Deaden the pain I feel inside

[Gambit]

T’ree o’ a kind. Not so bad. Gonna take a few hands t’ learn her tells, t’ough...

“Alright, so de wager be a secret from de loser, oui?” he asked, his eyes twinkling over his hand of cards.

[Jubilee]

"Yep," Jubilee said, raising her eyes from her cards to look at him.

Bad hand...bad bad hand...so close, yet so far from being a straight.

[Gambit]

"Lay dem down, den," he said, before placing his cards on the floor between them. Three jacks stared up at them among the five.

"Y'r turn, p'tite."

[Jubilee]

"{God damn,}" Jubilee muttered in Chinese, putting her cards down.

His hand beat hers easily. But she was only one card off a straight.

"What do you want to know?"

[Gambit]

So there it was. He had the chance to ask her anything... but was at a loss of what to ask. So he went for the first thing that popped in his head.

“I know dis ain’t really what y’ prolly meant by secrets, but...” he started, picking the deck up and shuffling it as he spoke. Looking up to meet her eyes, he asked seriously, “Could y’ tell me ‘bout de night we met?”<br>
He found himself beyond curious about this Gambit’s past. If this was his life now, it was only right that he knew what happened.

[Jubilee]

Jubilee watched him start to shuffle the cards before she spoke.

"I'd been on the streets for about...two, three years after my parents were killed. Everyone around knew I was a mutant, since I used my fireworks as a busking act. Stupid, but people weren't so afraid of mutants as they are now. And I needed the extra money, I wasn't that good at stealing then."

She shook her head slightly at her own remembered foolishness.

"A group of guys decided that the mutant menace should be wiped out. So they followed me back from the mall one night to my sleeping spot, waited till I fell asleep and then moved in to beat me to death. I don't know why you were there; you never really said. You made them stop, kicked their butts, scolding them the entire time about how men should treat women and why it was particularily ungentlemanly to beat up little girls."

She half grinned.

"I thought I was dreaming or dead or something. I passed out and then woke up in your hotel room. Nearly blinded you before you managed to convince me that you weren't going to hurt me. I came back with you to New York and Magneto and yeah..."

[Gambit]

Smiling slightly as Jubilee recounted the story, he couldn’t manage to keep the hint of sadness out of his eyes.

“Dat’s a nice story, p’tite,” he said softly, lowering his eyes to the cards.

I only wish I r’membered it...

“Wakin’ up in a hotel room wit’ a strange man? Blindness aside, y’r a real trustin’ sort, ain’ y’?” he joked, chuckling lightly, before dealing out the next hand.

[Jubilee]

"My paffs really could only make light at that point. Blindingly bright light, but no explosive ooomph whatsoever," Jubilee said, picking up her cards.

Better.

"I can blow holes through metal walls now. It's nifty."

She grinned at him.

[Gambit]

“Gotta agree wit’ y’ dere,” Remy replied, looking at his own hand. It was much worse than the last, and his best option appeared to be a flush. “Blowin’ holes in stuff jus’ be tons o’ fun.”<br>
Throwing out two cards, he waited for her to discard a few of her own before dealing them out.

[Jubilee]

Jubilee picked out three cards, and put them down. Maybe she could pick up another Queen. Then she would have three, three cards all the same!

"Blowing things up is way fun. Totally cool."

[Gambit]

Chuckling, Remy shook his head as he dealt out the new cards. Placing the deck aside, he picked up his hand again, only to be disappointed. His hand contained far from a flush, and the best he could do was a pair of fours.

“Mais, unless y’ got absolutely not’in’, I t’ink y’ got me dis time,” he said, laying down his cards, and preparing himself for the inevitable question to follow.

[Jubilee]

"Mmmyes, yes I think I do win," Jubilee said, laying down her cards.

She hadn't picked up another queen, but two queens still beat two fours.

"Hmm. Question, question...how did you join up with the Acolytes? I'm just wondering if it's a different why."

[Gambit]

Nodding at her question, Remy found that he was also curious as to how this story would differ from the one she knew.

“It seems y’ know ‘bout Belladonna, or at least somet’in’ ‘bout her. Dunno how dis differs, but we were t’ be married as a way t’ bring de two guilds t’get’er. More a marriage o’ convenience dan anyt’in’ else, t’ough I did love de fille. But we were both so young, y’ know?” he began, a wistful smile on his face. Lowering his eyes, he stacked the cards back into one pile as he continued.

“At de weddin’ reception, her frère challenge me to a duel... an’ I won. I was banished from de Guild, an’ spent de next little while jus’ doin’ m’ t’ing an’ earnin’ m’ fortune. Didn’t really have a purpose, or a place t’ call home, but Magneto gave me dat. Gave me somet’in’ t’ fight fo’, an’ a way t’ use m’ skills fo’ somet’in’ useful.”<br>
Shrugging, he set the cards back down.

“Dat’s ‘bout it, really. He made de offer, an’ I accepted.”<br>

[Jubilee]

"Ah," Jubilee said, nodding.

"It sounds about the same. Y'know, I really would like to punch whoever decided exiling you was the solution to the problem brought up by the idiot who challenged you to a duel in the face. And break his nose."

She picked up the cards and started to shuffle.

"Have you talked to Jean-Luc yet? Since...everything?"

[Gambit]

“Y’ be a violent one, non?” he asked, grinning slightly, before his smile quickly feel at the mention of his adoptive father.

“Non. Not fo’ almost four years now. Ain’ spoken t’ none o’ dem,” he said bitterly. He knew it was what they felt had to be done, even it the act was in self defence, to keep peace. So he had gone without argument, and hadn’t looked back since. “An’ dat person y’ wanna be punchin’? Dat be Jean-Luc himself.”<br>