The beat-up old poker table was nestled between one of the lime green mini convertibles so popular in Centropolis and a rack full of supplies from GoOutside. Six rickety folding chairs were occupied by players whose emotions ranged from obvious excitement to downright disgust.
Katelynn wore her usual grin, one which revealed her bubbly fascination for life without in any way giving away the quality of her hand. She could be holding a royal flush or a king high, for all her opponents knew. Mike, the owner of the cramped garage, exchanged a knowing look with the three players seated across the table. Pam and Sasha both winked as Morrey worked hard to turn a snort of laughter into a sneeze.
Joe was the odd man out, the only one fool enough to see Kate's fat pink bow and sugary voice as marks of an easy target. He was the newcomer to the Friday Night Poker Play, a recent hire at the office where all six worked for terrible pay and mediocre coffee. They took turns hosting the poker games that were a perfect weekend kickoff and three things always held true. There were never enough pretzels to go around, Morrey the mortiking's appetite was the reason why, and the biggest pile of chips would be in Kate's corner before the night came to an end.
Joe slapped his cards down with a flourish, showing a few too many teeth as he grinned. He was small for a tigrean but that didn't diminish the impressiveness of his teeth. "Let's see if your luck holds, Girlie."
His hand was very good, a full house kings over fives. Kate placed her four aces one at a time, setting the last king down with a happy laugh.
"That's another win for me!" Her paw went up to primp the fur beneath her bow as she looked over her winnings. "I'm collecting quite a rainbow with my beginner's luck."
Mike rolled his eyes. "You've also got all the ending luck and most of what's left in the middle, Kate. I don't know how you do it. It's like you can read the cards through your paws before you pick them up."
Kate's laugh was light and musical. "You're so silly, Mike. Of course I can't read the cards. My family has about as much magic as an old boot."
"Let's get on with it, then. The night's still young and I plan to teach this young lady what a real player can do." Joe's voice was almost a growl.
It was Sasha's deal. The ruffie was by far the worst player but her homemade brownies were always welcome and somewhat slowed down Morrey's pretzel consumption. Her whiskers were parted in a wide grin as she began to pant with excitement. Morrey snorted, this time in annoyance. He didn't even make it to the deal before throwing his cards down in disgust.
Sasha's face fell. Wrong card. With a little whine of defeat, she was also forced to fold. Joe truly did growl as he surrendered the hand to the remaining three. Kate bid with care, ready to back down if the chips fell too heavily. She was well aware when the odds were against her and this was one of those times. Her smile did not waver when Pam took the hand.
Sasha was the first to back out of the game, collecting her baking pans and promising to be back in a week. "Next week I'm making lemon bars, guys." She licked her lips in anticipation. "I an so hungry for lemon bars."
"Ooh, Sasha, you should do those little strawberry flowers on top. I love those!"
Sasha's tail wagged just a bit. "That's a wonderful idea, Kate. This is the perfect time of year for berries, too. I'll stop by the farmer's market on my way home."
Morrey let a few good hands go to his head, losing his stack on a bluff and waving the loss away. The son of an inventor, he was the only member of the group who played solely for fun, though he had learned to set a limit for himself. With that limit reached, he was more than happy to go away and put together second supper, the best meal of the day. "Try not to spend all your winnings on cake pops this time, alright Kate?"
She flipped her tail at him. "Try not to clean out all the shelves at Bake Stop, alright Morrey? Fantine really is going to ban you one of these days." They could hear the purr of his convertible's engine as he backed into the street.
They continued to play until the crescent moon was overhead and Mike's wife came looking for him. "The kids are waiting for their bedtime story. Bet says you promised to read The Ontra that Could. You know she won't settle down until she gets a story from Daddy."
Kate looked at the tall stacks of chips she had acquired as the other players took out their wallets. Out of all her friends, Mike was the only one with a family. She took two five-point chips and tossed them onto Mike's small stack. "For the house."
Mike smiled as Joe looked on with a raised brow. The tigrean had the second-largest collection of chips, while Pam had broken even. Only Mike had come out a loser on the game yet he showed no sign of a grudge against Kate. Joe hesitantly held out a paw to her.
"I would like to shake hands with one hell of a good player."
Kate's grin widened as her weekly party of five gained a new member.
***** The owner of The Cake Pop Shop didn't even have to ask Kate for her order. She would want three of every flavor and double that amount for anything containing chocolate.
Her cake pop addiction had started innocently enough. She had wandered into the shop a few years back, not entirely sure what a cake pop was. The first sample was free. What better way to lure in a customer than to give them a taste? The sweet, succulent little morsels of sugary delight were like nothing she'd ever tasted, but they were not cheap. She certainly could not fund the demands of her sweet tooth on a wage that barely kept bread on the table.
Sometimes she would go to the local casino, giving the pocketbooks of her friends a respite. She might play a few rounds of slots or throw the dice a handful of times, but it was inevitable that she would end up at the poker table eventually. Sometimes playing strangers was even more fun than enjoying the banter of friends. Subetans who didn't know her were that much more likely to bluff, and she was very good at reading bluff faces. Today's purchase was funded by a golden montre with much more coin than common sense.
Orange and lemon were the new flavors. She was so excited to sample them that she put one of each in her mouth, not caring in the least how silly she looked as she walked down the street. Anybody who didn't understand that a good cake pop equaled bliss wasn't worth fretting over.
Story by Pureflower