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When the Oro Jackson finally made port after many weeks at sea, night had already fallen which sadly meant Roger had to wait before he could properly explore the island. After a rather overexaggerated situation where Roger went missing only to be discovered late the next morning trapped inside a quicksand pit, Rayleigh laid down the law that exploration after sunset was not allowed until they knew more about the island.
They tied up the ship, and Roger didn’t hesitate to jump off onto the dock and breathe deep the salty air. His crew hadn’t been in the South Blue for very long, but he had discovered a fondness for the mediterranean climate that left the nights clear and pleasantly warm. This late at night there was only one place to go to to get information about the island until he would be able to explore for himself the next day. Roger made his way to the local tavern, a small place with Ann’s Starshell Bar painted onto a hanging sign. Filled with spilled beer and raucous laughter, Roger ordered a pint at the bar and looked around at all the people enjoying the evening with a stiff drink.
Most were grouped at tables, tossing crumpled berries into a pile and dealing cards, but there was one person backed away in a corner that stood out amidst the ruckus. A young woman dressed in a peach sundress well suited for the moderate weather but not much so for spending time in a pub. She was sitting alone at a table, hunched over and shuffling cards with mounting frustration.
Feeling ever curious, Roger walked over and sat down in front of her without preamble. “It’s far too nice a night for a fair lady to be in such a dour mood. What ails you, if I may ask?”
“It’s this blasted card game,” she snapped, angrily tossing the cards onto the table. Her head lifted, and Roger could admit he was briefly stunned. Not by her beauty - though she certainly was that with bright brown eyes atop a charming dusting of freckles and a sweet face framed by lightly curled strawberry blonde hair - but by the spark in her stare and determined set of her lips. “I’ve been trying to learn, but none of these men will teach me.”
“Well, who am I to argue a woman’s right to gamble? Pass me those cards.” A smile lit up her face which he returned with his own signature grin as she passed him the deck.
The woman pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and officially introduced herself. “My name’s Rouge.”
“And you can call me Roger,” he said before beginning his lesson on 5-card draw. He started her off with the basics: what the different hands were and why some were better than others, common terms and what it meant to ante up, and even a few tricks for bluffing. After a few rounds, he decided to teach her blackjack as well since she had started to get the hang of the rest.
Before too long, Roger noticed as members of his crew arrived, but none came over to interrupt them when they saw him enjoying his time with her. Rouge had caught on to blackjack just as fast as the first game, and the table rang with laughter as they played and drank. She was the one to ask if he was interested in playing for keeps, pulling out a little stash of berries.
Roger laughed but didn’t argue against it, gesturing with his hand to invite her to begin dealing. She was slow to shuffle and deal out the cards, but he didn’t comment. It was rarely positive circumstances that brought sweet women like her to try and gamble for money in a pirate friendly bar, so he silently decided that he’d throw a few hands to help the poor woman out.
Except that after every game she shuffled faster. Dealt smoother. Her smile became unreadable as she waved off her wins with peals of laughter. And she did win. A lot. Enough that without any attempt on his part, the stash of crumpled berries in Roger’s pocket was dwindling faster than anticipated. It hardly seemed real when Rouge was dragging the pot - which included his last few bills - over to her side of the table with the same kind smile she’d worn since they started playing.
“Another round?” she asked oh so sweetly when he didn’t make a move to continue. Roger laughed heartily and helplessly raised his hands.
“I’m afraid I’m all out, lass.”
Rouge pouted and threaded her nimble fingers through her long hair while her eyes darted up and down his person. They met his mirthful gaze, and she said, “I like your coat.”
He laughed even harder. “Trying to take the clothes off my back? Very well! One more game can’t hurt.” She coughed into her fist to clear her throat and fought down a pink blush blooming underneath her freckles.
“How about we play blackjack this time? Closest to twenty-one wins.” Her hands were already shuffling when he agreed. After the cards were out, Roger realized that she hadn’t offered anything against his coat should he win.
Glancing at his cards, a three of diamonds and a six of clubs, he took a hit and got a ten of clubs before staying. Roger downed the last of his beer and gestured for Rouge to play her turn. The woman barely glanced at her cards before flipping them over to show off a king of spades and an ace of hearts. There was a smug edge to her smile that belied the innocent way she touched her cheek and said, “Oh, I guess that’s blackjack.”
“I suppose it is,” he concurred. “You play quite well for a beginner.”
There was the slightest pause before she said lightly, “Well I had an excellent teacher.”
Roger hummed an acknowledgment, doubting he was the one she was talking about. She cleaned up the deck of cards and shoved all of the cash into a leather satchel he hadn’t noticed hanging off her chair, then she eyed him expectantly. It took a moment before he realized what she was waiting for and stood up to slide his red captain’s coat off his shoulders. Even though she was tall, Roger still had a good three feet on her, so the bottom of his coat dragged on the floor when she pulled it on. It was heavier than she expected, and her shoulders dropped at the weight.
The sight of the beautiful woman swamped in his coat was a pleasing one, but Roger had little time to enjoy it before she was thanking him for the games and dashing away. She dodged past Rayleigh who observed the woman making off with his captain’s clothes with equal parts suspicion and amusement. He took the now vacant seat opposite Roger.
“Your luck isn’t usually so awful,” he commented, picking up the deck and flipping through it until he came across the ace of hearts. Its edge had been trimmed. Nothing that a casual player would notice but could make quite a difference for someone who knew what they were doing. “Though it does seem appropriate that you’d be the one to lose everything to a thieving conwoman.”
“Aye,” Roger admitted with a laugh, plucking the card from his first mate, “but there are worse things than losing to a lovely lass.”
“She even made off with your coat. Do you want to go after her?” Rayleigh glanced at the bar door that Rouge had hastily escaped through earlier, but Roger waved away his concern.
“No need to worry. I’m sure we’ll meet her again someday.” There was a knowing glint in Roger’s grin that Rayleigh chose not to question even as he witnessed his captain slipping the card into his pocket. Instead, he waved over a server for a pint and reported what he’d managed to glean about the island, though half of Roger’s attention seemed to be chasing after a pretty, freckle faced thief.