Here is a fun fact for you thanks to Bube, there has been a total of about 43-44 pages written in this story. Quite nice for a pet project, that oddly has not even hit its stride yet.
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3
Ace now in his mid-20s. Or so he remembered. He had been so many people at so many ages that he began to lose even himself. That day in the airport was really a rebirth for him.
As he sat in his apartment, he reflected back on the last few years of his life. He started off with petty scams and a quick wit. It got him far. As he could remember it, he had become the CEO of at least 5 major businesses, he had worked in every aspect of the airfield nearby, he was an Army General, hell he was a heartbeat away from being Senator. He had been Ace at first but then he expanded his base using the playing cards. Jack Diamond, Spade Kings, Al L. Heart and so many more.
However, the name Ace always held a special place to him so he always came back to it.
Then there were the women. Good god, was there the women. He began to plot the geographically density of California with his black book. Twins in Los Angeles. Starlets in Fresno. Single mothers in Bakersfield. No matter where he went, women just wanted to throw their clothes at him. It was a good life. While a little piece of him yearned from that stability, he was having too much fun to give it up though.
For a bit of stability in his life, he adopted himself a red panda. Where as most people would have went with a dog or a cat, Ace needed the challenge. He flew over to Japan and pretended to be an important businessman. He had to use his "contacts" up and down Japan, but he was able to obtain the pet. Getting it back into the country proved to be an even greater challenge, but once again Ace proved that his ability to read people was second to none. It also helped that the airline assistant was a female.
Ace glanced at the clock, it was time for him to get ready for work. While he enjoyed the jet setting life style, he found his true calling accidently. One of his "associates", who called himself a friend, begged Ace to fill in for him one night at his bartending job. Ace never forgetting what alcohol took from him, but the friend kept begging. One of his few lapses in judgment, Ace agreed to take over for a single shift.
But it was like magic. It just clicked for Ace on that night. He worked the entire room like it was his own family. He chatted sports with the fellows. He flirted with the ladies and even some of the guys. He seemed to find a special connection with everyone in the room.
The drinks... they just came naturally to him... so he hoped. But no one complained, and the tips were large so he knew he was doing something correct. The owner asked him to stay, but he could never screw over an associate, but he had to have it in his life.
He applied to a few bars in his area and they all jumped over themselves to get him. He found that he was well known for a single night. It helped that he now collected a loyal fanbase. He used it to his advantage. He remained at a single bar no more than a month. Jumping around allowed him to meet new people. Make new connections. Life was good.
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Now he worked The Long Hand. It was one of the more shady bars he had worked in, but it made for some interesting clientle.
One night while closing shop, Ace swore he saw a familar figure staring at him through the bar doors, but in this town a lot of people looked familar to Ace.
Ace thought nothing of it, but as he exited the bar he turned around to meet a face he would never forget.
"Dad?"
"Son, I have a lot...."
Ace did not nor could he hear it. The world around him began to spin in a fierce fury. The cars in the streets came to a sudden halt. The street light remained on yellow and his dad mouth remained open in mid-sentence. Then it started going dark. Ace phased in and out of consciousness and saw that the world was coming alive again. Then he was out.
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"Listen, I did not ask for your life story. What the hell is going on here?" Ace's thoughts were interrupted by the other figure with him.
"Let me think about it." Ace wanted to remember afterwards, but this was not the time it seemed.
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The end of this part. Me thinks.
Re: TavernTales 11: Ace of Time
Hybrid Mode
