02. A Strict Display of Luck and Wit

[knitwit]

[ Off in the corner of town, near the edge that lead towards the towering gate, resided a small pub. The stout owner and his lanky wife were kind enough to serve drinks and food to newcomers the first crowd of the evening. Luckily, Rose was among the first dozen to arrive during dinner hours. A nice warm meal was welcomed and the fact it was discounted? Excellent. Each spare currency went towards equipment and potions.

But, maybe she would be lucky? After overhearing a few NPCs speaking about gambling, Rose invited herself into the conversation. It lead to a deal: a nice game of cards. Rose had no clue how to go about it. What were the rules? The stipulations? The risks? Ah, but, that was the art itself, correct?

Bluffing.

So here Rose was, sitting with her deck in hand looking over at the other players around the mahogany table. Her fingertips pressed into the torn stock cards, eyeing her pieces as if trying to complete a puzzle.

Bystanders, passerbys, or fellow players, Rose would love some conversation to toss away the jitters and nervousness she obviously does not show. ]

I'll raise once more and we can see where that will take us, hm?

Comments

[mercuryangel]

[While Mia has had experience gambling before, it's never been in this way. She's more accustomed to (Super) Lucky Dice, as far as money was concerned.]

[She is now watching you play and trying to make sense of it.]

[knitwit]

[ The cards were laid down, a pair of Queens -- not bad. She had a nice call until her intimidating stare raised the concerns of her opponents. Of course, it was merely moments until they folded. ]

Chalk one round off to me. [ She hums softly. Eyeing the stranger, perking a brow inquisitively. ]

Are you hoping to join next round?

[mercuryangel]

Maybe a little later. I haven't seen this card game before.

[knitwit]

Really? That's rather interesting. It's similar to Poker, but I don't know how many people may be aware of that fact to begin with.

You're free to sit behind me and watch, so long as you don't provide hand signals to the other players.

[ She pauses. ]

It won't be the first time I've heard of crooks and swindlers attempting to cheat at a fair game of cards.

[mercuryangel]

[Note to self: Keep Ivan away from the card tables, if at all possible.]

[She nods, taking a seat.]

[knitwit]

[ Rose stiffens her posture, looking down at the table. ]

Alright. Let's deal again. I'll put three in the pot.

[ Rose pushes three of her coins forward, allowing the pile to begin to grow by other players. Promptly, she was dealt her cards and begin to look them over. ]

It's a bit easy once you know which cards are paired together.

[mercuryangel]

[She stares, waiting for the resolution. Once all of the cards are on the table, it should be more clear...]

[knitwit]

[ The cards are indeed soon on the table. The pot raising and only one folding that round. With a display of the cards, it was not Rose that was the victor, but another for their "pair" was higher. ]

Ah, all is fair in the end. I didn't out rank a pair of Kings.

[mercuryangel]

[Well, these things happen. More often than not, actually...]

I'll probably find another table once I've figured this out.

[knitwit]

You're welcome to take a seat once on of the men's beer needs a refill. They're usually gone for hours at a time.

[ She waves her hand to the two half drunkards. A 13 year old and two drunk men? Uh. Yeah, glad there were lots of more people in the Inn. ]

[mercuryangel]

Thank you.

[And she waits...]

[knitwit]

[ Rose continues playing until the men get tired. It will be a few hands, she assumes. ]

How long have you been here? You don't seem like a local.

[mercuryangel]

It's been two months now, I think.

[knitwit]

That's a rather long time. Have you found your transition easy?

[ Pause. ]

I admit I have a bit of trouble getting use to this, even with my prior experiences in a temperamental game like this.

[mercuryangel]

It was very hard at first. I'd never even imagined something like this could exist.

[knitwit]

That's understandable. The learning curve for a monstrosity of an 'MMO' or 'RPG' in general is a steep one.

[mercuryangel]

Especially not when you've never heard of that before... I still don't really understand it, but I don't think I need to, at least not now.

[knitwit]

Not until the opportunity presents itself. Many people tend to think that way.

[lookslikemomo]

[takeshi, spoon in mouth, looks at the cards in his hand, then at his mug on the table, and squinted at his hand again.]

...What were we playing again?

[knitwit]

I'm not quite sure the name, but the locals call it Five Card Stuff.

[ Rose shrugs, unsure of the entire rules but the number one rule of having a poker face is not letting on her inexperience. ]

So Five Card Stuff is all I've known it as.

[ Looking down at her cards, she throws a coin into the pot. ]

It's a bit similar to Texas Hold 'Em.

HORRIBLY LATE TAG i am sorry :c

[lookslikemomo]

Oh! That's poker, right? I can play poker.

[except he's bad at it, so rose'll probably win everything he has.]

So I guess you're the dealer, huh?

its chill!

[knitwit]

A form of it. I suppose the Game wants us to have our own games besides seeking out dungeons and such.

[ She recalled watching a bit of Celebrity Poker her drunken mother would gush about when things were.. ahem, normal. Yet, she was simply laid the cards out and looked down at her hand. ]

Dealer, player, no formalities here.

You mentioned you could play, have you a lot of experience in this?

[ Maybe Rose herself was a little nervous. She was technically winging it. ]

[lookslikemomo]

The Game? Oh, you mean The World! I guess it does. It'd be super boring if all you did was dungeons and fields. Side quests are fun, too.

[he's shuffling the cards in his hand, either arranging them in a certain order, or just for the heck of it.]

My buddies and I would play poker sometimes. When there's a performance and we just want to relax with beer and chips, we'd sometimes bring out cards or tell funny stories, so I've played poker a few times. Can't say I'm the best at it, though.

[knitwit]

[ Hm. It seems this one is more into the aspect of competitively leveling up than she is... Odd. ]

I guess that's a nice way to look at it. Considering being brought here to do tedious and repetitive actions is akin to torture.

[ She listens to him speak on his experience and she nods. ]

I see. At least it's some experience that could prove to be beneficial to you. Especially in this instance.

[lookslikemomo]

Right? But I guess some people just enjoy playing the game as it is. I like going around and discovering new items.

[he throws in his bet, matching rose's.]

There. Now I think we draw, if I remember the rules right!

[adarable]

[ Ada doesn't really intend to play, but she's watching Rose and clapping whenever anyone gets a win. ]

It looks very interesting! You know how to play this, Miss?

[knitwit]

Yes. Somewhat. It's all a bit of luck, however.

[ Rose would fold that round, sighing a bit. Her vision shifts towards Ada, letting her eyes look over the voyeur watching the gambling display. ]

I've only been playing a few days but I've already made a bit of a reputation of being a quick learner. 300 coins richer my first night.

[revealed]

[ he's actually to gather information as per usual, because it's what he's used to doing, and gathering information keeps him busy and not thinking about... other things. yeah. but when he passes by Rose's particular table, he actually does a double-take, before wandering over. ]

Gambling...?

[knitwit]

[ Rose was a bit more emotional in that moment, her palm slamming downward in an aggravated way. ]

You're lucky you had that seven.

[ She slumped back in her chair, revoking her cards back into her grasp. She was unaware of anyone else's presence besides the obvious ones who spoke out. She was getting a bit on a losing streak... ]

[revealed]

[ ... man, that was some explosion of emotion, there. it almost makes him feel sorry for her. taking a quick look at the cards on the table, he realizes that it isn't any kind of card game that he's familiar with. but if the cards are like that, then...

he walks up with a friendly smile. ]

Bad luck, huh.

[knitwit]

I guess you could say that.

[ Rose pauses, looking over her cards. ]

Fate shifts oh-so quickly, so I don't doubt my winstreak from last night turned into an utter flop tonight was merely some kind of leash to keep my ego in check.

[revealed]

Well, I wouldn't go that far... [ kind of a sheepish chuckle. ] Are you playing with the same people you were playing with yesterday?

[knitwit]

A few. They come and go. I'm the newcomer to this place, if you want to call it that.

[ She flips her cards to look over them. ]

Still getting use to everything.

[revealed]

[ ah, she's starting another round. he gives the table a look of consideration. ] If you're going to be playing for a while, mind some company?

I'm not too bad at this sort of thing. [ both an offer for company and... for help. ]

[knitwit]

Not at all. As interesting and unique as the locals are, you can tell they are quite rehearsed with their conversations.

[ She offers a seat nearby, the table rounded and offering ample amounts of leg room. ]

If you have no other arrangements, sure. Feel free to relax. There isn't much else to do at this time of night.

[revealed]

[ aaand sitting gratefully! ] I guess. I actually came to talk to some of these locals.

So they really don't say anything interesting?

[knitwit]

Really now? A curious mind is a terrible thing to waste. Why not try conversing with some non-drunkards when they return?

[ A beat. ]

Depends on whom you speak with.

[revealed]

Well, it sounds like you have experience. Who do you think I should speak to?

[knitwit]

[ Rose lets a soft laugh escape. ]

Experience? A bit, I suppose you could say.

I suggest the innkeepers and barmaids. I've found them to have a plethora of information regarding quests and more times than none, will actually trigger quests as well.

[revealed]

[ mrrrrrrrrr. ] That's certainly a good way to get involved... and to get items and money.

[ but he needs information, dammit. especially on how to leave this place. brooding over this for a moment, his eyes return to the table, absently watching the way the cards are dealt. judging from the movements of the other people, they certainly seem to be NPCs. a gentle nudge of their minds confirms this, and their intentions seem fairly simple to tell, too. he kind of wonders if they just sit around and play cards all day. it seems absurd, but with how repetitive NPCs can get, it's most likely the truth. ]