11117/Poker Night

Poker Night
Date of Scene:	24 February 2020
Location:	Club Lacey's, Red Hook
Synopsis:	Harley oversees a game of cards, runs into Piotr, tries to recruit him.
Cast of Characters:	Colossus, Harley Quinn

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Colossus has posed:
    This time of night this far out in Gotham they have't seen this guy before. Some sorta Russkie with that accent. Probably a mobster with how big he is, and those dead eyes. That's definitely a fella that doesn't know any grief or remorse for the evil things he's done. At least that's the impression he's giving, that one guy over there at the poker table in Lacey's. Not exactly a guy from their usual clientele, he's there for the poker game, that much is for sure. Sometimes two tables are set aside, all comers that can get into the club are taken, and the pot can get pretty high.
    Like now, almost several grand in there. And that Russian he just keeps staring straight at Mickey Green, as if Mickey didn't mean anything to him. And Mickey, he's feeling that heat, sitting there at the poker table, the waitresses walking by and stopping to flirt and offer drinks.
    Mickey leans in and chips clatter as they're pushed into the pot. "500."
    The Russian looks down at the pot, across the way at Mickey, again down at the pot. And then with a deep resonant voice he says simply. "I call."
    The cards are revealed and there are groans from all the observers. Damn Russian.

Harley Quinn has posed:
With Joker getting some cuts lately, by way of protection money, he ever so often has someone give it a quick once over to ensure all is well. Tonight Harley was bored, so figured she may well go there and take a look-see.

Dressed rather provocatively, Harley tends to stand out as she walks in the perimeter of the room. Not interfering with the game, but keeping good looks that no cheating takes place. Or at least not cheating that isn't profitable for her and her beau.

Piotr is certainly a new face around here, which makes her focus on him a bit more, "looks like the Ruskie is cleaning you up, huh Mickey Blue Eyes?" Harley giggles at her little joke, twirling about a baseball bat in her hands while moving about the room.

Colossus has posed:
    "You gotta do that in heah, Harls?" Mickey says, exasperatedly as indeed he just lost his money to the big Russian who has said maybe two dozen words all night. But when he spoke it was in that Dolph Lundgren voice that everyone expected all Russians to have. So must be true.
    Piotr, however, is gathering up the chips, eyebrows raising as he tallies up the total. It was a good night, and he shall have to remember to thank Katya for the suggestion. The mathematics of poker were simple. But for him... it was the gift of that natural stoicism he possessed that helped the most.
    "For your troubles," He says, the last R rolling like a low growl as he speaks, then places five blue chips before the dealer, tipping as is proper and generously so. The chair scrapes as Piotr gains his feet and if Harley hadn't been there when he arrived. Damn he's tall. Then he looks to the four other men at the table and tells them with an easily given smile, sincerity in his words curiouslty enough. "Thank you. For good game."
    Then he moves toward the bar and likely will await til they finish cashing him out.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"I do what I want, where I want, you know it don'cha, Mickey? If ya got a problem with that, you can talk to Mistah J, want me to put him on...?" Harley offers ever so kindly, as she pulls out a jewel studded phone from an inner pocket of her jacket. "I'm sure he'd love to hear how much you insulted me, near damn brought me ta tears..." she mock whimpers, going so far as to feign rubbing her eyes with her hands as if she was crying.

When Piotr gets up, Harley takes notice, and immediately stops her act. Lucky Mickey, he might not get in further trouble. "Ain'cha a looker, huh, Ruskie?" Harley comments as she walks up to Piotr without a shadow of hesitation, quite literally checking him out with disregard to how he might feel about it. "Ya lift much?"

Colossus has posed:
    Mickey, of course, doesn't /really/ have enough of a problem with it. But she can see in his eyes as he grimaces, sighs, looks away. Yeah Harl has the run of the joint in the absence of the boss. And when she talks about possibly telling Joker about him, he blinks and says, "You don't gotta do that, Harley. S'alright. We're all good here. All friends here, right?" He loosens his collar a little as he feels the room close in on him.
    But then Harleen walks after Piotr and perhaps her words don't at first register. Perhaps it takes him a brief moment to translate. but then when she saunters up to give him the once over his blue eyes will meet hers then he tilts his head to the side. "Da, I like to..."
    He looks away, as if seeking the right word, then looks back to her and says simply. "To stay healthy." One hand lifts to uncurl toward her as he tries to return the compliment. "Though it seems I am not alone in this, yes?"

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Of course we are, Mickey, you're my fav 'round here...especially when you give me gifts, y'know?" Harley partially teases, partially suggests Mickey might think of something nice to leave behind as he concludes his sorry business for the day.

In the meantime, she really does focus on this rare Russian specimen. With any luck, he might be looking for work, Joker sure could use the muscle. "That's great...could ya, like...punch a guy through a wall?" Harley muses inquisitively, conducting something of a fasttracked job interview on the spot. Potentially without Piotr even realizing what is going on. She reaches to touch his bicep as if it was the most casual thing in the world, not bothering to ask for permission, "ooooh, that looks firm, and yeah...I look after myself. Gotta look poifect fer my puddin'!" Harley lets out a beaming smile, "so, how many times a week are you free ta work, beefcake?"

Colossus has posed:
    "I..." Piotr's expression shifts a touch confused as he lifts his arm drawing back a little but not rudely so, though the shift causes that bicep to swell rather impressively. "Am afraid I already have a job. Ms. Harley." Ah so he'd been paying attention, though is not enough in the know to realize that's her first name.
    "And," His lip twists into a small smile, as if trying to convey to her a secret he leans forwards slightly. "I am also, how do you say, a man of peace?" That said he gives a nod once and that is, of course, the moment the bartender comes over and he places the rather unimpressive order of, "A ginger ale, please. While I wait."
    That said he turns from the bar to look directly at the female gangster girl and smiles.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Seriously...?" Harley frowns, looking quite disappointed as she reaches to poke Piotr in the abs with her baseball bat. "I'm offering ya a gig with Mistah J, and yer tellin' me ya already got a job? Sheesh, don'cha wanna get ahead in life?" Harley shakes her head in disappointment. "As added bonus, maybe I'll play wit' ya sometime, ha!" She sure seems to think the offer should tip the scales in her favor. But then he goes ahead and talks about peace while ordering ginger ale, and Harley goes cross eyed, staring at him in confusion. "So...yer repressin' something?" She wonders, moving right next to Piotr, looking him up and down, "fer a small fee I can offer you some counseling. I'm pretty good at it too."

Colossus has posed:
    That baseball bat pokes those abs and... damn. Rock hard. It's clear this guy does more than just take care of himself, as he's a veritable wall of flesh made steel. Metaphorically at least, for now. But his lips twist a little as she makes that comment about getting ahead at times and he quirks his eyebrow at the last.
    "Play?" He asks, perhaps thinking it is some sort of mistranslation or mistake he's making in understanding. "You mean train? Perhaps if you wish. I sometimes work at a gym if you wish." Of course that must be what she meant.
    hen at the last as she steps closer he smiles. But he does not step away. She's close enough to feel that this tall guy is very warm. And there's a faint tang of exertion to him, masculine, as if he was no stranger to hard work.
    "Counseling, I do not know. But I am always available to talk, with a friend." He nods to her and then extends his hand, "I am Piotr. Piotr Rasputin."

Harley Quinn has posed:
Harley looks incredulously at Piotr, before bursting in laughter, thinking he is playing her. "Fuck me, yer good, I almost bought all that stuff about ya being an innocent angel. Come on, Ruskie, I see how yer built, who ya working for? Is it two Cement Boots Larry? Charlie the Collar? Who? I can offer ya way better pay...and excitment!" She decides to demonstrate it by leaping up on the bar counter and kicking an empty glass to shatter against the wall. "See? I can do what I want, because I'm fun! Don'cha wanna be fun, Mister Piotr?" Harley coos playfully at the Russian, figuring she'd surely get him to accept her offer now.

Colossus has posed:
    The people in Lacey's. They are perhaps used to Harley. Used to the wildness and the randomness. And all of them know at least one thing. To stay out of her way. Especially when she gets her claws into something that momentarily keeps her attention, and poor Piotr is like a catnip filled mousey in front of a wild feline.
    His smile returns, and it's curious to consider how stony-faced he was during the poker game. He answers her in a tone of voice that is easy-going and gentle as he murmurs, "Again, I am afraid you have a misconception about me. I sometimes work, down at Nevisnky's in Little Odessa?" She might be familiar with it as it's where the Russian Mob sends some of their guys to train in CQC and athletics. "But other than that I am sometimes an art teacher. In Salem Center." She has perhaps never heard of that compared to a place like Gotham.
    Then she leaps and /kicks/ and the glass shatters. He laughs a little, looking where the glass has fallen, then back up toward her. "I... do not dislike fun?" There that might be a good answer?

Harley Quinn has posed:
Harley stares at Piotr, looking down at him while she stands atop the bar, setting her baseball bat down and leaning against it. "Sure yer into art," she laughs, not buying it for a second. "But I bet you do go to Nevinsky's a lot, I can see that. See? It's better when ya don't lie. I could get offended if ya lie to me." She shakes her head as she starts to stroll up and down the bar counter like it was her personal catwalk. "So disappointing, well, maybe we talk ta Boris and see if we can borrow ya sometime, 'k? I'm sure Mistah J will approve of a beefcake like you."

She then pauses, and looks towards the door, before asking, "can you like...lift a car and toss it? Would that take...what? 5-6 people in one go?"

Colossus has posed:
    "Miss Harley," If she knew him better she might recognize the tone of voice he uses when speaking with an errant student. For he is conciliatory and gentle in his tone. Even as other servers nearby key in to what she's saying. The whole 'don't lie' thing gets people running for the hills since that's one of the key words they've heard before, usually after that... there's blood to clean up.
    Yet Piotr continues, though if she is a good measure of people she might well get the feeling that there is no subterfuge in him. "I understand if you judge me by my looks. I am big. I am strong. But that is not all there is to me, yes?"
    He uncurls a hand toward her and adds, "It is as if I judged you by only what I saw. I see a beautiful woman. Dangerous and wild. There is something edged to you, sharp lines." The way he says this it is clear he is observing her, as if trying to imagine how he would try and capture her image if he was tasked to do so. "But there is more to you than this."
    And after he says that the people all sort of stop and /stare/ at him. Half-expecting to see that baseball bat swing wild.

Harley Quinn has posed:
Harley hops off the counter, and leans on it instead, looking up at Piotr now. She says nothing for a while, but seems intrigued by his attempt to read her. After all, she analyzes people all the time. It was quite refreshing to run into another soul who is into the habit. "Ya think ya know me, Ruskie?"

Still, Harley doesn't sound angry so much as amused. "If you weren't careful, I'd say ya was flirting with me..." she gasps, covering her mouth with her gloved hand. But then she squints and stares daggers at Piotr, "are ya?"

Colossus has posed:
    "No, more I am saying I do not know you, Miss Harley." Piotr says, unphased at the consideration and still holding his place at the bar. Her reaction has all of the people suddenly back into motion, moving quickly and thoroughly to get work done, yes work work work, nobody is eavesdropping. "But I believe there is more."
    His blue eyes are a deep ocean color, and they are unwavering as he holds her gaze. Then she asks him if he's flirting with her and he laughs a little. His eyes lower, then return to her gaze as he only /then/ gets his ginger ale. Likely delivered nervously and quickly by the bartender.
    "I do not think flirting is the right word, yes?" Perhaps it is the language barrier. "I say what I see. Of you. Do I find you attractive? That is a curious question for who would not find you so?" Then, very calmly he takes a sip of his drink. The bastard.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Correctomundo!" Harley seems pleased that Piotr is respectful enough to admit he doesn't know her. "Thanks for seeing how clever and deep I am, that's sweet of ya," Harley says while blowing Piotr a kiss. "Oh please!" She laughs and waves her hand dismissively at Piotr, "don't blow smoke up my ass, subtle flattery works better," Harley snaps loudly before laughing manically, finding some amusement in the exchange, "fine...ya get ta go fer now, Ruskie," she announces and starts to head out, casting glares at those she walks past, before barking at one of them randomly and laughing in hysterics as he jumps fearfully.