Chapter Text
“There’s a new recruit.” Knight Baxter said as he dealt cards around their table in the belly of the whale.
Nikolav took his, as well as a bottle of vodka, and balanced his chair on two legs. “Does he drink?”
“Dunno much about her," Bax corrected, "but she’s an outsider. Came from right here in the fuckin’ CW.”
Ortiz dropped some caps in the center of the table and spoke casually, “She suck dick?”
“Dunno, Tease, why don’t you ask her?” Bax tossed his cards on the table and sat back.
“Don’t you kids ever think about anything else?” Gavin feigned seriousness and they all stared.
“Really, Gav?” Bentley raised an eyebrow.
“What?” He attempted to hide a grin.
“For fuck’s sake, we all know you’ll be the first one to try and get your dick wet.” Baxter hit Ortiz with the back of his hand, “You or this fucking slut.”
Tease smirked in the breakroom's red-orange glow, “Bet I can before you do.”
“You boys must take me for some kind of man-whore or something…” Gavin crossed his arms and leaned away from them. “But if I were a betting man… I wouldn’t put caps on Tease.”
Niko dropped his chair down. “Think he just called your bluff.” He scooted the vodka over to Ortiz as the group laughed.
"Thought you'd be first to tell us, Gav," Bax slid a few more caps to the middle and pointed with his chin. "I heard Danse sponsored her."
There was a pause as that sank in.
"Maybe it was classified." Gav said as he matched the new bet.
Ortiz threw his cards down. "Classified as your nutsack."
"Or your granny's." Niko tossed back. "You still in?"
"Fuck no."
"Benny?"
She didn't need to look at her cards. "Bax deals me shit every time."
Niko grunted. "I'm out too."
"Just you and me, G," Baxter said. He upped the bet again. Casual. "Heard Maxson made her a knight."
Benny made a dismissive noise. She looked around for a bottle and took a swig. "Don't even try to shit us like that."
"Teagan issued her tags." Bax watched to see what Gavin would do. "I was right next to the cage when he gave them to a runner."
"Guess that answers your question, Tease," Niko put in. "She made knight after, what, two seconds?"
Knowing laughs went around.
Gavin stretched and had a look at the terminal before turning back around. "Well, if you give it half an hour, you can ask."
"What she's gonna just walk in?"
"Maybe."
"You're bluffing again," Bax said and threw down. "Tens over sevens. Eat it."
"Guess you win," Gav shrugged and scattered his junk cards on the table. But before another five hands were done there was the new face with a smooth walk and a uniform so clean it made more than one of them want to spill something on it.
“Brothers and sister," she said. It was calm, like she'd done it before.
The group eyed the new recruit. Ortiz opened his mouth but Bentley cut him off before he could let fly whatever asinine shit was in there. “Welcome to the Rat’s Nest, newbie.” She stood and moved to pull another chair over. “That there’s Ortiz, Baxter, Kidd--”
“Gavin.” He immediately corrected.
“... Gavin, and Nikolav. I’m Bentley.”
“Logan," she nodded and sat down. "What's the game?"
"Commonwealth stud, aces high, brothers and sisters wild."
"Queens and jacks," the interloper asked without asking.
"You got it." Niko handed over a bottle then motioned to her uniform, “Bit overdressed, aren’t you?”
She eyed their assortment of PT gear and skivvies. "So you're not playing strip?"
Ortiz looked her up and down with a smile, “If you wanna take it off, I won’t stop you.”
“Jeezus, Tease! It hasn’t even been five fucking minutes.” Bentley anted up. “Don’t mind them… There’s a liberty ban right now so the Pryd is a raging river of cocks.”
“And you love it.” Gavin winked at Benny, who ignored him, as he shuffled the cards. He didn’t ask before dealing Reese in.
Baxter counted out some caps of his own and pushed them across the table. “I’ll spot you.” His smile was friendly, but he could have been hustling. Or drunk.
There were three bottles on the table, all of which were more than half empty. Gav picked one up as he folded his cards and leaned back in his seat, cocking his head at the new girl. A much better question than ‘does she drink’ would have been ‘is she hot’... Because she was. Ridiculously hot. She had a cute smile and her brown eyes took everything in with a look of curiosity. He suddenly wanted to know far the curiosity went. What he'd learned from Danse didn't extend to whether she was down for anything. Gavin’s idea of vital intel missed Danse’s by a lot.
Baxter took a drink then pointed the mouth of the brown bottle toward Reese, “So, what brings you to the good ship Cockstorm?” He flashed an instigating grin at Benny.
Tease snorted and spread his arms, “Same thing that brings 'em all…” He paused for a moment to revel in the rolling eyes and head-shakes then tapped his hands on his bare chest, “The uniforms.”
“Your 'uniform' looks like a bag of smashed assholes, chico.” Bentley flashed a smirk before raising a bottle to her lips.
“You know you lyin'…” Ortiz pointed at her, “But it would look better on you.” He licked his lips for a second as he watched her drink. He was bold, but harmless. A big talker, especially when he was buzzed. He turned his attention to Logan with a little half grin, “I could outfit you too.”
“Don’t think you have my size, chico.” Reese let her gaze flick to his lap for a second then she smiled sweetly. “But thanks for the offer.”
The boys let out some jeers and Benny laughed openly.
“You’ll fit in,” she clinked the bottom of her bottle against the one Reese held. The bets went around and Gav won. Niko dealt the next hand.
“Speaking of fitting in…” he balanced his chair again and tilted his head a little, “got your hands in any cookie jars?”
Gavin leaned his elbows on the table, more interested now.
Benny glanced sideways at him. “You already have the whole damn bakery, Kidd.”
He gave a little shrug, “I like cookies.” He glanced at Bentley with an unreadable expression, “Besides, Danse isn’t a bakery, he’s more like a box of Fancy Lad’s.”
Baxter snorted amusement, “You call him that in private?”
Niko joined in. “Damn, I sure hope so! Fancy Danse ....”
Even Benny snickered at that, although Logan raised an eyebrow like something just clicked. "So you're the one.”
"His rep precedes him." Benny stared idly at her cards
"Figured they don't care about us grunts, but a knight and a paladin?" Reese clucked her tongue.
"Gav is special," Baxter made his voice sickly sweet. "Which reminds me, how'd you jump rank so quick?"
"Recon squad Artemis." Logan bent her cards away from the table without lifting them.
"That was you? Damn." Tease seemed impressed. "But back to Nico's question."
“Ah. Well, I had a cookie. He was a lying, cheating asshole." She met Ortiz's gaze full on, her tone light. "And now he's dead. Too bad.”
“So your status is D2F.” Gav's eyes twinkled.
“Good to go.” Reese winked and took a drink.
This time it was Bax who threw his cards down. "I swear, any other fucker would get punched in the face."
"That's probably happened," Reese glanced at Knight Kidd. He got away with shit because he was all blue eyes and chiseled jaw. She could see why even someone as controlled as their paladin might break the rules.
Heavy boots rang along the catwalk and a stern Danse appeared beside their table. Speak of the devil. Or think of him.
“Thirty before lights-out.”
“Yes, sir,” they all said more or less at once.
“Aw, mom,” Reese grinned up at the paladin.
Danse scowled and crossed his arms, "No exceptions. You need to be in bed, in thirty."
Gav grinned impishly, “Well, if you say so…. But I don’t think we’d all fit....”
Danse sighed, “In your own racks.” He looked pointedly at Ortiz, “And no midnight recon. We have just a few days to pull this unit together before we're back in the field."
Reese stood up "Permission to ask about armor mods?"
"For a few minutes. The rest of you, clean up."
Niko started gathering the cards. “Fancy Danse is just no fun.”
But Benny's eyes were on the pair walking away. She noticed how they fell into step and how Reese gazed steadily at the paladin, even though he was still looking ahead. On a tank full of fun, mileage varied.