The Golden Pumpkin: Gaming Tables

[Tabs]

The restaurant of Western Passenger Station is vast; to the right is the bar, beyond that the buffet, and in the centre is a newly laid, beautiful, parquetry dance floor. Dotted round the room young Chinese women, uniformed in scarlet silk cheongsam--traditional dress, have been posted, poised to help your wants: wait on tables, fetch drinks, etc.




A young woman, wearing a cap and what appears to be overalls--how odd?, is sat, moving mahjong tiles round a table top. Mrs. Kolchak peers over the croupier's shoulder.



The Harry Roy Band play Al Bowlly songs.

[Dave Syrinx]

Count deProrok lets Mrs deProrok lead the way to the gaming table. They both watches the girl handle the chips. Mrs deProrok takes a seat and waits for the game to begin. She digs in her purse for some bills.
Byron tries to memorize the faces of the tiles. After a while, he hails one of the red dressed waiters and orders two Singapore slings for himself and his wife.
Having received the drinks, he says. "Xie xie..." Then adds, "Many thanks, miss."

[Tabs]

"I am Maggie Tse Tung, the Communist croupier. Close your purse, madam, at our tables one can only win! by order of Geming Chee--Dr. Chee. As the great Mao says: 'Dare to Struggle and Dare to Win.'"



"Bravo," says Mrs. Kolchak, "how droll!" The Singapore slings arrive. "Waitress, fetch one of those for me too." She speaks to Byron: "I am Itka Kolchak by the way."

[Dave Syrinx]

"I see..." Alice says - not really understanding the game itself. She waits to see how it´s played or getting an explanation.

Byron meets the gaze of the woman. "Mrs Kolchak, I´m delighted to meet you." He lifts his drink and toasts, "To being surrounded by beautiful women." He steals a look from all three around the table,

[Tabs]

Maggie Tse Tung clearly explains the rules of mahjong to Alice; Maggie shuffles the tiles face down and begins to construct four walls with them.

"And you too, Count de Prorok," says Itka Kolchak. "Kind words, sir, but I think the only beautiful woman here is Maggie." She reaches across and plucks the Communist croupier's cap off of her, revealing a very pretty face.

Maggie Tse Tung, surprised, quickly looks round the restaurant, checking that her employers have not noticed. "I'll have that back, please Madam."

Itka Kolchak returns the cap. She continues: "I am well into middle-age, my belly protrudes, and my breasts droop; no, I have not been beautiful for twenty years." She is being frank, almost aggressive, but no sexual connotations despite her language.

"You smoke a pipe, Count?--I saw you on the station platform. There is nothing quite as satisfying as a pipe!"

[Dave Syrinx]

"Smoking is what got me here, Mrs Kolchak. I´m actually here to acquaint me with a Lotus Cult." Byron says. "Do you know where we could get our hands on some smoke?"
Meanwhile, Alice winks at the croupier and beams a smile at her. "Do you play much, Maggie?" She raises an eyebrow and crosses her arms under her chest, giving it a slight lift.
Sensing that Byron is lost for the evening she decides to see where this game will take her.

"Now.. what am I supposed to do? Do I pick a tile?"

[Tabs]

"Ha ha! Your revelation, Count de Prorok, trumps anything I said, and I thought that I was being daring! Well, in answer, no I don't know anything about opium." Itka Kolchak looks straight into Byron's eyes, to try and judge if he was speaking truly--and cannot decide. "However . . . I have a packet of "Celestial" tobacco, from the makers of "Pairbelles" cigarettes. Do you want to go outside, and we share your pipe as if we are seventeen again?"

• ~

Maggie returns Alice's smile until she crosses her arms, then Maggie's smile drops. "I've only played for fun before. My boyfriend got me the job for tonight."

Syrinx/ooc,No need to write for Alice--unless you want to.

[Dave Syrinx]

"Don´t mind if I do." Byron says to the offering of sharing a pipe. He decides against commenting on the sharing of his pipe.
He touches Alice on the shoulder and whispers to her. She waves him away as if to a child to go and play.

He offers Itka his elbow. "Itka... what does that mean?"
He asks quizzingly.

[Tabs]

She accepts Byron's arm. "Itka: ambition or energy; not true of me I'm afraid." In the foyer to the restaurant the attendant fetches their coats. "Are you really Count de Prorok or just Mr.?"



[ooc: Hey Syrinx, move to topic "West Passenger Station."]

[DSIGFUSS]

Tatsuo slides one of the chairs away from the mahjong table knowing from experience that his massive bulk takes up at least two positions at any table.

He looks around and then sighs deeply before returning his attention back to mahjong. He pulls out a few chinese notes from a coin purse strapped to his belt. He then remembers hearing someone say that there were only winners at this table and that their coin was of no use. Tatsuo looks confused and then asks the dealer.



So what do we wager then? Excuse my rudeness madam! I am to understand that our money is no good? My English is not so good also... Did I hear you correctly?

Tatsuo looks around the gaming area one more time before returning his full attention to the dealer.

What do we wager then at this table?

[Tabs]

Chunhua stands beside the piano of Harry Roy's band; she is examining her fingernails.

[Tabs]

"No, no sir, you misunderstand." Maggie Tse Tung seems to be a little flustered--Alice de Prorok has left the table in a huff at Maggie. "Every complete suit that you build wins ten dolla, obviously I shall stop you doing so, if I can."

[DSIGFUSS]

Tatsuo smiles and bows politely to Maggie..

He then turns and looks to Chunhua hoping to catch her eye. He then quickly looks to his mother and is very disappointed to find her glaring. Tatsuo cringes and looks back to the table to begin the game.



My apologies... Please continue..

[Tabs]

A waitress comes to the table, and quietly says something in Chinese to Maggie; Maggie looks up, toward the Harry Roy band, and then examines the mahjong tiles, destroying a wall she had constructed. "The waitress has a message for you from-- from someone, it is: 'Now or never.'"

[DSIGFUSS]

Tatsuo begins to swet as most fat men do when they are nervous or breathing. He looks towards his mother's table once again and is relieved to see her absorbed in her tea leaves. A silly superstition...He leaves his bet on the table and tips Maggie, bowing respectfully.

Tatsuo then approaches the Piano of the Harry Roy Band and scowls playfully at Chunhua.



Excuse me Miss Chunhua... I cannot decide if it is Harry or Roy that displeases me most. I would flatten both with my enormous belly fat if you would be so kind as to point them out!

[Tabs]

She waits until Tatsuo finishes talking; she doesn't point out Harry or Roy.

"Come with me, fatman." Chunhua heads through the cloakroom door--to one side and behind the Harry Roy band, the door is half-hidden by a velvet curtain. She doesn't check to see if Tatsuo is following.

[DSIGFUSS]

Tatsuo smile stretches from one chubby cheek to the other.. He blushes slightly and raises an eyebrow.... Loooking towards her mother, still engrossed in her tea leaf reading, Tasuo hurries after Chunhua through the cloakroom door. The fat of Tatsuo's back jiggles with anticipation....

[Tabs]

The piano player from the Harry Roy band is a tall muscular man with thick black hair, he resembles Errol Flynn.

"He's just like "Captain Blood," says Mingzhu gushingly, her hand to her mouth.

Elisabeth sees--out of the corner of one eye--a door close; it's in the wall, behind and to the side of the band. The door is in shadow because the music stage itself is so brightly lit. A small figure approaches the same door, turns its face back to the restaurant, and, then, disappears inside. The face--Elisabeth can only discern three black plums--belongs to Posie.

[Mr. Handy]

"Oh, yes, I adore that film!" says Elisabeth, stifling a giggle. "Oh, how I long for someone like that to sweep me off my feet." She then glances over at the door. "How very odd. I wonder what's through that door?"

[Tabs]

"It's just the door to the staff cloakroom and the train control room, I think."

"'Odd'?" asks Mingzhu.