You call this poker?

Quite the moniker.

Bakade nodded. "Yyyyeeeppp. Iiiittt'sss rrreeeaaalll eeeaaassssyyy tttooooo. Ccccoooommmeee ooonnn, IIIII'llll ssshhhooowww yyyooouuu hhhooowww tttoooo ppplllaaayyy."

Ooh! Deal me in too. Death said excitedly as he pulled up a chair. This time I'll beat you for sure!

Bakade couldn't make any expressions with her bare skull, but even without any physical markings, it was obvious that she was smirking.

"Ooooooffff ccccooouuurrrsseee! Jjjjuuummmpppp oooonnnn iiiinnn," she said.

"Well, if you're playing anyway," Azrail said as he walked up slowly. "Perhaps I could join as well?"

The more the merrier, right dude? Death said as he opened his arms wide.

Bakade nodded. "Ttttaaakkkeee aaaa ssseeeaaattt. Wwwweeee'lllll jjjuuusssttt rrruuunnn aaa fffeeewww pppprrraaccctttiiiccceee rrrooouuunnndddssss fffiiiirrrsssttt. Mmmmaaakkkeee sssuuurrreee eeevveeerrryyyooonnneee uuunnndddeeerrrssstttaaannndddss ttthhhheee rrruuullleeesss. Ttttthhhheeennn wwwweee'llll rrreeeaaallllyyy gggeeetttt gggoooiiinnnngggg!"

Bakade rolled her head around and then cracked her knuckles one by one. With a flourish, she pulled out a deck of cards and began to shuffle them in the air with the skill of a professional magician.

All of their eyes followed her hands, but as she slammed the deck down onto the table, no one noticed the pair of cards she held behind her back before she slipped them down the side of her skirt, until they were just barely out of sight.

SLAM!

Everyone at the table turned as Sentenza slammed the large door behind him. He carefully lit a cigarillo as he walked up towards them.

He took in a deep breath, and then slowly let out a small stream of smoke. "Cards, huh?"

Yeah! Want to jump in bro? Death asked. I'm feeling lucky this time.

"Sure you are," Sentenza smirked as he glanced towards Bakade. The monster girl winked her fiery eye back at him.

Sentenza took a step back and shook his head. "But I think I'll sit this one out. Unlike you, I'm not feeling quite so lucky. I think it's better if I see how well you folks handle things."

"What do you mean by that?" Azrail asked with obvious suspicion.

Sentenza shrugged. "Game tends to show a lot about people. Who they are, how they think. Figure it'd be better to take it in as an objective observer." He shifted his eyes to Lucius. "Especially considering there are a couple new folks as the table who I don't know quite so well."

That's Sentenza, Death tried to whisper to Lucius. He's a bit stiff but grows on you. He can be a pretty chill dude when he wants to be.

Bakade stifled a giggle as she dealt the first hand out.

Lucius lifted up the cards in their hand like a toddler seeing a wooden block for the first time in their life. They tilted their head to the left, and then to the right as they said,

These markings are new to me

A diamond? And there are three?

A man here. A woman there.

Red and black, colors so fair.

What do they mean,

who are these spears?

Standing so proud,

these cavaliers.

"Ffffiiirrrsssttt oooffffff, dddoooonnnn'ttt ssshhooowwwwww pppeeeooopppllleee yyyooouurr ccaaarrrddsss." Bakade explained. "Aaaannnddd sssseecccooonnnddd..."

Slowly Bakade explained the rules of poker to Lucius, who seemed to all but ignore Sentenza's presence and Death's occasional comments about him. However, the same could not be said for Azrail, who locked eyes with the assassin on more than one occasion.

Agh! Come on! Death groaned as he collapsed onto the table and sent his hand flying across the table. What are the odds?

"Yes, low odds indeed," Azrail mused as he tossed his hand back towards Bakade. He eyed her carefully, but Bakade had no expression to read. Her eyes hadn't even dimmed or expanded since they started playing seriously.

Bakade took their cards back and folded all of them into the awaiting deck. But, before she could shuffle, Azrail reached his hand out and lightly touched her forearm.

"Perhaps," he said, "I could deal this hand?"

Bakade quickly glanced towards Sentenza. The older man was leaning against the wall, and smirked as Azrail confronted her, but he gave the girl no other signs. He just watched patiently with an amused smile.

Bakade looked back at Azrail and let out a small chuckle. "Iiiiffff yyyooouuu wwwaaannntt tttooo. Sssuuuurreee. Yyyyooouu cccaannn bbeeee dddeeeaallleeerr fffooorrr aaaassss lllooonnnggg aaasssss yyyooouuuu wwwaaaaannnttt."

Azrail wasn't bad. Just, compared to Bakade's fancy shuffling and skilled card dealing, he was sort of plain. He seemed more efficient and utilitarian despite actually shuffling and dealing slower than Bakade did.

Bakade struggled the first couple hands, but then things turned around completely. She was on an even bigger winning streak than she had been before. Without having to focus on being the dealer, she seemed to commit entirely to dominating the three of them.

Sentenza couldn't help but smile even broader as the game went on. When his eyes flashed down to Bakade trading a card with one in her clothes, he shook his head and pulled his hat down over his eyes.

He let out a groan as he crossed his arms and shifted his weight back and forth until he found a comfortable spot.

Lucius had a puzzled expression on their mask as they folded early.

This game confounds me with twists and with turns.

What's lies, and what's truth, I cannot discern.

You're holding, and folding,

It's truth you're withholding

So now I must say, it's time I adjourn.

And with that, Lucius stood up and started to walk away.

Oh, come on dude, your luck's bound to turn around. Even with bluffing, if you get a good hand, you'll win anyway, right? Death reasoned. I mean, that's what I'm betting on!

"Except," Azrail pointed out. "You've never once folded."

Well duh! Death scoffed. Because any hand I get could be a winner. I never know until all the cards are shown. I mean, come on, it's a pretty obvious strategy bro.

It seems I must ask.

For a room of my own.

This is no small task.

Since I live alone.

Lucius said as they stopped and turned back to the table.

Sentenza pushed the brim of his hat up out of his face with his thumb. He pointed towards the stairs. "Head on up. Any room that isn't claimed you can nab for yourself. Heck, take two and knock down the adjoining wall for all I care."

Lucius replied,

How shall I know if a room has been claimed?

Will it be locked, or boarded and chained?

"Tttthhheeeeyyyyy'vvveeee gggooottt nnnnaaammmeeeppplllaaattteeesss," Bakade answered. "Jjjuuusssttt ccclllaaaaiiimmm ooonnneee wwwiiitthhhoouuuttt aaa nnnaammmeee."

Azrail leaned back and slowly nodded his head. "Actually, I have been meaning to ask, when did you have time to make nameplates?" he asked.

No one made them, duh. Death scoffed. Come on man. They're just on the outside of our rooms.

"Things don't just appear. Come on now." he replied.

"Eeeevvveeennn yyyooouuurrr rrroooommm hhhaaasss yyyooouuurrr nnnaaammmeee oooonnn iiitttt." she answered with a shrug. "Iiiiitttt jjjuuusssttt sssooorrrttt ooooffff hhhaaapppppeeennnns IIIII ggguuueeesss."

"Wait, my room?" Azrail replied. "I don't have a room."

"Don't know what to tell you," Sentenza shrugged as he pulled out a cigarillo and put it in his mouth without lighting it. "I've seen it myself. Azrail, right smack dab in the center of the door."

Azrail slowly put down the cards and looked towards the stairs in shock. Lucius seemed content enough with their answers and was already slithering towards the stairs themself.

Bro, it's obvious you're curious. Death said. Seriously, take a break and go see for yourself. Might as well, right? I mean, where else do you think I keep getting these cool shirts! They just show up in my dresser dude. it's awesome!

"Just show up?" Azrail replied. "That's...concerning."

Sentenza's face twisted into a cruel, and somewhat mocking smile. "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Poor little Azrail," he cooed. "So naive about just what sort of mess he's landed in. Maybe it would be best if you avoided whatever you might find in a room that reflects who you really are inside, and not this obvious facade."

Azrail scowled, but as he opened his mouth to reply, he seemed to think better of it. So, without a single word, he closed his mouth and continued to stare at the stairway. Even as Lucius slowly rose up along the steps to the second floor.