Idle Hands

Posted on 06 Aug 2020 @ 6:14pm by

965 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Ghosts
Location: Crew Quarters
Timeline: MD 2

Jondar grinned as he sat with a group of pilots someones quarters as he laid down his cards, "Read 'em and weep" he said as the others groaned, tossing down their cards and hinting he'd made dark deals to win. He laughed pulling the pot toward him. Ok so they were just poker chips but it was the challenge. "Sore losers" he quipped.

"Double or nothing!" Dhred exclaimed as he shoved his losing cards to the center of the card table.

"Mother Baro didn't raise no fool but I will start another hand..." Jolan quipped and began to reset the cards. The weekly card game come of the pilots got together for was a loose affair some played cards while others chatted or generally hung out. As was common one of the players dropped out then but someone took his place.

Dhred cackled in delight. "Count me in!" He threw in his double blind and took a quick swig of his dark brown bottle.

Baro mixed up the cards and passed them out, here was silence for a few moments as the other remaining players decided on their bets. Baro made a decent but not overly large bet. "Hows things?" He asked the newer pilot. There hadn't been a lot of time to hang out and there'd been a lot new personnel so he'd not had time to get to know everyone as well as the old hands.

"I'm losing my shorts at cards," Dhred quipped. "So there's that!"

"You wear shorts? Pansy..." Jondar joked right back, "You gonna call or raise?"

Glancing at his cards, Dhred groaned. "Call!"

Others put down their cards, varying levels none great. Jondar put his down, "Full House." he grinned.

"DAMN YOU!" Dhred flung his flush at Jondar's face. Five spades wafted in every direction like leaves in the wind.

Jondar ducked and came to his feet, "What's wrong with you Craft?" his tone annoyed but himself under control. The other pilots tensed as they wondered if they were going to have to pull anyone off anyone else.

"I thought I had you that time!" The Andorian nearly guffawed out of his chair. "Come on, deal up another hand. I'm feelin' lucky this round." He grinned and waggled his eyebrows.

Jolan just looked at him, "Dude tossing cards at someones face not stellar man." he said trying to get a handle on new guy.

That made Dhred snicker. "Neither is kicking my ass at cards!" He let out a whoop that ended in a dejected sigh. "Alright, my deal," he said with a grin. "Just so you know, I'm going big this time."

Jondar took the cards and befan mixing them expertly. "Part of the rules no card tossing." Then he dealt them out as the others settled.

"Fair enough!" Dhred chuckled as he threw out the blind bet. Peeking at his cards, he went ahead and doubled it. "Bet's to you, ace."

Jolan nodded and dealt another hand. Dhred did indeed win, but then lost again. Back and forth the hands went like a battlefield.

"Damn." Dhred sipped his mug dry. "Beer's gone. Chips are gone. Happy thoughts are gone. Looks like it's time to cash out."

Jondar looked as his own cards, he was ahead but not by as much as he'd had been, "Ah the fickle hand of Lady Luck." He replied sympathetically. Things were winding down anyway, "Yeah I better quit while I'm ahead." He glanced at a chronometer on the wall, "Still not that late, times like these I wish we had a town to have a night on." He said a little wistfully.

"You still got some fight in you, son?" Dhred rolled up his sleeve to the shoulder and flexed his bicep. "See that? That will break you." He set his elbow down on the table and held up his hand in challenge to arm wrestle. "Come on! Loser runs naked through the flight deck."

"At the risk of making you all jealous with my hotness, I'm in." Jon joked sitting down and rolling up his sleeve. Taking the position on his side of the table.

"May the buffest man win!" With that, Dhred leaned over the table, arm resting at the elbow and hand extended.

Their hands met in manly firmness like the opposition to the invasions of King George the Tyrant on the rights of the people. Grunting ensued after the start of their contest of strength.

"You can tap out any time," the Andorian said, his voice clipped by the strain.

"I was..." He focused on keeping his arm up, "Going to say the same...about you." Also straining.
Other pilots gathered around and were cheering on their favorite.

Dhred began to feel the burn in his biceps and triceps. "Don't be ashamed to give up... it's just a little nudity that everybody will remember for all time!"

"Never!" Said Jondar sweating as they both threw all their weight behind it.

"Never say never," Dhred quipped. He took a deep breath, dropped his weight, and flung everything he had into one last push. The impact slammed Jondar's fist down against the table with a resounding thud. "Whoa! Check it out! Ch'Thulhu rises from R'lyeh!" The Andorian threw both fists in the air like a boxing champion and jumped around the room. "Are you ready, Jondar? The flight deck's waiting!"

Jondar was busy rubbing his now strained arm and glanced over at his fellow pilot, "Give a man a minute would you."

"Should allow unders" called a female pilot, "no one needs to see that." There were good natured laughter all around.

"If Jondar here is afraid everybody will see his micro-caliper, fine by me," Dhred teased.

Jondar gave him a good-natured but rude gesture as he removed his shirt.

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