Life in Evermore city was becoming more and more routine for Rowan, when he first moved here everything had felt new but nowadays he could describe things as comfortable. The Scot spent most of his time at work and then in his free time he would usually keep up appearances by spending his time with Giselle, the mayor of Evermore city and for the foreseeable, his fake girlfriend, checking up on Wes, the best friend he had made who he often worried over or here, in a little tucked away bar that not many people knew about. 

Rowan was a generally sociable kind of guy, he liked having an excuse to go out on a Saturday night, have a few drinks and talk to people but he could be pretty selective about the company he liked to keep, he wasn't much for the loud and brash people who got all rowdy, he preferred spending his time around the kind of people who seemed reasonable but could make him laugh. One night when he had been here late chatting away with some of the guys at the bar he had been invited into a poker match, they didn't do anything crazy when it came to betting, just throwing in some money and having some fun.

And since then that had been his routine, it was usually the same people give or take and he'd gotten to know them over time, he had to admit it was pretty fun. Right now they were in the middle of a round, several people were surrounding the table, holding their cards carefully so no one else could see them and trying to call one another's bluff. He was always pretty good at lying and could win a few rounds on bluff alone but he always found his match to be another coy male who came to play every so often. Daehyun tended to be quieter than most but he was a good player, always analyzing the others in the room and calling bluffs which kept everyone their toes. 

The two of them weren't exactly close but they'd shared a few drinks and chatted a few times. He was currently looking at his cards and debating whether to risk raising for this round or whether to fold, with the community cards on the table he was looking at a chance for a full house but it seemed like Daehyun might be holding something too and someone else on the table was getting extremely lucky tonight, lucky to the point he was starting to wonder if it wasn't just the luck of the draw "Fold" he responded putting his cards face down, he wanted to see if their guy, a seemingly new player, was going to miraculously win yet again.

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Perhaps life in Evermore wasn’t so bad. Dae’s been living in the eternal city for months long and he was starting to see the appeal in it. Just a bit. Not that he would ever admit it out loud. He found good friends and managed to make a cut on his work. Admittedly, the Niveis hasn’t been back in Evermore ever since he got that client, two weeks ago. He’s been busy going back and forth from Lisbon to Lagos trying to track his client. It hasn’t been easy but then again, when was his line of work ever easy, to begin with? Exactly. But, it pays him well so he wasn’t in the position to complain either. He did opt for this kind of work that made use of his skills, after all. The moment he came back to Evermore, the first place he went to was the bar. It has then become a frequent place for the pale-haired male to venture there for a few drinks. 

Sometimes he’d even engage in a conversation with the bartender or the people there. That’s how comfortable he’s been lately. It was generally good progress altogether. Drinks were fun and the opportunity to create new contacts was also fun when they could also be his potential clients. But of all the people he’s met there, with the exception of Aeryn, he’s also befriended another person. While Dae couldn’t be sure to even call him a friend when all they’ve done was share a few drinks and play a few rounds of poker together, Rowan McKenzie was definitely a good look in his contacts list. The Scot matched his sarcastic level just fine which made him amused most of the time. He could always appreciate someone like that; someone who wasn’t all too shy to talk it out. 

Dae had no idea how he even allowed himself to be dragged into a poker match that day but surprisingly enough, it’s becoming a casual thing nowadays. Tonight was the same, he came back to the bar in hopes that he could drink the entire night away because he just got paid and honestly? What better way to celebrate after spending two hellish weeks trying to chase down a fugitive? The table was surrounded by a few people, including him and Rowan being in the mix. Everyone was on edge, he could see there were a few from his right that’s being antsy and the newcomer across him that seemed so casual and calm it was slowly making him wonder what he had under his sleeves. He wouldn’t say he was particularly an expert on poker, he just knows how to pick his cards, and having analyzed people for a living, it wasn’t hard to know if someone was bluffing. He had plenty of wins under his belt because of it.

 He noticed Rowan folding his cards, which made him raise his eyebrows as he spared him a playful look that said ‘really?’ Bluffing is always the best way to win if you don’t have the best combination and while staring down at his own cards, he knew it was either one of the two. “Raise” he mused coolly and leaned against his seat, eyes still fixated on the new player across him. Yeah, whoever he was, he definitely didn’t expect the Niveis to raise. The game went on for a few more minutes until more and more continued to fold because of the raise, it didn’t seem like Dae was going to fold anytime soon which either meant he had a good combination to win the match or he’s really just egging everyone up. The final round of betting came and it was time for the showdown, leaving only 3 players with their cards still in their hands, him included. Bluffing? Two can play at the game. Only in his case, he wasn’t exactly bluffing with four of a kind. Before he could show his cards, the new player said he dropped something so he went under the table, only to bump against it, causing Dae's glass to fall, and well, the stain of whiskey is hardly something he wanted to get on his leather jacket. It didn't help that he was so surprised he dropped his cards among the other fallen cards too. "You little shit..."

Don’t get Rowan wrong, he was usually quiet the competitive player and could hold his bluff better than most of the people at the table but he also knew when to play sensible and the way the others were talked and his suspicion that one of guys at the table was cheating was enough to make him fold. It was a game of risks and sometimes the risk was worth it, other times you could end up having yourself out before the end of the second round because you got too cocky. He was still shooting suspicious looks over at their new player though, trying to figure out where all his luck was coming from. Frankly, Rowan suspected he was counting cards but if he was then he was awfully good at hiding it. When Dae shot him a look question his choice he shrugged, making a pointed gaze towards their new player as though to warn him.

It seemed like Dae wanted to play the dangerous game though, which made him pull a face, well it was his wallet seeing the damages if it wall went to hell he supposed. The only thing which saved it was the fact they never really played for high stakes usually, not like in the casinos where everyone would big it all up, he was pretty sure half the ones in Vegas were rigged anyway, he remembered giving up and going to play the slot machines on his own instead. He could feel the tension rising as every round passed and more and more people decided to fold until it was just Dae and Mr. Lucky left.

And then everything went to hell. He heard the sound of the table getting knocked against and then everything went flying, Dae’s drink knocked over, spilling over his lap and onto the floor which made Rowan jump up to wipe himself down. There was a flurry of cards everywhere. He was looking around confused before he realized that Dae was about to go full bounty hunter on the other guy. He grabbed him to hold him back just in time before he managed to start an all-out brawl “Alright smug guy, pretty sure your luck doesn’t run that far and then the one time you get it wrong the table goes up in arms” he narrowed his eyes “I’d say it’s pretty obvious you’re cheating” the male had smirked and scoffed, saying they had no proof.

Daehyun didn't tolerate a lot of things in general, he's had enough on his plate and list alike, and when he dislikes them, he usually does that with all of his being. Cheaters just so happened to be on that particular list that requires the Niveis to stop short on his endless supply of mercy. Poker wasn't his forte, he's known that since the first time he even ended up getting into a game here. Yet he still tried it because he thought, why not? So once he's really gotten a hang of them and someone else just comes barging in the wrong door thinking they can bluff their way through right in front of him, what was he left to think about other than fuck this dude? Someone can be so lucky or they can be the biggest bluff, right now, he's thinking on the latter, especially judging from how the other player was fidgeting. 

The look Rowan spared him did not go unnoticed, but what really set him off was when he was just about to win and all of that went out the window because this stupid guy just decided to go all in. Recklessly. Well, he probably didn't know Daehyun's temper. He could feel the stickiness on his jacket and just when he was about to jump on their guy, a pair of arms holding him back. It didn't take the elder Stormwind long to know who it belonged to, "Let me go, let me have at it, he's a fucking cheater. A lying prick, that's what he is" he growled lowly and thrashed considerably against Rowan. Even though his temper was poked, he could still think sensibly, honestly, he wasn't pissed off he lost. He was more pissed off because this guy, whoever he was, ruined his jacket. His beloved jacket. 

His piercing glare was still fixated on the guy who didn't seem like he understood what he just did, "I'm going to give you 10 seconds to pack up your shit and get out of here" Before long, he had already started the countdown from 10. Okay, maybe seeing him hesitating to even back away was egging him on, especially when he still insisted that they had no proof, "I swear if you don't fucking leave, I will show you how you should've folded if you're just going to be a lying son of a bitch" he hissed. Oh, and Dae absolutely hates being challenged. It was just a stent to his ego and the Niveis had plenty of them to go around. 

Rowan wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of poker, nor would he wanna go and play it in a casino, he wasn’t really the gambling with cards type, though he admittedly did make a few bets on football matches and the likes. He played the game more for the company and the chance to get out of the house and hang out with friends, the more times he came the closer he got with others, that’s how he had started getting along with Daehyun. They were very different when it came to interests and lifestyles but there was one key thing they shared which kept them coming back. Complaining, the two of them could rant the world around them, moaning about different things going on in the world and he actually found it pretty therapeutic if he was honest. They also had some laughs too, especially when they agreed on a topic.

And today they agreed that the new guy at their table was a complete asshole who only wanted in on the game to cheat his way through and walk away with a bunch of money only to probably never show up again. It wasn’t the kind of thing he could stand for because it went against the core of the reason they were here in the first place, to make friends and enjoy themselves. So when Daehyun fought back he actually found it pretty hard to justify keeping a hold of him, though he was 100% sure the other male could escape his grasp if he really wanted to “Well there’s no doubt about that now” he was glaring at the other guy who was really lucky right now he was holding the niveis back “Every round was going well and the one it wasn’t you decide to throw the table, no one is fooled” he tilted his head expectantly at the other male who continued his smug speech about how they had no proof.

When Dae warned the other male to get out, that was when he made the decision to let him go, he had relative control over his temper and honestly if he was dumb enough to stay after Dae gave him a warning like that then he probably had a death wish. Rowan shook his head slightly, he was pissed as hell that the game had been killed so quickly and now he frankly wasn’t in the mood to continue “Believe me, you don’t actually want to get on his bad side” he warned shaking his head, Rowan was about to yell at the guy to get out himself before long, when he went to grab the money on the table that was when he stepped forward “Oh no you don’t, you didn’t earn that, fucking hell you couldn’t make yourself a more obvious selfish asshole if you tried” eventually he got the message and stepped back before scurrying from the room and Rowan sent glaring daggers following him.

The only reason why he hasn't actually set the place on fire, well… freeze the entire place, was because Rowan was actually doing something good for the rest of them and holding him back. Though he was pretty sure he would have a long… and agonizing period of Anivia reprimanding him for being reckless in public, he would eventually bite his tongue and pout. Poker was not a favorite game of his, a few months ago he didn't even know what the thing was, and he certainly didn't know why people were so petty over it. Now he knows. It was also around the same time when he was acquainted with a certain Scot, the Initia that somehow piqued his interest and from then, they knew each other well enough to call the other a friend. While they were quite different to each other, they were also similar when it comes to a few things; namely, complaining about the world. 

That was something the two of them could hit off at. With the Initia's hands wrapped around him to hold him back from launching himself against the cheating stranger, a part of him wanted to just break free and have at it. Meanwhile, the other part said to calm himself down before he did something he would regret. Suckerpunching that lying douche bag wouldn't exactly be regretful for the Niveis, admittedly he would just say it was worth it but he also promised not to stir anymore problems so he had to let it go. No matter how hard it was for him to do so. It was a little hard to do that when the guy kept being smug and going all about how they didn't have any proof, "Bold of you to assume I would actually need proof to find a reason to dump your body at the dumpster" he muttered under his breath and tapped his hands on Rowan, signalling him to let him go. He's better. Ish.

 Dae had no idea what went on after that because all he could recall himself doing was glaring daggers into his skull until he scurried off, "God I hate him" he huffed and lazily sat back on his seat, with his back slumped against the chair and him requesting for another drink from the bartender, "Why can't I get away from douchebags for at least.. One day? Hardly doubt Evermore suddenly developed a magnet to attract douchebags... " Dae was generally grumbly, but when his jacket is ruined, he is extra grumpy, "So you think dry clean would be enough for this?" he asked curiously, sometimes it ruins the texture and honestly, that's why Daehyun prefers to do his own laundry. He's always careful enough before though. 

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