All Bets Are Off // Jesse Gardner Origins pt. 1
Jesse Gardner was, by no means, a betting man.
He was, in fact, barely even a man at all. Just turned 18 a few weeks ago and found himself staring some slick mustached man in the face over a pint of what was maybe the worst ale he had ever drank. Which wasn’t hard considering he had only ever drank ale one time before this, when Barney had dared him to sneak a sip of his papa’s one evening.
Barney, a goofy-smiled blonde haired man of all limbs, was leaning against the bar chatting up the young barkeep. Jesse shook his head and let out a slight chuckle.
“Alright, old man, you broke me. I’ll play one game. But, uh, that’s all the time I’ll have if Barnabas keeps up that god-awful flirting.”
The moustache turned, saw Barney and the barkeep and smirked, slowly rotating back to Jesse.
“Well now, that’s all the time I need.”
With swift fingers and unearthly speed, the cards shuffled before him. Jesse scoffed at the obvious attempt at showmanship when they were in such a lowly pub. What did this man gain to show off like that? Jesse swore at the exact moment he thought that, the man let a cold grin sprawl across his face. It was all lip, curling and bending and growing. The room got cold. The old man look up at Jesse.
“What the--” Jesse murmured, as he thought he saw flames licking around inside the man’s iris’. “How did you...”
“Are you ready boy?” the man growled. “Name your bet.”
“My bet...? I just thought we were playing a friendly game of poker...”
“Well now,” the man whispered, his voice turning to grating stone. “That just won’t do. We need to bet something, anything... hmm, how about... winner names the cost?”
“That doesn’t sound right...” Jesse murmured.
“Don’t worry boy, I promise if I win it’ll be something that you have and can afford. I wouldn’t ever try to take something you couldn’t part with.”
“Well, if you put it like that... sure, why not? I don’t have much to lose anyways.”
And with that, Jesse and the man shook hands and Jesse attempted to play poker for the first time in his life. With the same swift movements the old man had before, he won quickly and gracefully.
The man clicked his tongue in disappointment. “Well now, Jesse Gardner. It is time for me to take what is mine. I truly am... sorry about this.”
Before Jesse could get out a word edgewise, everything went dark. The tavern and Barney and the barkeep and One-Eyed Joe and the band all dissappeared. He was suspended in nothingness, body shaking like it was thrown out into a snow drift.
“Hello!!” he screamed out, “is anyone there?” Continually. Until his voice went hoarse.
“please...” he whispered. “please, anyone.”
A shadow in the darkness (Jesse couldn’t wrap his head around how that was possible) came lurking forward, revealed it’s silhouette to be humanoid and tall, with lithe thin limbs and thick curling horns that provided a base for the long top hat that rested upon it’s head.
“Jesse, my boy,” a familiar voice crooned. “Are you ready to listen to the bet you lost?”
