[Lyseil Panteer]

Lyseil had nibbled at her lunch, but her mind was decidedly elsewhere than on eating. The matter with Niall had put some things at ease, but now she found herself overthinking other things... or rather, someone specific.

Sighing, she reached for her datapad and began going through the Holonet.

Beginner's guide to Sabacc. Oh hey, there's a program that let's you practice against a computer. Neat!

Minutes were passing and Lyseil remained at her table alone, intensely focused on the game.

[Jax Dolross]

Jax wandered into the mess unsurprisingly looking for food. However much to his pleasure what he found was a lonely princess with her nose in a datapad.

Jax walked up to her table "well what has you so utterly rapt?"

[Lyseil Panteer]

Lyseil yelped, having lost touch with her usual heightened awareness, and nearly flipped the datapad out of her hands - the smuggler had caught her completely by surprise.

"Oh... goodness." She smoothed out her hair and looked up at Jax. "I didn't hear you coming, Jax. I was just so... caught up in this... game."

Yes, she was certainly a little bit embarrassed.

[Jax Dolross]

Jax gave a smirk at her startled state "well now id be losing my edge a bit if I couldn't sneak up on someone every once in a while." He said, his smooth voice clearly amused.

He slid into next to her looking over her shoulder "so what's this game that has you so?" He asked plucking the pad from her hands as he settled in relaxing back.

A wide grin appeared on his face "interested in Sabbac eh? I know a thing or two about it if you want to learn."

[Lyseil Panteer]

"People usually don't manage to sneak up on me," she huffed. And did not expect him to steal her datapad. "Hey! Give that back!"

Oh no. What if he sees the pictures if he starts going through it?!

Lyseil frowned a little, grabbing for her datapad. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me at all. You seem like the gambling type."

[Jax Dolross]

Jax extended his long arm away from the princess "now now this desperate clawing isn't very lady like is it?" He said grinning his tone full of amusement.

He chuckled and after a minute he brought the pad back and extended it to her. "Well I may 'seem like the gambling type' as you say but you seem like youbwant to become the gambling type. Come it'll be fun sabaac is a good game."

[Lyseil Panteer]

"And stealing other people's belongings is even worse manners." Once she had her hands on it again, it was with a very firm grip that she put the datapad in her lap with her hands over it protectively.

"I am planning on learning the game, yes. Someone I know suggested I learn it, and maybe see if we could have a get-together to play and drink one of these nights when we're off duty."

[Jax Dolross]

"Oh princess lighten up its hardly stealing if I don't take it anywhere and give it back." he said smiling then sighed slightly "but I apologize if I have upset you, I hope you can find the heart to forgive me." he said with a slightly apologetic looking smile.

Jax looked to Lyseil "I have a sabacc deck on the midnight if you want to learn properly." he said casually "I never got to into playing it on a data pad or terminal, always felt you lost out on something."

[Lyseil Panteer]

"I disagree on that definition of stealing of yours," she lifted her chin defiantly, "but I accept your apology."

It would've been way too embarrassing if he started going through my datapad.

"Hm... I thought most people played sabacc with terminals? I got that impression since what I've been reading about it says that some of the most common ways to cheat is to slice the terminal."

[Jax Dolross]

Jax nodded "Yeah a lot do, but I prefer playing with real cards. One upside is you can't cheat by hacking the terminal if there is no terminal to hack. Plus there is just something about handling the cards, I don't know it just has a different feeling to me I guess."

[Lyseil Panteer]

"Like holding fate in your own hands, or something like that?" She chuckled.

[Jax Dolross]

Jax chuckled "I guess something like that, I've never been able to put my finger on it. So want to come learn some Sabacc, I suppose if you dont want to walk to my ship I can pull up the sabacc thing on my datapad if thats what you prefer."

[Lyseil Panteer]

"Hm, as fun as the offer is, I think it's best not to give dear Azura any ideas. The digital version can work well enough for now, since you're just teaching, yes-yes?" Lyseil suggested. No need to get stabbed with lightsabers over misunderstandings.

[Jax Dolross]

Jax shook his head a rueful smile on his lips as he slid out out and moved to sit across from Lyseil pulling out his data pad "I think you're over estimating her jealousy just a tad." he said as he opened up the sabacc program, he was likely minimizing the lengths of Azura's jealousy a touch.

"So have you learned the basic rules and such already?" he asked happily as he set up a connection.

[Lyseil Panteer]

"Considering last time you danced with me, she punched you," Lyseil laughed, "I think I will take my own estimation over yours, for now."

Holding up her datapad again to connect with Jax for a game, she nodded. "Yes-yes, I've read up on the history of the game, as well as the gameplay. The goal is to win the pot by collecting a hand of cards that total positive or negative twenty-three points, or achieve the Idiot's Array, of which the odds are incredibly slim - statistically, it's better to just count the cards of your opponents and deduce the most likely number they might have based on the number of players and the number of cards drawn compared to what's in the deck, than to hope for The Idiot."

[Jax Dolross]

"fair enough I suppose." Jax replied with a little laugh of his own

Jax nodded "very good you have the book smarts part of the game down pretty quickly, though that doesn't surprise me much knowing you. There is another part of the game which is mostly reading your opponent figuring out if they have a good or bad hand based on how they act and how they bet."

[Lyseil Panteer]

"That does sound like the hard part." She looked at her screen as the cards were dealt. Her lips pressed together in thought.

"Would you say you have a good game-face for this kind of thing?"

[Jax Dolross]

Jax grinned "I'd like to think I have a good game face for most things but yeah I can usually play it pretty cool I think. There is a natural gift to it but it is certainly something that can definitely be learned, its essentially just the same skill as being able to read people in day to day life. The only difference being that these people tend to try and not be read."

[Lyseil Panteer]

Only a pair, this isn't a good start, the princess resorted to the proper stuff upper lip and neutral expression as she added a new card to her hand.

"And do you think I am easy to read, or can't read others?" she asked calmly.

[Jax Dolross]

Jax smiled at the princess "Well I havent figured it out yet, I have figured out you're a blanker. When you play you keep all the emotion out of your face, its not a bad strategy but harder to keep up when you start feeling the pressure or get too excited." hmm nothing, lets play this out and see how she does.

"I however am a natural, just keep my usual personality rolling acting natural the whole time." he said with a grin.

[Lyseil Panteer]

"Or your cocky nature helps to mask your lack of skill?" Lyseil smirked as she threw a barb at Jax. She was, after all, far more cunning than most people believed.

[Jax Dolross]

"Oh make no mistake miss Panteer, I never stop analyzing a room or an opponent." His eyes are sharp and calculating even as the smile stays on his lips "but acting open and friendly the whole time can throw an opponent off. When you look like you're hiding something they expect you to be hiding something."

He gives her a calculating look "and I imagine a smart girl like you didn't make it this far on book knowledge alone. You're probably more clever than you let on."

[Lyseil Panteer]

"But everyone is hiding something by the fact that we can't see eachother's hands," she pointed out with a brief chuckle. "Now, why ever do you say that? I'm just the ditzy sergeant sparkles!"

[Jax Dolross]

Jax simply smiles "Yes I'm sure that's what you'd like us to believe. I've been around the block enough to know when someone is more clever than they appear" the smile turns to a grin "or at least when they think they are."

[Lyseil Panteer]

"Is that so?" Lyseil smiled. "Azura seems to think I'm just a ditzy though."