A Demigoddess of Magic

Chapter 34.3: The Ace of Cards

Engrossed in her studies, Alcina suddenly jolts at the unexpected sound of a knock on her dorm's front door. Curiosity piqued, she cautiously opens the door, only to be greeted by the mischievous sight of Ace. With a sly grin adorning his lips, he stands there, holding a deck of cards in his hands.

"What are you doing here, Ace."

"No warm welcome, Alcina."

"Did you get into another problem with your dorm leader?"

"No not this time."

"Please tell me you didn't get in trouble again."

"No, I didn't. I came here to hang out with you."

"Hang out with me what for?"

"I just want to know you better and I thought the best way would be through some card games."

Alcina reluctantly allows him to enter, her eyes filled with doubt, aware of the mischievous aura that always seemed to surround Ace, a wave of apprehension washes over her. Ace pulls out the deck of cards and inquires about which game you'd like to play. Alcina's face is adorned with a sly grin, a telltale sign that she has a devious idea in her mind.

"Can we play Blackjack?"

"Wait blackjack, I never played that."

"It's simply trivial we choose one person to be the dealer and one person to play. Give 2 cards to the player face-up and 2 cards to the dealer so only one is showing. On the player's turn, they can "hit" to add another card to their hand and try to get as close as possible to 21, or "fold" to end the round. If the player is closer to 21 than the dealer, they win! Otherwise, the dealer wins. Alternate back and forth who deals for the round"

"It just luck, and skill are you to chicken Ace."

Ace appeared unsure, pondering over the source of Alcina's unwavering confidence. However, retreating was not an option for him.

"Let's play."

Ace suffered defeat at the hands of Alcina repeatedly, after engaging in a thrilling 30-minute gaming session.

"How are you so good at card games Alcina."

"My mother and I used to travel the world, we played against people in card games and always one. Now my question to you Ace how did you learn to play that well and by cheating that skillfully."

Ace looked like a deer in headlights surprised at what Alcina said surprised she caught on but he shouldn't have been.

"I learned from watching my older brother do these card tricks I observed him and eventually copied him so well I was able to pull the tricks off."

"Interesting," Alcina says with a smirk. "I must say it's very impressive deception pulling off those card tricks without any help from magic. The sleight of the hand and the moving of hiding cards in plain sight is impressive. I'm surprised we never played a game together until now."

"And yet you still beat me."

"It's mostly experience but I will say this a skill like that will get you places."

Ace was unable to communicate verbally, but he felt a sense of joy upon receiving the compliment. However, he couldn't quite understand his emotions.

"This a random question to ask but are you interested in me."

"Interested in what way exactly."

"Romantically."

"I don't think so."

"Oh thank the Greek Gods."

Ace gazed at her while she released a sigh. He couldn't help but feel intrigued and possibly developing feelings for her, yet he pondered why Alcina was so preoccupied with it.

"Wait your happy, I'm not interested in you like that!"

"Growing up me and mom were always getting confessions of love based on our looks, I don't like the concept of that attention or that attention at all. It makes me feel uncomfortable getting it because of my appearance."

Ace couldn't help but feel a twinge of pain, but it also opened his eyes to the fact that she was unique compared to other girls he had encountered. She wasn't obsessed with her appearance, didn't care for superficial things, wasn't glued to social media, or followed girls' typical interests. And that's exactly what drew Ace to her.