Enemies

Poker Face

"Impressive. Well we now have Roger Green and Lewis Carroll. I assume you have experience dealing with gift users." Hemingway nodded, looking at the knocked out gang members as they lay in a cell. "Hopefully you will be finished soon. Some of my agents might come along with you, so if someone comes with you, don't be surprised."

She went back to her room and picked up her phone, typing in a few numbers and waiting for a response. "Crimson, I need a favour."

Dressing in a sleek, backless black dress that reached down to the floor and ankle strap stilettos, Ren styled her hair in waves down her shoulder, sighing. Clipping on a pair of teardrop earrings, she put on some eyeliner and walked out, stepping into a vehicle that she'd ordered earlier and sat behind the driver. The ride was completely silent and the only noise was the soft purring of the engine. The lights from the buildings flashed past until they stopped at a large building, and she had a few notifications from her regular phone.

Dazai?

Hesitantly, she looked at her messages. She felt something within her, a sense of longing that was extremely foreign to her, and that feeling of being all alone settled back in. Looking around, everyone had turned grey for a split second, before turning back to normal. Something felt missing, and usually she had no idea what that thing was, but now, she felt like she knew exactly was going on.

I miss that idiot. Even his weird antics.

Staring up at the sky for a moment, everything seemed to come to a screeching halt as she brought a hand to her lips, feeling them subconsciously before walking into the building.

Wandering around a bit, it looked like the standard casino, with a lot of people at the poker tables, and she saw someone sitting down at one and walked over, sitting close to them.

"Hey, you're Jack London right? Do you want me to show you a good spot to drink?" Ren leaned over their shoulder as they started preparing for poker.

"Only if you can beat me. I won't go with anyone unworthy." They looked up at her with a smug expression.

"Let's play then. It's been a while since I've played poker. It's Texas Hold'em, right?" Ren sat down, and London started putting a chip in the centre, the person to his left putting in double that amount.

Knowing that London had to bet, being the Small Blind, Ren made a mental note as they were handed two cards each. Taking a deep breath, feeling her pulse rising, she placed a hand on top of her cards and sweeping them up,  where she swiftly brought in another card, taking it into her hand without anybody batting an eye, breathing an invisible sigh of relief. She could see London glowing ever so softly, and she frowned.

 So you've decided to use your gift.

"Hey, did you just use sleight of hand?" London pointed at her, and everyone turned towards them, staring at her and pressuring her into saying something while London had a satisfied smile on his face.

Her face was completely still, but internally she was frowning, thinking about what had happened. Everyone was looking expectantly at her, and if she didn't say anything, they'd suspect she was cheating.

Shit. If I don't come up with something then he'll find out, though how is he cheating?

"No. Do you have any proof that I cheated? Maybe you're trying to attract attention away from yourself if it is in fact you who is the one using underhanded techniques. Just a thought." She didn't show any signs of hesitation, and London narrowed his eyes.

"Why would you think that? That's a very big assumption." He turned his attention towards her, and she stared back at him, unmoving. 

"Well, if you're so adamant, then let's say we're both playing legitimately. That makes things less complicated, does it not?" She could see tiny ants moving around next to him, and watched them for a moment.