[OOM] Oswin, Moriarty and Poker.

[awesome_binomial_theorems]

Moriarty's room is - much as someone would expect. There's a bed, a desk with an array of soil samples and various examining equipment (as well as a pile of unmarked papers) and a few large armchairs and a leather sofa set around a coffee table.

Moriarty holds open the door for Oswin, before setting the bottles on the coffee table and taking off his coat, hanging it up by the door. His boots are deposited beneath it. After all, it's rude to wear a coat and boots inside.

"I hope you don't mind losing too much," he says cheerily.

Comments

[awesome_binomial_theorems]

"Call," Moriarty says immediately, and downs a large gulp of rotgut. "And I discard four cards."

He tosses four onto the table, and draws four more, frowning at them.

[souffle_girlek]

"One." She declares, then frowns, eyes the cards, opens her mouth to change her mind, frowns more, and shakes her head. "Just one." She switches out cards, and leans back. "What say you, maths-boy?"

[awesome_binomial_theorems]

Moriarty furrows his brow. "I'll fo - ..."

Pause.

Folding would be admitting defeat.

"I'll raise you one," he says.

[souffle_girlek]

"Calling your raise." She suddenly grins, and drops her cards face-up on the table. "Jack-ten flush."

[awesome_binomial_theorems]

Moriarty bites his lip, putting down his cards. "Three card."

He reaches down, tugging off his socks before standing up to remove his waistcoat. When that's done, and set aside, he settles down again, peering at Oswin.

[souffle_girlek]

"I think I'm going to have to take up Victorian fashion, if this becomes a thing." She notes while proving that she can watch him strip off clothing and shuffle at the same time without flipping cards off to all corners of the room. The hand is dealt, and she greets her hand with a liberal dose of alcohol. Hmmm.

[awesome_binomial_theorems]

Moriarty grins a little. "I'm sure you'd be, er, very fetching in my world's fashions."

He plucks up his hand. "I'll raise. By two."

[souffle_girlek]

She chews her lip, eyeing her cards.
"I'll... call, discarding two." She picks up the new cards, and though that doesn't seem to have reassured her, she adds: "I'd be amazing in your world's fashions, and the deerstalker. You should get one now, to be fashion-forward."

[awesome_binomial_theorems]

"I'll discard one," Moriarty says smoothly. "And - well, if you want to fold, I'll understand."

Breezily, if with a slightly diabolical glint in his eye: "I was thinking of ignoring the two-article limit and raising by another one."

[souffle_girlek]

Oooh, dilemma. Is he playing the odds with a rubbish hand, knowing she has a very finite amount of clothing to be going on with? Or has he really managed to come up with something brilliant.

"Were you now?" She retorts, quirking up an eyebrow. "Feeling the room's a bit warm?"

[awesome_binomial_theorems]

"Perfect temperature," Moriarty replies.

Grin growing a little: "I'll raise by one."

[souffle_girlek]

This, right here, is why Oswin sucks so much at poker.

(So much)

Like most things in her life, she really never did learn when to back away from a challenge.

"Call." She declares, chin high in defiance. "Three of a kind."

[awesome_binomial_theorems]

Moriarty's face falls.

"I was bluffing," he says, mournfully, dropping his cards on the table. "Nothing."

Beat.

Moriarty is going bright, neon red right about now. "So, er. Three items of clothing."

[souffle_girlek]

"Whoo-hoo! Tell me I'm clever, maths-boy." Oswin crows, even though it was pure dumb luck that saw her through.

[awesome_binomial_theorems]

"You're clever," Moriarty says, standing up.

The cravat comes off first, set on the back of his chair. Then, a little more shyly, he unbuttons and strips off his shirt. Last go his trousers, dropped to his ankles and stepped out of while Moriarty looks like he might just about explode into a cloud of embarrassment on the spot.

In defiance of all logic, he looks down to check that his underwear hasn't vanished into the night when he wasn't looking.

[souffle_girlek]

She'd wolf-whistle, she really would, but he really does look quite near to exploding and/or hiding behind the couch, and that just seems anti-productive. She is, however, somewhat shameless failing to hide the fact that she believes the view is good, ogling openly while helping herself to more of the rotgut.

"I'm going to start a new anti-cravat club." She announces, cheerfully.

[awesome_binomial_theorems]

"Er," Moriarty is momentarily distracted from his near-explosion experience by being confused, "why?"

[souffle_girlek]

"'Cause then you wouldn't have one." She replies. "So, feeling lucky? Maybe I should give you a chance to win some clothes back."

[awesome_binomial_theorems]

"But - why would you not want me to have a cravat?"

He doesn't answer the question, because priorities.

[souffle_girlek]

She giggles at him (in an entirely not tipsy fashion, really, though she can't really remember giggling much before) and points at his trousers.

"One." Then his shirt. "Two."

[awesome_binomial_theorems]

Long pause.

"Oh," Moriarty says, as realisation dawns. "I - see." He flushes red again, but laughs, ducking his head and settling into his seat.

"I think I question your taste," he says, eventually.

[souffle_girlek]

"Mmm, that's the brilliant thing about taste - I can have one all my own." Oswin points out cheerfully. "And I think I have wonderful taste, thank you."

[awesome_binomial_theorems]

Moriarty grins, ducking his head. "One more round? We've both had too much to drink for any more than that, I'd say."

[souffle_girlek]

"One more - maybe if you're lucky, you can even the playing field." She grins back, sucking down more of the rotgut.

Whoo. That's... good stuff. Yup.

[awesome_binomial_theorems]

Moriarty snorts, dealing out the cards. Peering at his, he absently downs a little more rotgut, looking thoughtful.