"If you insist," he quipped, pulling the next card from the deck that would seal her losing hand. He clicked his tongue, shaking his head at the blonde before pulling out the barstool behind him for her and slipping to the other side of the bar. Landon had a feeling before she'd even gone for the card that this would be her fate, but he had to admire someone who took the risk and went for the reward. Getting to work on making her another, he pondered just what the best question would be to get her to begin to spill the truth. Tink was far smarter than some of the other girls he'd kept around, but that's just what he liked about her--she was interesting, in the same way Sadie could keep him intrigued forever, even as he knew her better than anyone. "Alright, truth time," he insisted as he slid her the full glass. "So, if this isn't about Parr, who is it, then?"

“Yes, that’s exactly what I am - an undercover sting. You caught me,” she teases, rolling her eyes at the mere thought of it. Though she supposed she actually would be good at a job like that, no one would suspect a little blonde girl to be the one searching for illegal activities in a joint like this. Glancing at her cards again, Tink knew she had just as much of a chance of losing if she took the hit or just stuck with her solid fifteen. Considering nothing was really at stake, other than simply giving away a secret or two, she nodded her head towards the cards in decision. “Hit me. With the card and the drink - I’m taking them both.” It was hardly going to be the end of the world if she had to admit to her silly drama, but Landon was right that some more alcohol would help make opening up about it easier.

It was supposed to be a relatively quiet night. No one Landon knew of was supposed to be popping in to visit him while he was on the clock, and there had been no planned meetings for his uncle to be taking care of during the night. It was unusual, for a weekend, but it was oddly peaceful, to simply get to deal cards for the evening without any other worries. That was, until he spotted her face, one that he only knew to mean trouble. Though they hadn't crossed paths many times, he knew enough about her to know she came with bad news. He was ready to tell her to fuck off from his table, but before he could say a word, she'd slid into her seat, chips in hand. Landon pursed his lips, unable to turn her away, club's rules. "Yet," he pointed out. "Fine. You can stay as long as that stays the truth," Landon added, holding her cards up in warning before dealing. "Never thought I'd see your face in here. Got bored of the Yard?"

who: @landonlocks where: oogie's casino

She'd been weaseling around, knowing that things had fallen apart between Oogie and Hopper's relationship. The vampire had chosen another side which was why she'd been asked to lurk in those very walls. There weren't many familiar faces in the casino so far, nothing of interest as she passed the slots. While it would be better if no one who knew her spotted her that night, where was the fun in that? There was only so much information she could get from wandering around but if she found the right person they could get somewhere. That's when Shego's sights found precisely what she'd been looking for. "Don't look at me like that, I haven't even done anything yet," the brunette said before the other got the chance. Shego's hands went up to show they were empty and free of her usual green flame. "Just here to drink and take men's money like everyone else."

Whatever Landon had in the back of his mind to expect when the other boy had entered the room, it certainly hadn't been this. Pregnancy was permanent--regardless of whether the child was to be kept by Annette, or even born at all, it still cast a permanency over the girl in their lives. No matter who he'd slept with outside of his roommates, Landon had done his homework in keeping any potential scare at bay, out of fear of this very possibility. He wanted to shake him, to rip him to shreds about how stupid he was, but he had the feeling that would come eventually from Sadie.

"Please tell me you're kidding," he practically begged, though with the genuine panic he could see in Brandon's eyes, he had a feeling this was the unfortunate truth. Landon let out a sigh, his hands running through his hair as his mind raced in the direction of a solution. "How far along?" he asked, hoping it wasn't too late to take preemptive measures to avoid this ever coming to light. Maybe, if they could prevent Sadie from ever finding out, they could save their house from civil war.

There was a moment of hesitation before he responded, the realization that maybe Landon will be upset about this too hitting him like a brick. “Promise you won’t be mad?” he requests, turning his head to look at the older boy with an almost desperation in his eyes. Up until this moment he had been so focused on how Sadie was going to react that he hadn’t even let himself consider what his other partner might think. Which was kind of fucked up, Brandon knew, but he would argue also valid - considering Sadie’s anger would likely be far more volatile and violent.

Taking a deep breath to steel himself, Barrel’s eyes stayed glued onto Landon to take in every aspect of his reaction. “Annette’s pregnant,” he finally confesses, the words shooting out in a rush. There’s more he could say - tell him that he wasn’t entirely sure what they planned to do or explain how it had been a complete and utter accident, but instead he just simply stares at the other boy, waiting for whatever might be coming.

He gave her a knowing look, as though to give a nonverbal touche to the point she was trying to make. "I don't care about the legality, no, but my uncle does run this place, yeah, and I try to play by the rules in case he ever gets investigated, or there's anyone undercover looking for a sting." The law was only abided by while in the confines of the casino, just so that Landon himself wouldn't be responsible if Oogie's ever fell. He was supposed to be the one taking over the place one day--he couldn't sink it before he ever got the chance. Flipping over his second card, he decided to stand at a solid twenty, while Tink was currently at a fifteen. It was the worst place to be, in his opinion: she could either cut her losses or strike again, with the potential of losing anyway. But, hoping to beat him could mean that whatever it was she was hiding, she really didn't want him to know. "Up to you. Hit again, or take the loss and tell me now? I'll even get you another drink so it's easier to spill," he teased, his eye closing in a wink as he sat back and let her decide how to proceed.

Raising an eyebrow at his answer, she had to admit it was a valid one even if a bit surprising. As she looked at her cards, the strategic part of her brain already started playing the game, even as she continued the conversation. “You never really struck me as the type of guy that cares about the legality of a situation,” she points out, feeling confident that she was at least right in that assumption. “Besides, aren’t you like related to the owner or something?” That alone was practically a get out of jail free card if Tink’s ever seen one. Or at least, she assumes it would be. “But alright, I’ll bite. You win, and I’ll spill my guts. But if I win - you have to do the same.” Whether or not something was actually bothering Landon, she wasn’t entirely true, but she has a bit of a hunch that there was a deeper reason for why he decided he wanted to respark the thing they had between them. Normally she would let him have his secrets, and truth be told she didn’t really need to know anything beyond what he’d already told her, but if he wanted to ever so slightly push at her then she was certainly gonna do the same.

"Huh. I'll remember that next time mine goes to shit," he promised. Though he didn't have any plans to be near her place of work anytime soon, he was sure she could make a house call if he asked her to, especially if it was going to end like tonight was about to. Angel clearly knew more about what had happened with the failed wedding than she was letting on right now, but Landon had secrets of his own when it came to that night, ending in the kidnapping he'd participated in of the best man's daughter. What Landon wanted to know, though, was just how things had come apart, but maybe he could find that out with a little patience and due time. "I don't usually add a disclaimer, but I have a feeling about you, like we might want to do this again, intentionally," he started. He didn't typically disclose the details of his relationship with people who he could tell were just going to be around for a night, but he saw potential in the blonde, that she could keep him entertained for a while. There had been people in the past who had been bothered by his situation, so he felt it best to exercise some honesty upfront, for no mistaken feelings. "My roommates and I ... we're kind of all in a relationship. But, we also don't care if we see other people, too. So, neither of them will be mad that I found you tonight, but, I just thought you should know, in case that changed how you felt about doing this again."

༝༝ ✧ ༝༝ 

Angel was sipping on her drink while giving a nod to precursor her reply. "Yeah, I'm a car mechanic. I can fix any engine, weird noise, and I do pretty damn good bodywork if I do say so myself." One of the few things that Angel felt confident in was her skill at repairing vehicles. Even when she had nothing, she could hotwire a car and make it run like it was brand new. That made her stand out when people thought she wouldn't amount to anything. Her ability to wrench on a car was unmatched and they couldn't deny that. "You're telling me," she chuckled setting her glass down to focus back on the dreamboat beside her. "They all love to tell you how much they know what's right and you don't. I just send them off and tell them to not give me a call when the thing craps out on the road." At this point, Angel felt comfortable telling customers to shove it. The surprise came more from the fact that Buster allowed this kind of behavior but business wasn't struggling to where they needed all the work they could get. "It's a whole thing," the blonde said waving a hand as if to clear the air from the topic. The details weren't something she wanted to start spreading around a bar like it was teen gossip, knowing lives could be at stake if the wrong person got word. "So I'll happily take someone who isn't married and could use a drink with some company tonight instead." It became more and more clear where they both wanted this night to go.

It had been a longer streak than Landon had anticipated for the drama in the apartment to be continuing. Of course they'd had their fights over the years, like normal people in relationships and roommates did, but this was on another level. He feared that, if it went on much longer, it might take double the time for Sadie and Brandon to bounce back to where they were, but Landon could only do so much to both control Sadie's temper and keep Brandon from pissing her off any further. Being the middle man was getting exhausting, and somehow, he had a feeling in his gut the moment the younger boy knocked on the door that he was going to be given another headache.

Confirming his suspicion, Brandon flopped back on the bed, and with his admission, Landon's mind could only begin to predict and prepare for whatever truth bomb he was about to drop. "What the hell did you do?" he asked before he could go any further, hoping that Barrel hadn't done anything that couldn't be undone. Permanence was where things got sticky.

~ timeskip ~

Coming back home after a few hours with Annette, Brandon had never been happier to see the shared space of the apartment empty. And thankfully it seemed as if Sadie weren’t home, if the darkness of her room was any indicator, unless she was with Landon. But after a moment of standing outside of the older boy’s door, he decided that probably wasn’t the case - there wasn’t any talking or other types of noises coming from inside, which left him to believe and hope that he was alone. After a knock on the door and a come on in called from inside, Barrel thankfully confirmed that assumption when he made his way into the room. The news he had to break wasn’t going to be pretty for either roommate - but he knew Landon was going to be the far easier of the two.

Walking further into the room, Brandon heaved what might be the heaviest and loudest sigh he’s ever let out as he flopped backwards onto the other boy’s bed. “I think I did it,” he starts off, being purposefully vague as he works up the nerve to get around to dropping the bomb. “I think I might have finally found what’s gonna push Sadie over the edge to murdering me.” Or Annette. That was actually more likely, but Barrel didn’t want to think on that. It was easier to focus on his own part and blame for the situation.

There was a reluctance to her answer, but Landon could tell she wasn't entirely opposed, either. She would've shot him down straight had she not been open to at least hearing him out, and he would accept the opening to take advantage of while he could. "Well, to start, she's not a child," he began, rolling his eyes at the mere thought of Annette now that she was being compared to Angel. "She works at the Junkyard--the one Tramp used to work at, with Buster. She's a mechanic. I met her at the Lair, her name's Angel." He didn't want to be too complimentary toward the other girl, walking the fine line of wanting to make it clear that he could survive without her in a way that he couldn't with Sadie, but still wanting her around. "I think she could be good for us," he added, the implication that he was willing to share his new find instead of keeping her to himself. While that h ad been his original plan, Landon had decided it was nicer to share than to be on Sadie's bad side--he didn't think they'd ever survive both boys being there, and he didn't want to find out. "Barrel has someone new--we should be able too find a temporary replacement to keep us busy, don't you think? Just for fun."

༝༝ ✂ ༝༝

Things had felt different in her home, the boys who usually occupied it had been distracted. Most of the time Sadie wouldn't blink an eye and simply assume they were busy with one thing or another. That was except for when it involved another woman, specifically one they were serious enough about to take their time from her. It was Landon that she'd clung to while Brandon galavanted off with the Hopper girl; who she would still swear was a bad idea. They had been the ones to snatch her from in front of her father's eyes and now Brandon wanted to stand with her in his view. Work had distracted her enough to be quiet about Landon's recent schedule, being holed up at work or in her room for most days. It was what he'd said next that started to clear up some of those questions Sadie had yet to ask. "Okay..." The brunette turned to face him while crossing her legs to be more comfortable. It felt like they would be having a conversation deeper than intended, her work on the backburner now. "So, who is she? What is it like if it isn't like the Hopper girl?"

"You work on the cars?" he asked in clarification, impressed if it were true. There were few females he'd met around where the two worked, but the ones who could hold their own were not to be messed with. She reminded him quite a bit of Sadie, now that he was thinking about it--the two would get along, if his roommate didn't get jealous first. "I can imagine. Men are fragile, especially when they think they know better than you." Landon had seen a fair share of that in his own job, though he couldn't imagine what it would be like to be a woman having to tell them that she knew more than they did. He didn't envy her, not even a bit, but he was growing more intrigued the more she spoke. "You were third-wheeling?" he teased, having heard about how her boss was apparently hitched now. Bringing that confirmation back to Oogie would be rewarded for the insider information. "I thought she was supposed to get married to that Hopper guy. I try to stay away from those people." It was probably safe enough to say, knowing where her allegiance lied. "I wouldn't have it any other way, then. We deserve it, after all the shit we've been through," he decided, tapping his glass to the edge of hers in small celebration.

༝༝ ✧ ༝༝ 

There were a few dots she connected silently at his mention of the casino, wondering how close their circles ran together. She recalled hearing that Tramp hung around there but didn't dare bring him up in a perfectly normal conversation. The last thing she needed to hear was that he knew him and in turn, ruin the distraction she'd found for the night. Right now the less they knew about each other, the better. "Yeah, I prefer when I get to take their money after telling them their cars are a piece of shit," she retorted. "Though they get pretty angry about it sometimes too. Only gets worse when alcohol is involved." Her job wasn't nearly as messy, regardless of how many jumpsuits she'd ruined with oil. If he was wrangling drunk gamblers Angel could only imagine how hairy it got sometimes in his profession. "Ha, wish she'd been able to do that same thing to a few people I know," the blonde said off-handedly. Maybe if she'd been able to do the same thing she wouldn't be keeping a barstool warm. "Well, I had two but they're married and I drove them home so it's safe to say I'm all yours tonight." The girl raised her glass up to take another sip and hide the smile he'd coerced out of her. Angel couldn't help it, finding herself grinning at the sight of him alone.

Taylor Zakhar Perez

Landon hadn't seen much of either of his roommates lately, having been spending his time outside of the house more than he had recently thanks to a blonde he was trying to find a way to see when he could. He felt a bit guilty, knowing that Sadie probably wouldn't approve of him being with Angel, but he could argue that it was far different than what Barrel was doing with Annette. They were two different things entirely: Angel and Landon were just having fun, both with the understanding that nothing serious would come of their situation. In fact, he could see her getting along with Sadie better than either of them probably expected, now knowing the blonde well enough. "I'm here to save you from paperwork," he confirmed, taking her hand to join her in bed, a kiss placed atop her head before he shifted to sit. "Well, someone has to hold down the fort while you're here working, you know, and someone's been dropping some of his shifts," Landon reminded her. "But, there's something I wanted to talk to you about, too. Someone. But, before you freak out, it's nothing like the Hopper kid, promise."

- timeskip -

༝༝ ✂ ༝༝

Sadie had papers scattered on her bed, flipping between piles looking for the receipt she needed. Tax season was always filled with busier days and longer nights to be sure everything was in order for the casino's accounts. She'd been locked up in there for hours before the door opened, Landon's face bringing a smile to hers. "Is that really you or am I hallucinating now?" She teased while holding out her hands to invite him closer. The paper strewn about got shifted to the side to clear room for him to sit with her. This would be the first human interaction she'd gotten since returning from work, both of her boys being gone when she arrived. "Where have you been? I'm glad you're back so my brain can stop rotting away in here," Sadie said pulling him to her side once she got to her bed. He'd been exactly what she needed and to be caught up on all the latest.

Landon nodded his head as he pieced it together, the strange level of connections between the two that he wasn't even sure Angel knew about. Buster had been buddies with Tristan Tramp, whose son he was pretty sure had worked at the garage for a time before he'd gotten tangled up with Colin Hopper. Who, coincidentally, had a daughter who Sadie had hexed in revenge. But, the last people he wanted to talk about were the Tramps, their presence as annoyingly present as ever, besides their eldest daughter, who Landon thought he might've run into tonight. Instead, the universe had handed him a wonderfully intriguing stranger who was going to keep him company for the rest of it, if he had his way. "It's a time. Probably about as chaotic as working for your boss, but a lot more drunk, angry people losing their money," he described. Landon couldn't tell the whole truth about Sadie's successful plot, but he'd had to make excuses long enough that he'd gotten pretty good at providing a cover. "She got his date to be focused on her ex the entire night instead of him, a big enough hit to his ego that she was hoping for," he confirmed with a wink. "And you? Did you wind up going with a date, who I hope you've ditched by now so I have you all to myself?"

༝༝ ✧ ༝༝ 

The casino wasn't somewhere she'd stepped in for more than a second which was why they hadn't crossed paths sooner. Maybe it was for the best because right now was when she needed it most. Not every day did a guy who looked like he came right out of a doll box appear and strike up a conversation. It had been exactly what the night lacked, not coming a moment too soon. "Buster Rottman, runs the Junkyard, I'm a mechanic there and uh, part-time security." That was one way of putting it so that she didn't need to get into the more unsightly details. She knew Buster wouldn't be happy knowing she threw around the dark side of the yard to a stranger like it was common knowledge which was why she kept that to herself. If things went how she hoped they wouldn't be talking that much about their jobs that night anyway. "The casino, sounds... smokey. How's that?" Angel asked with a laugh, lifting up her freshly filled glass for a sip. His mention of revenge caught her attention and halted her cup before it met her lips. The blonde set it back down, scooting closer on her barstool so that she didn't miss any of the drama. "And you got stuck in the middle of it? Yikes. Works out kind of well for me though," she said with a smile. "What kind of revenge are we talking about here? And better yet, did she get it?" Angel had a taste of it herself after seeing Kit that night, wondering if his unnamed roommate got her comeuppance.

Landon's interest only escalated at the mention of the blonde working security, of all reasons why she could've been at the party. She wasn't the type of stature he would've typically pegged as security detail, but it must've meant she knew how to fight. What was even more intriguing was who would need security at an event like that: a simple engagement party for a family not widely considered dangerous, as far as he was concerned. "You don't say. Who's your boss? If you don't mind me asking, that is. I work at the casino--if he's set foot in there, I've probably met him." Technically, he hadn't even been invited, which he guessed probably wasn't the best thing to admit to a girl he was now committed to impressing, but he had a feeling this one would understand. "Revenge, courtesy of my roommate. Our third roommate is going out with this girl, and she's just a touch jealous." That was putting it lightly, and conveniently leaving out that they'd been there truly to hex everyone in attendance, but Angel didn't need to hear that piece. "Consider it taken care of, but I needed the rest of the night off from, y'know, being the peacekeeper of the house, hence how I found myself next to you."

༝༝ ✧ ༝༝ 

It was probably a bad idea but after the night she had a good-looking guy wasn't the worst way to bookend the day. Angel wouldn't complain about a gorgeous guy taking up her time, especially when the one that had her heart stomped on it earlier. A little distraction couldn't hurt or at least that's what she told herself. "Thank you, Landon," she said with his name rolling effortlessly off her tongue. The blonde held up her drink to gently clink against his before taking a sip herself, not bothering to wait for him since it was mostly for the bit. Angel had the tendency to do that, existing in her own world for so long that it seeped into her everyday life. "I thought the dress would've given it away," she laughed into her glass, lowering it back down so she could speak. "Yeah, I was working security for my boss and his wife." She didn't bother to expand on her job to a stranger, knowing it was a situation far too complicated to explain to a guy at the bar. "What brought you there? I'm guessing it wasn't the bride and groom." He'd already caught her curiosity which wasn't as easy to do as people expected. After all she had seen, not everyone was interesting enough for her to want to know more about them but Landon had something about him. Angel's eyes were searching to meet his and a smile fell into place once she did.

To say that he agreed with what Sadie was doing was a bit of a stretch. It was more that he went along with it because he knew just how much this plan meant to her, above everything else. Landon didn't have particularly strong feelings either way: he was simply willing to stand on the sidelines as moral support and be a distraction wherever she needed, but it seemed like she wanted to take most of the reigns on this one herself. Instead, Landon had simply taken it upon himself while she was planting her concoctions to distract their roommate, to be sure that there was no interception with Sadie's plan. The last thing he needed was to be stuck in the middle of his already feuding partners. "Back without a hitch," he replied proudly, bringing her hand to his lips before she gave him kisses of her own. Sadie was buzzing with satisfaction in both herself and the way the evening was going, which meant that his night could continue without damage control. "Perfect. Now, for the best part: watching the implosion," he cooed, slipping an arm around her waist as they fell back in tune. "Anyone we know I should be keeping an eye on?"

- timeskip -

༝༝ ✂ ༝༝

Sadie was already giggling by the time she got back to Landon, holding the silver tray that had been her vessel for chaos against her chest. He had been the only one she could trust with the information of what she planned to do that night. She'd needed his help to sneak them in and distract who he could while Sadie handed out the goods. It was a foolproof plan: people were hungry and rarely asked questions when free food was being offered. That's why the witch used that to her advantage. A few had been hand-delivered, those targets not being any she would risk with chance. Now that her platter was cleared Sadie returned to partner in crime to watch from the sidelines and dip out when the time was right. "Mission accomplished," she boasted, tossing the plate onto a table to rid herself of any evidence, and holding out her hand for him to take. "I couldn't have done it without you though, my love." Sadie pulled herself to his side to plant a soft kiss on his neck, cheek, and finally, his lips. Whenever they executed a plan she'd get even more touchy than usual, finding their adventures added a thrill of their own. "I already saw Pacifica going upstairs with someone else so things are going perfectly," the girl purred with her eyes scanning up to meet his instead of overlooking the partygoers.

It didn't surprise Landon at all that the father of four didn't believe in people who weren't straight, not even a little. Though he knew of at least one of his children having a reputation for being with people of both genders, it made sense that, with such a shitty father, none of the Tramp children would want to open up about something like that. While it hadn't seemed like any of his children had effectively told him to fuck off, what Landon was about to do would do the trick. He knew he wasn't technically allowed, but there was very little Landon could do to get himself fired, and he was going to take full advantage of his privilege upon hearing a comment like that.

It took one swift punch to the face for Landon to knock Tristan off balance, having practiced long enough to deliver a substantial force in one blow. With a shake of his hand, he watched as the older man wobbled back a bit in his seat, and took advantage of his ability to slip into invisibility to make a smooth exit into nonexistence. Landon took a few steps back, watching from afar with a hand over his mouth as he witnessed a confused Tristan come back to reality, met with an air of nothing, and no one.

Truthfully, the answers he was giving were only confusing him even more - until suddenly it clicks what the other boy means. “Oh you mean that bisexual shit?” he asks, judgment clear in his tone as he rolls his eyes. “You can’t be serious. You gotta be smart enough to know that’s not real.” Though it did make Tristan feel slightly better about whatever intentions Brandon might have around Annette. Surely he can’t be up to too much trouble if he really thought himself to be sexually fluid or whatever the fuck else label he might use. “So he’s your boyfriend then, that’s fine. Guess nothing’s gonna happen with my girl.”

Despite being quite clearly dismissed, Tramp stayed right where he was, sitting down in one of the bar stools instead. “Exactly. And I’m a paying customer in need of assistance,” he shoots right back, despite the fact that he hasn’t actually given a dime to the casino in years. But that was just semantics, really. Landon was working, just as he said, and thankfully because of that he couldn’t do shit. Not without risking making a show in the middle of the casino, which while it may have been mostly empty still had a few patrons lingering about.

If it wasn't for the fact that his roommate was here with a date, Landon would've kissed him after that comment. Sadie would've perhaps encouraged it, too, but it wasn't worth risking the consequences on Brandon's behalf and leaving him with a black eye, heartbroken, or both. Instead, he hummed in satisfaction, a smirk coming to his lips to replace the frustration he'd shared about the other boy's decision to want to meet the father of the girl he was seeing.

Landon hadn't meant to encourage him, but it seemed like his suggestion had done just that. At the very least, he could have an eye on Brandon when he approached him, to be sure he would make it out of the conversation alive. "I wouldn't put anything past that man," he disclaimed, "but you probably have a better chance of nothing happening to you in front of an entire crowd of people, yeah." Landon let out a sigh, knowing this was probably too far from saving at this point. "Alright, what are you even gonna say? We're rehearsing. I'm not letting you go in there cold."

“That’s too bad, you look better without it,” he commented with a smug grin, leaning over to flick one of the buttons of said shirt. It was for the best that Landon was actually fully dressed tonight, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to pretend to be disappointed in it. Brandon himself hadn’t even thought of coming in any state of undress, but then again - he had a date he was trying to impress tonight. Or well, actually he didn’t think Annette would care how little he might be wearing, but surely her family would have thoughts on it.

Taking back the beer, Barrel simply nodded his head in affirmation of everything he’d just said. It made sense in his head - he was going to have to face the man eventually, wouldn’t it be best to do so in a public place like this? Where Hopper couldn’t really take the risk of just killing him on the spot? “I mean, best to rip the bandaid off, right?” he phrased again, taking a sip of the drink now that it was back in his own hand. At the mention of bringing Annette along though, he practically lit up. “That’s so smart! No way he’d do anything to me if she was right there in front of us. Right?”

"Legally, I'm not allowed to wager personal funds while I'm on the clock. You don't want to get me fired, do you, Tink?" he teased, attempting to remain serious and failing miserably the moment Landon felt a smile coming. Though she'd insisted on simply having nothing better to do, he had a feeling that it was only half the truth. Landon wasn't about to judge: remaining surface-level with the blond was one of the things he liked most about spending time with her. Tink didn't know the trouble that was happening at his own apartment, that his roommate was trying to date the daughter of the most dangerous man on the island, who so happened to hate the trio. But, the more time he spent with her, the more Landon wanted to work at seeing how much she'd be willing to share. "Boredom is allowed," he agreed with a shrug before turning over his cards, a decent hand, but that depended on how well Tink would do. It was enough for Landon to take a risk nonetheless. "But, I'm nosy. So, we can wager the truth, since I can't do money. If I win this hand, you have to tell me what's really going on," Landon proposed,

Humming at the thought of having another game she could wipe the floor with her friends with, she set the excess card pile in the center and took a look at her own cards. “I have always been intrigued by five card draw,” she answers, not an eager agreement to learning something new but a yes nonetheless. It’s a very intriguing idea, one that she’s actually a bit excited for, but she refuses to come across as if she’s desperate for time with him. “Are we betting here or just going for funsies?” Tink didn’t really care which they did, always willing to put down a couple of bucks for the chance of a good victory over any man - but bragging rights were also satisfying enough of a prize for her. Raising her eyebrow right back, she refused to let any reaction to his question show, her poker face already locked on tight. “The smartest, I’d bet. And who says there has to be a reason? Can’t a girl just get bored?” While that was indeed partially why she had chosen this spot over anywhere else, it certainly wasn’t the main reason she was in the casino on such a dead afternoon. But her mess of a love life and tangled up emotional state wasn’t exactly something she wanted Landon to see.

Taylor Zakhar Perez | Pre show w/ @ louisvuitton | February 25, 2024 | 📷 Marc Patrick