"I WIN!”
Victorious cries shook the rafters of the establishment and the willpower of those sat at a wooden table nearly knocking one of the glass vases off onto the floor in the process. Its mirror-esque shine was no longer threatened when a rather bulbous man calmed himself and settled back into his seat once more. Should someone have arrived at the bar at that exact moment, all they would have heard was a chorus of grumbles and groans whilst the losers of their latest exchange coughed up what little remained in their pockets.
"Come on, come on, that’s right…all of it!”
It just so happened that someone did pass through the saloon doors without drawing too much attention. There were a few eyes that locked themselves on their figure first as hers was a desirable hourglass in shape then slowly they lifted with the majority of the stares unable to pull away from obstinately present breasts strapped to her body by a small red bikini top. They bounced lightly with each of her steps until they finally stopped after she sat down at her own table only two away from the one with all of the action. The community around her started to mutter various things that she was used to hearing, usually about herself or her questionable manner of wearing her shihakusho. These quips were all coming from those relatively familiar with her so she paid them no mind, no, her attention was fixated on the drunk swaying back and forth in his seat overjoyed that he had been able to rake in the mound of goods previously belonging to the disgruntled men and women leaving his side.
"What’s wrong?! Don’t be like thaaaat come on let’s have a drink–oh wait. Y’all lost your MONEY! What’re you gonna pay with?! HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!”
"Can I get you something, miss?”
A young man had approached her from one of the tables nearby and had offered to buy the navy-haired girl a drink. Without taking her eyes off of the scene, she parted her lips to give him an answer. He was a little put off by this but he hung in there. After all, just about everyone there was watching that rotten man. Though when he tried to look into her eyes he got a bit of a chill because the way she was staring at that fattened slob he could have sworn she wanted to eat him.
"For me? Really? That’s so cool of you! Let’s see…Since it’s my choice…Just some sake!”
Her reply was cheerful and evident that she was grateful and even a little flattered that he would go out of his way to get her a beverage and dare he say, interested. He took this as a sign that she would be alright if he joined her at her table and so he did after beckoning a waitress and asking for her to fetch this order. He was a simple looking man with no scars or blemishes of any kind with a gentle vibe.
“Do you gamble?”
It is then that the young woman turned her face so that she was looking directly at him and in this instant they are locked there, each gazing back at the other. He realizes she is easy to read because the idea of gambling doesn’t garner a significant change of her expression. He’s decided that she could care less either way and preferred the entertainment of being an onlooker rather than a participant. Their sake came to the table and the waitress served two small cups alongside the bottle. He took it upon himself to pour them both a glass that they quickly grasped, lifted and clinked together before gulping it down.
"A little.”
The man laughed because he was surprised, he had determined she could care less about playing cards by the nonchalant way she had reacted and probably knew very little about them.. In the process, he had put his hand on the back of his head and rubbed it as a way to express he was a little sheepish. He took another drink and set the cup down a little harder than he did the first time.
“HEY!”
Jolted out of what had started out as a peaceful encounter, the young woman’s baby blue eyes were torn from him and once again fixated on the rude man who had interrupted them. He had a wide smile missing a few teeth in some places plastered on his rough face with cheeks flushed red from his drink. He lifted his arm into the air and waved it above himself enthusiastically as if his shout hadn’t alerted her. The man by her side looked taken aback by the boozer’s impropriety toward her and in an attempt to calm her, he waved a dismissive finger at him which earned him an angry scowl.
"Don’t look at him, he’s been at this all day. He's so drunk that if you don’t stop staring he might challenge you next!”
“No way, you think?”
“OI! LITTLE GIRL! You wanna play with me?”
A good portion of the bar got quiet when the brute directed his stupor toward her. Instantly irritated by this, the man by her side closed his mouth and made no implication he was going to stand up for her or stop the other man in any way. Clearly he was out of his league. Unhindered, the scruffy man slammed his fist onto the table causing the vase to quiver once again but before it could fall, she was there stopping it with her fingers. Her movement had been so fast that the man left at their table was unable to process that she had moved until she had. The inebriated man could not have been happier that she had come closer because he was getting a great view of her wobbling assets.
"Names Kori.”
"Kori.”
He tried the sound of her name out like a pair of shoes or a new shirt. It rang like a bell so lovely and clean that he couldn’t wait to stain it. Unceremoniously, he didn’t bother offering his own name and he began to pat the empty side of the table with gusto to show her that he wanted her to take a seat; so she did. By this time, he had taken it upon himself to explore the whole of her body with his lecherous gawking and something he took particular note of was a long black tattoo that stretched from the middle of her chest to the middle of her stomach. He had already defiled every inch of her with his hands in his repulsive imagination when again he challenged her.
“Whaddya say Kori?-hic- Ya wanna play?”
"I dunno, I only have a little cash...”
“Don’t worry about it! Maybe you’ll win alla’ mine!”
"Hell Yea! Let’s do this!”
Another day another sucker.
“Game’s simple. Rock, paper, scissors. Just with cards.”
The man drew her attention to a black box sitting by their side. It was on the table a few meters away from the two players. He reached into the box and grabbed three cards with their faces turned away from Kori. He gestured for her to do the same and she did and held her cards with the backs facing him too.
“We’ll do a test run, -hic- Count down three to one n’ then we -hic- show our card!”
“Okie Doke.”
In unison, they counted down and threw their cards at the same time. She had scissors and he had rock.
“Aw, crap I lost!”
“Uh ohhh, good thing it's a test round huh? Better get better than that after this!”
His laughter echoed in the bar and by now those who were watching were unable to peel their eyes off of the situation. Some of them were smiling and some looked genuinely concerned but all of them wanted to see what was going to happen next. All the while the guy who had gotten her a drink was spectating the events from behind her. What had made her want to involve herself with such a dirty bum and a dirtier game? Maybe she was looking for some excitement and if that was the case she should have just gone home with him. That would have been cheaper for her!
“I’ll bet a few coins.”
“I’ll match.”
The clinking of the currency moving into the pot signaled the beginning of the drawing sequence. Kori took three cards and he took three cards and after another countdown they showed their cards.
“Oooh, too bad.”
Kori had lost again and her jolly opponent was laughing about it. She smiled a little bit and it appeared that she was having a little bit of fun. In fact, it looked like that loss didn’t upset her at all. Once he stopped, he resituated himself so that he could hold his head up with a hand and his elbow rested on the edge of the table for added support.
“Tell you what ~I’ll help you out, I’ll bet alllllllll this. So you got somethin’ to play with!”
“That’s sweet of you!”
“Nah, nah it’s alright really.”
This time, she bet a few of her coins again and he grabbed a handful of his to throw into the pot. The amount was indiscernible but it was more than she had and that was all that should have mattered. They drew their cards and the countdown started again. Together they revealed their card and the man’s smile fell.
“I won!”
“Ha, haha..yea you did. Let’s go again.”
Since he hadn’t been worried about failing, he didn’t pay much mind to the amount that he had bet and only when she began to take it all away did he realize in his drunk state of mind that it accrued to over two hundred yen. He grumbled a little under his breath and took a swig of a jug by his pile of wealth but his annoyance wasn’t meant for her.
“I’m all in!”
“HAHAHA!”
He couldn’t hold in his short burst of laughter at the notion that she was going to bet everything she had just made off of him. He raised a brow and waited for her to realize she had made a mistake but she sat still and waited patiently. When he saw that she wasn’t going to budge he pushed a large pile out to match her own. They drew and then put their card down on the table.
“Oh man!”
“See, that wasn’t too smart honey.”
“Let’s play again!”
“Okay, okay okay but this time I don’t want money.”
"What do you want?”
“How ‘bout your shirt?”
He chuckled at the notion that he may be able to win her top and thereby leave her more exposed than she already was. He had a thing for a woman’s shoulders. At first, she looked hesitant but then she grinned nice and wide. He watched her take another gulp of the bottle of sake she’d brought with her and this caused the young man from earlier who had purchased it to become confused. He didn’t realize it had left her table. With a telling pink glow on her cheeks she giggled and tapped the table.
“Fine, but if I win then I get your shirt.”
“Ohoohoho~ Deal.”
They drew again and they both had their cards. After looking down the edges at one another, they counted down and then when the time was right they showed their card.
“THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKIN’ ABOUT!”
“Nooo!”
“Hahahaha! Better luck next time little lady. Now..”
“Eh, fair’s fair.”
As she began to remove her top, all eyes were on her. Nostrils flared and temperatures rose at the sight of the cover leaving Kori.. She gathered the fabric into her hands and handed it over to the sweaty palm reaching out for it. He took it and without shame put it to his face so that he could get a whiff of her scent. Kori watched him do this with tipsy sparkles in her eyes. Satisfied, he set the garment down and returned his attention to the game.
“One more! C’mon let’s play some more!”
“Haha! Okay, okay! Maybe I’ll win your pants next!”
"Maybe…but you chose what to bet on last time, that means it’s my turn.”
“Sure, sure. What do you want?”
“Your arm.”
The bar became silent save for a few hushed voices asking if the person next to them had heard the same thing that they did. She had asked for his arm? Wait, did she really mean that she wanted to cut off his arm? It’s then that those in the vicinity who were rather inebriated to begin with started to recognize that Kori was a soul reaper even though there was no sign of a Zanpakuto strapped to her hip or on her back by a sheathe. This was something that had gone over the big man’s head as well. He looked just as stunned as the others around him and then he smirked as if she had told him a funny joke. All at once the warmth of naivete had run cold.
“Y-you’re kidding.”
“Did I stutter?”
He could not believe it. There was no way this girl wanted to take his entire arm off of his body. He had to be more than drunk at that point and couldn’t trust what he was being told. Although, when he got a good look at the faces of the bargoers, it became obvious that even though she was getting drunk too, she wasn’t kidding at all. She was deadly serious. Sitting there glaring back at him was no woman at all. She was a snake poised in the grass prepared to strike.
“That’s kinda dark.”
“You scared?”
His slack jaw look intensified Kori’s smile and she watched him squirm. Until now, she and the man had been complete strangers since he was not from around this district. Even so, she knew him. He was a gambler. Kori was of the belief that something lies dormant in every betters soul that only comes to life at the mention of a game of gambling. The higher the stakes the more sinister it leers back through its hosts eyes at her and her own returns the favor. Although a simple face is in front of her, she could see the jubilance of her playmate swell and wane depending on their overall confidence that they would be able to beat her. On the other hand, she was a regular and just about everyone in the place knew her. They knew she liked to drink, they knew she was a great tipper and they knew she was bad news.
After a minute or two of mulling it over, the drunk snickered and slammed his hand loudly on the table shaking it another time.
“Don’t you want some money?!”
“No. I want your arm.”
“Tch.”
“Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet! You can even cut these off and keep them forever if you win!.”
Hook, line and sinker. The beautiful young lady leaned forward against the table making it impossible for him to ignore them. He glances up at Kori one more time but then his heart skips a beat. Her breathing had quickened, her eyes were wider and she was sweating. The girl in front of him that he’d been toying with the first rounds of the game was a stone cold addict. How hadn’t he seen it before?! He’d played her type and usually wiped the floor with them and he could definitely pick them out of a crowd but for some reason he hadn’t been able to figure it out about her.
“You’re crazy…”
“Isn’t that what makes it fun?! No one in their right mind is gonna risk their fortune, life and limb to a roll of the dice!”
N—“
“So, I guess, the crazier you are the more you LOVE to gamble!”
He blinked and stared at her again but he wasn’t looking at her face. He was getting another good look at her bust. She had said the magic words that ensured his cooperation. The energy radiating off of Kori Shiba was intoxicating and hit him in the face like a fancy perfume violating every sense that he had. The way that she stared at him as if he was a piece of meat pissed him off. Just who did she think she was messing with?!
“You shouldn’t under-hic-underestimate me little girl…That'll get you in trouble.”
“That’s the spirit! OOH, nothing like a large wager to get me going!”
This girl was talking like she was going to beat him but there was something that she could not have been privy to. The nameless fellow who had bought her a drink was in cahoots with him by signaling what cards she had and then which one she was going to use. He’d purposely chosen cards that would lose to her in order to boost her confidence in her skill before the big stuff got put on the line. However, the loss of his money had not been a part of the plan. At the very last second before she set her card down, she had changed her mind and had given his partner no time to warn his boss. This was the only thing causing him apprehension but surely it had been a fluke. A product of indecision.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice? Someone’s telling you what card I’m gonna play.”
“Wh- How dare you!”
“Your method is flawed.”
“Enough accusations! If you’re trying to get out of this—-“
“Huh?! Why would I do that?! Besides…the real fun is just about to start.”
He flinched. How was she so calm? She didn’t think she could actually win…no! It was impossible as long as she didn’t know what move he was going for and there was no way that she could really know if someone was feeding him information. Her bluff would be the end of her and he’d have to teach her a lesson when this was all over.
“You’re never gonna deceive anyone if you’re not willing to shed a little blood.”
“Are you done?! Throw a card!”
“I warned you.”
He threw scissors expecting a draw with another pair of scissors or to cut her paper and win but the paper he expected to be there was not and in its place laid a rock. Audible gasps broke out amongst the patrons in the bar showing that they were just as surprised as he was. No matter how much he blinked or shook his head the sight of rock vs scissors would not go away.
“Impossible.”
“Impossible or not…what a pretty sight. So, should we settle up?”
“N-no I—-“
“You lost.”
Shnk * Thud
With a golden flash the severed limb hit the ground before anyone could react. Crimson covered the floor, table and cards as instantaneous as her victory. He did not even have time to scream before he lost his left arm. Once his unintelligible screaming commenced the men at his back rushed to his defense and aid but by then Kori had made her getaway into the alley beside the chaotic scene with the bottle of sake grasped tightly in one of her hands. Such a bloody end wasn’t anything new for a day in the life in the Rukongai but she still needed to take off as soon as she could to avoid complications. That would have been annoying. While the others shouted and scrambled to contain the incident she took another long swig of alcohol before dropping its empty shell into a box near her feet.
“How did you know?”
A familiar voice got Kori to turn on her heel to face the man’s accomplice from earlier who had bought her the sake. He had a serious expression on his face instead of the gentle one from earlier. His eyes flickered from her to the jewel encrusted golden blade with a dark red hilt and immediately recognized that she was a shinigami. He half expected her to ignore him but Kori answered him with a smirk on her lips.
“About you?…It was a big game with big stakes so I thought his eyes would be on me but instead they were all on you cause you were giving him signals so he’d know what card I was gonna play.”
“But I was behind you! How did you see me?!”
“The vase. They got one on every table. They’re practically mirrors. That, and you rubbed the back of your head to tell him that I was the next mark.”
He froze and thought back to the moment when she rushed her opponent’s table after his partner got more rowdy. Her back was to him and she had stopped the vase from falling over by steadying it. The rest of the match, it hadn’t moved an inch despite his drunken antics. So, she had seen him helping his boss cheat but she kept going anyway?!
“ I got a question for you. Why didn’t you tell him I was gonna play rock?”
“I…I didn’t wanna see you get hurt.”
“Aw, you're so sweet.”
Confused, he blinked but when he opened his eyes she was nowhere to see in front of him. In his urgency to find her he looked to the skyline where he spied her atop the roof of the building next to them. He was going to call out to her and ask why she had given it all to him but somehow he knew that the money never mattered to her. This was a reward for the sake and his refusal to help his employer tear her apart.
“Wait! There’s hardly any rocks in that box! It's part of the scam! There’s maybe two out of hundreds of cards! If anything, it should’ve been a draw!”
“Oh, that? I call that the luck of the draw!”
“What?!”