Planning A Poker Party Characters: Adam, Jeremy and Jim Setting: The bar, afternoon
Adam decided that things were decent enough with Charlie, or Chuck, to go meet the guy who wanted to start the poker game, see what Adam could do to help since really he was doing a shitty job of working at the bar in the first place. Getting arrested or whatever wasn’t helping his time to help run the place, so he was determined to help with this so he didn’t get fired.
Unlocking the door with the pendant worked into the bracelet Kyle had given him, he looked around the place then flicked on a few of the lights so it was ready for the guy.
Jim arrived not longer after, a good night’s sleep giving him more than a little bounce in his step and he was whistled to himself as he made his way along the corridor and into the bar. It only took a second for his gaze to alight on someone and he headed in their direction, dragging the small cart he’d fashioned together for his cleaning supplies behind him. “Adam or Jeremy?” he asked, smile at the ready.
Adam looked up from where he'd gone for a diet coke from behind the bar. "Adam. By a long shot. When you see Jeremy, you'll get it. Not even close to the same." The guy was well-dressed and rocking a fedora like he was in a Frank Sinatra movie. "Jim?"
"Duly noted," Jim said, smile widening to a grin as he parked his cart and proceeded to claim a bar stool. "And that's me but I go by James or Glitch as well if you prefer, I'm pretty easy so long as I'm not being called something like fuckwit and that might not be too bad if someone was saying it in an affectionate way...You a hand shaker Adam?" he asked, hand hovering just over the bar top, ready to go either way depending on Adam's reply.
"Don't know if I've heard fuckwit used affectionately." Though Adam was no stranger to insulting nicknames. He looked at Jim's hand then reached out, shaking it. "I guess I am. Haven't thought about it before."
"Me neither to be fair but my ex had a way of calling me shit-bag that always made me smile so.." Jim shrugged then took Adam's hand, shaking it enthusiastically. "I've worked with a lot of twitchy types over the years, myself included, so I don't like to make assumptions - don't wanna get the wrong side of a guy who makes bomb disposal robots for a living, you never know what he might have lurking in a cupboard."
Adam shrugged a little. "I had a best friend who wasn't a stranger to the unpleasant nicknames, but if you got to the swearing part he was just pissed. Didn't keep me from being called "The Virgin" for a bit though." He nodded once he had his hand back. "Is that what you did? Or just someone you worked with?"
"That was just a one off project I did, knew the guy back at Cal-Tech and gave him a hand with the remote guiding system," Jim explained. "Tech's my thing, any and all flavours so long as it's interesting. At the moment though I'm kicking it old school." He gestured towards his cart with a grin. "Maybe I'll see if the shop's got any LEDs, pimp my ride a little." He flashed Adam another grin.
Adam couldn't help but smile back. "Have you met Mazie yet?" He asked, because that seemed vital. This guy even talked like she did.
Jim laughed and nodded his head. “Oh yes, she spoke nerdy to me, and now me, her and Rus have got of a bit of a geek triumvirate going on now it’s glorious.” Though not without it’s probelms he thought to himself, unconsciously glancing towards the ceiling to where he imagined the non-functioning cameras were lurking before flicking his attention to Adam. “I knew by her rep on the outside, never thought I’d wind up meeting the girl behind the code you know?”
"Rusty? Huh. He and I seem to get along better online than in person." Adam caught the way Jim's eyes ticked upward and frowned. He knew what that was. So apparently Mazie hadn't listened to him. "Not really. Not much of a computer guy. I can use it fine, but didn't get into the code or whatever you mean part." He smiled then looked up as the door opened and Jeremy came in.
Adam had been right in describing Jeremy as completely different. In contrast to how the younger man was dressed, Jeremy was back in one of his suits, fedora in place and pulled low, whistling to himself as he walked. His nerves were well hidden and once he saw the other two men he found a smile, holding out his hand to Jim. "Jeremy. See you found Adam without much trouble."
“Yeah, I can see how that’d be the case with him,” Jim replied, still chuckling a little. “But he’s good people, just a little lacking in the social skills department. Not that I’m gonna be winning any prizes for etiquette any time soon.” Turning to see what had caught Adam’s attention, Jim’s eyebrows rose a little at the sight of Jeremy though he was quick to grin as well, accepting the other man’s hand with ease. “Jim, suddenly feeling drastically under dressed. Nice place you guys have got down here, I’m loving the decor.”
"I just don't think he liked me," Adam said, waving at Jeremy. They had nothing in common from what he could guess but the guy seemed nice enough and he'd been understanding through the trial part. Adam felt a little awkward that Jeremy had helped decide his fate, but the man didn't seem to harbor any ill will towards him.
Jeremy shook Jim's hand and shrugged. "I'm used to boardrooms and high rises. Shouldn't have been surprised when I got suits as my wardrobe. You fit in just fine." He smiled, something cheerful and welcoming as if he didn't have a care in the world. "For not having a say in what they did down here I'm actually impressed." He moved to take the stool next to Jim. "Can I get a club soda." He asked Adam before looking at Jim. "Tell me what you had in mind?"
Jim had actually started to make a list but, unsurprisingly, had got distracted and left it unfinished so there had seemed little point in bringing it with him. Still he went over what he had come up with, fingers miming the motion of writing as he spoke. “Figuring maybe start with a couple of casual games, we’ll need a decent size table, chips or a stand-in for chips, couple of decks of cards obviously. If it’s popular, I could probably suss out a tournament kind of thing or we can keep it pretty loose. I’ve played in pretty much every kind of game so I figure it’ll be easy enough to come up with something that keeps all interested parties happy.”
Adam made Jeremy his drink, trying not to feel talked down to. He was standing behind the bar after all. His eyes ticked up from the glass he'd just dumped ice into when Jim spoke, seeing his hand moving more than really hearing him. That was weird. It was a relief Mazie wasn't twitchy like that. "There's cards in the activity room," he offered before finishing Jeremy's drink and pushing it across the bar.
"Sounds like a good start," Jeremy told Jim with a nod. He noticed the behavior too, but carried on rather than stare like Adam did. "We can probably find chips too, or something we can fashion out of them. I'd try the store as well as they seem to have a little of everything. Should we consider...security? I know tensions have seemed high as of late." His eyes cut to Adam for an instant before he took his drink.
Aware that he was being scrutinised a little, Jim made a conscious effort to stop and cracked his knuckles. “One of the reasons I got the name Glitch,” he said good naturedly, waggling his fingers a little at Adam. He didn’t dwell on the matter though, not wanting anyone to feel uncomfortable - even if he was at peace with his oddities, he didn’t always want to show them down peoples throats. “Sounds like we’re pretty set though, as for security...” He shrugged. “I’ll leave that call up to you guys. I was figuring on making it an open invite, law enforcers and detention guys included, so some might turn up of their own accord anyway. I’m certainly not adverse to the idea mind, I’ve seen enough games turn ugly in my time.”
Adam felt his cheeks get warm and managed a weak smile before he looked at the bar instead. "It's cool."
Outside of a glance at Adam and a fleeting wonder of just how young his social development had stopped, Jeremy pushed on. "Maybe I can coax Jae or Aaron into a drink at the very least. I don't want to enforce a police state, but like you, I've seen even rich men get bent out of sorts over a poker game. Best to be prepared."
He hadn’t set out to embarrass Adam but Jim took solace in that the younger man didn’t appear to be holding it against him and made a mental note to maybe dial things back a little the next time they spoke. “Sounds like a plan. Hey, maybe give them their drinks on the house as sort of a ‘thanks for keeping an eye’, I’ve know a few places that have done something similar with free soda for the designated driver and it always goes down pretty well.”
Jeremy nodded. "I like that. We can probably comp them some. Especially if they don't play." He looked around the bar and gestured towards a corner. "We can set up there," he explained. "There's a round table big enough for six. Who were you thinking as a dealer?"
“Well I could do it if we were to run the game that way,” Jim said but there was clear reluctance in both his face and voice. The truth of the matter was he wanted to gamble and his fingers were already itching for a spread of cards in one hand and a stack of chips beneath the other - the prospect of being there solely to dea just didn’t cut it. “If so it might be better off getting a couple of people willing to swap in and out and actually play if they want. Or we just keep it relaxed, dealer plays as if we’re at someone’s house. It’s not like we have to play by Vegas rules right?”
"We always played dealer around the table. Jeffrey said it kept people from cheating," Adam said with no real knowledge of the game outside of a few nights with his friends, nothing formal.
Jeremy almost offered to deal himself, loving the idea of being at the table like that, but when Jim and Adam landed on similar suggestions he opted not the rock the boat. "Works for me," he agreed then looked at the two of them. "Anything else?"
Jim shot Adam a grin. “Crowd like this, figure we could use a few ways to keep people honest.” And he included himself in that statement even if he was a little out of practice with counting cards - it wasn’t a skill one just forgot. That said, for him poker was never really about how much money he left the table with or even winning, it was just the thrill of the game itself. “And can’t think of anything else, say maybe snacks?” He looked back to Jeremy figuring that of the three of them, he seemed the most competent at getting shit organised.
Adam nodded in agreement. If anyone outside of the O'Conners was going to lie about poker, it'd the people here.
Jeremy grinned and nodded. "I'll ask Carmel if she can put something together, if she's willing. If not, I think Adam and I can raid the kitchen for something."
“Sweet.” Jim sat back on his stool and lent against the bar. “Looks like we have a poker game organised gents, who wants to spread the word? Kick off say 8ish tomorrow night?”
Jeremy smiled. "Your idea, you send out the message," he said, fine with letting Jim take the credit. "8ish works just fine. Everything'll be set and ready to go." He was actually amused by the endeavor, feeling a tiny bit more like himself, though that did mean the game needed to stay civilized.
“Fantastic. You guys gonna play?” Jim asked, already wishing he was at his computer so he could start telling people, excitement already starting to mount even if there wouldn’t be a payoff for another twenty four hours.
Adam shook his head. "I'm awful. I can't lie for shit. I will man the bar."
Jeremy smiled at Adam them shrugged. "I might be in for a hand." Though his motivations wouldn't be to play but to study the other players.
Jim flashed them both another grin and slid off his stool. “I look forward to it,” he said, grabbing hold of his cart. “Until then gentlemen, I bid you both a fond farewell!” And with that, he took off, whistling once more, the tune reverberating through the corridor as he left the bar and lingering in his wake until he was out of earshot.