Intimate Details - Surf, Sand, and Sun

Chapter 10 - Day 6

The morning came with cramps. Not the menstrual kind, thank goodness, but the exhaustion kind. Rarity grimaced as she slowly disentangled herself and limped into the kitchen to drink water from the tap. Her thighs and calves were tight and sore, to say nothing of the dull, throbbing ache in her core. Even her arms hurt. She limped into the bathroom next to take some pain relievers from the small medicine bag they had brought along, and prepared a morning remedy for her wife. Octavia woke with a short, clipped cry of pain. Rarity hobbled into the bedroom to give her painkillers and a glass of water. She took both readily, giving Rarity a sheepish smile.

“Why do we always do this to ourselves?” She asked, slowly flexing her cramping leg.

“Love. Idiocy. An all-consuming need to orgasm time and time again.” Rarity grinned and kissed Octavia’s cheek. The day outside was moderately bright, with a few large fluffy clouds in the sky. It was bound to be a windy, dreary day best spent inside or partaking some other activity. And besides, Rarity was exhausted. She found the PDA charging on the table by the door and ordered them breakfast. Octavia was able to move by the time she finished ordering, so the two of them woodenly stripped the bed and changed into something more presentable than skin. Octavia wore a loose-fitting sun-dress that covered her from shoulders to knee, while Rarity settled on plain white shorts and a tank top. Rather than fuss with her hair, she rinsed it out in the shower, toweled it, and pulled the sodden strands into a tight ponytail. She would deal with the frazzled strands later. Octavia mirrored her, and they emerged from the bathroom just as the carts arrived with breakfast. The morning cook was a quiet, heavyset woman who smiled warmly enough, but preferred to remain silent as she made their food. Rarity was happy for the silence, as it let her and Octavia talk about their plans for the day.

“We could honestly just stay here and relax all day.” Octavia offered. Rarity have a soft ‘hmm’ of thought and tapped her lower lip.

“I’m not particularly in the mood for sitting around here, though… How would you feel about going to catch a movie or something? Maybe have dinner on the town?”

“Ooh, actually, now that you mention it…” Octavia pulled the PDA free from a pocket on her dress and tapped a few icons on the screen. “I know it might not seem like the greatest idea, but we only have two days left. How do you feel about…” She turned the screen around, and Rarity glimpsed the number two thousand. “Doing some gambling?”

“Ooh.” Rarity smiled at the thought. She and Twilight had been regulars to Applejack’s Saturday-night poker games on the farm. In fact, she had a way with the game that had made her a serious competitor. She had even had to claim some funds on her taxes the year before she moved away. Canterlot had no casinos, and she hadn’t had the money to indulge in a trip to Las Pegasus or even Appaloosa’s tribal establishments since moving away from Ponyville. The thought of playing live poker again was enticing. “Yes. Let’s.”

“I’m a sucker for slots.” Octavia admitted with a slight blush. “They had one in Las Pegasus that played classical music. I wonder if they have the same here…”

“Let’s do it, then. The casinos are open twenty-four hours a day, so we can go whenever we want.”

“How about after this?” Octavia looked excited, and Rarity herself had to admit she wanted to scratch the itch as well.

“Sounds like a plan. Ooh! Eggs.” Breakfast was served.

The casino glittered even in the daytime. ’Jewel of the Sands’ casino was supposedly the best one offered to the denizens of Diamond Beach, and honored the resort’s two-thousand-dollar credit. They were chauffeured to the front drive by none other than Michael, the man whom had met them at the train station upon their arrival, and were immediately swept away. The entire casino was built out of magically-reinforced sandstone, giving it a desert-like appearance. Palm fronds and grottos bubbled and swayed inside, where they broke up the sections of table games, slots, and an impressive bingo floor. There were flashing lights and brightly-dressed people all over, accompanied by the dull roar of conversation, spinning slots, coins clinking together, and money.

Rarity was in awe. Even Octavia was shocked. “This almost beats Las Pegasus.” She muttered quietly. “Almost.”

“Come on.” Rarity took Octavia’s hand and pulled her towards the reception desk. After a brief conversation with an ebony-skinned beauty of a woman, they were directed to the cashier with a voucher in-hand. The chips they were being given were, essentially, free money. They could keep what they won, if anything, and play through the two thousand until it was depleted. Whenever they wanted to leave, they simply had to return the original two thousand in one form or another, save whatever chips they had won. So even if Rarity was down two thousand, whatever she managed to win with said two thousand would remain theirs. Her heart pounded. Aggressive play suited her. Octavia bargained five hundred dollars onto a card that she could scan at the slot machines, leaving Rarity with fifteen hundred dollars’ worth of poker chips. They separated with a kiss and a smile.

Rarity was on a mission.

The poker pit was just that, a pit sunken into the ground and ringed by uniformed guards at the gaps in the rail. Rarity flashed them a separate card she had been given by the cashier and descended among the dozens of tables. She scanned the signs, searching for her preferred table. She found it in the form of a 5/10/500 table. The blinds were five and ten, with a five-hundred dollar raise limit. It was a small game with four other players, her being the fifth. The dealer flipped two cards towards her seat as she sat down with her chips.

“How are you today, miss?” One of the other men at the table, an Appaloosian by the look of his wide-brimmed hat and rawhide choker; smiled at her.

“Just fine, thanks.” Rarity beamed. “Yourself?”

“Down on my luck and gettin’ lower. Ah figure a beaut’ such as yerself could turn it ‘round for me.” He had a devilishly quick smile, as fake as a crocodile’s. Rarity knew that smile well. Applejack wore the same one. The other three were quiet as they peeked at their cards. Rarity winked at the man and lifted the corner of her own two. Pocket jacks? On the first hand? Her face took on a marble cast, and she raised forty dollars. The Appaloosian grumbled and flicked his cards back at the dealer. The other three folded out. She had just bought the blinds. Not a bad way to start. Not a good one, but not bad either.

The second hand was less lucky. She had a queen-seven off-suited, but called the blinds anyways. Herself, the country gentleman, and one other stayed in for the flop. To her surprise, a queen and two kings popped up. Being the first, she raised thirty, and was called by the stranger. The wide-brimmed cowboy cursed as he folded another hand. His chip stack was dwindling. A jack came on the turn. Rarity checked, but the stranger raised another thirty. She stared him down for a long while. There it was. His brow twitched. He had maybe an ace or a ten, hoping for the straight on the draw. He didn’t have anything yet. Rarity raised to one hundred.

Two wins in a row. The stranger folded, and she stacked a small pile of chips. She was up already, and they had barely just begun. A rush descended on her. She felt the excited flush rise to her cheeks, and her hands began to tremble. She had never had a problem with gambling before… Being a small-time Ponyville dressmaker, she had only ever really played the small game with Applejack and company. Here, in a bright casino, with professional dealers and expert players, she was at risk. An exciting, thrilling risk. The next hand was dealt, and she couldn’t suppress a soft smile. Just her luck, seven-two off-suited. She folded.

Not everyone could have perfect luck.

“Hey love- oh wow.” Octavia shouldered through the small press of people surrounding the table to stand over Rarity. “Doing pretty well for yourself, aren’t you?”

“I’ll say.” Rarity grinned and arched her head back. Octavia gave her a quick kiss. The table was full now, with nine players in attendance. Rarity was very clearly in the lead, though. She hadn’t stopped to count, but if she had to guess, she was six or seven thousand ahead of where she had started. Octavia’s eyes went wide when she saw the extent of the chips stacked in front of Rarity.

“How much is that, Rarity?”

“I honestly don’t know.” She shrugged. “I’ve just been playing…”

“Cheatin’ more like.”

“Oh, shush up, Jeb.” Rarity had learned the name of the quick-witted Appaloosian. He was Jeb, a cattledriver from Appaloosa, and a good friend with Applejack’s cousin, Braeburn. A few other patrons had come and gone at the table. Five-minute friends and lifetime enemies once Rarity had taken their money. Jeb himself had extended his stack, but that was thanks to his pocketbook. Indeed, half of Rarity’s own chip hoard belonged to him at one point or another.

But aside from Octavia and the nine players at the table, there was a small crowd gathered around them, watching the game. Rarity was aggressive and relentless, losing large hands but winning them back with almost cruel efficiency. She had been cursed at and admired in equal measure by her fellow players, and they had raised the limits on the table to accommodate higher-level contenders. They were now playing with fifty and one-hundred dollar blinds, with a two-thousand dollar limit to raise. The crowd watching would comment on each new development as it played out. Rarity was a crowd favorite, and each hand she won was met with small applause.

“How did the slots go?” Rarity asked, smiling at Octavia as another hand was dealt.”

“I was up, then I was down, then I won a small jackpot… I think I broke even, with maybe a few dollars ahead.” She shrugged nonchalantly. One of the casino liaisons noted Octavia, and went to fetch a chair for her. Jeb’s eyes gleamed across the table.

“Y’see? Now she’s got lady luck on her side.”

“She is my lucky charm indeed.” Rarity turned to give Octavia fuller kiss before looking at her cards. Lady luck indeed. Pocket aces. She raised five hundred dollars. Octavia fell into silence as play progressed. Three players aside from Rarity stayed in, including Jeb. The flop came up, boasting a full set of clubs, to match one of her aces. The highest among them was the Jack, with a seven and a five as well. Rarity had four cards of a flush, and the high pair. She raised one thousand dollars. She could almost feel Octavia tense behind her. That was half of what they had been given to gamble with in the first place, and twice as much as Octavia herself had taken to the slots.

“Call.” Her head snapped up. Jeb shoveled his own pile of chips forward with grim-faced determination. It was probably half his stack. Rarity rather liked the older man; he was funny and gracious in defeat, if doggedly so. She didn’t want to take any more of his money than she already had. Still, there were the financial repercussions to consider. She could likely buy a car with the money she had won today. The turn came up, a six of spades. Jeb’s concrete-solid face greeted her when she glanced his way. She stared at the cards for a long while. There were three cards of a straight on the table, and a possible flush in the mix. The six hadn’t hurt her, but it hadn’t helped either. Tenuously, she checked.

Jeb raised. Half of his remaining stack. Six hundred dollars. Rarity fought to keep her mask on. She had a high pair, and a possible winning flush if the last card was a club. The risk was minimal, but the way Jeb was playing was uncharacteristic of his conservative history. A lesser player would have folded. But Rarity wasn’t a lesser player. She called his bet as the river came up.

A seven of clubs. Rarity had the high flush. She took quick stock of Jeb’s remaining chips and put him all-in. With over four thousand dollars at stake, the pot was looking juicy. Jeb stared at her for a few long moments. The tension was so thick she could cut it with a knife. This was where poker players were made or broken. Pots like this, where you had so much at stake, were her lifeblood. In Ponyville, she had been in Jeb’s position more often than she cared to admit. But aggressive playing had paid off for her before. It had to now, right?

Right?

“Call.” Jeb pushed his chips in, smiling at Rarity. “Let’s see what you got, missy.” Rarity tenuously flipped her cards over.

“Flush to ace.” She said meekly. A smattering of applause went through the gathered spectators. She had the five, six, seven, jack and ace of clubs for her flush. Even if Jeb had the king, she had the higher card and would win. No pair beat a flush, save a full house, and there weren’t enough cards on the table. Not unless Jeb had a third six and an extra five, seven, or jack. The odds were in her favor, though. He most certainly didn’t have two sixes, giving him four-of-a-kind, either. The odds were most definitely in her favor.

Jeb was pale. Octavia felt a wave of relief pass over her. His shaky fingers lifted the edge of his cards, and he tipped them over for all to see. He had an eight and a nine.

Of clubs.

“Straight flush wins the hand.” The dealer said to a full-bodied round of applause. Rarity watched, completely dumbstruck, as Jeb began stacking the massive pile of chips.

“Ya win some, ya lose some.” Jeb quipped, deftly spinning a fifty-dollar chip across his knuckles. He rolled it to the dealer, who tucked the tip into the strap of her bra with a flush and a smile. Rarity just shook her head and sat up.

“Rarity, come on.” Octavia whispered in her ear. “You just lost a lot of money. We should go. You still have more.”

“Not today.” Rarity grimaced at Octavia. “I’m going to win it back.”

“Huh boy.” Octavia rolled her eyes and called for the drink waitress.

“You have got to be the single luckiest person on the face of Equestria.” Octavia mumbled, shaking her head. Rarity beamed and kissed her wife’s cheek. “I mean, seriously, two straights and a full house back-to-back? What are the odds?”

“I get the feeling the dealer was stacking the deck. I had tipped her almost four hundred dollars by then.” Rarity threw her arm over Octavia’s shoulder, swaggering a bit. She had taken a celebratory drink or five at the casino’s bar after her unprecedented win streak. Jeb had evolved as a player after that straight flush. He was aggressive and cocky. It was his downfall. Rarity had switched her own play style between aggressive and passive. Over the course of three dozen more hands, she had bled Jeb dry. The crowd came and went, but mostly grew, until they had to place stanchions around the table and admit new players with special passes. They earned a permanent waitress who ferried them fresh drinks whenever the old ones ran out. That had also helped Rarity. She drank caffeinated soda, while Jeb drank beer. His judgment became worse and worse, and his chip stack smaller and smaller. Rarity was jittery, but focused. She re-took the chip lead and kept it, losing small and winning big. The poor man was finally done, and left the table with a tip of his hat and a solemn vow to meet Rarity at another table somewhere else.

She colored up, cashed in, and left the casino six thousand, four hundred and forty-eight dollars ahead. Jason greeted them on the front drive, and she drunkenly shoveled two hundred-dollar bills into his hand. “Take us home, Jeeves!” She laughed as Octavia poured her into the back seat. The celebratory drinks were turning bitter, and by the time they slipped into the bungalow, were intent on making a return. Octavia deposited her by the toilet. Breakfast had been good the first time around. Not so much the second time. Afterwards, though, Octavia nursed her through a nice, cool shower and even shaved her legs. Despite being green around the gills, Rarity felt pretty good. They ate a hearty dinner of fresh-made stew, while Jason joined them so she could regale him with the tale of her casino exploits. He was somewhat of a card shark himself, and followed the jargon remarkably well. After dinner, Rarity was herself again. Albeit very tired. The day’s soreness was gone, replaced instead by fatigue. She and Octavia bid Jason farewell and retired to bed immediately.