TRISTAN

Could my magic, for one Mallou damned moment, leave Vincent's aura alone?! I didn't need the temptation of wanting to know what was behind that mask of haughty indifference. I didn't need to know how disappointed he was that he couldn't look out the window. I didn't need to feel sorry for him.

What would it take to make him crack?

Monty was doing his best. He had spent the past hour explaining how to play Below the Lady. He might have succeeded had he not kept changing the rules.

Vincent had yet to show his frustration even though his aura crackled with annoyance. There was also a good chunk that was thriving under the attention. A chunk I was doing my best to ignore.

I watched as he flipped over a card, revealing the Water Mage. He had won this round. His face showed nothing, but his aura gave away his uncertainty.

"Aw, that's too bad," Monty said, collecting the stack. "Maybe next time? You're almost getting it."

It wasn't Vincent who cracked, it was me.

I reached over and snatched the cards from Monty. "I can't watch this anymore."

I closed my eyes against the disappointment that surrounded Vincent and pulled my magic away. When I reopened them, he was staring down at his hands, neatly folded on his lap.

"If you're gonna play Below the Lady, play it right," I said with an annoyed huff.

Vincent's eyes flicked up and he shot a hint of a frown at Monty.

"Hey, it ain't my fault he never called me out," Monty said, crossing his arms defensively over his chest.

With a disgusted grunt I faced Vincent. "What card games are you familiar with?"

He slowly shook his head. "I've only ever read about them, and what I've read never mentioned more than card faces."

Both Monty and I stared at him, dumbfounded.

"You never had an older cousin teach you Palsies?" Monty asked. 

"I don't have an older cousin. Or any relatives outside my father, for that matter," Vincent said as his voice trailed off.

A look of shocked pity ran across Monty's face before he looked pleadingly at me. Right. I was gonna have to be the teacher. I was a terrible teacher. I didn't have the patience.

"May as well teach you now," I said as I moved to the center of my seat. I collected the rest of the cards that sat on the low bench between us and began shuffling. 

"You don't need to. I don't wish to be a bother," Vincent said quietly. 

Yes, I was annoyed and had no problems letting it show and possibly scare him off, but I'd seen enough of his aura to know he was eager to learn. "Trust me, if you wanna get anywhere with the Keepers, you gotta know how to play Palsies," I said as I dealt out the cards. "First rule: don't bet what you don't got."

Monty picked up his hand and frowned.

Vincent followed suit and glanced at his cards. "What are the other rules?"

"Cards on the table, face up. I'll explain," I said, setting my cards down. "King, Queen, Mage, Keeper, numbers, Orphan. Orphans are wildcards in that they reverse the suits."

A smile tugged at Vincent's lips. "The one thing that makes sense. So fire would then defeat water?"

"Exactly."

A real smile surfaced as he leaned over his cards and poked at them. "I remember reading about pairs and suchlike. Does that apply here?"

"If you have pairs, you'll want them to be opposing suits. Fire and earth, water and wind. But Pals are stronger than pairs," I said as I pointed to the Orphan and Keeper from my hand. "Same suit beats neighbors, opposing beats same."

"Like simple strategy," Vincent said, his smile wider.

"Especially when strategizing a date," Monty said, giving me a knowing look.

My cheeks went hot at the reminder. "Pretty much. Think of the Pals as people who go together."

Monty chuckled and reached over to push my Orphan and Keeper closer together. "Kings and Queens, Mages and Keepers, Keepers and Orphans."

I continued to explain, and Vincent listened intently. Without a constant change to card values, he was able to catch on quickly. We ended up playing with a few handfuls of stones as our wagers, and I let Monty and Vincent get a head start on winning. 

Once I was down to only five stones, Monty looked over his pile then mine. He sat back with a grimace as I shuffled and dealt a new hand. "We're still going?"

"Of course. Wagers please," I said with a sweet smile. 

Vincent looked up from his small pile of stones, and I could make out a light blush creeping up his cheeks. My smile turned vicious, and he looked over at Monty in uncertainty.

Monty sighed heavily and looked at his hand. "And now we get sent to the Crypt," he muttered.

They had their fun, now I got to have mine. It didn't take long for Monty to give up before he completely lost his pile of stones.

"First rule," I said, sweeping the stones out the door, "don't bet what you don't got. I'll let you off this time."

Vincent stared at the bench and cards between us. "But… Does this mean I owe more? How? I didn't bet more than I had."

"Never carry over a bet if you don't have a pool with double beside you," I said as I gathered up the cards. "Why do you think the pot doubled with carry overs?"

"I honestly hadn't noticed," he said quietly.

"Too drunk to notice the first time it happened to me," Monty admitted. "Just be glad it wasn't real money. And keep in mind rule number two: don't trust an Orphan or a Keeper when playing Palsies. If you're winning on the regular, be ready to lose real quick. Accept about three losses, and then politely excuse yourself before you don't even got your pants left to bet."

"Or let them win and put yourself in the pot," I said with a laugh. 

"Tried that once," Monty grumbled, leaning back. He narrowed his eyes at me. "Had to muck out a stable in the morning."