Leyus didn't indulge in gambling more than his trade asked from him. Well, on most occasions, that is. He did have one weakness, that sometimes got the best of him: card games. He knew most of the varieties played in and around Elbion, Alliria and many cities between them. He loved playing them. Not as much for the stakes, although he had won his fair share of games and got a few coins out of it, and not mainly because of the social aspect, although there were some people that were a delight to play with. No. As most of the players, he liked it because of the cheating.
Now, cheating was, in theory, bad and could get you in trouble. But that was only true if you got caught, and the best players scarcely did so. Most of them tried to use magic, a brute force in this trade, and got detected by their fellow magic users. Leyus used the more stylish methods, mainly, the sleight of his hands. He never got them under the table, he barely even moved them during the game. Yet, his hand was always just a tad better than it should have been. He was careful, he was counting cards, keeping track and, with the skill of a true master, undetectable to almost anybody, he sometimes flickered his wrist. Not in a obvious way, of course.
You would have to be something more than a human to catch him. And Leyus loved that.
And on this charming evening he had found himself in the charming company of three other fellows, in a dimly lit, but fairly respectable tavern, around a round table, indulged in a game of ghorn. It was one of the less popular varieties of these card games, focused on collecting the best combinations, but still fairly known by most folk. It had thee types of cards, twelve of each type, and the players had to gather a set of seven, with three cards already laid out on the table. It was usually played in groups of four, with one person being the dealer, who's role traveled in a circle. Ghorn had a particular dynamic, was pretty simple when you remembered all the combinations, and had an exquisite quality of being easy to cheat in. Four cards was a lot to collect in your hands.
This evening Leyus had chosen an appearance that he had found to be most well-suited for such affairs. Face with a slightly more exotic quality to it than usual, ginger hair, bright eyes. It was an appearance that was easy to lose, along with anybody who could want to follow him afterwards. It was also a good distraction from his hands.
Because, yes, Leyus didn't play fair.
In his defense, he didn't expect this from anybody else. The deck was somehow magic proof, but that didn't give him any hope that magic could not be used here. And his fellow players wanted just the same thing as he did: to win. So he was careful, enjoyed himself, made the occasional switch. Won some, lost some. In the end, the only important thing was not to walk out much poorer than before. He was here for the thrill.
And everything was going fairly well, the stakes gradually getting higher, until, suddenly, one of his fellow players smashed his hands on the table, shaking it visibly, and exclaimed: "I know one of you, rats, is cheating!"
Well. That was a twist.
Now, cheating was, in theory, bad and could get you in trouble. But that was only true if you got caught, and the best players scarcely did so. Most of them tried to use magic, a brute force in this trade, and got detected by their fellow magic users. Leyus used the more stylish methods, mainly, the sleight of his hands. He never got them under the table, he barely even moved them during the game. Yet, his hand was always just a tad better than it should have been. He was careful, he was counting cards, keeping track and, with the skill of a true master, undetectable to almost anybody, he sometimes flickered his wrist. Not in a obvious way, of course.
You would have to be something more than a human to catch him. And Leyus loved that.
And on this charming evening he had found himself in the charming company of three other fellows, in a dimly lit, but fairly respectable tavern, around a round table, indulged in a game of ghorn. It was one of the less popular varieties of these card games, focused on collecting the best combinations, but still fairly known by most folk. It had thee types of cards, twelve of each type, and the players had to gather a set of seven, with three cards already laid out on the table. It was usually played in groups of four, with one person being the dealer, who's role traveled in a circle. Ghorn had a particular dynamic, was pretty simple when you remembered all the combinations, and had an exquisite quality of being easy to cheat in. Four cards was a lot to collect in your hands.
This evening Leyus had chosen an appearance that he had found to be most well-suited for such affairs. Face with a slightly more exotic quality to it than usual, ginger hair, bright eyes. It was an appearance that was easy to lose, along with anybody who could want to follow him afterwards. It was also a good distraction from his hands.
Because, yes, Leyus didn't play fair.
In his defense, he didn't expect this from anybody else. The deck was somehow magic proof, but that didn't give him any hope that magic could not be used here. And his fellow players wanted just the same thing as he did: to win. So he was careful, enjoyed himself, made the occasional switch. Won some, lost some. In the end, the only important thing was not to walk out much poorer than before. He was here for the thrill.
And everything was going fairly well, the stakes gradually getting higher, until, suddenly, one of his fellow players smashed his hands on the table, shaking it visibly, and exclaimed: "I know one of you, rats, is cheating!"
Well. That was a twist.
OOC note: The precise place of the game wasn't specified in this post, so feel free to do that in your post. It could be Elbion or Alliria, or something close to these two. You are most welcome to join as any of the two players, the dealer, a passer-by or anybody else you feel could fit in here.
