Emmy Two-Times or Laws of the Old West

"And STAY OUT!"

The Saloon doors flew apart as the body of a whiskey soaked moron finished its flight and landed on the dirt street outside.

"Ugh, what I wouldn't give fer some respectable clientele 'round here" said a sweet voice.

The voice matched up to a sweet woman, thankfully, sweet but able to hold her own in a scuffle.  She ran her saloon with an iron apron.  Her name?  Miss Danny.  The Place?  The Thornless Rose Saloon.

The place was nicer than most really.  It was dirty, sure, but what joint wasn't?

Ten round tables in the main hall for card playin' and booze swillin' with a modest bar was what you saw when you walked in.  A staircase that led both up and down as well.  The decor was sparse but nice.  She would make sure that each table had a vase with fresh picked red roses from out back.  Now, while the usual riffraff may not appreciate the flowers then served to make the Lady feel better about her day and in reality, that what really mattered.  If she wasn't happy wasn't no one happy.

Six of the tables were occupied this evening.  Only one was full.  There was a poker game of sorts happening and in this small town, that was good enough entertainment for the night.  Buffalo Joe was sittin' on a  nice stack of cash.  Kansas Kenny wasn't too far behind.  Mississippi Mike was mostly just a drunk but he had some scratch left to burn.  Nevada Nick was on his last leg and you could see on the mans face, beyond the beads of sweat, that this was not how he planned for his night to go.  The last player at the table sat quietly, tapping her coins on the table.  Her hat covered her face but you could still make out the blonde curls underneath.  Embroidered on her jacket was a small Snowman.


Her name?


Emmy Two-Times.


Her game?  Being cute and winning at cards.


The game had already been going on for hours and tensions were high.  Buffalo was cheatin' and everyone knew it bout couldn't prove it.  Hands had reached for gunbelts on multiple occasion but no iron was ever skinned.  The whiskey, if you could call it that, was flowin' freely.  Two-Times drank her usual, Apple Juice on the Rocks.


It kept her Level.


As the night progressed the players dropped out.  It was never graceful.  Mike went out before Nick, surprisingly, but didn't leave the bar.  He just slid drunkenly to the floor and lay there, passed out and dead to the world.  Nick was taken out by a bad bluff and a cold-hearted Kenny.  Kenny in turn lost his winnings to Two-Times.


Buffalo and Two-Times sat in silence, trying to find each others weakness.


The hands fell in turn.  No one gained any ground.

Stalemate.

Mexican Stand Off.

"Next Hand takes the Haul" spat Buffalo through tobacco stained teeth.

A silent nod from Two-Times.

"Yer Deal" said Joe.

Emmy dealt the cards.  Three and Two.

The stakes were high.  Buffalo was not one to lose.  The man didn't have what one would call and even temper.  Two-Times stared the man down, silent but with a slight smirk.  It was said that she got that from her father.  Her smarts from her mother.  That smirk would get right under your skin, make you feel like you were done.  She had you at that point.

Was it a Bluff?

Only she knew.

Joe laid his hand.  Four Jacks Ace High.

She was beat and she knew it.

She laid her cards face down and stood up.  She tipped her hat to the man.

He spat Tobacco on her Boots.

She scoffed.  Reached for her Apple Juice and threw it right in his face.

There was much giggling.

He stood, outraged and reached for his holster.  As he reached, a slew of cards fell from his sleeve.

"Dirty Cheat!" shouted Mike from the floor.  The splash of the juice had woken him, if only momentarily from his drunken slumber.

Buffalo turned to run, slipped on his own tobacco spit and fell face first to the floor.

Mississippi hoisted him by his own gunbelt and threw him out the batwing doors of the saloon into the street.

"Don' you be comin' back here no more yeh dirty cheatin' sum' buck!".

He walked over to Emmy and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Go tell yer Momma to get us some fresh drinks, kiddo."

"Ok Daddy".

They smirked at each other and walked to the bar.