Fancy dress and Gambling Offshoot (Pregame 1 LE Storage)

[Tanaki]

(Sorry about the delay)

"I guess the simple answer, Easy, is you send the two of them to the spa and you stay back?" He grins and raises again, "That's what a good leader would do, right?"

[Ezmeralda]

"Oh, no. They have their chances to win themselves and do just that. I'll probably have a one day best subordinate off," she smirked, "If Laks really wanted it she could just put them both on stand by detail while she fluffed my pillows and all that."

"Don't give her ideas!" Sierra called out.

[Lakshmi Kaala]

"Soooo, about your pillows Ez. How fluffed up do you like them?" Laks asks merrily.

A new hand was beginning.

It looked like Tanaki was ahead this time, as he hit 20 when everyone else was on 19. Then it was Ez and she made 21 with an ace and a king. The dealer hit 20 right after.

Laks checked her rapidly dwindling amount of tokens. She had less than half left.

"Mou!" She clapped the table. "Come on!"

So far Cat was up ever so slightly, Tanaki was down and Ez had doubled her tokens. Maybe she'd end up placing?

[Tanaki]

Tanaki grumbles, "Really thought I had it there, still its only fake money right? " He antes up for the next hand. "I am just looking forward to dancing later"

[Ezmeralda]

"Oh, fluffy pillows are where it is at. So, like a cloud?" she smiled.

Piling her heap of chips she laughed, "All the fake money!"

[Catherine Maia Hayes]

"This game is so silly." Catherine laughs as they play. "Fake money or not, the shopping trip full of pampering is real."

[Lakshmi Kaala]

The next hand saw Cat knocked out quickly. Laks had managed 12 with four cards only to be knocked out with a fifth. Then it was a head to head between Ez and Tanaki. The nobleman edged out, his twenty beating Ez's nineteen and the house's eighteen.

"One more." Laks comments sulkily.

She literally only had one token left.

[Catherine Maia Hayes]

Catherine gives her friend a very gentle zero-G safe cuff in the arm to cheer her up. "I'd gladly share my tokens with you, Laks. Not that I have all that many left myself. But order from above told us no. Let's go under together in glorious comradeship!"

[Ezmeralda]

"Hmmm, a challenger I see," the bunny counted her chips and looked at the teller, "We just go head to head or can more people join the table?"

[Tanaki]

Running high on his winnings, Tanaki smiles "Don't worry Captain I have you covered for this hand"

[Lakshmi Kaala]

"It's not allowed, but thanks."

She looked at her cards and huffed.

"Hit me."

The dealer offered her a card, which she collected. She then offered all three back.

"I'm out."

She spun in the air. "That was quick."

The round would go to Cat.

"Someone else have my spot." Laks suggests with a sigh. She moved to float behind Cat. "Beat them all for me Cat. Show them your cute lady Santa powers."

[Catherine Maia Hayes]

"Woohoo! I win more round plastic discs!" Catherine cheers and takes a celebratory sip of strawberry liquor from her bottle.

"Aww .. Laks." She twists herself to give her friend a smile and tries to cheer them both up. "Santa powers! Let's try and see if they work! Magical girl lady Santa make up laser show goooo~!"

[Tanaki]

"We arent allowed to share or trade tokens? I didn't realize that. " He frowns and looks over his next hand as it gets dealt out.

[Catherine Maia Hayes]

"Didn't you listen to Laks here earlier?" Catherine admonishes Tanaki with a playful smile. "She made a big speech and everything. Even had a microphone. No cheating or giving token to others or stuff like that. The boards with the rules are over there." She points at them with a wavy gesture, without really looking.

[Tanaki]

"No fair, no one told me we had to read"

[Catherine Maia Hayes]

"Didn't you listen though? Laks told us right after that big Baaaaam~! Well, everyone's ears were ringing after that one, so maybe that's why you missed it." Catherine twists her head back, to grin at her friend and laugh cheerfully. "Any excuse for some good feedback, right?"

[Ezmeralda]

"It's fine," she leaned back, "Hey! Newbie! You're in."

The red suited bunny floated over with a fresh bag of tokens, "So... we are playing blackjack?"

"Yup, fresh meat for the slaughter."

"Oh, yeah?" the rookie looked grim faced, "I'll make you regret assuming that. Dealer hit me!"

[Lakshmi Kaala]

"I absolutely mentioned it." Laks affirms with a chuckle. "Thanks Cat."

The newbie was on fire. Instant 21. Lakshmi cuddled Cat from behind and watched proceedings. She wanted one of her company members to win the overall prize even if they didn't take her, but they weren't winning consistently enough. Time was ticking away for Cat and Ez.

[Catherine Maia Hayes]

"Always, Laks." Catherine replies and turns her attention back towards the ongoing game.

"Aww ... another not-win for me." She easily shrugs off her loss and focuses on the cuddling instead. It is a much nicer experience than the game.

[Ezmeralda]

"Mwahaha! It's all mine now!" the rookie pilot drew in her haul of chips.

"I have unleashed a monster," Ezmeralda sighed.