Chapter Text
A letter - Bubbles had never gotten a letter before. Usually, anything coming in would be addressed to the Professor, or maybe all girls together. This one was just for bubbles. It's a shame she couldn't read.
"Hey, let me read it!" - Buttercup snatched the letter from Bubbles hands - "It says here that you're really lame and also you should give all your toys to Buttercup - hey that's me!" Buttercup grinned.
Blossom snatched the letter from Buttercup's hands - "That's NOT what it says!" - and decided to actually read it.
"Dear Bubbles,
It is with great pleasure that I inform you that you have been chosen to recieve a membership spot at the inventory. I want to be the first to congratulate you on this - we are all looking forward to seeing you here.
I would also like to inform you that, as the first member from Townsville, you have been chosen as Townsville's representative. This grants you a seat at the exclusive poker table of representatives and high-level members. Alongside this, you are awarded access to all other games, amusements and libations the inventory offers.
We greatly look forward to seeing you here, and will be willing to answer any other questions you may have.
Sincerely,
Reginald Van Winslow."
Bubbles stared at Blossom in silence. "Aw nuts, how come she gets invited but I don't? I mean come on, an underground gambling ring - doesn't that scream Buttercup? I don't think Bubbles even knows how to play poker!" Bubbles didn't know how to play poker - that didn't bother her, she was still thinking over the 'games, amusements and libations' line. At least the games and amusements part.
"I mean, we could teach her how to play," Blossom retorted, "It's not THAT complicated. You're given a hand of 5 cards, well in some variations, like Texas Hold 'Em, you're given a smaller hand of indiviudual cards and the table SHARES part of the hand. Anyway, these cards all have values attached - the number cards have their numbers obviously, the face cards generally represent different higher values, and ace can be a 1 or 11. The aim is to try and get cards all in one category or pattern - like having multiple of the same value, known as a pair or three of a kind or four of a kind or fi-"
"Oh my God Blossom are you TRYING to bore her to death? Listen, Bubbles when you're playing poker all you need to do is scare everyone else into folding. Ignore the cards, ignore the money. Just scare them into folding, you got that?"
"Scare them into folding," she repeated. "Scare them into folding. That doesn't sound too hard!"
"You got it Bubbles!" Buttercup encouraged her. Blossom looked on a bit worried, but didn't interrupt. She clearly didn't have as much experience as Buttercup - and who wouldn't be scared to play on when at the recieving end of Powerpuff Girl Power? Bubbles would do fine. Surely.
The inventory itself was located in a dingy back alley, just outside of Townsville. It sure looked gloomy at night. Bubbles looked down at the map the inventory had included with their letter. "Geez, this place is giving me the creeps..." Bubbles mutter to herself as she flew slowly around a few side streets and alleys, clearly confused. Flying down one of these alleys, she saw a bright light over an unassuming door - "The Inventory" engraved into it's metal. Bubbles skidded to a halt and knocked on the door. There was no response. Bubbles went to knock again, but the door opened. The door gave way to an unassuming corridor, plain and spattered with doors on each side. Wherever Bubbles was meant to be going wasn't clear, so she opened the first door she saw. Inside, a dimly lit janitor's closet - or at least that's what it appeared to be. Sat on an upturned bucket, hunched over a cardboard box, a man appeared to be playing solitair. He looked up at Bubbles for a moment, but instead decided to ignore her and carry on playing. "Hey mister! Sorry to interrupt, I'm looking for... uh," Bubbles looked down at her map. Blossom had scribbled the words "LOOK FOR POKER TABLE" on them. "a poker table. Do you know where it is?" The man looked up again, and grumbled a few instructions, before going back to his game. "Thanks mister!" - Bubbles followed his route down a few more side corridors, doors, janitor's closets, games rooms before finding herself where she was meant to be: a dim art deco oasis. Large decorated lamps hung from the ceiling, ornate carvings on every wall and banister. Bubbles found herself standing on a landing overlooking a joyful room - bar stools, arcade games, tables of couples and friends engaged in every manner of amusement. At the other end of the room, a stage stood over the guests, velvet ropes and curtains obscured what could just about be made out as a poker table. This was where Bubbles was headed. Rather than walk down the stairs - and bump into the club's current owner, readied to greet Bubbles and introduce the place to her - Bubbles opted to fly straight down to the stage.
Standing small on the wooden platform, she pulled back the curtain and saw the table - covered at the moment with smoke and drink. A curious furred creature sat at the tables head, looking now at Bubbles. Bubbles looked back at him, unsure what to make of him - maybe Fuzzy Lumpkins had lost a LOT of weight and gotten a hair dye? And then jammed on cheap fancy dress and a bird's beak? And bought a flowing blonde wig to go with it? As Bubbles walked closer she noticed, though there were cards and glasses at the other seats - she and Surfy Lumpkins were by themselves for now.
"Ah - you must be the Townsville representative. Me? I represent the mother earth... I have no home but my own heart, and my heart wanders. My heart yearns. My heart SCREAMS!" the curious fellow let out a loud scream. "I also represent Burberry, Connecticut. My name is Xavier.... but you may call me: 'Xavier'." As he said this, Xavier offered his hand to Bubbles, though she was too far away to shake it. A pause, expectant. "Ever heard of manners, kid? Tch. I suppose you only know GIRLNERS...."
Bubbles tried to process all this for a moment, but just decided to wave instead. "Hi! I'm Bubbles!"
"Bubbles, ey? I spent a lot of time blowing bubbles when I was but a mere child... though now I just plain blow. I blow lots of things. Like minds. It's pretty much my job at this point - some kind of blow j-" As Xavier was rambling, another member walked in from the restroom. He was much more clearly human than Xavier - and dressed snappier too. A full business suit, slicked back hair, smooth skin, designer glasses. In fact, it looked lik everything he owned was designer.
"Did someone ask for blow? I've got some blow. If you guys are willing to-" the man looked down at bubbles. "Is this a kid? Who let a fucking kid in here?"
"Hi! I'm Bubbles!" She waved again.
"Are- Are your parents here?" The man squatted down next to her, looked at her - almost - eye to eye.
"Nope!"
The man stood back up. "Should we call security or something? I can't- She's a fucking kid."
Xavier tried to clarify, "She's a new member. Which is useful, 'cause I'm about tired of sucking up to your old member... You'd know if you read the letters the inventory sent you."
"I get my secretary to shred those - are you sure she's meant to be here?" There was a pause before the man turned back to bubbles, squatting again. "I'm Patrick. Here's my card." In his hand was, surely enough, a small white business card. 'Patrick Batemen' - it had a phone number but no real explanation of what he did.
Bubbles studied the card, worried: "Wait did we start already? I haven't gotten my hand yet!" She started to pat down her dress in case she'd somehow been given cards without realising. Bateman laughed, thinking it was a joke.
Xavier responded earnestly, "We're still waiting on our fourth... He's doing me a solid in the bathroom." Almost on cue, the Fourth walked out of the restrooms, in their hand toilet paper adorned with poor scrawlings.
"here you go thisll make you rich some day" the man was a lot younger than the others. Maybe a kid too, though clearly older than Bubbles. He wore a very pale complexion and sunglasses indoors, hair styled at odd avain angles. He passed the square of toilet paper to Xavier. It featured a crude caricature of the man seemingly fellating several phalluses at once, in the corner the signature Dave Strider.
"Hi! I'm Bubbles!" She waved once more. Dave turned to look at her.
"goddamn are you like a baby does your mom know youre here"
"I don't have a mom." Bubbles smiled.
"thats just about the saddest thing i ever heard get said" Dave said brave and stoic, "my names dave by the way" He took a seat at the table. "are you gonna play with us or what?"
Bubbles floated up to the empty seat, "I'm ready!" The others at the table looked shocked at her display of powers, except for Dave. And I guess Bateman was hiding it pretty well.
"Who's gonna deal?" Bateman pressed, "Do we even have a dealer?"
"I believe Heartshe was dealing - I feel a great kinship with him, you know..." Xavier.
"he left" Dave.
"Oh" Xavier again.
"So we don't have a dealer? Why the fuck am I even here? I could be at Dorsia's right now. They're very exclusive, you know." Bateman - nothing wrong with lying to people who won't know any better.
"I suppose I could swallow my pride and service you gentlemen. I'm willing to swallow a lot of things." Xavier again
"im gonna be honest it wasnt that exciting playing with three people cant we just get someone else to deal" Dave.
Bubbles didn't really understand what was going on. She mainly sat there and smiled, thinking about the new friends she was going to make. "Do you guys fight crime too?" It didn't seem like anyone heard her.
"We can't play if we don't have a dealer. Can't we get someone in? Don't they have a guy for this?" Bateman, annoyed now. "I'm gonna ask at the bar. They've got to have someone for this sort of thing." Bateman stood up and left, clearly annoyed. The conversation went quiet for a moment, with people opting to look awkwardly at their own possessions. Bateman could just about be heard shouting to someone in the background.
"Hey! This drawing of me shows me... servicing gentlemen!" Xavier finally noticed - he held the square of toilet roll in Dave's face, just in case he hadn't noticed.
"no dude thats like you sucking off justice like thats you sucking the truth from falsehood" Dave was clearly lying, but still Xavier looked a bit closer. After inspecting it for a moment, he nodded slowly.
"I see..." He really didn't, but he didn't want to seem stupid either. "And those are.... veins of knowledge?"
"yeah sure"
"Then it is a noble drawing...", Xavier really didn't know what he was saying.
"Are we talking about drawing? This one time I was drawing a flower and it was a really cute flower but then Buttercup said it was stupid but it wasn't stupid cause it was a really cute flower and this other time I was drawing a flower and Buttercup said it was stupid but it kind of was a stupid flower so I think she was right that time" - attention turned to Bubbles. No response. Bateman's yelling could be heard again - not much langauge could be made out but what was heard was plainly fragrant.
Dave's attention turned to Bubbles as he decided to lighten the mood for the kid, "you know ive got powers too"
"Really?" Bubbles was so excited - "What kind?"
"time powers like i can control time but i dont really have the stuff with me and im too hammered to try and figure out timeline shit right now but i do have time powers" entirely unconvincing as this was, Dave WAS telling the truth. Bubbles trusted him and believed him unquestioningly.
"Well I can fly and I can punch real strong and kick real strong and I can play the drums and umm one time I punched this guy so hard he was ON FIRE!" She proudly listed her accomplishments.
"tight", Dave was enraptured.
Just then Bateman walked back through the curtain, some sort of device in his hand. As he sat back down he slammed it on the poker table, a dull thud accompanying it.
"They say it's an auto dealer. We just put in the cards and it deals for us. Frankly, I'm quite annoyed that they didn't tell us about it sooner. We're premium members here. At least some of us."
With this, it seemed they were ready to play.