The next Poker Night arrived, and Ace was more than amped for the event.
When Block arrived with a case of beer in tow, it got added to the rest with a roar of approval, much hand shaking, back slapping, smiles & good cheer.
Introductions were made, polite conversations struck up, & Ace took Block on a tour of the place.
Ace making dismissive hand wavy gestures at the various sections, making a point to show the bathrooms in both garage & apartment, & giving a comical warning not to mistake the sink for a urinal.
This got a bark of mock indignation from Kyle ("I was s4 faced drunk!"), a retort of "We ALL were!" from Don, howls of laughter from Boyd, and an impish smirk from Ace to show he was just yanking the other's chain.
It seemed to go a long way to helping Block relax around the new group, and the game began in a few moments.
Block turned out to be a player on par with Ace, if not a little easier to read the Tells he made, so Ace's friends were a bit cocky in their antics.
Between obvious ploys to draw the Dwarf into making bets completely out of bounds for bluffs even a blind guy could see through, to Block's own tendency to bluff on hands that seemed screamingly ridiculous after the fact, Block ended the
night just a little in the Red.
Confident they could fleece the guy for pretty much everything he owned, Ace's friends graciously waved off Block's attempt to pay the Piper afterwards.
Giving a gracious "Newbie's first night" kind of speech, Kyle erased the score sheet on his pad, rendering the entire night's totals into digital vapor.
Don pointed his beer bottle at Block like a finger, snorted, & said Block would "have to bring a better Game Face" the next time around.
Boyd laughed, whacked Block on the shoulder, & said something about "medics sticking together", and handed Block a fresh beer.
Thus the evening ended with the five of them circled around the cooler once again, beers raised in toast, and the conversation begun in earnest.
The usual gripes, groans, & grievances aired in turn, Block was filled with a flood of personal info that helped him bond even tighter into the fold.
They asked Block how he knew Ace, what he thought about his job, about his love life, hobbies, hopes, dreams, desires, & if he had seen any hawt chicks lately.
There was much laughter as Block told of one of his past exploits, gave a sideways look at Ace when he muttered something about friends trying to get paid in wings, and Ace had the good graces to look sheepish over their guffaws.
When Ace tried to chide them about never bringing wings to the Poker Nights, they assured him that there would be a big ol' batch of them *IF* he agreed to invite Block again.
It was obvious that Ace wanted those wings, but just as blatant that he thrilled at the idea of having another friend around the table each week to increase the banter, bulls4, & boisterous buffoonery.
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