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.