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It was a foolish notion, he already knew it. Even then, he supposed it was worth some sort of try.

Meryl looked at him with the eyes that clearly read “You're an idiot,” but at that particular moment, he wasn't noticing. All that mattered was the objective,and his crazy, half-baked plan to achieve it. Sweat started to form beneath the tattered blue cloth bandanna – his signature of sorts – as he focused all of his strength.

He bent over the table, contorting in ways a gymnast would admire, and thrust the stick forward violently. The loud clack of balls, and then the sound of hard ceramic hitting leather.

“That would be a scratch, my friend,” the slinky engineer called from the nearby table, hiding away behind a graphic novel. Bespectacled and gray-haired, the man looked to be rather old, when really, he was only in his mid-thirties. Dave grunted.

“Let's see you make that shot, then,” he called.

Hal looked up from his manga and smiled. “Ah, Dave, you know I don't play pool. I'd probably do worse than you are already.”

Meryl had a hard time controlling a snicker, and Dave simmered silently. “Alright, my cue,” she said before Dave started pummeling the wiry anime-lover.

The bar they occupied smelled like a combination of too many smells that probably shouldn't have been mixed together. Sweat, strong booze, sex, cigarette smoke, and Dave was sure about a fair amount of blood thrown in for good measure. Altogether it made for a dizzying experience for those who hadn't frequented the bar long enough.

Pulling the pristine white cue ball from the corner pocket, Meryl carefully lined up a shot and took it. The one ball rolled smoothly into the left center. Agitated at the way the match was going, Dave simply took another drag of the Winston he'd been smoking. Meryl took another shot, and another ball found its way into a pocket. Soon enough, all but Dave's set had been cleared from the table.

“Let's see... that's what, five games to none? I'd say that's cause for a round on the loser,” Meryl taunted, leading the way to the bar already. Dave grumbled, and like an obedient dog, followed at her heels, with Hal still sitting at the small table, chuckling softly to himself.

'It's going to be a long night,' Dave thought to himself.