15296/Kitty's Atlantic City Birthday

Kitty's Atlantic City Birthday
Date of Scene:	21 July 2023
Location:	Atlantic City - New Jersey
Synopsis:	Craps, poker, drinking, and felonious Cajuns are part of Kitty's 22nd birthday party in Atlantic City
Cast of Characters:	Kitty Pryde, David Alleyne, Rogue, Emma Frost, Remy LeBeau, Tabitha Smith, Kurt Wagner, Jean Grey, Douglas Ramsey, Ororo Munroe, Henry McCoy

---

Kitty Pryde has posed:
The Ocean Casino Resort is a luxurious Atlantic City casino and resort right along the Atlantic Ocean. A block of rooms was booked for those making the trip down for a long weekend, culminating with Kitty's 22nd birthday the following Tuesday. Though people may arrive late or leave early as they need.

Kitty has gotten checked into her room and heads down to the casino, sending out a text to everyone she knows is either here, or arriving:

> I'm heading down to the casino. Not quite sure what I am going to do. Was thinking maybe some craps or blackjack. Or a game of Texas Hold'em. Heck, a few pitchers of margaritas sound good too!

The message is sent off and Kitty looks around the casino. She's dressed up for it, gotten her hair done and is wearing a little black dress so she can go hit the clubs later tonight. Lockheed unfortunately is back in Westchester. While he could come down with his image inducer in cat form, he still can't really get out and enjoy himself to where it didn't feel mean to bring him.

Kitty stops and cashes some money into casino chips, then wanders through the casino, watching people feed slot machines as she gets the lay of the land and slowly makes her way towards the craps tables. She stands behind those at the table, watching for a bit to get the feeling for the game as she keeps an eye out for her friends.

David Alleyne has posed:
Having settled into his room, David changed into his 'casino' attire, which is a nice suit, tie, and well-polished shoes. A ping from his glasses case alerts him of the incoming message and he looks towards the Apple watch on his wrist.

> How good are you at cards, Kitty?

Sending off his message, he makes his way amongst the tables, feeling the different skills of the players at the tables. It is almost a bit of overload and he's trying to sort through it all as he catches sight of Kitty and lifts a hand in a wave of greetings. "You're looking great. Happy birthday." His attention turns towards those playing craps and he folds his hands behind his back as he takes it in, a thoughtful expression coming to his grey eyes.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue had come along, even though she'd had a bad week or so. It was Kitty's birthday afterall. Once they'd settled in, the Belle had taken a gift wrapped in shiny green paper, with a bright yellow bow ontop to Kitty's room. The gift, upon being opened, had been a replica Transformer of Optimis Prime that actually transforms via voice command, and drives around while in Semi-Truck form via AI. Is Kitty a Transformers fan? Who the hell knows, just look at it though! It's the greatest thing ever.

Once down in the casino though, Rogue is wearing a black corset with her hair tied up, makeup done in a dusky hue upon her face with black eyeliner, smokey red lipstic, and a nice bit of silvery jewlery adorning her neck, ears and wrists. A black long skirt finishes her outfit, with black leather boots peaking out from beneath it.

Rogue stands near to where the drinks are acquired, sipping on a vodka cranberry, her emerald eyes just scanning the casino floor.

Emma Frost has posed:
It's time to see who comes out of the casino with the largest winnings. Emma's not wagering over on Remy - brekaing the house on an Atlantic City casino seems too gauche even for him. And not worth it in the end. The Cajun will be up to larger prey. Emma herself rarely does cards - the stakes aren't high enough. She can make far more money doing other things. But.. All her issues with Kitty occasionally need reinforcing, and the girl has somehow always been resistant to Emma's normal MO of simply buying her way out of any sort of interpersonal problems.

Emma goes on in, giving a nod over at Kitty and thena t Tabitha . "So dear, what's your way to lose money of choice?" Emma goes for somewhat better payouts - she simply owns stocks in the companies that make the machines, understands the payout formulas.. And on this eve has had them adjusted so that the crew from Xavier's shall hopefully do quite better. And soem payouts over to the people running the tables..

Remy LeBeau has posed:
Remy LeBeau is glad Kitty picked this particular casino, given that he's currently banned from three others in the city. He never got caught cheating, but they suspected him anyway and he may have roughed up a few gangsters - oh, sorry, 'security guards' - when they accosted him about it. But this place is owned by entirely different gangsters. Hopefully they don't cross-hire mooks. Hate to run into a familiar face he'd kicked in.

He's dressed in a white suit with a purple shirt, open collar, with his hair in a ponytail, dark sunglasses and a pair of cowboy boots. He has a few rings on. Casinos are one of the very few places left in this country where you can still smoke inside, so he has a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth as he makes his way down to where the others are. He spots Kitty at the craps table and approaches, touching her shoulder lightly and offering a kiss on the cheek, if accepted.

"Joyeux anniversaire, petit. Be careful, the dice, they are the most unforgiving of all," he says. They're also probably loaded, but they'll kick him out if they hear him say it.

"I watch you a bit, then I find a game of poker, non? Jus' to make sure they treat you right," he says.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
In a Casino town there is one super power that outclasses all others. Even the super brainy math powers that get you extra scrutiny at the Blackjack tables.

That awesome power of filling a tight weaponised LBD. Well it's red in Tabitha's case, halter necked, low cut, very figure hugging hem ad mid thigh. Knee high wedgeheeled Gogo style boots laced up and making her seem much taller, a slightly lighter set of spiky leather belt, choker, and wrist cuffs adding to her Barbie-punk style along with some yellow tinted red framed cat eyes.

The text was replied <<A pitcher each. I say hit the poker tables. Easy enough to clear out whole tables. It's just knowing when to deliberately lose a hand so it doesn't look like we're cheating. Or we can just look pretty and stand next to someone throwing a lot of money around. Eventually it will end up with chips everywhere. >> she half jokes.

The gift she got was pretty difficult to find. A vintage tee with the old logo for Cherry Keyboards. CHERRY in red with a little bunch of said cherries in red. It might be a little small for Kitty but that might have been the idea.

That got left in the room for opening on the birthday.

Catching up with Emma, Kitty and the others she grins.

"Hopefully this doesn't end up like Vegas and the alligator. Still think we should start with margaritas. We can always blame any weird on that later."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
While Xavier's might be home at this point for one Kurt Wagner and while he might fundamentally enjoy the work that he does both as a teacher and an X-Men he is hardly about to pass on the opportunity to get away from all of that for a weekend. Gambling isn't exactly his thing -- though he will surely indulge a little -- it is more the chance to enjoy the spectacle of it all. And of course a chance to hang out with his friends, his family as well. And while Atlantic City might not bring the spectacle quite as well as Las Vegas -- not to mention any decent circus! -- it's not a bad substitute in the grand scheme of things.

Which is why the fuzzy blue elf spent hardly anytime in his room upon their arrival, throwing on a new set of clothes almost at once and heading down to the casino floor. Unlike some he does not make a beeline for the table games, instead indulging himself by wandering along the row of slot machines, letting the bright, flashing lights, the excited chatter and clinking of old fashion tokens clinking against metal trays fill his senses.

No matter what he chose to wear, Kurt was always going to be a little eyecatching with this crowd. But then that is usually the case no matter what, short of resorting to an image inducer. And his days of doing that for anything less then a critical mission have long since passed. So he has chosen to instead lean into the whole thing, to embrace it and gone for a positively devilish look with his black jacket with red pinstripes, completely with a blood red pocket square and an equally vibrant shirt that is only enhanced by the thin black tie.

Heck, he even casually grips his tail, idly twirling it and whistling to himself as he walks in amongst those rows of flashing slots, at least until he spots some of the others -- including the birthday girl! -- arriving. At that point he flashes a grin, lifts a hand in welcome and starts over towards where some of the others gather.

Jean Grey has posed:
Everyone has been a bit spread out, arriving on their own or in smaller groups, checking into their rooms, getting ready, exploring the hotel and casino, whatever. Jean herself had 'important business,' so she doesn't arrive with the others, or get to see the fancy get-ups before the moment. But texts are a thing, so she knows where to link up with Rogue down on the floor.

"Hey you.... wow." That outfit? It makes an impression.

As for Jean? She's known for basically two looks. Well, three if you count librarian, but that would be a weird decision here. But the other two are color coded, and tonight, the code is 'trouble.' It's a simple outfit, really: a small as you can get away with strappy red cocktail dress, matching heels and bag, and just a few pieces of tasteful jewelry.

But her focus is all on Rogue's getup, giving her a real up and down. Then she steps in, linking one arm with the belle. "Let's go find Kitty." There's a slight gentleness to it, avoiding too much overblown attention, as she knows there's some lingering stormclouds. "Drinks for sure... then what are you thinking for the games?"

Rogue has posed:
Rogue's eyes were just focused on the casino floor, though she did spare a glance toward Kurt when she caught sight of him striding in with a twirl of his tail. this earned a soft smirk from the southern gal, a second or so beffore Jean shows up at her side. rogue's stare goes to the redhead, paying her the same once-over occular patdown, as it were.

She smiles a reserved expression toward her before they're linking arms, Rogue's elbow-length forest green opera gloves helping to keep her skin untouched should she lose her control. Her shoulders, upper chest and neck still fully bared though, so mind your luck if Rogue is in a sour mood.

"She's over there." Rogue points with her drink-holding hand. "You look good too." She adds to Jean, as she steps down offf the little bar area, taking a small flight of stairs down to the casino floor with Jean at her side, as the two maneuver toward where Kitty is already getting underway with her gambling.

"Not sure I'm in the mood t'lose a buncha money though..." Rogue admits in a bit of a glum tone of her husky voice.

David Alleyne has posed:
Oh, right! Present! David had nearly forgotten. Reaching into a pocket, he pulls out a small envelope to set with the other gifts that are being presented. Inside is a fifty dollar gift card to Fry's Electronics.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde had indeed loved the hell out of the Optimus Prime AI-controlled robot that Rogue got her. In the first thirty minutes Kitty had already come up with a list of 8 new things she was going to program it to be able to do once she hacked into it. There was a comment about loading up the AI she's working on at Stark. Though that -seemed- like a joke. She loved the t-shirt too and said she couldn't wait to show Doug! She also loved the gift card to Fry's. "I can just get lost in that place," she tells David.

She didn't get a chance to text David back, but instead answers him when he arrives down in the casino. "Oh, really good with the odds. Not as good with reading people, but I usually hold my own if Remy isn't in the game," she replies to the question about her skill at cards.

She greets each person as they come down and join the slowly growing throng of people. The birthday well wishers all get smiles and expressions of gratitude. "Thank you. Still a few days away, Tuesday, but figured nothing like a 5 or 6 day weekend to celebrate it," she says with a grin.

She pauses a moment to find the words to express what she likes about casino games. "I'm kind of in it for the people interaction more than the game itself. Like I couldn't do slots. I want a bunch of people celebrating and having fun in whatever game it is," she comments. "Not as worried about the money this trip. I just see it as the cost of entertainment, I just won't go overboard."

She motions to the craps table. "Though I haven't actually done this before. Read up on the odds and all. But I imagine they get upset if you just stick with the bet with the best odds," she says with a laugh. "Plus, where's the fun in that? Anyone want to join in it with me?"

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would mm over, and then casually smile over to herself. "Happy birthday, Katherine. I hope that you have a lovely time. And for you.." Emma goes to pull out of all things a small steel grey and blue micro-cassette player with a small grey and black micro-cassette intisde. It looked like something that someone had very, very carefully rebuilt over out of spare parts and restored.

Within was Peter Cullen and Frank Welker singing 'happy birthday' as their respective characters in the background while a very, very scheming sounding Chris Latta could be heard chortling and going on about how the birthday supremacy would all be his.

"And an intriguing place to hold your event. I do hope that everyone has fun."

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
As Kitty is wandering through the casino, an employee comes running after her, shortly after Emma catches up to her. "Wait. Wait. Pryde? Katherine Pryde?" The young man is carrying a case. "A gentleman was here earlier today, and he left you his winnings, with a message." He opens the case, revealing what must be $50,000 worth of casino chips.

There's a card taped to the inside of the case - there's C++ code for a birthday message printed on the card, and it's just signed 'Doug'.

Remy LeBeau has posed:
Remy LeBeau shakes his head at Kitty, "Gambit stick to the cards, most o' the time. Never do the slot machine, is just a rip-off, pickin' on the elderly and scammin' 'em for they government check."

He figures half of his work tonight will be making sure his friends and comrades don't get ripped off. This was a place full of sharks, different kinds of sharks than the X-folk usually dealt with. Remy knew these kind of waters all too well. He wasn't a shark, though. More like a barracuda or one of those jellyfish that sting the unwary but don't mean any harm.

He's only stolen three wallets so far.

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean takes her chances with the dangerous draining dame!

"We can do whatever you want," she reassures Rogue, looking over the floor even as they navigate toward Kitty. "Just drink. Just play some cheap slots. Or if you don't wanna lose... we could always clean the place out." THAT offer comes with a mischievious smirk. Obviously, many of the mutant contingent could get away with murder in a place like this. And normally Jean would be the sort to lecture on the relevant morality, and how they SHOULDN'T do something like that. But for the sake of Rogue's mood, she'd bend the rules. "Whaddya think? Win a couple million, give it to orphans or something?" It's hard to tell exactly how serious she's being.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
"We took all month last year to make sure we got everyone. Since a lot of twentyfirsts, well ours at least." Tabby states with a grin. a little pink-ish clutch purse holding things like her phone and her old 'Nancy Forrester' fake ID just in case. Like old times but actually handy in case something weird happens.

Fifty grand of chips gets a chuckle. "Don't look at me. I'm amazed powers even work here. Might find some racist high roller and destroy him financially. Not even take money myself for it." she considers with a grin that's almost evil. "Then steal his whaling hookers." she adds. That probably went to evil.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Indifferent, or perhaps oblivious, to the occasional odd stare that he might get, Kurt pads over to join the others at the last, slipping into the growing circle that clusters around the birthday girl to catch the discussion on exactly what advantages might exist with which games, a wry little grin quirking over his lips. He, however does not venture an opinion, at least not at first at any rate, perhaps not truly minding one way or the other. It is the experience, more then thespecific game, or even whether he wins or loses.

If he needs a rush of adrenaline, there are far more exciting ways then a casino to find that much.

"A very happy birthday to you Kitty," he says, producing a package wrapped in dark blue as if by magic and offering it over. It will prove to have a rather ornate box, carved to look vaguely like a piano with a number of different keys and levers. "It is a German puzzle box. I figure it might divert you for five or ten minutes, though it is trickier then most," he says with a grin. "And I would be happy to take a trip to the craps table," he says.

He does glance Rogue's way, an answering smirk briefly lighting on his features as well, those golden eyes glinting merrily in the sparkle and shine of the casino.

Rogue has posed:
As Jean and Rogue draw near to where the small group is gathering, Rogue glances over to Jean at her suggestive commentary of doing the dirty to get the monies here. She stares at the redhead evenly for a few seconds before a thin smile touches her darkly red lips. "Be careful. Aside from lookin' down all our dresses, the security team here likely has audio focusing devices too." She says with a continued smirk.

Seeing what was going on near Kitty, what with the chips presented and all, Rogue upnods toward it.

"Looks like some of our moral-rich associates have already started doin' somethin' like that anyhow." The southerner states before they arrive.

"Happy birthday, Kitty." She says again, before taking another sip of her icy red vodka drink, her eyes scanning around the others. She smiles softly to them too. "Ya'll better be behavin'."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde takes the cassette player from Emma with a curious look. She puts in the earbuds and listens to it, laughing softly as she hears the voices. "Wow, please tell me you didn't go to the lengths of getting them to do that just for the gift," Kitty tells her. She's treating Emma with a bit more warmth today than usual. If just because she's in a good mood, and being sour towards someone who gives you presents is kind of rude.

The box that is delivered to her from Doug causes Kitty's eyes to widen. She'd only cashed about $300 in chips, figuring that should last her the night. "Oh wow," she says. "This is going to end up going to charity though," Kitty promises. "Maybe also help out some newlyweds who look like they went all out just for a trip here if we see some."

Kurt gets a sidehug from Kitty if he allows. She opens his present and ooos happily at the puzzle box. "This will be fun. I'll have to record how long it takes me and challenge Hank with it," she says with a grin. "Thanks Kurt."

She looks to the table and says, "ok, time to start placing some bets. Who's going to take a turn throwing the dice?" she asks as she leans over to place a few chips on different options. One that the dice thrower won't crap out. And a few other options for various doubles or other outcomes.

She looks up, spotting Rogue and Jean and grins and waves them to come over. "So Remy, do you have a good hand with dice?"

David Alleyne has posed:
As the others mack plans, David listens and waits for what the game plan will finally be. When the case from Doug arrives, he chuckles outright. "Maybe I should have gone with that. Best odds would be with Blackjack." comes the offer from the skill-borrowing mutant. "Though I'm pretty sure Doug got that at the poker table."

He doesn't really have a suggestion to make when it comes to what the plan of attack is, but Tabitha's suggestion followed by those of the others gets him to thinking. "We could always use the funds for local mutant outreach?"

Remy LeBeau has posed:
Remy steps back, "Going to charity? Merde. How I ever end up with you people?" he says. He's joking. Mostly.

He still hasn't picked what he's getting for Kitty yet, "I gon' make the rounds," he says, making a point to greet some of the other X-ers. Rogue, of course, gets a tilt of the sunglasses and a red-eyed wink, "Cher," he says as he passes her, "Miss Jean."

Now he just has to shop some of these rich trophy girlfriends and see who has something nice he can give to Kitty for her birthday. Something sparkly.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would smile over at Kitty, "Well, it was worth it. And they're rather charming gentlemen. You should go to a convention sometime where they're appearing. They all have a routine where they order food at a drive in as their characters . When they're joined by Tara Strong there's quite a variety." Emma is at least putting in appearances at knowing what she's talking about. Which may or may not amuse Kitty - or at least Doug if he gets it. She would turn over to Tabitha. "I'll be covering bail and legal representation for the evening. Enjoy yourselves, ladies and gentlemen. Give Katherine a night to remember.." And try and limit the property damage.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
"Emma probably stalked a bunch of Gen-Xers to find that tape. Cause aren't those guys all like dead or something?" They'd be like super old at least.

Tabby's grin relaxes to something more playful. "The charity should be the Tabitha Smith Fund for Gas and Grass." she suggests, nudge nudge, wink wink. Elbow pokes hitting air. "Honestly if you give a couple money for a wedding, send them to Vegas with it. Or Reno at least. Getting married in Jersey feels so wrong. At least in Branson Missouri you can shoot a man just to watch him die." she still gets the town wrong. At least by now the drinks are coming in. A group of very attractive young women and men. People are really gonna want to ply them with alcohol.

"Now I can't make promises about the property damage. But I've also never actually driven a limo before. It's early yet!" she points out.

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
"Well the idea," Doug says, approaching with glasses of champagne on a tray, "Was that you'd be able to blow it all laying down some spectacular high-roller bets. But if you want to donate it to charity, it's your money." He proffers the tray. "Laurent-Perrier." He looks over at Emma, and says, "...I paid for it out of my winnings earlier, I'm not gauche enough to put it on Ms. Frost's tab. She can get the next round."

"Hi, everyone. Kitty, Happy Birthday."

Jean Grey has posed:
"Well, worse they can do is throw us out! Or call the mob on us." Jean makesa rather comical face. "Oooh, I'm so skeeeered." This is definitely a less usual side of her!

When they do catch up with Kitty, she's all her usual warmth. "Happy soon-to-be birthday, Kitty," she offers, grinning a bit with the extra embellishment of detail. "Craps?" She looks back over at Rogue. "Could be fun. And I could..." She won't actually say it, perhaps in deference to the earlier worry about the microphones. She leaves it to their imaginations, what she might just do with some of those dice. "Or..."

Dun dun... "There's always cards. Poker. I'm really good at poker." Uh-huh. She definitely would be.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Sidling up the nearest table, Kurt watches the game being played for a moment with some passing interest. Unlike some, he most definitely did not read up on the finer points of most of the table games. Oh, he could manage blackjack and maybe even pokwer passingly well, but the others are ones he just doesn't have any real experience with, at least not outside the movies. When in doubt he can always fall back on that voluminous movie knowledge.

Given that they are in a casino, hopefully he won't delve too deeply into that movie knowledge -- or have too much to drink. Otherwise he is likely to try and talk them all into a heist before the weekend is out.

Hey, they just look so much fun!

"I think, given that you are the birthday girl you should take the first roll. If any of us are likely to have the luck rolling with us tonight, it should be you, yes?" the fuzzy blue elf suggests.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde motions Rogue and Jean over to the table. "You two hotties need to be throwing the dice," she teases them. "Thanks Jean," she says at the birthday greeting. "Just glad having everyone out together like this," she says. Those who are closest to her get quick side hugs.

The current dice thrower finally craps out, resulting in some groans, though too many as they had a few throws to earn money for people before busting out. Kitty waves people over, "I got some chips down, someone throw the dice," she says as she takes one of the champagne flutes from Doug. "Thanks Doug, would just as soon it go to someone other than the casino again," she says with a grin. "But sure, will place a few big bets along the way too."

Kitty motions to David to get involved. "Here, put these chips down for me on box cards," she says, motioning at the double sixes bet on the table.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would watch over at the others then while going to approach Jean and Rogue, "So, what is the occasion for your attire? I don't think that I've seen you in this particular soiree before." Of the corset and full thing that Rogue was in. "Is there any particular inspiration that is bringing this up or not? Or merely changing it up?" Inquiring over and then looking back over at Kitty enjoying herself. "And I do think that she's going to bring down the bank?" Or Douglas will. It will be a competition between DOuglas and Remy to see who can do it.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue lowers her drink from her lips, her eyes watching their group, Kitty specifically as everyone greets her and gets her the birthday treatment. She smiles softly at it before Remy's passing catches her eyes in return. She watches him walk by, knowing full well what he's likely up to. She speaks something to him in French as he passes by, likely a warning just for him, or perhaps a few words of luck wished.

Either way, her eyes go back to Jean when she hears the Headmistress of Hearts talking about being good at poker. This gets Rogue to loft one of her finely kept eyebrows up in curiosity. "Is that so?" She asks. A quick glance is given to the table, then back to Jean. "I prefer cards over dice games, myself. Though I don't have the tools at my disposal to likely win anythin. Haven't had the practice at it that /some/ folks with us tonight have." She adds the last part with a little darker tone to her words.

Another sip of her drink is taken, and Rogue eyes the dice. She doesn't reach for them though...

Instead her eyes go up to Tabitha. "Tabi." She tries to get her attention. "You're on Kitty t'night. Your job is to not let her ever not have a drink in her hand, okay?" She asks the blonde bomshell.

David Alleyne has posed:
When Doug finally makes his appearance, David offers him a wave as he does not have anything productive to add to the current whirlwind of conversations. Just as he was about to start considering what he was going to do to help out; Kitty brings him back into the fold as he takes the chips and chuckles. "Sure." he offers with a smile. Taking the chips over to the table, he sets the chips down and gestures. "She's rolling high tonight, folks. Suggest you join in the train."

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
"Now see if BETO was here, between him, Remy, me, David-" Doug says, "...That would be the ultimate game of cards." He finishes circulating the tray. "Though I hear Ms. Frost plays a mean game of Baccarat." He glances over to David, and he grins, before he offers him a glass of champagne. "Comedamus et bibamus atque gaudeamus; cras moriamur."

Tabitha Smith has posed:
"Kitty will be so drunk you'll mistake her for me!" she states. Right as a waitress does bring a round of drinks. Likely Emma might find that she did not spend as much money on booze as she thought. Tabitha at least knows a good plan when it's brought up. Giving Rogue a far from military salute. It's also the whole wingman thing. Make sure the drinks are safe, enough. And strong enough.

"Just no alligators this time Anna-Marie." she adds. There is a shared mental image of Kitty wearing a beer can helmet to make sure how far Tabby might go to keep the drinks flowing.

Other than that she mostly idly places her own bets, Leaning against older gamblers with an occasional oops or query if they don't mind.

They never do.

That super power mentioned earlier being put to use. Between the combined skills of everyone, some of which is probably coalesced in Prodigy, she grins. <<Think if we end up owning the Casino we can move... Nope, still Jersey.>> she keeps folks in touch telepathically. No need to shout and struggle to talk over the noise.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty flashes a grin to Doug. "We can grab a table for cards. Though do we all want to play against each other, or with other people?" she asks.

No one else is moving for the dice, so Kitty moves to take them. "Alright, we have a new roller," the pit boss announces. "Final bets, get your bets in," he says as he slides the dice over to kitty, using that little stick thing to extend his reach.

Kitty picks the dice up and gives them a shake. "Kurt, need you to blow on these for good luck," she says, wiggling her eyebrows at him as she holds out the dice on an open palm, while taking a big drink from her champagne glass with the other.

Ororo Munroe has posed:
When Ororo arrives (a little late), she's not hard to spot. Her hair has been taken out of the plaits and combed out, allowing it flow around her shoulders. Her black tiara, rarely worn, holds the bulk of it away from her face. The cardinal-red, neck-less dress is trimmed in tiger-striped cloth and an aquamarine sash is wrapped around her waist with enough left over to reach the brass bangles on her wrists. Her jewelry is large hoop earrings and a series of ivory beads forming a choker just above her collarbone.

"Hello Katherine," Ororo bids the birthday girl as she nears. She's even wearing heels for the occasion: proof that Ororo /can/ dress up when she wants to. "And happy birthday. I am sorry I am late, it took me forever to do my hair," she apologizes. Kitty's offered a quick hug and a kiss to the cheek. She holds up a beautifully wrapped box and sets the present down at a table nearby for Kitty to look at when she is ready to.

Ororo bellies up to the table with the others and casts a bemused look around as people start lining up to gamble. "I hope we're not playing for keeps, I did not bring -that- much cash with me," she says with an easy laugh.

David Alleyne has posed:
"I think the idea is to bankrupt the casino, not each other." David responds with a smirk as he considers. "Though that would be an experiment to carry out sometime." Though to Doug's comment, he responds. "Are we speaking Isaiah 22 or Ecclesiates 8 eat, drink, and be merry here?" comes the jesting comment in response as he steps back to see how Kitty's first roll goes.

Rogue has posed:
For Emma: Rogue offers the White Queen a small smile, she glances down at herself before her stare bounces back up to the diamond blonde. She shakes her head gently side to side. "I've never been fired from a job before. Guess I just felt like doin' somethin' outta my norm." She explains about her unusual attire choice. "This thing is hard to breathe in though, and I'm afraid'a movin' against it and rippin' it wide open." She says of her black corset, much to the enjoyment of everyone overhearing her, surely.

Another drink is sipped from her glass as Rogue watches Kitty get ready to do the dice thing. She glances over to Tabitha again, and pays her a soft smile too. "No aligators." She agrees, referring back to the trip to Vegas with Gambit last fall. That had been... a wild one.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
While Kurt might not be exactly sure just what all the rules of the craps table are, despite all those movies to call upon, he is pretty clear on just how important blowing on the dice are. An answering grin flashes across his face and one of those brilliant golden eyes winks.

"Well, I'm told that I can be pretty lucky. If I can add a little too the mix, I stand ready to do my part," he agrees with a low laugh, turning for just a moment to pluck a drink from the passing tray of one of the wait staff and taking a quick sip before leaning over to blow on the dice in Kitty's hand.

"Big money, big money, no whammies."

He might not have the right game, but his heart is in the right place.

Jean Grey has posed:
When Rogue doubts, Jean gives her a bold look in return. "I'm good at cards like I am at winter sports!" This... may be an admission, given some of the inside history of their snowy activities.

However, despite the card focused discussion, when Kitty grabs the dice and the table calls for bets, she moves up to the side of the table, pulling a small tray of chips out from her handbag and grabbing a few. "You have any lucky numbers?" she asks Rogue. The redhead has no particular preference it seems herself, nor, it might be obvious to the gambling pros like Remy and Doug, a particular expertise. Movies make craps look obvious, but it's actually pretty complex, with a huge variety of different bets with different odds available, portioned and marked off around the table. And absent input, Jean looks like she might put hers down just about anywhere.

"The big area here is just where we bet for Kitty to win, right?" she wonders of those at the table, making herself look like all the more typical newb!

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde throws the dice, winning on the first roll and a cheer going up from people. She gets the dice back and throws them a few more times, some people winning and others not, before eventually she rolls another seven and craps out.

Her own bets only broke even. Wasn't a good time to bet on box cars. She takes another sip of her champagne and then says, "Ok, did you guys want to go to the poker table?" she asks, having seen that sounded like a popular option.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would nod over at Rogue, "There are ways to make it comfortable. You want to make sure to not make it too tight. There are ways to hold it in without worrying that it will come out. It comes down to the choice of wiring and fabric. If you would like I can help show you some sometime.. With your paramour's permission, of course. I wouldn't want to be unseemly." She would turn over to Jean while going to watch the games start to play.

"It's rather simple to get ahead in things. It's a play of psychology and prediction." And as any telepath would, reading hte minds. Or a telekinetic tweaking the dice.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde grabs her chips and then turns to the beautifully wrapped box that Ororo gave her. "Aw, shouldn't have. Presence means even more than presents," she says, as the invitation had said. Kitty shuffles her rack of ships to the crook of an arm to open up the box carefully and see what the contents are.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabitha nods her head in agreements with Emma. "Corsets just take practice and training. It takes time for the tightlacing to take effect and if you feel like you can't breath you went too tight too fast. Baby steps woman!" They may be mutants, but tiny waists still need work.

A couple of the dice rolls get some wins but then eventually those turn to losses.

That's when she throws sad pouty faces at one of the possible whales. The high rollers that couldn't lose money faster than their business interests make it. One takes pity, dropping a hand full of chips that might just be near a thousand in her hands.

And that's how Tabby rolls without a single roll of her own.

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
"I find that dice games are the great leveler." Doug says, "I can't read the dice. The most you can do is crunch the numbers, and play in the way that's mathematically most LIKELY for you to come out ahead - but even then, you're still gambling, and the House has already crunched the numbers and set them up so that the math comes out in its favor. Blackjack's math is easier to work out in your favor."

He leans one hand on the table, and adds, "People like texas hold'em... but I like Stud better." He watches the dice come up 7 on the first roll, and then says, raising his voice just a touch, "Her dice are *hot* folks-" He tosses a $100 chip down on the '3 or 11' bet.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue enjoys her drink, smiling to Storm when she sees she'd arrived. "Lookin' lovely, Ororo." She tells the Weather Goddess. When dice get thrown, her green eyes follow them across the table. But... this is a game that the Mississippi Magnolia has no idea how it works. She just watches, and observes the reactions that come from the players, and casual witnesses.

Her stare does return to Emma though, and she pays another glance down at her black corset encased upper body, then looks back on to Emma. She smirks softly at her. "For the normal person, sure, but when ya can lift train cars... ya pop outta clothin' way easier than just pickin' a different fabric. I mean it took years before I started puttin' pants on without tearin' them in to halves. Have to build up the muscle memory of bein' careful, especially if you're rushin' cause you're late for class, or some such."

When Poker is brought up, Rogue does glance back to Jean. She leans over to the redhead and whispers. "But you're not very good at winter games..." Because she HAS to get that jab in, it's a requirement.

She sparkles Jean a playful expression before she finishes off her drink with one last sip.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would smile, "it's still a matter of comfort dear. And adjusting. And there are ways to be able to breathe in them even with your abilities that means you can keep them loose and not have to worry about exposure. It's rahter simple. Generally it's a light adhesive underneath. Normally some sort of gel. It holds the material in place, is solid enough to be able to take movement and even some fighting if need be. It can also be simply removed without issue. They even have ones you don't need a solvent to get out of. Depending on your preference there are a lot of ways to keep it. Or simply have them made out of unstable molecules. I happen to know that Ms. Van Dyne has a wide array of things if that's your preference to go to." Emma goes to look over at the tables and then lets out a soft laugh as Rogue disengages to go to Jean.

Ororo Munroe has posed:
Inside the package is a small bag of candies labelled 'tropical mints'. It's not from any brand Kitty is likely to recognize. Ororo flashes a smile at Kitty when she's looked to. "They're from a candy company in Nairobi that has been making them since 1942. They were my favorite as a little girl." She gives Kitty's arm a squeeze and meanders away so she's not co-opting all the birthday girl's time.

Ororo collects a drink for herself and maneuvers over to the other side of the table, giving Jean a little hip check to make room and announce her presence. "I've had the rules of this game explaind to me more than once, and I still don't understand how to win at it. At least at cards, there's some skill involved," she says, and nods once at Doug in agreement.

Jean Grey has posed:
"Yeah dressing her has some special considereations, as I learned with my old seamstress," Jean comments on the corset question. What seamstress? "But I think we can manage without lessons," she informs Emma, grinning a bit at the whole premise of this sudden switch in conversation. "I've worn the one you bought me a couple of times, so I kinda got a handle on it." These are glimpses into the closet of Jean Grey that perhaps the audience was never meant to know! "It's not really so uncomfortable as I thought it would be, but I guess that comes down to good sizing." Obviously anything Emma bought would be the most custom-made and perfect, although how she got Jean's measurements in the first place... that's another hint of questions perhaps better left unanswered!

As for Kitty's play, without the input of any particular numbers, she keeps her bets simple, winning the first but then eventually losing the next. Maybe this is all just a ploy to build up the appearance of honest play for the cameras before she really rips the place off! "I don't think they allow take-backs here," she calls over to Ororo. "But if we win big, we're giving it to orphans."

Back to Rogue, on the Winter Sports: "Exactly." She winks. "Wanna try the poker, then? I'm telling you, I'll do great!" It's... really not any question!

David Alleyne has posed:
As an aside to Doug, David asks. "Did Miss Frost just say you need a shoehorn and vaseline to get into a corset?"

Though his attention is turning towards the talk of poker. "I think stud may be the way to go, tonight." comes the agreement in which poker may be the superior one. "I'm feeling a little lucky."

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
Doug looks over to David, and he drains his champagne glass. "Pain just heightens her powers. Pain and gin martinis. And expensive champagne. But mostly pain." He's joking, right? He shrugs, and says, "I'm down to play again. I want to see if I can come out ahead of Remy. I *hear* he's unbeatable. I *know* I am."

Tabitha Smith has posed:
There's a giggle at Doug's poker preferences. "Hey, we all have moments like that." she adds with a playful tone. <<You can cheese craps even with loaded dice if you work on rolling technique.>> she adds an image of rolling dice in fingers before rolling.

Corsetry gets more agreeing nods from Tabby. "It also sometimes needs help along with apparatus. Part of why I use buckles more than laces. It also helps match my usual accessories." she states and flicks the leash ring hanging from the collar on her neck. Doug's comments get a chuckle as well. "I prefer mimosas!" which keep getting served. Maybe she's using her telepathy to keep drink orders coming for everyone. There's definitely a warm redness and Tabby keeps drinking.

Henry McCoy has posed:
Arriving a bit later than the others, is Henry. He's got a taller gift bag in hand as he looks about for the party. He's directed to where they'd gathered, and he makes his way there through the casino. Showing up at the craps table, the blue furry man offers a wave to all. "I'm not too late, am I?" He asks in a cheerful tone. There's a winning smile to Kitty, the big man offering a hug. "Happy Birthday, Kitty..." The bag is handed over.

"It's the least I could do. I was thinking of finding a computer for you, but I am sure my thoughts on what would be sufficient would pale to what you have now." He grins.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde finishes off her glass of champagne, and then stands there wagging the empty around, before Tabitha really has any chance to do anything about it. "Tabitha. You had -one- job," Kitty teases as she demonstrates the empty glass.

And then Hank is arriving, and Kitty breaks out in a big grin. Though she loves most all of the team, those old souls who were around that she grew up around always have an extra special spot with her. She sinks into the mutant's big hug, hugging him back. "I'm glad you were able to get away for it," she tells him brightly. "Kurt got me a puzzle box that you're going to have to try beat my time at. Once I've had a chance at it," she tells Hank.

She takes the bag when offered and opens it up to peek at the contents inside.

Rogue has posed:
The talk of clothing garners another soft smile upon Rogue's dusky hued lips. "Well, I'll take all that inta consideration." She tells Emma. "I like how they look, just don't care for all the preamble. Blue jeans and tied off flannels, ya know?" The country girl says before she looks once more toward Jean at her left.

She stares with a little bit of internal thought, her eyes dancing to the poker area, then back to the Star Eater. She upnods once. "I'll chill behind you an' watch, if that is doable?" She asks. "Ya got my curiosity peaked now..." She admits.

Headed in that direction now, her long black skirt flowing around her legs as she walks, Rogue bats at Kurt's tail lightly with her green gloved right hand, then raises it up and runs it over Henry's right shoulder, behind his neck and down across his left too. She gives him a sweet smile. "Hello there, Beasty." She says in a sultry voice, ever the flirt.

Her stare does again go to Jean though. "I wanna get a new drink first..." She indicates, still holding her empty, even jingling the ice around inside the cup.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Clucking his tongue, Kurt shakes his head slowly in Tabitha's direction, lifting and rattling his own, still half-full glass her way. "One job," he says with feigned disappointment though those golden eyes keep right on glinting merrily.

When Rogue passes by and bats at his tail, he feigns indignation once more, though that devilish grin does help to spoil the effect some. "You never pull on a man's tail. Or at least not mine," he says, that agile extra limb giving a chiding little wave all on it's own before he dips his head to Hank as well.

"I'll be curious to see which one of you can solve it first," he agrees with a wry little smile. "I still imagine the over/under is six minutes. Tops. Though I suppose we could check with Remy. Or Doug. They could probably calculate the odds best."

Emma Frost has posed:
And then as Douglas snarks at her, Emma goes to smile. Then to Douglas' mind she projects 'It's a Small World' and sets it on a loop of being sung by Elmo, moving to fire off those bits in ones head that go off tha tmake it completely impossible to get out no matter how hard one tries to brain bleach. It would go from his toes to his lips, almost perhpas enough to make him start to hum it - perhpas to his own horror and terror.

Emma nods over at Rogue and smiles. "Well, you wear what you want and what you enjoy. THere's no reason to overcomplicate it. You and Jean are both gorgeous no matter what you go about in." She goes to turn her attention back to the game and see who's winning.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabby is totally doing her job. By getting the waitstaff to do theirs and as soon as glasses are waggled their replaces just as quickly. There might also be some extra tipping. That gets a long way with a lot of people.

Being a part time waitress herself, she knows what these people are going through.

"And damn if I ain't good at it!" she states. They even get served their preferred orders. She didn't even ask them. Helps they've all known each other for years. Tabby is not that vacuous.

If there's any delays it's because there are other people around and in the way, kinda slows things a little. But not that much.

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
There always comes a moment where you know you've been clapped back at. "You know how I know that was a good barb?" Doug says to David, "Because she fired back." He tosses another chip down onto the craps table. "Du soleil due midi au soleil de minuit, On a tous la meme vie..." He furrows his brow. "Never dunk on a telepath, they have asymmetrical ways of getting back at you."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde barely manages to tease Tabitha with that split second complaint after she finished her drink, before a waitress is taking the empty out of her hand without Kitty realizing it, and putting a fresh drink in.

The Jewish girl looks over at the full glass. "Ok. That was actually kind of impressive," she says, flashing a grin to Tabitha. "Ok folks, so poker it is? Stud did I hear? Let's go do this. Big table so there's some people besides us at?" she suggests.

David Alleyne has posed:
"Yeah, I know you're good at it, Doug. But you know, there is a certain level of skill involved as well." David points out. And since Doug wants to show off his abilities, he is working on his own angle. "What's the saying about dragons - be wary of taunting a dragon, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup?" he asks with a wry smirk before he turns his attention to see how Doug is doing with the craps.

Henry McCoy has posed:
Yay for hugs! Beast gives Kitty a gentle squeeze, before letting her examine the gift he'd brought. "A puzzle box? Drat - my gift selection was a bit more limited. I've been making sure Priscilla is doing well in her recovery." Inside the bag is a bottle of twenty-five year old Glenlivet scotch. "I could not find one that was twenty-two, unfortunately. The man smiles, before offering a nod in return to Kurt.

Rogue... earns a chuckle and a grin over his shoulder. "Good evening, chere." He offers, giving it his best southern Louisiana accent. "How are you doing?"

Poker! Now there's a game he can get behind!

Jean Grey has posed:
"Isn't that someone's..." As Rogue wants to go looking for a drink, Jean scans the area, noticing one of the waitresses that Tabitha has perhaps pulled into their orbit, legitimately or otherwise. "Here, let me." After nabbing the empty, shaking cup out of that green-gloved hand, she slips off toward the woman with the tray, claiming a pair of new drinks for both her and the Belle of the ball, and putting in a further order for the next go-round.

And meanwhile? "It's your party," she tells Kitty, as she muses their possible game. "So you decide! But if we don't find some strangers, who are we going to fleece for orphan money, exactly?"

Ororo Munroe has posed:
"Hey, there is an orphan right here in need of money," Ororo tells Jean, and puts her fingertips against her sternum. "And I will make great use of those funds," she promises with a total lack of sincerity and another dazzling grin, this time for Jean.

When she spots a chance, Ororo walks over to Hank and without any self-consciousness, offers him a warm, sisterly hug. "I am glad you are here, Henry," she bids Beast. "Goodness, if we had Scott and Bobby here, we could have a First Class reunion," she observes with a bemused expression.

Emma Frost has posed:
Her mission accomplished, Emma Frost goes onto the game and gives a smile over at Henry, "I'm sure that it will keep her busy. And I suppose that you've made it so that she can't just use her phasing to get through it?" She would turn her attention over to Ororo.. But Ororo had gotten the first pounce over on Henry, and so Emma went quiet in light amusement.

"I'm sure that Bobby is off doing something we're all better left in the dark over for our own sanity."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty pulls out the scotch and ooos over it. "Yes, this will find a good home," she says to Hank, giving him another quick hug before relinquishing him to greet the rest of the group. "I'm sure we can find a table that should work," she comments about wanting there to be some people other than those from the school to win their money off of.

Kitty reaches into Doug's gift box and pulls out a few chips as she goes to talk to the poker room manager. He rearranges a few players and soon there are enough seats for those who want to play together. "You guys go ahead. I'll stand behind Doug or Hank and try to look devastating. Maybe go get you a martini, shaken not stirred, and distract in a key moment," she teases.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
While he will never be a card shark or anything resembling one, he does have a fair bit of enthusiasm and a willingness to play along. So without a headlong rush to claim some of the seats at the poker table, Kurt shrugs his shoulders good naturedly and picks out one of the chairs at the end, setting his drink down for just a moment and adjusting that devilish jacket.

"I'll play," he says good naturedly. "But keep in mind that Doug and Hank don't need assistance. If anyone should be getting distracted it's them!" he points out most reasonably.

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
Doug says, "I'm already distracted, unless Ms. Frost decides I've been punished enough." Doug says. He whistles 'It's a small world' as he sits down at the table, and then clears his throat, taking a moment to try and put that song out of his head. "Well the Wicked King of Clubs awoke / It was to his Queen he turned / His lips were laughing as they spoke; / His eyes like bullets burned." He gestures to the dealer. "Five card stud." Then he looks at the others, and leans back. "The sun's upon a gambling day" / His queen smiled low and blissfully, / "Let's make some wretched fool to pay." / And plain it was, she did agree."

Rogue has posed:
With her old glass handed off, and a new one delivered, Rogue accepts with a gracious comment spoken in French. She's off to the races with another sipping starting. Her green eyed gaze goes back to Hank who gets a soft smile from her. "I'm good. Ready for school t'start up again, get my mind off'a less enjoyable thoughts..."

She sees Kurt rush by, and turns to follow him then, moving to meet up again with Jean. "Poker against Miss Grey." rogue says to Kurt. "You sure about that?" She asks the Blue Elf with a playful expression.

Finding a seat nearby, but not at the table, the Belle settles down upon it and crosses her legs at the knee, her upraised black leather boot starting to bob up and down a little beneath her black dress's hem.

"I'm with Ororo though, lets keep whatever we win." She announces to those still within earshot of her. "I got a dream house t'buy some day."

Henry McCoy has posed:
Henry gives a warm hug to Ororo, smiling to her. "Indeed. All of us old folks here for one of our young, shining stars." He grins. "How have you been?" He wonders of the Storm-goddess. A grin then to Emma. "That's Kurt's gift... you would need to ask him. I just brought an aged bottle of scotch for our young Kitty." A smile.

As people move over towards the poker table, he glances over to Kurt. "It is as much about reading people, as it is figuring the odds." He assures. He lets the others choose their seats, before taking his. "Trust me, math is only part of the solution in this game." He beams.

To Rogue, he nods. "If you need someone to bend an ear for you..."

David Alleyne has posed:
Just as he was about to sit at the table, David's phone chimes at him. He glances at it and frowns before rising from the table. "Couple of things to take care of my term paper." he sighs. "Thanks for having me at the party, Kitty!" with that, he slips into the crowd to step out and deal with research stuff.

Remy LeBeau has posed:
A casino is a noisy place. Talking, shouting, laughing. Occasional squealing or screaming. Angry tirades, the eternal song of the person who's come out on the wrong end of a game. Motorcycle engines.

Wait, motorcycle engines?

Remy Lebeau hasn't been seen in a while. That never leads to anything good. He proves that truism when a pair of double doors near once entrance to the casino floor bursts open to reveal a Japanese motorcycle of very expensive provenance doing a wheelie and mounted by the aforementioned Cajun. His blazer is gone, as is one of his shoes. He still has his sunglasses on and his hair has come out of its ponytail. He has one hand on the handlebars and another spreading a few cards in his hand as he puts the front wheel down and jets across the carpet.

He maneuvers through the tables to a lot of screaming. Security is clearly chasing him, along with several men of the kind of stereotype that might once have been found on HBO's very fine program, The Sopranos. They are very red faced and very angry.

He skids quickly by the poker table, "I have to go, amies, but I wish you the finest of evenings. To those celebrating, I wish you all the very best and oh...drinks are on Gambit, non?" he says.

Then he hefts up a briefcase from the sideslung bag, throws it into the air and tosses a charged card at it. It detonates and a swirling cloud of cash, about 30K in unmarked bills, floats down from the ceiling in every direction.

"SOMEBODY STOP 'IM DAT'S MY MONEY" yells a goomba.

Remy revs the engine on the bike, "Au revoir, les enfantes!" he cries, turning the bike with a smoking spin that leaves a rip in the carpet before he jets the bike towards the exit, bowling over a couple more guards in comical fashion before making his exit.

Well, now there's another casino from which he's banned.

Emma Frost has posed:
There's the entertainment of the moment. Emma glances over at the arrival, then at the others. "I believe that we may wish to.. Consider relocating ourselves at the discretion of the birthday girl." Emma would look quite amused. Nothing is on fire - at least, not yet. She's sure with Tabby drunk and the rest of them with a buzz and rather bored that this circumstance is going to expand.

And now to see how much the local police force cost when it came to bribes. They were New Jerseyans, so it couldn't be that much. WEll.. She would at least see if Kitty would just in the festivities or just try and go elsewhere.

Jean Grey has posed:
Kitty picks, and now she's wussing out? Jean makes a face at her. "Not tryning to win it big on your special night? Seems like a missed opportunity!"

But the redhead has volunteered and isn't backing out of it herself, eventually encouraged forward to take a seat at the table, glancing back over to mark where Rogue has staked herself out before focusing on the game itself. She has her collection of chips in their little trays in her bag, and pulls them all out now, to set out in front of her. Poker's a game where your stack matters! Not that she's gonna out bankroll some of these people, if they've the mind for it. "Fiiine, no orphans," she allows, as she's sorting it all out, making sure they're arranged in proper rows where she can quickly identify the different chip denominations and so forth.

"Doug, Henry... who else is joining?" she wonders, as if this is all going to be a very normal game.

And then, well, Remy happens. "Oh dear. Think he'll be alright?" she wonders, although it doesn't sound like she gives the gabagool patrol good odds.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
The shift to the poker tables gets everyone moving. Tabby stuffing yet more chips in her purse. The waitresses always seem ready with another drink. Maybe there was a nudge but more in the just making sure the orders and requests were heard than commanding.

There's still tips heading their way.

One whale still contributing to Tabby's 'charity' likely the others will make her hand over the semi ill gotten gains. It's not that much money. she knows the one about how you can only skin a sheep once.

Remy's streaking gets an eyeroll when she looks over the case and lifts it out of the way hand. "Finders fee gets a reward!?" she yells out. <<You just know whatever he really swiped is worth way more than what might be in this case!>>

Remy ain't that sloppy less he wants to be.

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
"Well." Doug says, "So much for playing poker with Remy tonight." He looks up at the dealer, and then at Kitty's chips, and he sighs, and laces his fingers under his chin. "...So, Emma." Doug says, as he rests his chin in his hand, "...You think you could get us a table at the Knife & Fork Inn on a Friday night with zero prior notice?" Of course she can, that's a hypothetical question.

Henry McCoy has posed:
The motorcycle sound reaches Henry's ears long before the Cajun bursts onto the scene - setting the Beast a bit on edge. Seeing that is Gambit when he looks over, does ... some to relax Henry. Not much. Sharp yellow eyes glance at the arc of the bag as it is thrown, and the bursting shower of bills.

"My stars and garters." He whispers, looking to the others.

"You don't suppose they will think us in on his shenanigans, do you?"

Rogue has posed:
From her seated position at the observers table, Rogue is watching everyone settle in, her eyes taking in a sight that makes her softly smile again. She's about to raise her drink up for another sip from it when the engine revving draws her eyes-- much like every other set of eyes in the place.

And there he is, not taking heed of her earlier warning spoken to him in French. Maybe he hadn't heard her? He definitely heard her...

She stiffens up some, wondering if a fight is about to break out, but as Remy draws close enough to shout like the Lone Ranger upon his Silver horse, Rogue just shouts after him.

"If you ain't first, you're last!"

And then he's gone.

She goes back to her drinking, slouching down some in her chair now... at least for a second.

Then there's a rip noise.

She quickly sits up straight again.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
"I'm still playing," Kurt chimes in from his seat at the end of the table. "Though Rogue seems to be telling me that it's a very bad idea to go up against you Jean," the fuzzy blue elf points out, sipping his drink and casually eyeing the chaos that the departing Cajun has wrought with his little stunt.

"That is assuming we're even staying," he points out archly, a little smile curving over his features, seemingly unphased by the stunt, or the people rushing about the table now.

His look quickly grows thoughtful, glancing over towards the Southern belle. "Hmmmmm, now that I think about it you wouldprobably be the perfect distraction for Jean. You wouldn't want me to end up in poverty right?" he says, fluttering eyes her way.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde gasps as Remy blows through. She bites down on her lips, doing her best to keep from grinning and maybe speeding any likelihood of them getting thrown out. Denial isn't just a river in Egypt, and claiming a lack of familiarity with the Cajun madman, and suggesting they should probably give out free drinks to get everyone over the fright, might result in free drinks.

"Hope he doesn't get arrested. I didn't come to New Jersey to do a jailbreak. Again," she comments quietly to her friends.

Once the hulaballoo has died down, Kitty grabs a drink for Kurt. "We got your back," she tells him, patting Kurt's shoulder.

Emma Frost has posed:
So there's not going to be a mass exodus. Probably for the best. They don't want to burn down the place in their escape. Emma Frost goes to take out a drink that costs more than the total sbeing thrown about at the card table, and moves to take a sip of it. "Poor quality. It's been in the heat for too long. This needs to be stored where it's cool. Where did you keep it, the greenyard for three years?" That's spoken to no one in particular - wtih most other people staring over at Remy booking it out of the place.

A couple of old ladies have commandeered seats left over at the slot machines and someone's stack of chips and quarters. The ringing of them is soon filling the air again as well as some whacks with canes breaking on things.

Ororo Munroe has posed:
Ororo's eyes widen in surprise at the roar of the bike and the clatter of Remy's kinesis blowing the suitcase apart. By the time he roars off a gin, she's grinning and laughing merrily without any inhibition. "Who was that masked man, anyway?" she inquires of the gathering at large.

She's near enough to Rogue, though, to hear the tell-tale *rip* of fabric. Ororo looks down at her with a puzzled epxression, then leans back a few degrees and nudges Rogue's shoulder forward with a touch to the back of her corset so she can inspect the damage. "Oh dear. I hope someone has brought a spare shirt," she says, and clucks her tongue.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Looks like this problem got stitched up nicely. Well the brief case maybe might disappear. Rogue might need more training in how to wear corsets and the like. "Like we said sugah, practice. And materials that can handle it." she states. "Even the perfect pair of jeans takes some work shopping and fitting." she points out.

Like none of them have ever avoided a wardrobe malfunction. And Tabitha has to worry about textile immolation. The goons looking for the money might have just paused looked around and saw no briefcases. "You can go about your business! Move along!" she waves horizontally at waist height to just get back to enjoying a poker game with her friends. Even if all she is doing is watching and making sure everyone gets drunker and drunkerer.

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
Doug snorts, as he gestures for the dealer to shuffle and deal out the cards. "Like they've built the jail that could hold that man..." He sweeps up his cards after they're dealt out, and his expression suddenly goes completely unreadable. B-l-a-n-k.

Henry McCoy has posed:
He heard the rip, but a gentleman would not comment. And certainly not look. Henry taps on the table to be dealt in - eyes on the game. "I doubt they have, Doug. But still... it's the principle of the thing." He explains, glancing at his cards with a bit of amusement.

His chips are placed in for the bet, no splashing or tossing.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is grateful for Ororo's timely presence. She sits up straight on her chair's edge, and peers over her shoulder at the white haired woman. "God damnit." She exhales sharply. "I don't think it's bad. It just feels looser around the top." And sure enough there's just a tear in one of the lace hems, not showing off but a couple extra inches of her back.

She'll rise up then to her full height, her black dress waving around her legs as she does so. She sighs heavily, takes another swig of her drink, before glancing at the poker table, then in the direction that Gambit fled in.

"I better go up to the rooms an' swap it out with somethin' else." She mutters then, a thick level of disappointment at herself intoned in her voice as she turns to head toward the elevators on the far side of the room.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Settling in as the cards are dealt, Kurt takes the offered drink from Kitty and casts a grin back over his shoulder, dipping his head towards her even while that impish little grin plays over his expression. "I knew you had my back," he asserts, though his tone certainly suggests that he is not taking the thing all that seriously. "With the birthday girl on my side, how can I possibly go wrong?" he asks rhetorically.

Though given some of the other players, the better question might be how could things possibly go right? Unless one's aim is just to have fun. If nothing else, Kurt seems to be having that.