The Time Keeper

Chapter 79 - Cards on the Table

We each made our way following Lucas into the break room.

It was a modest space, with a worn-out sofa, a small table, and a few mismatched chairs.

Fleur sank into one of the chairs, her cup of coffee in hand, and let out another yawn.

"What are we playing," Jean said as he strolled in after us.

Lucas opened the pack of cards and discarded the packet to the side of the table. "Poker of course. It's a relatively popular card game in Goldeen and apparently, it was made up by a student at the academy. Come on, join us."

Jean shrugged and took a seat, eyeing the cards with mild curiosity.

"You two know how to play? My old man used to play with me so I can teach you guys the ropes," Lucas said, looking over at both Caius and I whilst he started shuffling the cards making a rifling sound.

Caius shook his head. "I might know, but explain the rules anyway, just in case.

I nodded in agreement. While I had a rough idea of the game, I had never actually played it myself.

Lucas smiled and began his explanation. "Alright, so poker is all about making the best hand possible. You get two cards each, and then five community cards are dealt face-up. You can use any combination of your cards and the community cards to make your hand."

He flipped through the deck, showing the different suits and ranks. "Your goal is to create the best group, set or run of cards without giving away what you have in your hands."

He laid out the cards, pointing to each one in turn. "These are the picture cards; The Emperor, The Lady, and The Guard. They're all depicted in an artistic style of Emperor Soren, Lady Seraphina, and Vo, the head of the Royal Guard from Goldeen. The rest are your standard numbered cards one through ten."

As Lucas finished shuffling, he began to deal the cards. Each of us received two, face down. I picked mine up, trying to keep a neutral expression, but I couldn't help but feel a little lost.

My cards were the Emperor of Knives and a Seven of Crosses.

"Alright, the betting starts now, but for this round, let's keep it simple and not bet any coins yet," Lucas said, his eyes glinting with mischief.

Fleur took a sip of her coffee and set the cup down with a sigh. "Fine by me. I need to wake up a bit more before I start playing seriously."

Jean looked at his cards, his expression unreadable. "I'm in," he said, his voice steady.

"I'll play along," Caius said with a hint of uncertainty.

"Same," I added.

Lucas then dealt the first three community cards: a Guard of Stars, a Nine of Knives, and a Seven of Hearts.

I glanced at my hand again, hiding my relief behind a mask of indifference.

The community cards gave me a pair of Sevens, which wasn't much, but it was something to build on.

Lucas then slowly revealed the fourth card, the Four of Hearts. My chances didn't improve much, but I kept my expression neutral.

Caius's face shifted uncomfortably which could indicate that he didn't like that card, but it still could be a bluff. Everyone else however kept a good poker face.

Finally, Lucas flipped over the fifth and final community card, revealing an Emperor of Hearts.

Perfect.

I now had two pairs; Emperors and Sevens. It still wasn't the strongest hand, but it was significantly better than before.

Keeping my face neutral, I glanced around the table. Caius still didn't look pleased, his earlier uncertainty deepening.