Meanwhile, hours before the mission at the docks
11 PM
At The Underground, in the casino section.
Bright lights illuminate the area. Neon signs and bars are located in every corner.
Several people wearing vests and other professional work attire push carts and offer drinks. Other similarly attired workers wear a blue armband, signifying they're security. Despite everyone already being unable to use any abilities without permission, the security serve to just oversee that no cheating is done.
Various slot machines ring and boom with loud and obnoxious sound effects. Whoops and hollers erupt from people getting multipliers from slots. Others desperately scratch and rub the screen to heighten the chances of getting several symbols in a row. The tables on the other hand play the typical card and dice games.
Edward, Jordy, and Chad all enter the section.
Jordy is wearing a black bandana on his head, though tied in a way that lets his hair flow out of the back of the bandana, a red hoodie, jeans, and stylish sneakers. Edward is wearing his typical regal coat, though opened up to reveal the dress shirt underneath it, as well as dress pants and shoes. Chad on the hand only wears his triangular sunglasses, his tanktop, jeans, and boots.
"TO THE CASINO!" Cheer both Edward and Jordy. Chad on the other hand folds his arms.
As they say that, the three of them immediately rendezvous to a nearby bar.
A cute woman with orange hair greets them. She's wearing the typical outfits of the casino servers.
"What can I get for you guys?" Asks the lady.
"Yeah can we get the bartender?" Asks Edward.
"I am the bartender."
"Oh- cool. Anyway, I'd like a glass of champagne."
"What kind?" She asks, handing a menu to Edward.
Edward politely declines. "I'll take a glass of your most expensive champagne, thank you."
"Ok!" Says the lady before turning around to the computer kiosk. "(You could've said that from the beginning, prick.)" She thinks to herself.
"That'll be $83.49, please."
Edward, with stifled irk expression, smiles and hands her a hundred dollar bill.
The lady cashes him out and prints out the reciept. Jordy and Chad both look at him.
"Now, now," says Edward. "This is good, actually."
As the woman pours the devil's wine into the glass, he turns towards both of them. "This sets up a goal for me to overcome. My goal tonight is to win $83.49. Because if I just came in here to win, I could technically spin a slot machine once, get $2, and then be done since I technically won more than what I came in with. But where's the fun in that?"
The woman hands Edward the glass and his receipt. He writes his name, and tips $2.
"You're only tipping her that much?" Whispers Jordy, turned around.
"WOAH NIGGA, you think I'm made out of money?" Says Edward.
Jordy with his mouth open turns to Chad. Chad doesn't say anything and just shrugs.
"Besides, I think opening a bottle up and pouring it into a glass isn't that hard. It's not like she distilled the bottle herself. She's not BREAKING her back over it. Calm down. Lol."
Jordy goes quiet before saying "I mean, sure. I guess you have a point." He then turns to the lady. The lady picks up the receipt and tries to stifle her annoyed expression. "And what can I get for you?" She asks.
"Do you guys have any ciders?" Asks Jordy.
"We have Apple, blackberry, and blueberry."
"I'llllll taaaaake.... blueberry."
"$8.95, please."
"Ay wey-" says Jordy, as his eyes widen for a split second.
"I'm sorry?" Says the lady.
"No, sorry, don't worry about it." Jordy rolls his eyes. (Well, it's only one beer for the night so, its not that bad.) He thinks to himself, rummaging for his wallet.
He pays the lady and tips a $1.50.
Edward raises his eyebrow. "And yet you're tipping less than me."
"General rule for tipping is a dollar for every 5 bucks." Simply comments Jordy.
Edward rolls his eyes.
"Anything for you?" Finally asks the woman towards Chad.
"Water, please."
He gets a glass of water.
They go towards the roulette table. While walking, both Edward and Jordy sip on their drinks. They both forcefully make pleased faces.
"What does your drink taste like?" Asks Jordy.
"Overpriced, overcarbonated, mid, white wine. What does your taste like?"
"Ass. It tastes like ass."
They arrive at the table. A man in his 20s wearing the typical casino outfit is the dealer. He's wearing a bag over his head with eye holes in them. A couple people are already playing.
"Are you guys playing?" Asks the dealer.
"Just us two." Says Jordy, pointing towards himself and Edward.
"Are you with them?" Asks the dealer towards Chad.
"Yes."
"You gotta do the contract with them. Them's the rules."
Chad rolls his eyes. The three of them raise their hands.
"I promise to not enact any type of ability or cheating on this table." Says the dealer.
Edward rolls his eyes. "(Well its not like you can really cheat at roulette. If anything the casino is the one cheating. But that goes without saying cuz DUH. What a retarded contract.)"
"I agree." The three of them say.
"Place your bets please." Starts the dealer.
People rummage and quickly put their chips on the table. Jordy and Edward exchange $20 into chips. The sign next to them says the lowest bid is $3 and the maximum is $2000.
Jordy ponders for a bit. "Got any ideas, Chad?" Asks Jordy.
"I mean for starters we could turn around and save your money."
"...or?"
"Or play a different game with higher odds like blackjack. But its up to you. I don't want to rain on your guys' parade. Now remember, you can put 2 dollars worth of chips into a solid color, and then one dollar on green. So that if you win on the solid color, you make $4 while insuring in the low chance that it hits green. And if you win green, you win a lot more. It's the safest bet."
"I see," says Jordy. He then turns to Edward.
Edward raises his glass.
"PUT 'ER ALL ON RED."
Others at the table cheer. Jordy chuckles and puts it all on red.
Amount bet: $20 each
Chad quietly stammers. "No that's- but- 💀"
"No more bets please." Announces the dealer.
They watch the ball spin, round and round.
.
..
...
Red!
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"LETS GO," shout the both of them.
Chad chuckles.
"Now Jordy," starts Chad. "You already made double of what you put in. I think that's good enough for tonight."
Jordy turns to Edward. He's chugging his champagne. He then turns to Jordy, shakes his head, and shrugs.
"Pft.
-PUT 'ER ALL ON BLACK."
"You heard him" says Jordy.
Chad doesn't say anything.
Amount bet: $40 each
"No more bets please." Announces the dealer.
They watch the ball spin, round and round.
.
..
...
Black!
Edward's eyes light up. He grins eagerly. He finishes his glass. "More." He growls.
Jordy laughs it off.
"Red." says Edward.
Jordy does so as well. Jordy takes his second sip of his beer.
Of Vice and Sin
Living to the fullest
It's what makes life worthwhile
Behest:
CONSUME
Edward calls over a worker with a cart.
"Can I help you sir?" Asks the worker. She's wearing the typical uniform. She has black short hair and blue highlights.
"Yeah, gimme a light will ya?" Commands Edward, whipping out a cigar from his pocket.
The worker rolls her eyes. Technically, they don't need to, nor are supposed to do anything aside from giving general directions and handing out drinks. But she does so regardless.
"Thanks honey," he says, while giving her $5.
She scrunches her nose but takes the tip anyway. She leaves.
Jordy turns to Chad and whispers. "Hey uh, didn't you say he used to be a priest?"
"I mean that's all he's said before. We don't know anything other than that."
"Uh huh..." Says Jordy, taking another sip.
Amount bet: $80 each
"No more bets please." Announces the dealer.
They watch the ball spin, round and round.
.
..
...
Red!
Edward quickly runs over to the bar. Jordy takes a piss break.
Chad takes the scenery in. All these people willingly burning their money. All these people who have lost the value of what the dollar holds. What dictates life; how it dictates life. One would assume those free from the definition of "poor" would have no qualms going to the casino. And yet, people of the opposite camp dwell around here too. Desperate people who can't get enough from hard work and thus decide its a good idea to take a chance at the spin. Or even those who took the optional step prior, and decided to take a loan from the wrong crowd for one reason or another. Spin, spin, spin to win. Surely, one of these spins will grant financial freedom. Not even the jackpot nae. Freedom from their financial burden. Spin. Spin. Spin. The hypnotizing swirl spirals into black, red, and green.
Chad frowns.
Yet he's reminded of his friends.
Everyone has flaws. He hates to see the things his friends do. Yet he still wants to be friends with them.
"(What is this?)" Thinks Chad to himself. "(Do my friends think of me the same way I think of them? Am I flawed? Surely I am but...how? What is it that I'm doing wrong? Jordy was just a stranger not so long ago. And yet, I'm caring for him so much already. Now that I think about it, even if it was a years ago, Solomon was the same way. We were strangers, and now he's like a brother to me.)"
Chad shakes his head. It makes no sense. But surely if its introspection, then it must be honest.
Jordy and Edward come back. Jordy still holds his bottle, while Edward has the most stiff face possible. Yet his walking pattern is the opposite of "stiff." Edward still holds his cigar, as well as a new champagne glass.
Chad looks at Jordy and squints. "You took the bottle with you to the bathroom?"
"Tch, yeah? Where else would it go?" chuckles Jordy.
"I could've held it for... nevermind."
Jordy turns to Edward. "You got another glass?"
"Not just that. I took two shots of whisky. You can barely even tell. Hey, did you know that bourbon tastes like ass? I sure didn't."
"Yeah not a fan of whisky," forcefully chuckles Jordy before whispering to Chad. "Hey can you tell your friend to slow down a bit? I'm a little worried for him."
"Don't worry, he gets like this sometimes. If he drinks one more I'll tell him to quit. But at the same time, its his responsibility to take care of himself."
And thus, the process repeats yet again.
Jordy decides that following Edward's gambling instinct has worked so far so might as well continue.
And thus, $80 turn to $160. $160 turn to $320.
Red!
Black!
They reach $1,280. One more bet until they can no longer bet on this table. Jordy can barely contain himself from jumping up and down. Edward eagerly looks at the next table, practically salivating the upper limit. "Mine." He mutters.
"Place your bets please."
Jordy and Edward proceed: all on black.
Amount bet: $1,280 Jordy / $1,152.51 Edward
"No more bets please." Announces the dealer.
They watch the ball spin, round and round.
Edward clutches onto his glass. He steels himself, trying not to spill even more $80 champagne. Jordy curls his toes before turning around. "I can't look!"
Chad, noticing the trajectory, simply sighs and shakes his head.
.
..
...
Green!
"..."
"..."
"..."
Edward feels something. He checks his heart. "(Did I get shot?)"
He looks at his dress shirt. No blood. He opens the button up. No blood. No. Nononono. He looks at the dealer, taking away his chips.
Edward sets his glass on a cupholder and looks underneath the table. His eyes dart around, only seeing the legs of the table, as well as the legs of the other patrons. "What did you do, huh?" He asks the dealer.
The dealer and the other players all look at him. "I beg your pardon?" Asks the dealer.
"What is this, huh? Did you use a magnet? I bet its a fucking magnet I just know," barks Edward.
Jordy gently pulls Edward's shoulder to the side. "Hey man, calm down."
"Get off me you-" Edward shakes himself off of Jordy's grasp.
The dealer picks up the ball. "It's made of plastic." He puts the ball down and continues his business.
Jordy looks at him, before looking at Chad. Chad simply says "I think we should take a break."
Jordy then continues. "Well... I think I can't get mad. Like yeah of course I'm annoyed but, at the end of the day, it was my decision to play in the first place. And besides, I only really lost like 20 bucks. Plus an overpriced beer. I could win that back at work in no time. We had fun, and that's all that matters." He smiles.
Chad is pleased that at least Jordy got something out of it.
Slouching, Edward, finishes his glass, and looks at them.
"The fuck are you talking about? Come on, lets go to the ATM."
"I'm good." Abruptly says Jordy.
"Suit yourself. I'm not leaving out of here a loser."
Jordy takes a split second to think whether he was inadvertently calling Jordy a loser, or feeling salty about the loss. He then takes another split second to realize that he doesn't really care.
They can hear him mutter about there being a magnetic ball in the inside.
Chad and Jordy shake their heads. "Let's just sit down for now. My head hurts." Says Jordy.
They're quiet for a little bit, before Chad breaks the ice.
"Y'know Jordy, I want to thank you."
"Hm? What's up?"
"I want to thank you for being my friend."
Jordy cackles. "Ain't no way this white boy is acting all sappy with me right now."
"I'm serious."
"Ahah, alright. I mean, you're welcome I guess? You're a pretty chill dude yourself."
"No but lately, ever since I started hanging out with you I started learning more and more."
"Uhh... uhuh?"
"These people all around us. I'm starting to think they have souls."
"...Eh heh...yeah?" Jordy puts the beer on his lips. He takes a bigger swig than usual.
"We're not that close but, I started to realize the way that relationships form. How a stranger on the street isn't some faceless animal rather, a person like you and me. It's alien."
Jordy goes quiet.
"My family is uh... well we run things... they're gone. And it's really hard, but if I try hard enough, I think I can slowly start to piece together how things work between people. It's like I'm rediscovering it. But that only makes me remember... all these years. The possibility that what I might have-"
Jordy grips on to Chad's shoulder. He looks into Chad's eyes; past what those triangular glasses hide.
"If you think it's something your friend won't like, you probably shouldn't say it. Just a warning."
Chad looks at the ground. "You're right...but wouldn't that be lying?"
Jordy pauses before answering. "I understand what you mean. But everyone has limits. What you're doing is called oversharing. Sharing is good. But if its something serious, it really depends what happens next. A good thing is that a friend may help you out. But if its something bad that you did well... that'll decide what happens next. Typically, they won't be friends with you anymore. But I feel like that's the tip of the iceberg. The real aftermath is what you should worry about. But surely, its not that deep, right?"
Chad goes silent.
"...yeah."
Jordy takes a big swig and finishes his beer. Chad notices that Jordy's hand is shaking.
Edward eventually comes back to them.
"Hey Chad," hiccups Edward.
"(Oh no.)" Think both Chad and Jordy.
"Yeah what's up?"
"Turns out they don't have a fuckin...ATM here because its all fuckin cash or something. Can I have the keys to the truck?"
Jordy and Chad both exchange the same look.
"I don't think you're in the condition to be driving," says Chad.
"Nah man, look. I've been training on my Ki, y'see?"
"...Not really."
"Well, its because there's a fuckin contract on all of us that restricts us from using Ki in the The Underground but like... if I'm back on Earth, and I use my Ki on my senses, then I'll be good as new."
"You're slurring, dude." Says Jordy.
"You're one to talk." Says Edward.
Chad stares at Edward. Edward's hollow eyes stare back. Chad sighs. He tosses the keys to Edward. "If you crash this car, the CIA will reimburse me, right?"
"...Oh yeah sure, 100% Uh huh!"
Chad and Jordy both share the same side eye before looking back at Edward.
"Yeah just go." Says Chad.
"Thank you! Hey by the way, I'll be busy for the rest of the week. They want me to attend this meeting. I think they wanna discuss something about some rich asshole who disobeyed them or something. Plus I got a date with someone soon so, if you want anything tonight, just lemme know."
Chad simply shoos him away. "I'll send you a text. Just make sure to drive back here when you're done."
Edward shoots a forced smile and a thumbs up before excitedly skipping towards the elevator.
"Why'd you give him the keys?" Asks Jordy.
"You already know he won't stop bothering us. Besides, the truck is old. If he crashes it, the CIA will give me a new truck."
Jordy looks at Chad and squints.
"...Do you work with the CIA?"
Chad's heart skips a beat.
Oh fuck.
"Well..." He sighs. "No. But he does."
"(Technically, I'm not lying.)" Thinks Chad to himself. "(I don't officially work with the CIA yet. I'm comfortable with the job I have. And even then, Jinsei and Edward are the ones who are really partnering with them. If I'm at the scene, I'm just an associate of an associate of theirs. But fuck, that's so stupid! What was I thinking slipping up like that? I don't want get myself involved with any of this CIA stuff. And the last thing I want to do is drag an innocent person like Jordy into it too.)"
"In other news, thanks for teaching me some of the fundamentals!" Abruptly says Jordy.
"Oh uh, of course. What're you developing?"
"I'm actually starting to develop my own ability now." Explains Jordy. "I recently found out my specialization."
"Oh yeah? What are you?"
"I'm Half Ki Half Magic." Explains Jordy.
And from then on, they continued to discuss Jordy's magic prowess. The night continues.
No, Edward did not return with the truck. He forgot what he was doing and drove back to the motel instead.
Chad and Jordy were very pissed.
Return of lost emotions
Rebound empath
What you relay unto me
Realization
Oh no.
.
.
.
MEANWHILE, a couple hours before the night at the casino.
8:30 AM
Right after Jin's failed assassination on Kito.
Deep in the mountains, in a snowy forest, Jin is huffing harshly. He looks haggard. Cold, raspy air rapidly escapes his mouth. He's on the phone.
"COME ON PICK C-COME ON PICK UP." Frantically says Jin.
*Click*
"What happened." Says the voice on the line.
"Mr. Mishima! He's... he's fucking monster! I-I couldn't do it. I-I-"
"Why do you sound like that."
"I spent almost all of my fucking ki! I..I"
"Settle down. Head towards the nearest school and use the teleporters. I'm at the Nigata campus. Meet me there. We'll talk."
"Oh...oh ok." Huffs Jin.
They hang up. Jin covers himself in his large hood. He uses whatever embers of ki he has left and limps towards the general direction of the nearest school.
"Fuck, this job sucks..." he mutters to himself.