Why had Gabby wanted to do this? Well, his life as a bacehlor was becoming a mere shadow with this stuuupid marriage law nonsense, so being able to remind himself of his manly independence, even in the most cliche of ways, was incredibly important. As he had set about planning this poker night, he had come to a startling conclusion : he had very few manly, masculine friends. He had the poker chips, he had the cards, he had the empty suite, and he had the liquor - he always had the liquor. He just needed help with the guest list.
He had turned to the toughest, manliest person he could think of. Jack Dyllan. And after she punched him for his reasoning, she assured him that if he set a date and time, she could ensure people showed up. The guest list grew as people invited friends, and then it shrank as people rememeber obligations. Max had to drop out at last minute for a work emergency, as did Kip's friend Yuri. It was going to be an odd, mixed crowd, but Jack was excited for a little society. She had not felt connected to fellow human beings in awhile.
Nor had Gabby, which revealed his true intent on actually making people show up. Typically, his boredom was relieved by visiting Layabout Lane to annoy its occupants. But, for once, he wanted to feel like he was actually involved in a two-way situation with someone, rather than him forcing himself upon a victim. And if that meant inviting four strangers into his home, well, he could deal with that.
Kip was retelling what had happened in the aftermath of the riot thread. As Jack looked through her cards, a small curl of the lip revealed her pride at having secured this half-brother for herself, never minding the fact that she had practically given him a black eye on their first meeting. The riot story was told and chuckles and grunts were given. Jack reached for another shot of rum, tossing it back easily. She enjoyed rum.
"Gabby," she said, glancing at him. "What's your match like? I don't think I've met her. What's her name? Eileen Norwood?"
Gabby grumbled, setting two cards down and asking for two more. "Irene. And I don't want to discuss that. This whole law is bull."
Kip tilted his head. "I think we may be seeing more on it soon, with this Gideon fellow suddenly taking power. If I were Ana Levski, I'd be a bit nervous right now."
Jack lifted an eyebrow, throwing a chip into the pot. "You don't think he's going to save her if this thing blows up?"
Kip gave Jack a discerning look. "Would you? Especially before you've won the credit of the public? Not exactly clever to back a woman everyone hates."
Jack swirled a cup of rum and Coke, looking off into the distance. "He's gonna throw her under the bus the first chance he gets. Huh."
Kip turned, looking to Keiran. "I understand you were matched pretty early on. Besides Jack, I know very few people who have actually been paired, and fewer still who married the person they were supposed to." He gave Jack a snarky look, to which she responded by drinking half her drink. "Is it going well?"
((I think it'd make sense for Jack to have invited Keiran and Oliver, and Kip invited Darren))