10564/Poker Night at the Ha-Hacienda

Poker Night at the Ha-Hacienda
Date of Scene:	28 December 2019
Location:	West Chelsea Hill, Old Gotham
Synopsis:	Tomby and Mistah J play a little game
Cast of Characters:	Joker, Tombstone

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Joker has posed:
On a weekly, or whenever the hell he feels like it, basis, the Joker threw a Poker Night, inviting his fellow criminals, scoundrels, really, anyone who looked like scum or villainy. It was a grand affair. There were girls dressed up like playboy bunnies serving booze, cocktails, and snacks. The bartenders were dressed up in black suits, save for the jacket, and looked dapper. Though the colours were a bit off. Purples, oranges, and yellows were the accents of the day.

The Joker mingled to start. Although poker was the main draw, with pretty hefty pots, all of ill-gotten gains, though there was also craps, roulette, and a few other games. Everything looked well done, but just a little bit off, a little bit twisted, a little bit more fun.

Sitting down at one of the tables, joining after Murphy the Mad had just lost his shirt, literally, "deal me in ladies and gents." He set his money down on the table, and the dealer, who wore a clown-like version of a casino uniform, exchanged it for chips. The cash reserves were well guardeded by a large and professional force. Even if this was a usual thing, nobody trusted these guests.

Tombstone has posed:
"I must be crazy for coming here," Tombstone thought to himself as he walked through Joker's den. It was quite a surprise when the infamous Clown Prince of Crime invited Tombstone to one of his poker nights. For whatever reason, Tombstone decided to go and after one car trip later, found himself here. Tombstone had heard about how high the pots usually were and the offer more then thempting. But, what he was concerned about was Joker himself.

True, Tombstone was pretty durable, skin as hard as diamonds and all, but he had heard stories of Joker killing people bigger and stronger then him, and Tombstone had no doubt Joker could find a way to kill him. So, as he appraoched the poker table, he took a close look at his seat, probably looking out for a explosive whoopie cushion. He then sat his 6ft 7in frame down and said to Joker in a deep gravelly voice," Hello Joker."

Joker has posed:
"Ah, Mr. Lincoln, please, do have a seat, and join us, if you dare," and then he laughed at his own joke. No one else laughed. In fact, a few people at the table were scared. Such was Joker's reputation. But a reputation like that had substance behind it. For a seemingly ordinary human being, the Joker had proven especially hard to kill, and had a knack for defeating people bigger, stronger, richer, and more experienced than him. In many ways, he was the mirror image to Batman.

The dealer would take whatever money Tombstone cashed in for chips, sending it into the hole in the table that lead to a chute. It was all above board. Joker was many things, but he was neither a cheat, nor a liar. They were among his few redeeming qualities.

As the dealer dealt the game would continue, trading in cards, raising the stakes, as usual.

Tombstone has posed:
Tombstone grunted and nodded at Joker as he handed the dealer one thousand dollars. He wasn't exactly a expert at card games and did not want to lose too much money, especially to the clown sitting before him. As Tombstone grabbed his cards and started to look at them he galced lazily at Joker and said," So, why did ya invite of all people? I ain't exactly a fixture in Gotham like some of these other guys." He then grabbed a bottle of beer from one of the Bunnies and opened it. He then started to drink it.

Joker has posed:
"I'm branching out." He introduced the people at the table, and a few at other nearby tables. Many were from Gotham, some from Bludhaven, New York, Metropolis, even from as far away as Culver. "Besides, it's always good to know low people in high places."

The Joker won a few hands, not all, but he seemed to be a really good player, sometimes bluffing, sometimes finding the better cards. The Joker had lost a few hands too, and pots from previous parties, so nobody really claimed foul play. Besides, the dealers were independent and worked other parties too. A few had even tried to bribe them to no avail. They were being well paid to be fair. "What, you didn't think I'd have my people infiltrate your warehouse over on 45th street, getting that little something you keep in the secret third sub-basement while you were here, now did you? Don't be silly Tomby." And then more laughter.

Tombstone has posed:
Tombstone surprisingly won a few hands of this poker game. As Joker introduced his poker buddies, Tombstone took mental notes, these people could either be allies or future enemies in the future, especially the clown himself. Tombstone was in the middle of drinking a shot of Crown Royale when Joker told him about one of his warehouses. Tombstone suddenly had a coughing fit from shock as some of the liquor went down the wrong pipe. He also accidently crushed the shot glass in his grip, not cutting himself due to his hard skin. He then said to Joker," How did you figure out about my warehouse?!

Joker has posed:
The way the Joker replied, confident and innocent sounding, "what warehouse?" he'd have probably been able to pass a lie detector test. It was as if the earlier conversation never took place and he had no knowledge of it. And then, as a bunny cleaned up the glass and offered some first aid, even taking a seat in Tombstone's lap to do so, Joker added, "oh, that warehouse! Right. Bob told me about it." Bob Bradbury, who used to work for Tombstone, but mysteriously found himself at the bottom of the Hudson River for entirely differerent reasons. "Why, was it a secret?"

Tombstone has posed:
Tombstone, inbetween coughs looked at Joker with a bit of anger, but also with some surprise and said with the Bunnie on his lap," Bob told ya? That son of a bitch! That meat-packing plant is one of my distribution hubs. It is where i store all of my Hashish from my supplier in Morrocco. I only tell my buyers and some of my best junkies where that shit is. Bob is lucky that he is in the Hudson. Because I would tear his head off if he were still alive!"

Joker has posed:
"See, that's what's wrong with the world today. No follow through. Used to be that if you wanted to fucking rip a man's head off, you'd don the wetsuit, air tank, and go diving so that you can rip his fucking head off. Or get your people to do it. I miss the good old days."

The Joker would win another hand while talking. He had amassed quite the stack of chips. More than most at the table. Little did they know that the Joker was counting cards. He was doing calcualtions in his head as she saw cards come up. It was harder to count cards in poker than Blackjack, but still possible, and the Joker had as complex a mind as they came. He could come across as totally random, like when he increased a bet while he had nothing and was certain he would lose, and yet, the other man bought his bluff. But he had taken a gamble. He liked gambles. He liked random chance. "So, Tomby, what costumed crime fighter has been giving you the business?"

Tombstone has posed:
Tombstone was starting get suspicious. Either the clown was cheating or he was the best damn card player in the world. When Joker asked him which costumed hero gave him trouble, it did not take him long to think. He had been having encounters with many heroes recently, the hero that drove him the most crazy was obvious. Tombstone let out a growl and said," Well it ain't some wimp in a bat costume that's for sure. It the fucking Spider-Man. That fuck has been a pain in my ass for years and i haven't been able to squash him yet!"

Joker has posed:
The Joker smiled and steepled his fingertips. "Oh, you think that the bat is a wimp, do you? Well, he carries quite the reputation in this town. If you were to off him, it would do wonders for your reputation. Might even help you with that Spider-Man thing." Oh, Joker knew he was underestimating Batman, and that he would never be able to do anything about the Caped Crusader.

Tombstone has posed:
Tombstone put his hand to his chin and thought about it. On one hand if he killed the Bat, he would increase his Rep by a ton, maybe attract enough new blood to help advance some of his long-term goals. On the other, Batman could beat him and make him look like a chump. Tombstone then shrugged and said," I will think about it."

Joker has posed:
"Do so. Imagine all the people here who'd owe you if you did." Yeah, half of them would want to thank him, the other half would want to kill him, and earn glory through being the one to kill the guy who killed Batman. But unless Batman had one hell of a bad day, it was Tombstone who would suffer. The Joker knew him too well.

Tombstone has posed:
Tombstone grins, showing off his sharpened teeth as he said," You know, maybe i will. I was lookin into expanding into Gotham anyhow." Tombstone did not know this would probably end in disaster for him, all he was thinking about was developing a strategy to drive the Bat into the open. Perhaps hy starting with one of his little friends.

Joker has posed:
The Joker upon seeing the sharpened teeth, asks, "ooh, nice, who do you go to for that sort of custom dental work?" It had come down to just the Joker and Tombstone at the table, and with the Joker's chip lead, he matched everything Tombtone had left in his pot on the next hand. If he lost, Joker would still have a hefty amount, but if he won, that'd be the game. "I call." He laid down his cards, a straight flush.

Tombstone has posed:
Tombstone looked carefully at his cards while saying," I did this myself decades ago. I ocassionally file them to keep them looking nice and sharp". He then let out a swear as he slammed his cards down, he just lost the game.

Joker has posed:
As the Joker collected his winnings, "no hard feelings Tomby?" and the bunny who had helped dress Tombstone's wound came over, hopping back down in his lap and wiggled some. She said, "don't worry tall, pale, and handsome, you'll do better next time."

The Joker gave his chips to one of his goons, who took them and put them back with the the houses money, since anything he won was actually the houses money. "So, need any pointers on how to address the bat?" Joker asked as he plopped his elbows on the table and looked up at Tombstone.

Tombstone has posed:
Tombstone grinned a bit at the Bunny and said to Joker," What exactly is he packing? My skin may be as hard as diamonds, but it will be useless if he has somethin that cuts diamonds if ya know what i mean. Also, who does he run with? I am thinking to get to him, I might need to beat the shit out of one of his partners."

Joker has posed:
Joker says, "Oh, the bat, he has shark repellant, a grappling hook, caltrops, Kryptonite, the usual things you'd expect of a costumed hero." As if any of those were standard issue. "You'll have a grand old time. Shouldn't be too much trouble for a man such as yourself, isn't that right Lizzie?"

Tombstone has posed:
Tombstone nods as he listen to Joker explain the Bat's hardware. He then nods as he says to Joker," All right, will need to think up a game plan. Thanks for the game joker. Now, if ya excuse me." Tombstone then stands up suddenly, lifting up Lizzie with him, who was clutching a handfull of hundreds. As he walked to the door, he said to Joker," If ya don't mind, i am takin Lizzie here for a night on the town."