Radio Romance

Chapter 3: Two in the Deck

       After helping Niffty wash the dishes, I joined everyone in the parlor. Alastor sat on the sofa by the coffee table with angel across from him. Angel held a pink lady drink in one hand, and a deck of cards in the other, then he started shuffling with the other two. He looked up and smiled at me.

     "Ay toots! Wanna come play cards with us?" Angel asked. I walked over curiously.

     "Maybe...depends on the game. I never really learned to play many of them." He smiled and held up a familiar black boxed game. Cards against Humanity. I gasped in excitement.

     "Oh hell yes!!! I love this game!" I said sitting down beside Angel. Alastor's eyes narrowed a little at Angel before he spoke. "I suppose I'll play then, Husker, how about you my friend?" He asked Husker who sat in a chair across the room drinking a bottle of cheap booze.

    "Eh why the fuck not." He grumbled coming over to the group. Charlie, Niffty and Vaggie came over too but only to watch. Angel smiled as he started dealing the cards.

     "Alright, new competition heheh, I gotta warn ya though doll, I'm undefeated at this game." Angel bragged. I smirked picking up my cards.

     "Challenge accepted slut." I said smugly. Angel laughed a bit evilly.

     "Oh it's on now bitch!" He declared. Everyone else picked up their cards after we decided to have Husker start off as the Czar. He picked up a black card from the deck and read it.

      "Bro's before _____." He reads. We all read through our own white cards and I selected my best one and slapped it onto the table in front of Husker, face down. Soon after, Angel and Alastor laid theirs down too. Husker picked them up and began go through them.

    "Bro's before Carbon monoxide poisoning" he reads. I let out a single chuckle.

     "Bro's before auto-erotic asphyxiation." He reads. I laughed at it but I waited for the one I knew was mine.

     "Bro's before the sensitive European photographer who's fucking my wife on sundays." I heard Angel stifling laughter while alastor chuckled along with the girls. Husker thought for a minute and held up my card.

    "This one." Husker declared

    "WOO!" I whooped in victory as Husker handed me the black card. Angel glared at me competitively out of the corner of his eye. I rolled my eyes as I read off the next one.

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   A little while later, it was the last round, Angel and me were tied up with the highest amount of black cards, this was the final tie breaker. Alastor was the Czar. He read the card.

     "What made my first kiss so awkward?" He read. I gasped, I had the perfect card for this. I whipped it out and slid it over to Alastor. Angel slid one over as well but with no expression. Alastor's smile grew as he held the cards up to his face.

      "Heteronormativity".....he chuckled.

      "A mime having a stroke".....he laughed.

       Alastor held up my card and I stood up doing a double fist in the air. I cried out in victory.

     "YES! I AM THE MASTER COMMANDER!!" And I collapsed onto the couch across angel's lap as he sat there with a shocked but impressed look on his face.

    "Ok I had no clue that this bitch was so witty and filthy minded!" He exclaimed looking down at me. I laughed.

     "Coming from a porn star I take that as a compliment!" I laughed. Angel laughed shaking his head and pushed me onto the floor. I stood up and called him a sore loser sarcastically.

     "I think I'm gonna take a break and see what else there is in here." Angel and the others nodded as they started another round. I wandered around the room seeing shelves of board games, card games, a few old table top games like jacks. Then I spotted something at the corner of the room. I felt my heart skip a beat. It was a grand piano. I stared at it for a minute before I took a seat at the bench. I gently ran my fingers over the keys. So cool and smooth. From memory I played the first song I remembered.

     My fingers danced across the keys as I forgot where I was and faded into the melody. My chest rose and fell gently with each brisk breath I took. My head swayed a tiny bit. My eyes slipped shut. I saw the colors and shapes of the notes as I hit each one and they formed into different more complex images as the chords and harmonies progressed. Every trill sent my heart aflutter. I felt my pulse quicken when I reached the climax of the song. The foot pedals were stiff but well functioning as I caused the melody to rise as I pressed. Before I knew it, I reached the last measure and I slowly brought the melody to its close. As I laid my finger down on the final key I felt at peace. Seconds later the peace is interrupted by the sound of applause and whistles from the others.

     "Geez kid, could ya be any more talented?" Husk asks. The way he talked reminded me of my dad, he would say stuff like that to me after my piano recitals.

     "(Y/N) that was amazing!" Vaggie exclaimed with Charlie sitting there staring at me in shock.

     "(Y/N), what the hell was that shit? It's like you got possessed. I swear you almost turned me." Angel said coming over giving me a pat on the shoulder. I looked over at Alastor who sat there applauding and staring at me in wonder with his usual smile on his face.

     "What a performance! (Y/N) my dear that is the stuff I'd love to hear on the radio!" He exclaims. I blush. And thank them. Later on, Niffty made chocolate pudding and milk for dessert. Once I finished my pudding, I yawned and felt incredibly sleepy but brushed it off. I hadn't realized it yet but I was leaning against Angel dust half asleep. Angel laughed.

    "Alright toots, lets getcha upstairs to bed." He said shaking me awake softly. I groaned.

    "Nooooo I'm comfy!" I mumbled. I heard Alastor laugh.

    "Come now my dear, there's a bed with your name on it. I can hear it calling your name." Alastor says. I feel someone scoop me up and carry me across the room. Suddenly I hear a bunch of radio static. I open one eye and in in my room, with alastor tucking me in. He pats my head.

    "Goodnight." He says before he vanishes once again. I don't think about it long before I'm out like a light.