he was upstairs all night, could he? No. Nor could he win any money. "Read 'em and weep, gentleman," he said as he laid out his hand. "Straight flush. Pass it over."

He chuckled at their groans and took another swig of beer as he glanced toward the stairs. Legs were headed down them.

Lydia had been enjoying herself thus far, watching the game and trying to get a feel for the other players. She was thinking she'd join in the next one, just to see how she'd do. She wasn't bad at poker, but some of these guys were pretty good. Caius himself was impressive, or at least that last hand had been. Though it was always easier when luck played a part. He hadn't had to bluff his way through that one, though he'd played it nicely enough that no one suspected he'd take them all out. "Deal me in," she said, taking her place at the table as more people entered the room, neither of which she knew.

Dorian was just glad to be out of the house and out of the shop. Anywhere was better and the poker game seemed like a good bet. After talking with Mathias, he'd brought him along, pretty sure Caius had said the more the merrier. He still wanted to check before inviting Eury, just in case it was a guy's only thing, but that concern was dropped fairly quickly. "Nice," Dorian said, approaching Caius to say hello and noting the hand he'd just won. "Glad I missed that round," he laughed. "How's it going? Hope you don't mind that I brought a friend. This is my brother, Mathias."

"Not a problem at all, still got plenty of room," Caius gave Dorian a crooked grin and stood up to greet the two. They didn't much look like brothers, but then he didn't much look like his brothers either. He offered Mathias a hand as one of the other guys at the table gathered up the cards and started shuffling. They'd all taken Lydia in stride, as it wasn't entirely unfamiliar for a woman to be present. Most of the people who showed were guys just because. "Nice to meet you," Caius said to Dorian's brother.

"Likewise," Mathias said, nodding to the others in the room. He moved to the table. "Any house rules I should know about?" he asked as he took a seat.

"I have another friend who wanted to come, but I wanted to make sure women were welcome," Dorian told Cauis, keeping his voice lower on this subject. With only one woman in the game, he still thought it smart to ask. "Mind if I call her?" he asked, waiting to hear whatever additional rules Cauis had to add.

Lydia glanced towards them, only her eyes moving before she focused back on the table. She wouldn't mind another woman there. It would certainly change the dynamics a bit, though she'd have to see how much. After all, she'd sat out till now.

"Joker's always wild, that's it," Caius told Mathias with a faint smirk. He didn't go in much for house game-rules; it took away from the spontenaity of what people could come up with themselves. He turned his attention to Dorian. "No, sure, call her!" he said, and clapped the half demon on the shoulder. "The more the merrier, females always welcome. If they're down for this sorta thing." He flashed a grin at Lydia and sat back down himself. It was safe to say that Caius? Was not discriminating.

"Well, then deal me in," Math said, pulling his chair up to the table and getting out his wallet. He hadn't had a good game of poker in a while - it would make a nice change.

"I'll be right back then," Dorian said, pulling out his cell phone as he stepped off to the side. Eury's phone rang a several times before it went to voice mail and he left her a quick message, inviting her to the game. If she got it any time soon, then she could join them, but otherwise there was always next time. Caius had these games fairly often. "Okay, I'm in too," Dorian said, taking his seat. He needed something like this, after today. It shouldn't have been stressful, but then, it was work. Twelve hours of it always was, no matter how he sliced it.

"I'm Lydia," she said, turning to offer a hand to Mathias. "First game here?" she asked. It had appeared so, from the exchange with Caius, but that had been her listening in. A formal introduction was always nice and she could always be wrong, considering it was her first night there herself.

While people murmured introductions, Caius plucked the deck out of another tablemate's hand and started to shuffle it a couple of times himself. New people, dealer rotation started over. "Game is five-card stud gentleman -- and lady -- two dollar ante minimum." Once everyone had their chips in the pot, he started tossing out cards with the practiced wrist-flicks of someone who'd done this quite often.

Mathias looked across at Lydia. "Sure is - I've only been in town for a few days and Dorian here was kind enough to bring me along. I haven't played poker for a good few years now though - I'm hoping I'll be able to keep up," he said, playing slightly dumb, but not so much that it sounded like an act. He doubted anyone would buy it anyhow, not right now. He wasn't out to make trouble, but old habits died hard, after all.