"Good luck."

Grey finished her meal, and was already preparing to head to the showers. She whisked away her tray with distinct grace - Cedric made his way to the bar to refill his coffee before bringing it with him to his next destination. He was waiting for Grey at the mess hall entrance, hoping that she could provide him with information that would make finding Gunner and Chem easier. Her passing by didn't take long.

"Wanting to join me, hot stuff?" Grey asked.

Cedric smiled, but shook his head. "It's practically sleep time. I'll shower in the morning. I need to know where I can find Gunner and Chem."

"Right..." She replied, somewhat disappointed.

"Well, they are probably minding their own business in the crew cabins. I know Gunner is, probably playing poker. As far as Chem goes, I have no idea where he spends his time."

Cedric held his index finger and thumb to his chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm... Poker is it? Is Gunner a betting man?"

"He is..." Grey said cautiously.

"Then maybe I'll challenge him before I go to bed tonight. I'll have five days left after this, I need to make the most of it." He mused.

"Seriously Scourge? They don't like to be bothered with that sort of thing in the cabins." She reminded him, somewhat irritated.

Cedric held his hand in the air in an attempt to subside her concerns.

"I'm not invading their free time, I'm simply challenging a man to a game of poker with a bet, card games are considered recreational. If he doesn't want to agree to the game, he simply can say no."

Grey sighed before replying, "You're technically right. Well, he's in my quarters - towards the back. He's a bit of a snorer, that's why I sleep towards the front. All the snorers sleep in the back. You'll find him there now actually, probably already playing a game."

"Then that is where I will go. Thank you, Grey."

She adjusted her arms, messaging her shoulders as she walked off.

"No problem. Again, don't be an asshole."

Cedric nodded, and watched gingerly as she walked towards the showers and her cabin. The view from behind was nice, but for some reason he didn't enjoy it as much as he used to. When she was mostly put of sight, he made his way to the first crew quarters area - gently sipping his coffee as Killer flanked his right, wreathed in her membrane cloak.

"Why don't you talk much, Killer?" He asked.

"Darling?" Killer tilted her head quizzically, her long black ears bobbing with the movement.

"You cling to my arm and stay by my side, but you rarely speak or interact outside of defending me if someone questions my actions or motives."

She shrugged, her cloak swaying just a bit. "I have no reason to speak unless it's for you Darling, I'm happy simply being at your side. I have no need or want to speak with the others. Do you want me to?"

He shook his head, "Not I'd you don't want to. I do like the idea of a shadow protecting me from the side, but you know - you have your own free will. The Phage doesn't change that. For now..."

"What if I have nothing to say?" She asked flatly.

"Then I suppose... Don't say anything? If you don't want to speak, then don't - but I wanted to make sure it wasn't something that I was doing unknowingly that implied you were not allowed to speak." He stated. Cedeic wanted to ensure that she was fine, he didn't know Killer for long - so he had no basis for what should be expected of her behavior.

"I will speak when I want to Darling. I am much more concerned with any possible threats to you or us. I mostly observe, I have no reason to speak to the rest of the crew - other than you of course." She replied.

"I see, I suppose that makes sense. You truly have nothing to talk about?" He freed another cigarette from his packet, now half empty. He would need to procure more soon.

"Not in public, no. But tonight Darling, I can be your muse - if you like." She rubbed a claw up and down his arm.

"I think I'd like that. For now, let's stay focused. If being observant for threats is what you want to do, than I won't stop you. Let's see the type of anima Gunner is, though based on what Grey has told me - I feel like I already have half of what I need to know."

Cedric lit his bacco stick and waiting for the doors to the first crew quarters to open, he stepped inside. He hadn't actually been inside one of them before. He looked around - it was huge! Another storage cell. Bunk beds lined the massive chamber, set an even distance apart. The beds appeared bolted to the floor, and many setups were scattered about, all with their own groups and cliques. It was ad though he had stepped straight into a massive comic convention. Electronics that appeared to be connected to holovid consoles were scattered about, many groups of younger Korellei playing games he did not recognize. Several table with chairs were also set up here and there, laden with various board games and card games.

Cedric gasped, he felt like a child again. He felt Killer gasp in turn, the feedback of the Phage doing its work. He was so happy!

"Darling?" Killer tugged his arm. He did not reply.

"This makes you that happy? We should come here more often, even now, I know you have a smile on your face."

Indeed he did as he gazed about the great chamber. Poker, video games, hell even a few fridges and brewing areas were set up near and about the bunks. To his left, a vast line of separated tiny rooms gave privacy to those that wanted it, though he could already see a few Korellei blatantly changing in public. None of the crew seemed to mind. A few closest to him observed as he walked in, nudging the shoulders of their fellows. Carefully and slowly Cedric walked between the bunks, large aisles affording plenty of space for movement. The air was abound with the cacophony of mingling crew, talking about the events of the day or making rendevous plans for later dates.

Cedric's smile grew wider as he observed a few Korellei preparing what appeared to be noodle cups in whatever passed as styrofoam, boiling water being poured within them and as they prepared to snack on their ramen of choice as they returned to their board or video games. Cedric received many looks, but they did not last long as he passed by the groups - more concerned with their end of day recreation rather than his presence. He wanted to sit and mingle around, get involved with their games and play - but he could not afford to, he had a mission to complete - one of many.

He walked to the middle most part of the storage cell, scanning for any sign of Gunner based on what Grey had told him. After a few minutes of searching, he found his quarry. In the farthest part of the cell, he spotted what appeared to be a regular sized grizzly bear - smoke wafting in his corner as he dealt a line of cards on a green felt-like table. That had to be him. Cedric wasted no time in reaching his destination, Killer from his side was cautiously staring all about the area - her eyes and ears flicking to and fro - constantly on the watch for any potential threat to him or herself.

Cedric stood behind the ursine now, but taking care not to eye his cards. He stepped to the side to observe the game, Gunner was playing a classic game of poker with a mole. He had arrived just in time to see the river, Gunner's full house just barely beating a flush. Impressive. Gunner chuckled at his challenger, his large maw taking a deep breath of the fat cigar that rested between his teeth.

"Hehe, better luck next time bub. I could use some more credit chits for our next vacation."

The mole threw his hands up in exasperation.

"Unbelievable, a deal is a deal. I'll remember this, the next game is mine."

He handed Gunner a small purple credit chit, ten K by the looks of it. That was no small amount. He produced a standard sized holopad that seemed microscopic in his large paws, and inserted the chit - transferring the credits. Cedric watched with interest as the credit chit changed to a white color, the shade draining from the top of the chit and down as the transfer completed - and was handed back to the mole man who had lost.

"Maybe you should bet less credits next time, might actually win if you keep trying."

"Bah, whatever. I'm going to win the next game either way."

The mole took his leave, and as Gunner was shuffling the cards Cedric took a comfortable seat across from him.

"Gunner, I presume?" He began.

The grizzly ursine turned his head upwards, still shuffling his cards. He peered deep into Scourge's eyes with his own, the dark brown orbs sizing him up - almost piercing through his body. He took another deep drag of his cigar, and puffed the cloud into Cedric's face. His own cigarette was already halfway consumed, but he returned the gesture - a hint of irritation on the ursine's brow.

"Scourge, is it? Haven't seen you here before. Didn't take you for someone who plays cards in their spare time."

His voice was gruff and growly but calm, Cedric surveyed him diligently. He wore no shirt, baring his large and muscular furry chest out to the world. A black leather vest adorned with various patches was all that covered his torso. Thick, black leather jeans met with a pair of large black leather combat boots - if Gunner was a human, he'd fit right in with your typical biker gang. Not the hover-bikers either, the real ones - the original enthusiasts, road runners. He seemed short for an Ursine to Cedric, but his stockiness and obvious strength was more than adequate to off-set his lack of height. A twin brace of pistols he did not recognize lay comfortable at his sides, they appeared to be some sort of laser based flintlocks - their hammers up, the pistols on the equivalent of a safety mode.

"I fancy a game or two. I hear tell that you're a betting man." Cedric began again. He did not feel intimated by Gunner, but he still observed him with respect - by the looks of him, this man had been with Clan Greyskull a long time.

"I might be." He simply replied, finishing his shuffling and neatly stacking the cards to the side of the table with respect. He relaxed in a cushioned lounge chair, its back creaking in response to his weight.

"You here for a game?"

"I might be, if you're willing." Cedric replied.

Gunner simply nodded in response, "I'd be willing. I assume you've played before. Let me guess, you want to make a bet - if you win, I join your team - let me ask you this though."

He leaned deeply onto the table, letting his maw grow closer to Cedric's pulsing mask.

"What do I get if I win?"

Cedric relaxed for a moment, not only to show he did not fear him and that he was here for business - but also create some distance between himself and his head - it made him slightly uncomfortable, which may be his goal. He would not be swayed.

"I suppose I should have expected that word would be going around by now. You are correct, I want you to join my team. As far as what you get out of it, what do you want?"

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Gunner returned to his original position, taking another long drag before pointing to Killer.

"I want her, your bodyguard. I win, she's mine."

Cedric raised a brow, "Bold request for a male."

Gunner chuckled, "Can you blame me? May be the only shot I got at getting a female to stick by me that won't be barking orders every two seconds."

Cedric mused for a few moments, messaging his beard. He looked up and to the left towards Killer, who was comfortable within her membrane cloak.

"Killer? This is up to you."

She turned her head quickly back and forth between Cedric and Gunner, before allowing a grin to widen across her maw.

"Okay, I accept. If Scourge wins, I'll be your bodyguard."

Gunner chuckled again, this time it was mixed with amusement and respect - rather than idle chatitiude.

"Alright, it's a deal. Let's play a game. I can be the dealer, or you can - doesn't matter to me either way."

"You can be the dealer, I assume this is your table."

"It might be." He replied, shuffling the cards once more with care - but with a respectable quickness. Before long, Cedric was dousing his cigarette in a nearby ash tray and lighting another - now holding two tens in his other hand, hearts and a diamond - a good start.

"We'll use bottle caps for chips, I still expect normal payment for betting rounds. Black caps are ones, green caps are tens, blue caps are hundreds, and purple caps are thousands."

Gunner handed Cedric enough caps to equate to five thousand credits, and took the same amount for himself.

"Ten credit blinds."

Cedric nodded and slipped a green cap in the middle of the table - a small crowd of Korellei were already beginning to amass near the table, eager to see the outcome of a poker game between the great Scourge and the skilled Gunner. Killer watched on with interest, from the corner of his eye Cedric could see that Killer was subduing her emotional responses radiating from himself, smart girl.

"Let's shake things up a bit, you know, for good sport."

Gunner slid five blue caps to the middle of the table. A five-hundred credit bet right off the bat.

"Call." Cedric said, matching his bet

"Not a bad start. Here's the flop." Gunner said, taking another drag of his cigar as he dealt.

A ten and two fours revealed themselves, all clubs - he already had a full house - what luck!

"Not bad for a flop." Cedric said, and slid two blue caps onto the middle of the table.

"Not bad at at all." Gunner responded with three blue caps onto the middle of the table. A one hundred credit raise.

"Interesting, I'll call." Another blue cap graced the others in the pile. One thousand, and six hundred and twenty credits were already on the line, and Cedric had none. What was risk without reward, after all?

"Gonna call huh? You must think you have something good."

Cedric did not reply.

"Alright then, not much for conversation. Here's the turn."

A two, not quite applicable to anything Cedric had to offer.

Another blue cap graced the pile.

"Another raise? Sounds a bit premature." Cedric said flatly, calling his raise.

"I like keeping things interesting - even if I already know how things are going to end. Here's the river."

An Ace. It wasn't possible for Gunner to have a straight, and even if he had a flush Cedric's full house would still beat it - he tossed a purple cap on the table, arousing a few "Ooo's" from the growing crowd.

A wicked smile crossed Gunner's maw, "Call."

Was he missing something? What could Gunner possible have?

"Let's see what you got there, Scourge."

He flopped his cards onto the table.

"Full House."

A loud chuckle thundered through the room, permeating to Cedric's very core as Gunner revealed his cards.

"Four of a Kind."

Cedric's heart sank - unbelievable. He was so assured with his full house he failed to realize that Gunner could have a four of a kind, foolish! Asinine!

"Don't be too sad Scourgie, ya tried your best."

"Best of three." He quickly said.

Gunner laid back in his chair, amused in the satisfaction of his victory.

"I've already won Scourge, you've lost. I'll take my prize, now."

"I'll be your mate." Killer said, her voice monotone.

"What?" Cedric looked quickly to Killer - Gunner would rip her apart! A comforting clawed hand rubbed his shoulder, but it did not settle his unease. Not doubt she felt his sudden dip of emotion within the loss.

"You can't deny that this game was fun, no? You only won by being lucky enough to have one card set higher. If you win the best of three Gunner, I won't just be your bodyguard - I'll be your mate, your little bitch. How does that sound?"

"Hmm..." Gunner mused, swishing the cigar back and forth in his mouth.

"You good with that Scourgie?" He asked, rather mockingly.

Cedric nodded, "Also, you won't call me Scourgie anymore. You'll call me Director."

A loud bellow echoed throughout the back section of the cell, "Yeah alright, fine. Best of three. It'll be nice to have a mate. Especially one as nice as Killer there. Well then, you deal this time?"

Cedric nodded again. The next game went by quickly, the random assortment of cards not benefiting either party in any particular way. Cedric won this game, but only because he had a King to Gunner's Queen. High cards, barely interesting. Only five hundred credits were bet, increasing Cedric's new chip total to five thousand, five hundred after renewing his stock.

"That's a shame, still a win for you though. Let's get this next game over, I'm eager to embrace my new mate."

"Indeed, let's. Though, we are one to one - next round could be anyone's." Cedric said steadily, he couldn't afford to lose. He wouldn't be able to force Gunner to fold, he would need a significant amount of luck. Cedric took a deep breath - if he lost this game, then he was clearly not destined to reach his current goal or complete his mission. It was Gunner's turn to deal once more, an Ace and a King of diamonds now graced Cedric's hand - he could do something with this hopefully.

Before the flop, Gunner placed four blue caps on the table.

"Could always use more credits." He chuckled.

Without replying, Cedric called his bet.

"Nice and focused now, are we Scourgie? Alright, not a bad way to play. Quick and to the point."

Gunner laid down the flop, a queen and a jack of diamonds, as well as a nine of clubs. If he could just get a ten...

"You know what Scourgie? I'll give you this one, I'm not making a bet." Gunner said, confident. Did he already have something? A straight maybe? He'd need a ten as well, if he was this confident in a nine - the same card he needed...

"Perhaps you aren't, but you like keeping things interesting right?" Cedric placed a purple cap on the table.

"Alright, I'll call. Here's the turn."

Gunner matched his bet, and the turn revealed another nine of clubs. Damn it he thought to himself. It was certainly possible that Gunner had a four of a kind. He needed to keep up the pressure, he wanted Gunner to fold. There was nothing else for him to lose at this point, he tossed another purple cap on the table. Gunner called it quickly.

"You trying to bluff me out and make me fold Scourgie? I don't think so. I'm winning this game regardless, so try as you might - it's pointless. Let's see the river, shall we?"

Cedric nodded.

A ten of diamonds. It costed Cedric all of his willpower, and possibly some of Killer's to keep his secret hidden. He pushed all of his caps into the middle of the table.

"All in."

Gunner peered at Cedric with a certain scrutiny, showing signs of insult.

"You trying to insult me, guy? You had a second chance and blew it, so now you're just throwing away all your credits? Alright, fine - I'll teach you a little lesson about this game. I raise, all in."

Fifteen-thousand credits were now on the table, eager to reveal his hand - Gunner slapped down his cards.

"Four of a kind."

The large crowd that now formed around them Ooo'd and Ah'd at his apparent victory.

Cedric let a wicked smiled cross upon his face, and ensured that Gunner could see it in its entirety with his mask open as he finished off his cigarette. He placed his cards down gently, letting Gunner see them in all their glory.

"That's it? Royal Flush."

The crowd's murmuring turned to dead silence at the reveal. Gunner's eyes grew wide in disbelief as he laid back in his chair, the squeaking of the strain piercing the fog of awe that now wafted throughout the chamber.

"I don't fucking believe it... Every game I have ever played, I've never..."

Cedric slowly scooped all the bottlecaps to his side, admiring their shine. Using bottle caps for chips huh? Smart.

"Best of five? Hell of a game, I'll even waive the bets. We'll reset it, play another game. For fun." Gunner pressed, of course he would try to to entice him to more games. He lost.

"I do believe I've had my fun, and won the bet. I agree, the games were fun - and I expect my full payment due."

Gunner sighed and scratched his large head, leaning back in his chair once again. "Damn it. Alright, fine."

He produced the holopad once more, after a few screen taps a credit chit popped out, adopting a glowing hue - signifying it was loaded with at least one thousand credits or more. After it was loaded, he handed it to Cedric.

"Damn, a deal is a deal... Not gonna get used to calling you Director, you're a lucky bastard."

Pleased, Cedric rose from his chair - extending a hand to Gunner. He accepted it, his strong grip feeling as though it could shake his hand out of socket at any time.

"Alright then 'Director' - I'll join this little team of yours, but I never bet on how long I'd stick around. You got something to convince me otherwise?"

Cedric sniffed idly, preparing to snuff out his cigarette.

"You agreed to join my team. Killer, if Gunner decided not to stick with the agreement, or decided to try and find a loophole to get out - would you mind settling it?"

Killer nodded happily, her maw once again showing off well kept rows of teeth.

"So she's a good negotiator too, is she?"

Cedric did not reply as he handed the credit chit to Killer for safe keeping. She let the chit dance between her fingers, before replying in Cedric's stead.

"I'm quite good at negotiation, yes - anything for my Darling."

Gunner, confused, looked back and forth between the strange duo - before shrugging and resetting his table.

"Alright then, we got any fancy meetings or something?"

Cedric shook his head, "Not yet.I expect you to listen to orders given by myself or Sergeant Grey, who you will refer to as Sergeant when speaking to her."

"Grey huh? So that's how you found out about me. She's a weird one, keeps to herself outside a chosen few, gonna be weird addressing my old flair as Sergeant."

Cedric stopped his movements and narrowed his eyes towards Gunner.

"Old flair?.."

At first, he felt an intense wave of anger permeate his body - but settled himself down shortly after, he could tell Killer could feel his response - and she swiftly followed with a subtle back message in response. He had no business in other people's romantic lives, but Grey not informing him of this still stung. She came by it honest, so perhaps Gunner misunderstood a friendship between them. No doubt she would answer him if he asked her about him.

Gunner nodded as he finished preparing his table for any other guests that may want to challenge him that sleep time.

"Yep, didn't last long. Guess she wasn't ready to commit. Either way, I've got more games to play - so just come get me if we got any meetings or somethin' Director... Yeah, not going to get used to that."

"It's been a pleasure." Cedric responded. Checking a nearby clock, it appeared to be almost 2000. He needed rest. He bid Gunner farewell and left the growing cacophony of voices within the crew quarters, still feeling slightly depressed about not being able to join the rest of the crew in their activities. When they had passed the entrance to the mostly empty corridor, he felt a great surge of happiness and pride as Killer practically leaped onto his side, squeezing him tightly.

"I'm so proud of you Darling! You did so well! I knew you wouldn't let that brute separate me from you."

While he could not stop the smile growing on his face thanks to the emotional feedback loop, he took care to settle his voice down somewhat to give a more serious answer.

"He didn't seem like a brute to me, we got very lucky - what you did was rash."

"Darling." Killer said, gently moving his head to the side and placing an unwarranted kiss on his cheek. He could feel the warmth of love flowing through his body, and reminded himself that it was fake - just the Phage. It proved difficult.

"If you had lost, I simply would have killed myself. I would prefer that over being separated from you, Darling."

Troublingly, Cedric could not identify if she was lying or not - he could only assume she was being truthful. Concerning. Very Concerning.

"Yes well... We won, and I am tired - I think I'm ready to turn in."

Killer rested her head on his shoulder as they made their way to his bedroom, occasionally moving her muzzle up and down to coddle closed to his body. When they arrived at his door, she spoke again.

"Darling..." She began, tracing a claw around his neck - the same location she had bitten before, and wasn't quite finished healing. She licked the healing tiny wound - sending shivers down his spine.

"Hungry?" He asked.

"Yes, my mouth is already salivating at the thought of tasting your sweet love. Vegetables and fruits could only satiate me so much."

Cedric began to peel off his gear, and Killer was much more energetic about doing the same. She smelled sweet, a tinge of peach - whether that be her fruit of choice which he did not see her consume that day or a perfume, he could not tell. Perhaps, he considered, it was another side effect of the pheromones. After stripping down to his underwear, he relaxed in his mostly comfortable bunk - staring at the ceiling as he smoked yet another cigarette. He understood now why the crew smoked so much, it was an effective stress reliever. Killer, now bare, joined him on the bunk. She traced her claws up and down his partially haired body, enjoying his masculine form with an idle satisfaction.

"You did well today Darling, you should be proud of yourself."

"I am." He smiled, "I made significant progress. Now I need to track down Chem and figure out if he, or she - would be willing to join. It will most likely be difficult to convince them, that's assuming we can find them first. Where did you put the credit chit?"

"I placed it in the drawer, Darling. Did you not see?"

He shook his head, "I guess not."

"You need rest Darling, I can feed in the morning."

He shook his head, finding himself actually wanting Killer to suck his blood. He couldn't describe it, but thinking back on it now - it almost felt like it was stress relieving.

"No, you can feed if you want. Perhaps the blood loss will make it easier for me to sleep. As tired as I am, I have so much running through my head right now - at this rate, I'll suffer from critical insomnia."

Killer switched from tracing his body to rubbing her surprisingly soft paw pads along it, offering him a modicum of comfort. They relaxed in comfort for a while, embracing the stale recycled air as it hang thick within the room. Simple, comforting silence accentuated by Killer's delicate touch. He simply let the moment last as long as it wanted, and he could feel that Killer was more than happy to please. All things considered, he though, perhaps Killer would indeed make a better mate. She was always by his side, always affording him comfort. She was skilled and dexterous, and unwaveringly loyal. Maybe... He considered - Maybe he should just bite the bullet and tell her. They had a decent relationship, and she was his first - but was it really good for him in the long run? He mulled the consideration around in his mind - eventually, he would need to tell her. He decided he would wait until the first operation to make his decision, hopefully he could use it as an excuse to break the news to her. For now though, he would let Killer embrace him for the night.