- Stas did not miss the shiver that shook Lottie’s body for just an instant after he’d spoken in her ear. His eyes crinkled at the corners, lips twitching into the slightest smile. It did not leave him until they were already well-situated at his table, try as he might to force it down.
At the table, they’d engaged in a bit more of small talk, and Stas was pleased with the way things were going thus far. A little down the ways, he caught the eye of a woman who’d been glancing his way. She giggled and looked down, clearly a little flustered, at the white cloth on the table. She wasn’t ugly by any means, and she certainly looked wealthy. Another time and place, and she might have made a good mark. But now, he had to make a good impression on the woman before him. He smiled kindly at the woman, then made a pointed effort to not look in her direction again.
He nearly choked on his wine when Lottie asked him if he had anyone in his life, though he hid it well. Coughing once before responding, he took the moment to think through his answer. “No, Lottie,” he said, eventually. “I don’t have anyone special. Just haven’t met anyone willing to find the person beneath all the suits and silk and glamour.” That much was true. There was little chance of finding someone to love when he spent all his time deceiving anyone who might’ve been able to care for him. But the gentle sadness he placed like a mask over his features was entirely fabricated. He didn’t lament the loss of feelings; they were nuisances, things that could only hinder him.
Quickly, he laughed, as if he was uncomfortable with the revelation of what appeared to be a hint of his soul laid bare. “At any rate,” he said, good humoredly, “I don’t suppose it would be very proper of me to be out tonight with you if I did.”
“What of you then, Lottie?” he asked, cautiously, after a small sip of wine. “Have you anyone in your life?” He arched an eyebrow, ignoring the inkling at the back of his mind that told him he was curious for reasons more than just a simple con. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
She did not argue when he asked her to check again, more intrigued now than angry and spiteful. But as she shuffled the cards again, she let loose a small groan. “I do wish you wouldn’t call it cheating,” she said, only a hint of whining in her tone. “Gamblin’ is a two-man bid. Can’t take their money if they don’t offer it up first. I just use all the tools I’ve got at my disposal to win. You do the same in your line of work, I’m sure.”
Thieving was one thing, she wouldn’t deny those crimes. But that was a separate matter entirely; she stole to eat when she needed it. But gambling? Gambling was a pursuit of passion, a constant test of her skills and handiwork. Others might have considered what she did cheating, but she detested the idea. It was resourcefulness, that’s all. She had the skills, so why shouldn’t she use them?
“Well, I’ll be damned,” she uttered, mouth falling open slightly in surprise when he picked the right card the second time in a row. “Well done.” She had been extra careful in executing the trick that time, so either he was one lucky bastard, or he really did catch on fast. She certainly hadn’t been expecting to find someone gifted aboard this ship. “Took me two days to catch the trick, then another to figure it out for myself.” Granted, she had only been twelve at the time, but she was a different case, and it was still an impressive feat.
She hesitated at the idea of teaching him the trick, worried for an instant that he might use the knowledge against her in some way, still wanting to toss her in the ship’s holding cells. But his expression appeared significantly subdued, and she did want to remain in his good graces as much as possible. Shrugging, she said, “Alright,” and moved over to his side of the crate. Leaning in close at his side, she demonstrated her grip on the cards, one in one hand, two in the other.
“So, you’ve got the lady and one of the other cards in one hand, and that’s where the magic happens.” Turning her hand over, she flicked what appeared to be the bottom card down onto the table, but was really the top card. Picking the card up again, she said, “ What you’ve gotta do is keep the two cards separate using your two fingers, yeah?” She rotated her hand to show the split level of the cards. “And then, you use that split to manipulate which card you’re tossin’. Looks simple, but it’s not that easy to pull of smoothly. Once you’ve got it though—” She gripped all the cards in one hand, showing the face of the bottom card as she looked to be throwing it down each time, and all three times, the card that appeared was the queen, making it appear as though she was actually holding three queens.
“Then, you can do some real magic,” she said, with a wicked grin.