Well the wicked king of clubs awoke [semi-open]

[failedparenting]

Who: John Winchester and garbage men over 40. No girls or kids allowed.
Where: John Winchester's "study" in his and Mary's room
When: The night of 11/5
Rating: JFC i don't know, let's to a blanket R
Summary: It's old(er) dude poker night and that means drinking, cheating, and smoking.
The Story:

[Do you remember the Cold War? Did you unironically own a record player at any point of your life? Do you have really specific and strong feelings about Jane Fonda? Then this is the party for you! It's time for the occasional, semi monthly, floating old guy's poker game and get-together. It's a refuge from all these goddamn kids, where you can talk about about anything you want, from damn kids today to your eyesight to dat ass you saw the other day. Tonight it's in John and Mary's room, which is more like a modest middle class home on the inside, save for John's "study". It's more of a hunter's bunker: guns on the walls, notebooks on shelves, some really fucking suspect symbols carved into some wooden boxes on a table in a corner.

Don't touch that, please

There's plenty of beer in the fridge and shitty whiskey on the card table in the middle of the room. There's 70s rock blaring from the hi-fi stero. It's like a dad paradise. The game is Texas hold 'em. The stakes aren't money here; everything they bet is for favors or services. Sometimes public embarrassment. Tread lightly, and only minimal cheating please.]





OOC NOTE: The invite goes out by word of mouth, so if your character fits the bill roughly, you can assume John or one of the Pines twins extended an invite!

Comments

THE POKER TABLE

[failedparenting]

[No money, the stakes are favors and services. No counting cards, FORD.]

[shivving]

[ Joel had almost decided not to come at all. Once he'd realized that no, John wasn't kidding about poker, he'd been sure that it was a trap. A shitty, obvious trap, maybe, but a trap all the same. Some kind of revenge for him putting a bullet in John's skull. But John had kept asking, and he honestly hadn't seemed to harbor any grudges - not more so than could be expected, anyway. And after all, Joel was the one who had killed him. It only seems right to accept a peace offering when it's offered.

And if it is a trap - well, maybe he deserves it. Not that that means he won't fight back.

So now here he is, less armed than he'd like, sitting at the poker table and studying the other players as intently as he does the cards in his hand. ]

[failedparenting]

[Look, John would love nothing more than to break Joel's nose. He really would, and he's sure it would be as satisfying as he imagined. But sometimes you've got to got to move your need for retribution to the backseat if it means making a potentially skilled ally. This place is all kinds of fucked up, and building a strong network of of friends ups everyone's chances of making it through another disaster.

Plus, you know, it makes it less likely that he'll be shot again.

John eyes Joel from the corner of his eye, and the guy looks like he's sizing up to fight rather than considering his next move.]

Doin' okay, man? The card aren't gonna explode, I promise.

[shivving]

[ Joel's eyebrows shoot up, and he glances over at John, shaking his head. Despite the wary looks, he's actually...pretty relaxed. For Joel. ]

'S all good.

[ Though he could probably stand to let his guard down just a little bit. To that end, he picks up his beer, taking a sip. ]

Just...been a while, since I've played poker.

=3=

[nonscriptum]

[Nate doesn't slide his way over to the poker table because he sure as Hell knows a bunch of career con men when he sees them - and he grew up with a handful, himself - but it won't stop him from getting to know a few of the faces he hasn't yet met. Nursing a beer and lacking the social finesse one usually expects of learned adults, Nate sees someone he recognises as soon as that someone steps away from the card game for a break.]

Hey. You're the...uh... [He points with the neck of his bottle.] You're the guy who set the library on fire, right?

[There's one disaster Nate didn't cause.]

[shivving]

[ Here it comes. Joel pauses long enough to take a long swig of his drink and look the man over before replying. He at least doesn't look like he's about to start lecturing him or get all high and mighty. ]

That's me.

[ He's already admitted to it, after all. No sense denying it now. ]

[ofletters]

[ Here he is. The guy who'd killed John in the flesh.

First thought: he looks a good amount like John. ]

Just so you know, none of the bottles here are filled with oily rags.

[ Sam smiles hesitantly from across the table. ]

Hope that's alright.

[shivving]

[ Joel'd only heard Sam's voice earlier, so it takes a moment to place him. His own first thought: shit, he's tall. And young.

He smiles wryly, shaking his head. ]

Believe it or not, I prefer 'em with just the alcohol.

[charlastan]

[Stan is not in his trademark suit for once, but a tacky Hawaiian shirt. Why? Because for a group of shitty old men, they sure get uppity when someone cheats a little. Bunch of whiners, that's what they are. Whiners who're jealous they didn't try to cheat first.

So, since no one will let him join in without short sleeves, he has resigned himself to a more casual look.

Doesn't mean he's not gonna try and cheat anyway, when he has a window of opportunity.]

SHOOTING THE SHIT

[failedparenting]

[Man, remember when Raquel Welch was a thing?]

OTA

[failedparenting]

[This is John's place, but he's not the best hostess in the world. By the time everyone starts showing up, he's already a beer or two into his night and gotten cigarette smoke all over the place. Sure, maybe cigars would be more of a guy's night thing, but that's trying too hard.

He wouldn't say no though. Here, have some pie, his hot wife made it.]

[charlastan]

[Eh, he's host enough for Stan. He's always wanted this kind of thing, to be honest. A bunch of buddies having a good time in that classy tough guy way you see in movies - beer, smoke, poker, and good food.

And Stan's never going to turn down free pie.]

This is damn good pie. [He shoves a bite in his mouth and keeps talking. You know, like a gentleman.] So, looks like we got a lotta newbies this time. Good to seeing more old geezers around.

[Even if the standard for "old" is considerably younger than Stan would like it to be.]

[mviw]

[His twin's terrible manners notwithstanding, Ford is already enjoying himself. And sure he fits in with looks--grizzled appearance with his worn trenchcoat, old boots and wild, fluffy hair--but he doesn't quite feel that he fits in. This anxiety is more out of habit and not so founded in reality. They're all old losers here.

He doesn't typically eat much but he hadn't wanted to be rude and that pie? That pie looked as delicious as it apparently tasted.]

Your wife made this? She is a culinary genius. I haven't had pie this good in literal decades.

ota

[sesameseedpuns]

[ How do you remind yourself of someone you never forgot, though.

But nah, Bob is here and probably a little on the awkward side. His default state. He also brings a bag of burgers to the door with him, because??? That's what he does. He's help i accidentally build a shelf, but with burgers, and also he does it on purpose: because he couldn't think of anything else to do.

He only usually hangs out with his friends when they're buying lunch from him. Or having a life crisis and asking for help. Dropping into a semi-established acquaintance circle is a whole different gamble than cards-for-favors.

He wants to be cool. But he's armed with dad-tier humor and his wallet mostly contains pictures of his family. So like. 50/50 shot. ]

i'm already crying

[failedparenting]

[The one thing John can say for this place is that at least there's a lot of opprotunity to interact with men his own age. There was a time where all he could see was actual children and people his kids' age, but it's changed over the last year. The Pines twins (elder), Stan especially, have been a game changer, and it's getting to be where John enjoys interacting with people regularly.

He doesn't really know this new guy here, but hey, the more the merrier.]

Bob, right? [He pauses, frowns.] What's that?

[He sniffs, looking down at the bag Bob's clutching. Smells like burgers. A Winchester can sniff out a burger at 20 paces, rain or shine.

Bob you did good. You did so good.]

gOD

[nonscriptum]

Whoa, hey, nice 'stache, Selleck.

[The mustachioed guy in the plain t-shirt with the body language that screams "I literally have no idea what I'm doing here, oh my God" is the type of person Nate might normally tag as a quick mark, but he's long-since left his pick-pocketing days behind (maybe like...ten days behind. ish.) Diet Miami Vice is also wearing a cologne reminiscent of a Venezuelan meat market, or a street vendor in Bogotá.

A cook. The best kind of person to know.]

Are you, uh, as lost as I am?

[Nate doesn't fit the "old, grizzled, and weather-beaten" aesthetic that seems to be the evening's theme when he happens to be the tender age of thirty-three, but he was invited and has the distinct feeling that someone is going to try their damnedest to grift him.]

I'm Nate.

[charlastan]

[Stan is always here for free food, especially good free food. He immediately goes for a burger, pretty much no matter what's on it.]

HEY! [He's a loud and kind of abrasive guy, but once he has Bob's attention he grins and laughs like he isn't some weirdo Bob met ten seconds ago.] These ain't half bad, newbie!

[mviw]

Hey, it's Bob! [One of the most reasonable and down to earth people Ford has met in Wonderland. Usually more stand-out, weird people are brought to this place, but this man? He is literally a middle-aged dad who can cook deliciously-smelling burgers, and that is so normal it's actually... out of place.

It's delightful. Ford can appreciate the simple wisdom that comes from living a normal life. His life has been so odd that Bob's brand of normalcy is an oddity in itself, and honestly kind of refreshing.]

I heard you say you run a burger restaurant! Mind if I try one? [In contrast to Stan, Ford is ridiculously polite.]

ota.

[mulletrock]

[Kinda hard to play poker with a guy that knows all your tells and visa versa. Life on the road meant Dean was pretty damn intimate with when his dad was being truthful. You can't spend hours on the road and not be finely attuned to a person.

Whatever. After a few rounds and some half-assed betting Dean's got no problem bowing out. If you're looking for some company Dean's drinking a beer and entertaining himself by playing darts. He's not mixing his liquor yet, but his precision is still impeccable. Bullseye every time, it's a wonder he even bothers with the game.]

[shivving]

[ Joel stays at the poker table for a respectable hour or two. He even wins a round or two, though he hardly cleans up.

But poker's never been more than a passing hobby from him, and after a while he excuses himself, wanting to stretch his legs. Grabbing another beer from the kitchen, he finds himself wandering over to the younger man at the dart board. After watching Dean hit three bullseyes in a row, he has to say something. ]

You ain't half bad at this.

[ Meet Joel, the brilliant conversationalist. ]

OTA

[atanycost]

[ Rick's poker skills have gotten a bit rusty over the years, so he figures he should do some mingling or something before diving into the actual game.

It helps that there's beer here, and after one or two of those, Rick's feeling a little chatty. Which isn't much since it's him, but if anyone happens to get close enough to be in his general vicinity, he might try striking up a conversation.

Otherwise, he'll just be making circuits around the room and alternating that with holding up one of the walls and observing the action at the poker table. ]

Re: OTA

[failedparenting]

[During one of his breaks from the poker table, John cracks a beer and decides to go drill the other new guy- gently- for information. They chatted once, but he really isn't sure abut thus guy just yet.

He sides up to Rick, holding an unopened beer out to him in invitation, his own already half full. God fuckin' bless beer, brings all kinds together.]

Rick, right?

OTA

[harpless]

[Cas isn’t supposed to be here, but Dean was here. He was also very curious about the man that raised the man that he raised from the pit. He sticks to the kitchen for the most part, staying out of the way of the often disgruntled men over forty club. If anyone asked, he had an excuse for being at the sad, mad dad party. He brought pie. He’d made it himself after studying a half burned copy of a recipe in the library. It looked like something right out of the Martha Stewart magazine. He never tasted his food, as everything was just molecules.

So hopefully he didn’t substitute salt for sugar.

Those boxes with the symbols he wasn’t supposed to touch? Curiosity killed the cat. Or the angel in this case. He’s thumbing through the notebooks with care, quietly reading the contents. A lot of this was probably something he shouldn’t read, but Cas was great at keeping secrets. He wouldn’t utter a word of it to anyone.]

Re: OTA

[failedparenting]

[John did not invite Cas, but somehow the feathery little shit made it in anyway. He's not sure how the guy found out, but....well. There's no use in getting birch about it now. He'd just make sure in the future that there were wards.

If they even work around here.

John's tossing darts idly when he sees Cas definitely touching shit he shouldn't be, the curse boxes and...no! God, not the notebooks!

Jesus christ! [John kinda...half dives across the room to shove Cas's hns away from his notebooks.] Who told you you could touch my shit?

THE KITCHEN

[failedparenting]

[If you get hungry, there's a kitchen in the house. Just be quiet, or Mary will throttle John and he'd rather live, thanks.]