Primora Academy

Chapter 2: The Elventris

N/A

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Thursday, Midnight Casino

3:00 pm

Trill sits at the table she occupies every night. She looks at the cards in her hand and sips her bourbon, the ice clinking against the glass. Looking around at her opponents, she notices all their tells, making her smile inwardly. The large man to her right with the thick, black mustache is Tony 'The Hand' Bennet. He's known to be quite the sore loser. Sometimes when he loses he'll go find the winner in their home or hotel room and chop off their playing hand. Nasty habit for a nasty man, though Trill wasn't afraid of him. His tells are easy for her to spot. Every time he has a bad hand he sucks his teeth and when he has a decent hand he smooths his mustache. Right now, he's sucking his teeth.

The blonde, bimbo-like, woman to Trill's left is Monica 'The Tits' King. She has been known to distract other players with her massive rack. She's dumped liquor down her overpriced bra on more than one occasion to look at another's cards while they helped her clean up. Monica is easy to deal with if you can resist her "charms". She doesn't win or lose well. She's sore either way. Her tells are a little harder to spot than Tony's, but not by much. When she has a good hand, she tips the bartender and the server a little extra. When she has a crap hand, she stops ordering drinks and starts buying cigars. She just tipped the server a fifty-dollar bill.

The thin, muscular man across from Trill is Donnie 'The Hat Trick' Sledge. He's known for using his bowler hat to pickpocket those at the table, but Trill knows better than to keep any valuables on her. Donnie is a sweet winner. He buys a round of shots for the table when he wins. Trill thinks him a worthy opponent. His tells are almost non-existent. It took her a few games to figure them out and she never plays someone she hasn't studied from afar. When Donnie has a deceptively good hand, he scratches his nose with his right thumb. When his hand sucks more than a ten-dollar hooker, he scratches his chin with his left thumb. Right now, he's scratching his chin.

Trill looks at her hand once more and raises. She waits to see what everyone else will do as she takes another sip of her drink, allowing the cool liquid to slide down her throat. Tony folds and scowls, showing his multiple chins. Monica raises her bid and adjusts her cleavage. Donnie calls, like always, as he eyes Trill from head to toe, taking in her long legs and biker boots as well as her black and purple hair framing her olive-toned face. Trill smiles into her glass and watches as everyone flips their cards over. Monica has four of a kind, Donnie has a full house and Trill has a straight flush. Everyone around her groans as she collects the pot. She takes her winnings to be cashed out. As she waits, Donnie steps up beside her.

"Good game Trill. When are you gonna stop taking all of my money?" he asks with a crooked smile.

"When you stop losing, Donnie," Trill answers with a smirk as she leans up against the wall.

"Maybe I can win it back in a private game," he says in Trill's ear, making her knees feel a little weak as his breath brushes up against her neck.

She regains her composure so quickly that it was like she never lost it.

"You wouldn't know how to handle a private game with me," she says, her brow raising in amusement.

"We won't know 'till we try," he says as he steps closer.

"Mm. I don't know, Donnie. Are you gonna use your hat trick on me?" Trill asks with a curious smile.

"Only if you ask me to," he whispers when he leans in.

Her breath catches in her chest and she plays it off with a chuckle.

"Okay. You've got yourself a game," she says as she bites her lip.

"I'll see you later, Donnie."

He looks her up and down, once more, before he leaves for the bar. He tips his hat to her and flashes his charming smile. Trill lets out a breath and collects her money. She walks past him at the bar on her way to her room. He gives her a fiery look that makes her tremble. She returns it with one of her own and watches as his amber eyes darken slightly. Trill walks down the hall to her room and closes the door behind her.

Picking up an envelope, she fills it with $25,000 and addresses it to Gill. She stuffs it into her boot and quickly leaves her room. Heading upstairs into the above-ground bar, she hands the envelope to the bartender. Trill gives them a look and nods to behind the back of the bar. They nod back and go to the back room.

As she waits, Trill reaches behind the bar and pours herself a shot of the closes liquor she could find; vodka. She throws it back and pours herself another. The bartender returns and scowls at her.

"There's extra in the envelope for the shots," she states with a smirk, amused.

They shoo her out as she finishes her shot. Trill walks down the street a few blocks before stopping at a pizza shop for a quick slice.

A couple of hours later, she's standing in front of a little building. Everything looks a bit antique from outside.

I hope I can find just one thing.

She walks inside and begins perusing the aisles, looking for anything resembling her people's handcrafted works. As she walks through, a shadow catches her eye. Fear instantly instills itself in her very core. She knows that shadow better than she knows her own. Trill closes her eyes and lets the scents of the shop fill her nose as she listens. A familiar stench wafts its way to her and she holds down a frightened gag.

Expensive, handmade cigar smoke and cologne taunt her very soul as memories roll behind her large eyes.

"Shit," she whispers to herself.

Trill opens her eyes and makes her way to the door. A cane is thrust in her path as she is about to open it. Her heart sinks into the depths of her stomach and her eyes widen even further. She feels his breath on her neck before she hears his voice.

"Trill, I hoped I'd find you here," he hisses in her ear.

All she can manage to say is merely whispered.

"Felix."

Taking a deep breath, she looks over her shoulder and into the face of pure evil that has haunted her dreams for so many years.