[center][b]The Loft[/b][/center]

"I raise," said Lex with a half-smile, taking a sip of his amasec. The booze here wasn't up to his usual standards....but beggars and choosers, &c.

The ruined aristo across the table, a sallow man named Typho from somewhere or other, gave his best impression of expressionless and Lex almost laughed. Even if he hadn't been able to read the man's mind, which he was doing freely, the idiot practically broadcast smug glee. He had a good hand and it was a big pot.

"Fold," said the narc-addict to Lex's left.

"I'm out," said the low-level hitman to Lex's right. What splendid company he had found for himself here in the middle of space.

Lex and the aristo laid their cards down. The aristo had Five Thrones, Lex Straight Saints. The aristo won.

"Another round?" asked Lex with a smirk and another sip of amasec as the noble greedily gathered the chips to himself. The aristo's eyes glittered with desire.

[i]Stop it, Typho, take the winnings for once in your fething life. Buy a girl for the night an- but one more round couldnt hurt- just don't go all in. This dandy pillow-biter here can't play Chances to save his delicate arse.

No. 

Come on, Typho- one more round can't hurt....[/i]

"Alright," said the aristo. The narc-addict got up in search of new excitement, disappearing into the dim crimson haze of the Loft. The hitman stayed. He looked angry. 

Lex cast him a sidelong glance. If this one got too feisty, it might be necessary to give the bastard a mild stroke. 

He signaled for a dealer, who came over to shuffle the deck. Two of the remaining players appraised their hands while one of the remaining players pretended to look at his cards while he appraised the minds of his opponents and sipped his drink and thought about what to do with the money he was going to win from these half-wits.

Lex was opening his mouth to tell the dealer to hurry it up, already when something collided with his subconscious like a lasbolt. He sat bolt upright in his chair, spilling his drink on his elegant cuffs. The aristo and the hitman looked at him, curious.

He smiled and said something about his amasec being stronger than he'd expected, dabbing at the corners of his watering eyes with a delicate handkerchief. Internally, he was reeling.

A Navigator had just arrived on to Outpost 57- one not shy about his presence in the Warp.

[i]Well that's interesting,[/i] Lex thought.

"What interesting?" asked the aristo, and Lex cursed inwardly for not disentangling himself sufficiently from the idiot's mind.

"Huh?" asked the hitman.