team_conheir | Round 1 Entry (Untitled)

SORRY THAT THIS IS LATE AAAAHHHH. I don't really have a title for it, but I hope it's alright. I think I got a little carried away with analyzing John and there might not be enough of the actual ship in here screams. Tell me what you think?

Also there will be Erin art in here in the future! Just not quite yet.

So uh, I'd tag it with Sadstuck I guess? Not sure what else to throw in.

The first thing you notice, the thing that brings you back to reality, is how strikingly cool the barrel of the gun against your head is. Your hand twitches slightly, scraping the weapon lightly across your brow. You frown and look again to her, but there’s no fear in her eyes. She smiles to reassure you, clasping your hand.

It’s enough to have you smile back and nod.

---

You never knew why everyone made such a big deal about gambling. People losing their money in troves, going home with empty pockets and dashed dreams, always sounded like a big pile of shit to you. Why bother betting on something where you only had a small chance of winning? Why even try to tempt fate with all that nonsense? You would have never claimed to be the most down to Earth person around, but this was especially nonsensical!

Well… at least it was until you took your first trip to Las Vegas, Nevada. Sure, maybe you had planned to take in the life a little bit while you were on business. See the sights, hit a casino or two, and maybe even meet a few ladies – though the thought of that did make you a tad nervous.

You never expected to skip out on your life and never go back.

It started the first night. One of your co-workers made a snide joke about you popping your casino cherry, but you laughed him off, elbowing him in the ribs. It was probably a little harder than you should have, but hey, they had been cracking those jokes for the past week back at the office and enough was enough! You’d apologize for it later.

Your co-workers were all business as soon as you all stepped into the casino after checking in at the hotel across the street. They were immediately spouting off what you should check out and what you should stay away from. Heavily resisting the urge to roll your eyes, you listened to all their advice while taking in the rest of the place.

They told you to avoid playing any sort of poker game, saying that you had a face that was too easy to read. You responded with a nod, your eyes being drawn from their faces to the large chandelier in the middle of the room. Wow, it was huge. That and the droves of colorful characters swarming to and fro was enough to completely tear your attention away from their helpful commentary on the place. You cut one of the older gentlemen short, saying that you thought you could take it from there and you appreciated all the help.

Quickly, you slipped away, weaving between tables until there was a decent distance between you and them. A sigh of relief escaped your lips; safe at last, free at last! Your eyes shifted from side to side, admiring the bright colored tables. The lights danced across your vision. The sounds were almost intoxicating.

It was then that you realized you most likely should have been listening to them as you had no idea what the fuck you were doing in here. However, you knew how to wing it. You were the best at winging it. Probably the best there ever was and the best there ever would be! You put on your best poker face, snickering slightly to yourself about the bad joke, and made your way over to the nearest set of tables.

Dice clattered around, only adding to the noise of people carrying on from around the table. There was one person your eyes were drawn to. She, unlike the others, wasn’t speaking. She was concentrating. You briefly wondered why someone would have such a look on their face over a game of chance.

But then she threw.

When the dice came up seven, the whole table was in an uproar and people stared at her with wide eyes. Did seven mean she won? You didn’t know jack about this, but people seemed to be pretty impressed! Suddenly, you were curious. You wanted to know more about this girl who concentrated so hard over nothing.

“Hey!” You called over the noise, moving to stand next to her at the table. She didn’t look up, but somehow you could tell that she’d heard you. “I guess you won there, huh? That’s pretty impressive for a game about luck!”

Finally she looked up, pushing a thick strand of hair behind one ear. “It’s soooooooo much more than just luck, but you look pretty new around here, guess you wouldn’t know.”

Her wording puzzled you, but you just shrugged it off. People in Vegas sure were weird! “I’m John. John Egbert.” You smiled at her, hand extended for a firm handshake. Your dad always said that this was very important in making an impression on a new person!

She gave you an almost suspicious look, but grasped your hand just as firmly and shook. “Vriska. Vriska Serket.”

You were sure that you’d never heard a more ridiculous name in your life.

---

The time went by, and you couldn’t keep away from her. She almost never lost, and it was almost intoxicating to watch her play these games that you were just learning the names to. Craps, Blackjack, Poker; she won them all with a snide smirk, dragging chips her way like they had always been her property. She was cocky, borderline obnoxious, and didn’t know her limit.

She fascinated you.

The first real question from her came two days later, over lunch. “Why don’t you ever play, John? You always just watch, doesn’t that get boring?” It was almost an accusation, and you just smiled in response.

“Not really, it’s… interesting to watch you! Besides, I don’t think I’d be really good at all that anyway. I’d probably be taken for a ride,” You laughed at the thought of quite possibly losing all your savings on the tables.

Vriska, however, didn’t see it as a laughing matter. “Don’t say that, if you already give up then how exactly are you supposed to win? It’s all about concentration and a liiiiiiiittle bit of luck, Egbert.” She gave you a devious smirk. “Come on, I’ll show you how it’s done. Get ready to have a crash course in casinos. Stick with me and you’ll be the best! Or… well, at least second best.” As she dragged you away from the last quarter of your sandwich, you realized that you were being pulled into the spider’s web. The really jarring thing was that it didn’t bother you in the least.

You were dragged to the craps tables for your first stab at this whole money losing game. “Vriska, really, I don’t have any luck. In fact, the other day I found a penny and I couldn’t even pick it up because it was the wrong side down!”

Your plea went ignored and dice were shoved into your hand. “Roll, Egbert. Come on.” She grabbed your hand and shook it slightly, making the pieces rattle in your palm.

You sighed and, with her help, you rolled. The dice came up eight. You sighed again, with relief this time. There was no loss yet, though you didn’t know how you were going to pull another eight. Vriska was smirking at the table, not meeting your eyes. “Egbert, did you know that eight is my lucky number?” She nudged you with an elbow. “Roll again; the dice won’t let us down.”

Lucky numbers aside, you were sure that the odds were not in your favor about all this. The dice rolled off your palm, clattering onto the table noisily. Vriska grinned, you gaped. Two fours stood staring up at you. The man running the table pushed more chips towards you.

The rush that you felt was impossible to describe. You played again and again. You won some, lost many, but Vriska was always there to pick you back up. It was starting to make sense why people came to Vegas.

A few days and one agonizing business conference later, it was time for you to leave. You were having lunch with Vriska one last time. “It’s been really fun, we should keep in touch. Maybe I’ll come back around town sometime?” You didn’t doubt that you would come back if the chance arose. Vegas had your heart now. Maybe this girl did too? It was too soon to tell.

She took a bite of her meal, chewing slowly, deliberately. Finally she swallowed, looking up at him with the same eyes she had whenever she was concentrating. Those same eyes that had drawn him to her in the first place.

“You don’t have to leave, you know.”

You stared. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean. Stay. You can room with me.”

You knew this was a terrible idea, quite possibly the worst idea that anyone had ever proposed. You had friends back home, family. You couldn’t leave your dad! “Vriska, I can’t.” You sounded more firm than you felt.

It was so tempting. No more working with those uptight bastards who looked down on you for your age, no more having to worry about balancing your life; just Vriska and Vegas. That sounded far too tempting, and you knew that you needed to leave before you made a mistake. “I should go.”

She looked like she wanted to argue, but seemed to decide against it, instead scribbling down something on a scrap of paper. “If you change your mind, here’s where I live. Come find me.” She tossed out her trash and was gone, just like that.

Later on you found yourself in front of that apartment door, suitcase in hand and plane ticket tossed into the bin in your hotel. You knocked and she simply opened the door and invited you in, smirking all the while. She knew she had you, but you didn’t have a problem with that anymore.

---

When you moved in with Vriska Serket you gained three things: a roommate, a tarantula and an addiction for gambling. It started out slow, so you didn’t see it coming right away. You would try to play a bit more than the day before. You would be less focused on watching Vriska, more focused on the table in front of you.

You won more and would swear that she was some kind of embodiment of luck. Nothing could stop you two at the tables. It was like some kind of drug, really. By the time you realized that fact, though, you were in too deep to see straight.

Your mind was a whirlwind. You were falling hard for gambling and falling harder for the girl you were gambling with. Soon, you started to forget everything else. The only thing that really stuck with you was your dad and his voice was something that echoed in your head every night.

Vriska noticed your discomfort and invited you to sleep with her. You accepted.

The days turned into weeks. The weeks turned into months. You always managed to at least break even every night. Vriska and you were the talk of the local joints and she reveled in it. Not that you didn’t, but even with the ego boost from being so successful you still knew where your feet were on the ground.

“Is it really safe to be going to these other places?” She rolled her eyes at your caution and didn’t respond; just looking both ways to make sure no one was following before leading you into a nearby alleyway.

“John, we’ll be fine. We got invited here because of you, after all, and they seem pretty legit. Besides, don’t you think I could get us out of here if things get heavy?” You looked her in the eyes and nod. Yeah, you did believe that. You believed she could get you both out of any kind of trouble anywhere.

She knocked on the door, someone asked for a password. It was all very cheesy and you wondered if you just stepped into an oldtime movie. You walked in when he opened the door, looking at the contents of the room. It was just a card table with a bunch of people sitting around it, inviting you to sit.

Strangely enough, the one game that you remember your former co-workers dissuading you from is your bread and butter game. Poker. You picked it up quicker than anything else and damn you were good at it.

You won one game. Then another. Another. You took them for a ride, everything they were worth on the table. They took the losses hard, but instead of taking it out on you they invited both you and Vriska into their fold. You were tempted to decline, but Vriska accepted for both of you almost instantly.

An older man clasped you on a shoulder, called you son while he talked about how much of an addition you’d be to their little team of players. It made you think of your dad, and your wandering eyes locked with Vriska’s. She wore a look of triumph.

You forgot about your dad.

---

They’re telling you to get on with it now; that this is all part of the initiation and it would be fine. You take a deep breath and your finger tenses against the trigger. Something in your mind is screaming not to do this. It’s telling you that this might be the last thing you try to do. You ignore it and pull the trigger.

The last thing you notice, the thing that brings you comfort, is how welcoming and warm her hand is in yours.