#inkalized 1

[doodlesuit]

♣ – liked for a starter

@inkalized

Club, diamond, heart, spade. 

The suits flutter by in a flash between his hands, a deft flick sending the deck fanning from palm to palm-- a neat trick Trey picked up while figuring out how to amuse his siblings. But it’s not wide eyes and brightly smiling faces that he’s entertaining now; sly blue eyes behind silver frames watch closely as he turns his wrist, a sleight of hand that makes a card vanish then appear from thin air. It’s the most magic he can muster at the moment, unfortunate as that was. 

But to clear any doubts that he had any more tricks up his sleeves before dealing Azul’s hand, Trey pulls his sleeves to show his innocence, laying the deck flat across the green velveteen of the card table. 52 cards lay in an arc, 52 cards lay face down, 52 cards lay waiting for a final shuffle. 

“I promise a fair game Azul. After all, we are playing for some pretty interesting stakes.” 

A request, within reason, was up in the air. Though Trey was not sure what reasonable meant in Azul’s book. Gathering the pack back in his hand, Trey took turns to deal each of them a card, five in total to peel neatly from the tabletop. Placing the rest of the deck in the space between them, Trey drew the first card from the top before flipping it face up. 

9 of hearts. 

Keeping his own cards closely guarded, Trey gestured for Azul to take the first move if he so wished. Now, he was positive that a member of the board game club knew the rules, but from habit of reminding his siblings, he spoke. 

“Winner has the most sets of four, and if you don’t have a match, say go fish.” 

[shockingheart]

♢ ♢ ♢

@inkalized​ 

Yet another reason to visit the Cotes Fantasci Ward materialized once he realized that the second iteration of Mostro Lounge was situated here of all places. It seemed that it wasn’t just he that was drawn to the location, and Jade wondered just how long it had taken Azul to set up and establish another lounge. 

It is Azul we’re talking about, so surely not long after he arrived.

The mer was terribly efficient, and Jade would have been more surprised had another business venture of some sort failed to materialize. If he could be so bold, and he was, he considered the lounge to be an octopus pot of sorts, somewhere familiar to return, albeit much bigger and lacking in coziness. He’d liked Azul’s octopus pot, finding an inclination to squeeze in next to his friend during their youth if he refused to leave for hours on end. It had been dark in there, and it was difficult to differentiate tears from the usual saltwater, but from the faint glow of his left eye, it hadn’t been hard to tell. While there was not a chance that they could all fit now, given the slight growth spurt they’d undergone, Jade thought it was good that they’d matured past such confines. It suited Azul better to have wider horizons anyways. 

Neatly penned instructions on the note Azul had left in his mailbox were committed to memory, so there was no hesitation in the directions he took until a final corner revealed the lounge, bathed in the blue light filtered through the glass of an impressive aquarium. A tank big enough to fit a few fish. And how funny, so high up in this building. It was certainly a choice to have the lounge amongst the top floors of a building. Truly a long way from the ocean depths if a glance outside told him that he was just an inch from touching the clouds. 

But enough waxing, poetic or not, there were more important things to attend to. 

He’d purposefully arrived after business hours, sure that in some way Azul would have convinced him to pick up a shift. Yes, it wouldn’t have taken more than a simple request on the octopus’ part to get him to agree, but Jade felt inclined to see how Azul was doing on his own. 

Well, he assumed, given the state of things. A well-stocked bar and pristine interior, not a detail out of place. Humming as he exhaled, he wondered if Azul would even require his assistance. It was no matter if he didn’t- Jade would simple create a space for himself regardless. 

It was apparent that despite his slow wandering, his presence hadn’t been detected. That or Azul was absorbed in something more important than a brief greeting. Spotting a familiar figure nestled in an alcove, Jade cleared his throat to announce his arrival, taking his usual spot by Azul’s side and peeking over his shoulder to glance at the assortment of documents peppering the countertop. 

“Working late into the night again? Old habits die hard, though I hope you haven’t been making this a normal occurrence.”