Steel Skin: Pitch Black (Explicit)

82:00 The Trapped King

Light is sacred, only does it become an insult when one lights up someone's cigar to signify defeat and inferiority.

Nagbunga ng apoy ang maliit at parisukat na gintong lighter na hawak-hawak ni Jourdan sa kanyang kamay, pagkatapos ay sinindihan ang kanyang yosing nakaipit sa bibig.

She purses her lips afterwards, while a casino employee is collecting all the gaming chips she has won from playing poker.

"You have one million pesos in total, ma'am." ani employee. Hindi niya ito pinansin. Bagkus, initsahan niya ng isang kapirasong chip si Fara Quijor, na nasa kanyang tabi, all money lost.

"You have to light my cig for me now." marahan ang boses na sabi ni Jourdan sa kanya ngayon. Lingid sa kanyang kaalaman ay nagngingit-ngit na ito sa galit at nakakuyom na ang mga kamao nito ngayon.

"I'd rather die." pabulong nitong sabi, sabay inom ng juice na nasa kanyang harapan, at ngumatngat ng yelo na rinig na rinig ni Romano.

While her cigarette's on her lips, Jourdan casually looked away to her chips. "Chill it down, Quijor, we'll have a lot of time for that later. Everyone's gonna see." she swung her head to observe the atmosphere, and the place was very crowded.

Quijor did it on purpose, dahil iginiit nito ang gusto nitong sa isang mataong lugar sila magkita; and one place could be a Casino.

One round of poker and she lost a few hundred thousand pesos.

Napahimas ng bibig si Quijor, habang tinitingnan ang chips na nasa harapan ni Romano.

"You think you are a good player?" sabi niya, kasabay ng kaunting ngisi sa kanyang labi. Pagkatapos nito'y ininom niya ang kanyang baso ng alak na nasa kanyang harapan.

Sa punto'ng ito napatanggal ng yosi sa bibig si Romano, sabay inom ng alak sa kanyang harapan. Lumagok muna siya ng ilang beses bago ito ibaba ang baso. Saka niya pinunasan ang gilid ng labi gamit ang bundol ng perang nasa kanyang harapan rin.

Watching Romano wiping her lips with a blue bill, irked Quijor, wishing to attack her right into this moment, but could only watch her annoy her.

"I guess you want to open an entry  that you're about to speak a mind-blowing litany of deceiving everybody."

Quijor pursed and twitched her lips, having thought that they both have the same thought in mind. Romano knows what she wants to say. Alam talaga nito ang mga bagay-bagay.

"At isa ka na do'n." Quijor replies, to which Romano lifts the corner of her lips.

"Come on, kwentuhan mo naman ako, naaantok na'ko." Jourdan says as she yawns. Nawala ang ngisi sa mga labi ni Quijor. On the slightest bit, she felt insulted. But who was she fooling for? Back during Senior High days, Romano is exactly like this; this exact type of character who would provoke your inner demons just to prove she is right. Kagaya ng ginawa niya kay Linsky noon.

Basang-basa niya na ito. She was there in all of the dramas Jourdan Romano was involved in. Of course she was out of the picture, but she was there watching, either three rows behind, at the corner table of the cafeteria, at the classroom exit lurking behind the door, or just behind someone else singing among the crowd -- utterly unnoticeable and convincingly innocent.

"You're not that smart." Quijor openly blurted out, of which Romano instantly shrugs and turns her look away. Jourdan drank from her glass once again, and Quijor waited for a reply.

Quijor could not help but once again read her character, now that she is faced with Jourdan once again, after so many years. And she assumes that maybe, Jourdan has that certain authority and ability to manipulate people that when she wants you to anticipate a reply from her, she will make you wait.