Lost in Neon-lit Confusion

Di was beginning to get absorbed into the game, but he took notice of Lyn's question as he picked out his move. "You mean Akua? He's okay, I suppose. He likes to drive me crazy by dragging me into things I don't necessarily want to do, but that's just part of being partners. He can be pretty immature, but he's got a good heart. It doesn't excuse him from doing whatever he wants though. The kid has a lot of growing up to do, that's for sure." He grabbed his card and put it facedown on the table confidently, looking at the dealer's eyes as he did. "Ace of Spades"

----

Move: AS (Actually the PIXIE)

Hand: 2C, 3S, 5C, 2S

"Hmm..." The dealer thought for a moment after Lyn's move, grabbed two cards-- and then hesitated. His hand shifted back, away from the cards his other held, and then reached back in and grabbed three cards. "Ten of Clubs, Eight of Clubs, Seven of Clubs." He called, putting three cards down.

DOWN: 10C, 8C, 7C
DEALER: 2 cards
LYN HAND: 10H, 9D, 9H, 10D

He turned to Dee at that, pondering over the navi's starting move-- and then laid down a single card. "Ace of Clubs." With that done, he sorted both of his hands back into neat little stacks, then set them down next to him. Their move, again.

Down: AC
DEALER: 4 cards
DEE HAND: 2C, 3S, 5C, 2S

"Partner..." Again, the young girl's thoughts seemed to linger over the choice of words as she watched the dealer respond. Her eyes still flicked back and forth between the table and her cards, but the rest of her expression had softened to something more thoughtful and it was hard to tell how much she was really concentrating on the game now.

"I don't think Rogan would ever call me that..." She glanced up to Di again, her smile returning, though now it was soft and small, much changed from the bright enthusiasm she'd borne before her thoughts drifted. "It's funny, you know. The way you talk, the way I've seen you interact with him... It sounds more like you take care of him, rather than the other way around. I always just assumed that..." she lapsed into quiet again, but only for a moment, though now her eyes dropped again and she looked back to the cards. "I'm not sure... it's hard to find the words." she fell silent and refocussed her attention on the cards, tapping lightly on her emblem with one finger as she planned. She swayed back and forth, wavering between two ideas, then blinked suddenly, as though coming to a realisation. Her grin crept back into one corner of her mouth and she met the dealer's eyes with a slight twinkle.

"You said, ten, eight, and seven, all of clubs, yes? Ok, then I'll play..." She selected her cards, slipping them down onto the table neatly and holding two fingers on each as she named it, as before.

"Ten of Clubs," she watched him for an extra second or two through her lashes as she placed this one, her grin showing her teeth. "Then ten of Diamonds, and lastly, Nine of Diamonds."

Cards down, she stood back again, pressing her remaining card to her chest with one hand while her other trailed back and forth along her edge of the table. After a moment she turned to look to Di again.

"I guess... what I mean is... I've not seen a lot of the world, but I suppose, I always felt like we were the ones who needed taking care of, not our operators. I feel like Rogan needs me for something, but, I don't know why, because he doesn't really need me at all. It's strange." she shook her head then looked back to the table.

----

Down: 10H, 10D, 9D

Lyn's Hand: 9H

"Heh." Di couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at Lyn's remark. "Akua would be helplessly lost without me. To be honest, I wish he'd show a little more effort and act like he cares instead of coasting along on my hard work."

"Hey! I do stuff too, you know. It's not like I'd die if you weren't around! I'm 18 for crying out loud!"

Di ignored his partner as he tried to correct himself to Lyn, placing his hand face down as he focused more on the conversation at hand instead of the game. "Whether he shows it or not, Rogan needs you, I'm sure of it. He takes care of you, sure, but you also do things that he can't do on his own. For instance, he can't travel the Net like you, can't physically interact with this world like you, and I'm sure he can't use his battle cards without you. You're useful to him whether he shows it or not, so cheer up." With kind words passed, Di quickly took a look at his hand, knowing what his move would be. He laid down three cards.

"5 of Clubs, 2 of Clubs, 2 of Spades"

---

Move: 5C, 2C, 2S
Hand: 3S

"Well then, I believe it is time to make this game serious!" With that ominously cordial remark, the dealer flipped his hand over in front of Lyn-- and revealed the end of their match.

Down: 9S, 7S.
Dealer: OUT
Lyn Hand: 9H

TOTAL SCORE: House 2, Players 1

"Truth be told, if you had played only the 10s this round, I would have been rather hard-pressed for a win. Any move I could have made would have needed a lie, which would have made it impossible for me to win." The dealer says, nodding curtly. "A good game, at either rate."

The dealer then turns to Dee. "As for you... hm." The dealer picks up his hand, scratching his chin as he does-- and then lays down three cards, again. "5S, 4S, 4D." He informs, putting them facedown on the pile.

DOWN: 5S, 4S, 4D
Dealer hand: 1 card
Dee hand: 3S

The young girl pouted softly as her opponent played out, face-up. Just like before, her body swayed back and forth slightly as she stared down at the offending cards, willing them to be different. She the dealer explained the last play, she folded her arms across her middle, biting her lower lips as she listened to him, then glanced up. there was still a slight hint of sulk in her voice, but only a little.

"Oh, but that's not really true now, is it. You're just saying it... because if you lie on a play-out, and I call you, it's still your turn, so you don't really lose any ground... but if I don't call, then you just play out anyway. I don't think I like playing first." her eyes dropped again as she continued to rock back and forth slightly, thinking about the cards that had been played, before she looked up to Di, her features shifting to become swiftly much more earnest and apologetic. Her arms uncrossed so that she could clasp her hands together in front of her as she turned to face him.

"I'm sorry, I let my concentration slip. I was careless." she shook her head, trying to distance herself from the mistakes. "I hope you're right. A-about Rogan, I mean. We've only been together a short time, and before me, he got on just fine without a navi at all. I think half the time he still isn't sure what to do with me. He's seemed happy, I guess, that with me he's been able to take on some contracts that he wouldn't have considered before... but those ones are never..." she paused, biting her lip and looking down. As much as she'd already said it once, she didn't want to say that his jobs were often illegal, at least not too loudly or too often. When she looked up to Di again it was with a gentle hunch to her shoulders that only lasted a moment. "I don't like what he does. What he has me do, sometimes."

She looked back to the card table, considering, then sidelong to her companion once more, vaguely hopeful.
"If I object, Rogan usually just chides me about 'affectations of human emotion', and tells me to stop it, and do as I'm told... What do you do, when Akua tells you to do something that you don't want to do?"

"All the time." Di eyed the dealer before offering his move, paying more attention to Lyn than the game. "I'll call." He looked over to the electric Navi as he gave a nod, explaining his response. "Akua always wants me to do stuff for him that I don't want to do. Wandering around this town is just one of them. He usually bugs me about something, I ignore his childish behavior, then either he or I gives in, depending on how set one of us is in our stance. It usually ends in me giving in and doing what he wants, but it's never really a big deal. Sure, I don't want to do it, but it's selfish of me to only do the things I want to do and ignore what my partner wants. It would be nice if it worked the other way around, too."

"Hey! I listen to you sometimes. It's not my fault you're a giant stick in the mud."

"That doesn't seem to be your problem, though." Di habitually checked his cards, diverting his eyes from Lyn. "You seem to put what your partner wants over what you want all the time. I don't think I could ever be that devoted to Akua."

"Got me." The dealer cheerily says, flipping the last card over. It's a 3 of Diamonds. He snatches up three more cards, hand moving like it's on a rubber draw, and considers them for a moment before putting down two more. "5 of Diamonds, 5 of Hearts."

The dealer tilts his head back up after laying the cards down... and hits Dee with a gaze that's like a set of teeth closing around his neck. There's no malice, no hate or anger in his gaze... but the steely-eyed look, the grin at the corner of his mouth... the dealer knows something.

DOWN: 5D, 5H
Dealer hand: 2 cards
Dee hand: 3S

Lyntael blinked as she looked up at her companion, hands clasped together in front of her. Her features were open now as she listened, an image of innocent surprise, and she tilted her head slightly as he spoke, then blushed as his answer turned back to her again. The slight pink of her cheeks only lasted for a few moments, but it was enough to make her drop her gaze again.

"I guess I do. I mean, I feel like I should, like I want to. Before I was given to Rogan, Eric told me a lot of things I should remember... that I should never be afraid to stand up for what I want," He'd told her many other things about herself, some of which made her blush, and others she wasn't convinced were really true, but she left it at just the one example out loud. "but I guess, I never feel like that really applies to Rogan. I try to object sometimes, but... The way he talks, his voice. I can't even begin to think about telling him no... even when it's something bad." She glanced up again, biting her lip. "So... how... I mean, when you argue or disagree, Akua... he'll listen to you then? Even if he still insists sometimes, I mean? Hmm..."

She seemed like she was about to say something more, but the play on the table caught her eye, and she looked down at the cards, her brows knitting. She blinked a few time,s then looked up tot he rule board for a few moments, and back to the tabletop. Her eyes flicked a few more times before turning up to fix on the dealer's face now. She hesitated, but then pointed down to the cards.

"H-hey... Um, if a call was made, shouldn't we see the whole play? Not just the last card? I-I mean, that's what the board says." She bit her lip, feeling out of place for bringing it up, since she had only just learned the game herself, and their dealer was clearly very experienced.

Di shrugged at Lyn's question, unsure himself on how the specific mechanics of the game worked. "I guess it doesn't matter either way, since he doesn't pick his move back up. Either way," he directed his glance at the dealer, "I'll throw down my three of spades and you can give me three cards, unless there's some weird rule that makes it and the five of hearts connect."

---

Move: 3S (throwing it away, pretty much)
Hand: ??, ??, ??

"I was trying to be quick, miss. I will be happy to show you my previous move." The dealer sets down his hand-- what remains of it, anyway-- and then moves the two cards he just laid down off of the pile before flipping the three cards in question over; they show, in order, 5S, 4S, 3D.

A moment later the navi lays the cards back onto the discard pile-- followed immediately by Dee's 3 of Spades-- and then draws three cards from the deck and hands them to Dee. "You are allowed to draw your own cards, sir. In fact most find it preferable. Regardless... it is still your move."

Dealer hand: 2 cards
Dee hand: 3C, AD, AS

Lyntael nods softly, momentarily put in her place by the dealer's completely reasonable answer, but she's taken aback only for a moment, returning instead to the problem before her. She bites her lip, examining the table, and one and begins to fidget gently with the hem of her skirt while she contemplates the cards.

"But it is important..." As much as she does say it aloud, it sounds far more like a small thoughtful murmur, and she seems to direct the words more at the card table than anywhere else. Caught in her thoughts now, she taps her teeth together and rocks slightly side to side as she thinks. "Because there's only five cards in the deck now and two in his hand, and we know that..." the remainder of the thought trails into silence, retreating back into her own head, but her eyes continue to flick between the cards, focused more closely now than before. After another moment she darts back a small step so that she can lean up to look from behind Di at the cards he receives, and add them to her calculations. By accident, perhaps, Di and their dealer both have unwittingly come across one of Lyntael's more bothersome personal foibles; her love of numbers, and playing with them.

She blinks quickly as she adds up, then purses her lips, pouting slightly. Under control while her focus and attention were divided before, the now deciding nature of Di's game seems to have tweaked her desire to reason things out to the point of excluding most, if not all of her other thoughts for the time begin. Sadly, enlightenment seems to elude her for the time being, and she sighs only a few moments later. "Hmmm... we know... but neither of them can be... mmm... too many variables." She shakes her head.

Apparently giving up, she turns her head to look up to Di again and her features are smooth and calm once more, irritation set aside.
"Hey, Di... Thankyou for doing this. I-I mean, tonight. I really do feel much better, and well..." Her eyes flicked down for a moment, her left hand still tweaking and tugging at the hem of her skirt distractedly. "I mean, you don't even know me, but you stopped anyway to see if I was ok, and then you stayed, to make sure I was. I've not been around very long, so, it really does mean a lot to me to meet someone so kind." She looks up, ducking her head slightly with the smallest hint of a grin, and perhaps the most delicate of pink spots at her cheeks, "Even if all I seem able to do is find interesting ways to lose money..." She swiftly turns back to the card table, looking down at it again, a little embarrassed at herself.

Di thoughtlessly looked at his cards before playing the first thing that seemed reasonable. When it came to strategy in this game, the navi was hopeless. "3 of Clubs" he said distantly before he half listened to Lyn. It was getting late, and he had already had a busy day, but he held on as best as he could.

"You can thank Akua for that. I'd much rather be helpful than wander around this city while my partner eyes everything. And don't worry about the money. It's not a big deal, and we can still win it back."

"Not the way you're playing!"

---

Move: 3C (3C)
Hand: AD, AS

((Apologies for the delay. Real life has kind of shaken me up lately, and I had to re-find myself a bit.))

"Three of Hearts." The dealer says, laying a single card face-down in response. Is he lying, or is he telling the truth? The dealer's face, his tone, his voice-- they're all the picture of a calm, jovial mindset. There's no trace of a bluff on his features, no hint of a lie. So... is he?

Dee will have to think carefully about this one; if the dealer wins this game, he wins the entire set.

So... does Dee call the dealer's bluff? Or does he play a card?

DOWN: 3H
Dealer hand: 1 card
Dee hand: AD, AS

((Hugs for Twi. Don't worry, real life always should come first, of course, no worries here.))

Lyntael's head comes up again and she manages a small grin for Di, her small embarrassment diffused by his casual response. She seems more comfortable again as her eyes go back to the table, and she focuses on the cards again, though there's still not enough information to placate her curiosity. It's clear that a small part of her at least, is fighting the urge to flip all the cards that are down, over, just to get the count right in her head, and her fingertips twitch delicately at the edge of the tabletop.

"I guess I still haven't found what I was looking for, not really. But it's ok for now, I think." She spares another glance up to Di. "This has been my first time out alone, and I've already learned a lot from it, especially if I'll need to start doing this more often." She shakes her head softly and looks back to the table, then up to the dealer, tilting her head slightly as she watches his face.

Di didn't want to get rid of one of his cards, since he could safely get rid of both if the right card popped up. The longer the game went on, the more unprepared the Navi felt to play the game. It seemed he needed the Pixie pixie to help him win at this point, and maybe her blessing would be over her after this next move. So hey, why not?

"I'll call."

---

Move: Call
Hand: AD, AS

The dealer hissed through his teeth. "Good call." He flipped the last card he'd played over-- revealing a 2 of Diamonds. With speed, the dealer's hand snapped out to the deck again and snatched up three more cards, a definitive frown on his face this time. "Only two more cards left in the deck, eh?" Sure enough...

"Don't worry. If it comes to it, I'll shuffle the deck. As for right now..." the dealer sighed. "2 of Hearts, Ace of Hearts." Two cards down. Two cards in the dealer's hand. Two cards left in the deck. Two cards in Dee's hand.

But would there be two more turns?

DOWN: 2H, AH
Dealer hand: 2 cards
Dee hand: AD, AS

As before, Lyntael's eyes followed the movement of cards as the dealer revealed and drew. Even though the young girl was only watching, her gaze showed as much concentration on the game in progress as any other, if not more, judging by the far more casual expressions the others wore. Between Di's resignation and their opponent's calm, she seemed to be putting more serious weight into the game than either player. Her lips moved silently as the cards were revealed, and even slightly vexed, their dealer seemed less concerned than her, caught up in trying to trace what cards were left... though chances were, he was simply far better at hiding it.

She perked up slightly, ears first, as their dealer called his cards. As he named them her mind derailed from trying to track what cards were actually in and out of play and she broke into a small grin, though thankfully only after he had finished speaking and moved his hand back. The smile was small and reserved and she was clearly trying to hide it, but the rest of her face was less guarded in her glee, lighting up with a quick excitement. Unconsciously she bounced on her toes again, ducking back and slightly behind Di so that she could peek up at his cards again, before returning to her place beside him at the table. pointlessly late, she schooled her face smooth and her body still, though her fingers fidgeted slightly against the table-top as she looked up to Di to watch his response.

Di let out a sigh of relief from his correct call. It was really just a shot in the dark, but it seemed to be exactly what he needed in order to wrap this game up. A smile and a confident nod accompanied his move, his whole demeanor changing as fortune began to smile down at him. He threw both of his cards on the table as he gave an almost arrogant reply. "Ace of Diamonds, Ace of Spades. That wraps this game up." Akua couldn't help but chime in at his partner's victory, heard only be the aquatic navi. "It's about time! You would have won this game ages ago if you just listened to me! Some partner you are."

A hand went to rub Di's neck as he glanced over at Lyn. This game felt like it had taken eternity, and he was glad that at least that match was over. But didn't they have one more to go? Di wasn't about to ask. "Maybe I should just let you play both hands next time. I'm not sure I can take another one of these games seriously."

As her companion played out, Lyntael bounced on her toes and clapped her hands softly in front of her chest. His hesitation a moment later drew her eyes to him though, and she looked up, biting her lip as her expression calmed again. Between his gentle reluctance and the occasional moments of distance when she was sure he must be listening to his operator, a small realisation occurred to her.

"Oh! I shouldn't... I mean, I don't want to hold you here, or, or, ah... make you feel like you need to stay or look after me, if you don't want to, or if you've got other things to do, or, or..." She trailed off again, and swallowed, giving herself a small shake. "What I mean is, I'll be alright, at least, I should be, now, if you or your operator don't want to waste any more time taking care of a silly girl who always thinks too much, and too little. I— I don't want to keep dragging you about, if you'd rather be doing other things, or, if you need to go, or if..." Once more the words tumbled into a mumbling of other possibilities, and as she spoke her hands clasped together at her waist again, over her skirt, her eyes darting down and to the sides between coming quickly back up to his. "I, I don't mind, it's alright. I'll be ok."

Amidst this short time out, Lyn has barely looked at their dealer, forgetting completely to ask whether such a thing would be alright with him, or what that would mean for the game. For the moment though, she was more focused on Di's hesitation.