Sometimes... (open) - The White Tower

"Fair enough," she smiled as she hung the washcloth to dry. she reached into her bag, dug out a square shaped box and zipped it back up.

"Music of choice?" She asked as she moved back toward him, flipping through the channels until she hit the music channels-- ah, the things cable provided.

The square box tumbled from her hand into the air, and landed on his stomach-- not hard, though. It was a box of playing cards.

He sat upright slowly, picking up the box of cards and pulling said cards out to shuffle them while she looked through the channels.
"Find me something with a piano or a good sax and I'll be happy" the youth smiled, turning around so to put his feet back on the ground while nimble fingers toyed with the cards.
"The bath is up on the top floor though. Unless you prefer a round of cards here instead of course" Charlie winked at her, cutting the deck in two using one hand and flipped the card now on top over to reveal the Queen of Hearts. Oh he loved cards.

Music slowly started playing once Cass found what seemed to be an appropriate station. Immediately, she hummed the first few bars and increased the volume.

The cards themselves had a normal weight to them, but they were definitely some sort of plastic material. She watched his movements with a sly smile.

"The water won't affect those cards and I'm sure we'll be able to hear music."

She shook her head with her ever-present grin at the card shown.

"Smooth-- don't let anyone tell you that you're not."

"I try my best" Charlie winked as he pushed himself up off the couch and slipped an arm around her waist for a moment, pulling her in close to gaze into her eyes with a smile, allowing himself to linger like that for a a little while. "Mmm.. a bath then..." the youth smiled at her, leaning in to brush his lips lightly across hers before pulling away. Walking backwards a couple of steps and keeping his gaze locked with hers before turning to head up the stairs.

The bathroom was located, as he'd said, on the top floor. A dim comfortable lighting showering the room in a soft glow as he moved to the bathtub and started the water. Brushing his fingers through it a couple of times as he adjusted the heat before he turned back to her and walked down the couple of stairs that lead up to the actual tub.

"I'll go get a table" he smiled at her, a slender finger touching under her chin for a moment as he moved past her, slipping the cards into her hands. "Make yourself comfortable.."

Cass grinned and chuckled to herself before finally following Charlie up the stairs. She paused in the doorway of the bathroom-- really? Was she the only kindred on the planet that chose to live modestly?

Her smile remained as she watched the delicate Brujah. She finally placed a kiss on his cheek as he moved past her. She took the cards and once he disappeared to find the table, she gave them a couple of quick shuffles.

When he returned, the Toreador was in the tub, arms folded on the side of the porcelain and her chin resting on her forearms. Her clothes were folded on the steps and her hair was up and off her neck.

"What's the game, Charlie?"

He returned with a small white table and a pillow, a smile spreading across his lips as his eyes fell on her.
"I figured Poker maybe? Or Black Jack perhaps?" the youth smiled invitingly as he placed the pillow on the floor and took a seat, placing the low table next to him so that they'd have someplace to put the cards.

"Mm, I could almost get used to this" Charlie smiled up at her, reaching over with a soft hand to trace his fingers alow her jaw to her chin before leaning in to steal a light kiss if she'd allow him.

” Oh?” Cass grinned and happily allowed the stolen kiss, grasping gently at his shirt as he did so. Her eyed then drifted lazily to the cards. She leaned the side of her head on her hand.

” Blacjjack first.” She gave him a determuned look- as if challenging him.

"Blackjack then" he chuckled, giving the deck another shuffle before dealing the cards.
"Funny.. used to play this game with an old acquaintance of mine" the youth chuckled. "Even when I cheated I'd loose"

” Think that you might lose tonight?” Her grin was infectious. ” I take defeat pretty well but sometimes it is nice to have the winning hand.”

She was watching closely as he shuffled the cards even though her posture spoke to her laziness.

Well, he wasn't actually trying to pull any tricks at the moment, seemingly letting the cards decide the hands.'"Oh, loosing isn't always such a bad thing" Charlie smiled at her. "Depends on the nature of the bet really. Some of my best times I've had after loosing what I thought was a sure deal" he chuckled. "Just goes to show, that you can make the best of any given situation if you just put your min to it"

She gave him a knowing look as her head came up and then nodded. She took a look at the cards before her, twice asking to be hit before her hand busted at 23.

She grinned again, looking to Charlie from the corner of her eye as she scooped up the losing cards in one hand.

"Good thing this isn't a stripping bet, hm? I wouldn't have a shirt to lose." She winked.

"You deal with what you have and learn to not need the things you don't. That's not necessarily winning or losing. Though the gain from a 'loss' is quite favorable, I agree."

He smiled and shuffled the cards again, his fingers briefly touching hers as he took the cards from her hand and added them back to the deck.
"Oh I'm sure you've been able to do the same a few times hm?" Charlie continued to smile up at her, his back against the tub as he dealt each a new hand. "Turn a loss into something favourable I mean"

"It's part of surviving, isn't it? If you can't turn the tables into something the slightest bit in your favor, then what? You run smack into a wall and succumb to your worst fears. Or, you just become boring," she shuddered.

"Of course, I've been able to milk some positives out of losing, as it were. The project, for one. That's definitely a plus and a learning experience. Of course, there have been others. And you?"

Her fingers snaked out from the porcelain, tracing the collar of his shirt. Her chin rest on his shoulder as she watched him handle the cards.

Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes for a moment, the youth allowed himself to take in her scent and the feeling of the heat rising from the water and slowly filling the room. Nimble fingers dealing the cards with a trained touch.
"Well..." he said after a moment or two, a sly smirk easing across his lips as he checked his own hand for this round. "I lost once, a bet that entailed seventytwo hours... or me being at someone else's disposal. All theirs, no interruptions" Charlie leaned his head back and tilted his slightly to the side so he could look at her int he corner of his eyes. "Turned out to be quite interesting.."

She gave a chuckle, running a hand through his hair playfully. "My imagination is great-- I could think of all sorts of things one could do with your for 72 hours. Completely uninterrupted, even..."

"Mhm..." he chuckled, his lips parting in a wide grin as he looked at her again. "Want to share?" he teased, tapping her cards, indicating she ought to check her hand.

Cass made a vulgar gesture witb her hands and mouth and then winked.

She the erupted into laughter a kissed his cheek. ” I am kidding. But 72 hours is a good amount of time to really get to know each other.”

Cass then promptly busted again.

"This isn't your game is it" Charlie laughed at her antics, lifting a hand to her cheek and turning her face just enough to find her lips with his own. "And yes..." he licked at her lips softly as he pulled back again, his hand lingering on her cheek a few moments longer. "It's plenty time to learn quite a lot..."

” You want to change games? You have the advantage over me, it seems. But I'm just warming up.”

Cass grinned biting at his lips playfully before pulling his bottom lip into her mouth for a brief suckle.

” Poker then?”

He let out a soft groan, closing his eyes for a moment before sighing softly one she let go again.
"Mmmm poker then" Charlie smiled at her, slipping his hand away and shuffling the deck again before dealing each of them a hand. "So then... the auction ought to be coming up soon I reckon. Think you'll be going, seeing as your Clan mates haven't chained you up in some dungeon yet? Would love to see you in your dress"

She gave a shrug, but kept her smile as she watched him.

” I would have imagined that we would have heard something by now. No date, no tie. I can only assume thar Estaban and the prince's wife are still in the planning stages. Maybe they will make it an end of summer bash. But... You will get your chance. I think I found something that will do quite nicely.”

"Oh, I'll get my chance?" the androgynous youth chuckled. "I'm not sure I'd call it that. But as with most things, they're only as fun as you make of them and I plan on making it fun. Even if I should end up in the stockades for the evening" he tilted his head to the side, stretching his neck slightly and causing a few bangs of hazel hair to fall down into his face.
"Even found a costume I think will do quite nicely" Charlie smirked. "Or well, I found a couple. I'm still not completely decided on which to go with"

” And I plan on making it fun.”

She gave a pout.

” I do hope that if you do get aced in the stocks I at least get to see it. I would.be so disappointed if I missed it.”

He laughed again.
"It warms my heart to know that my would be humiliation would be your entertainment" Charlie grinned, checking his cards and choosing to discard two for new ones.
"If I end up in the stocks I'm pretty sure there will be plenty of pictures to go around"

She traded one card and moved a few of her cards around in her hand. Even in her concentration, she chuckled.

"Honestly, I don't find a lot of humor or entertainment in humiliation. It's what might happen to the kindred that might start poking at you that I want to see," she shook her head.

"Three of a kind," she placed the cards down on the table, showing three 10's."