Before Rue could answer, another guy joined them: "Luck with you!"
"Luck with you," Rue greeted after a while and smiled gently, as he had no idea who the strange men could be.
They looked almost like brothers. They had similar dark, not the most expensive looking clothes, as if they hadn't changed in a while...the same black hair of a similar cut giving the impression that they were combing each other, and the same black eyes that pierced him as much as the other people in the place.
"Hey!" the first guy didn't sound satisfied, "I saw him first."
"Can't I wish anyone luck?" the other laughed.
"You don't have luck yourself, why do you wish it?" He laughed at him and looked at Rue, who didn't understand, "Don´t mind him, we will just have fun together."
"What's going on? Why are you arguing?" Rue didn't understand.
"He wants to invite you to play," the other said.
"I just did. And? Everyone has the right to play!" the first declared.
"My game is better, people enjoy it more and at least they have a chance to win."
"Of course, that's why we never play together, because you know I'd find out what tricks you're up to," the first laughed.
"I'm not playing with you because you're rude and don't understand the rules."
"Everyone understands your simple rules!"
"You don´t!"
"I do!!"
"I doubt it."
"Then draw your cards, I'll show you, you moron!" the other said.
"You asked for it, you moron!" He laughed while Rue didn't even have time to follow what he was saying.
The guys leaned towards each other over Rue, who moved away from the counter. He watched what they were doing before one of them pulled cards from his pocket. They looked like the classic cards he used to play when he was little and didn't understand what was complicated about the game.
"I guess it's a different game, it would be strange to play it in a bar," he thought, watching carefully.
However, it wasn´t a different game at all. One of the men spread ten cards face down in front of the other. In the original game, there were four red, four black and two yellow cards in the pack. When a person finds three reds in a row, they win. If someone finds three black in a row, he loses. If he found two reds and the third was black, he needed to find a yellow card or the remaining two reds to win. If he found them, he won, if not, he lost.
If a person found two black cards, the other two had to be yellow to win. And if someone founds only two yellow ones, he automatically won.
It was a simple game for children. The most often happened that the player first drew red, then black, or vice versa. In that case, the move was cancelled and the game was played again.
Since he loved all games and the sight of this nostalgic one brought him back to his youth, he couldn't resist watching the men at the bar. However, he wasn´t so interested in finding out who would win. It would be better if he could play as well, so he approached them lightly and watched more closely.
"You see! I won! Hah!" the guy laughed although he used to say the game couldn´t be won.
"I'm saying it's possible...see...moron," another muttered.
"Okay, okay...if someone is as great as me...I'm as lucky as if I was born in Lacris, definitely," he joked.
"You don't need Lacrisan to win this game, but It's always interesting to compare your luck with them and watch them lose." He said a sentence that usually irritated the Lacrisans and enticed them to play.
The men looked at the young man on the side: "So, do you want to play?" They asked inconspicuously.
"I want!" Rue cheered excitedly and reached the card counter.
"Pff...I wanted him to play my games," the other began.
"I'll play them all," Rue declared enthusiastically, "Which one is yours?"
"I have more of them...dice, cards..." He named.
"Screw him, my game first," the first guy said, nodding behind the bar, "we have a section in the back for games, are you coming? And don't forget your drink." He looked at the drink on the bar.
Their proposal was enticing, and he was about to nod when a familiar voice called from behind them.
"That sounds like a fun... put me in," the young man said and happily took another seat behind the bar, "hey, bartender, won't I get a welcome drink?" Ylre laughed, though he didn't sound amused at all.
The bartender glared at him for a moment before wordlessly preparing the drink and handing it to him, "Two new Lacrisans in a day...do you know each other?" He wondered.
Although somewhere inside Rue was a strange urge to nod, he shook his head, "We just met on the street, he helped me." He smiled at the red-haired youth, who fixed his piercing blue gaze on him again.
Ylre's corners lifted slightly as he noticed Rue looking at him and stood up. He went around one of the men with a glass in his hand to Rue: "Thank you for the rose, I didn't even have time to say anything and you disappeared," he smiled.
"It's okay," he said contentedly, "I thanked you with it."
Ylre smiled lightly for a moment before they were interrupted by a pair of men, "So you're both playing?" one of them asked.
Ylre looked at them, "Isn't it disadvantageous to play with Lacrisans in your position?" he asked directly, "If Luck is in place, you should never win." He laughed.
The men were silent for a moment, before one lifted the corners of his mouth, "It's not all about luck."
Ylre picked up the glasses from the bar counter, "The Rinselan said," he laughed and made his way to the back of the restaurant where the guys were pointing as if he knew where he was going.
The men exchanged a look and faked a smile at Rue, who was more sympathetic to them as a victim, "Are you going to play?"
"I'm going," he nodded. He was about to take a glass from the bar when he realized that Ylre had already taken it.
He smiled softly at the young man's pleasant demeanour since their meeting and followed the men to the back of the restaurant. As soon as they passed the bar, he reached a place that didn´t resemble a restaurant at all.
The tables were similarly arranged along the walls, but in the center was an oblong one, around which a bunch of people were standing, obviously enthused about an unknown game. As they walked by, Rue leaned over and noticed a few cubes before one of the guys called him on.
"Some other time, today you're playing with us," the guy laughed and let Rue sit next to Ylre at one of the end tables.
"Where's my drink?" Rue wondered, looking at the two empty glasses.
"Sorry, it was good...I drank them all at once," Ylre laughed, to which Rue blinked in confusion, "but I know a better one, I can buy it for you when we're done." He smiled.
When he got the new suggestion, Rue's disappointment subsided and he nodded.
"You drank them all at once?" One of the guys asked in surprise, looking at Ylre in front of him.
Ylre nodded, "I did...problem?"
"No..." He measured him and looked at his colleague next to him.
"Since it's going to be evening, we can only have faster games with small stakes today and longer games at other times, what do you say?" He suddenly changed the second plan and looked at the players.
"Stakes?" Rue was confused, "Are we playing for something?"
"Of course," the man said, "it's more fun if there's a bet." He declared.
"Exactly...I'm betting something too...it's a two-way bet...everyone is betting," he pointed to the area where people were flipping coins.
Considering the fact that he had never been to any gaming room, Rue only looked around in confusion and nodded after a moment's hesitation, "And what's in the stake?"
"Money, luck...it's up to you, we don't force you," he explained.
"Luck?" Since it was a sacred thing, Rue still didn't understand how he could bet, "How can you-" he started angrily when Ylre cut him off.
"Money," he pulled out a bag of coins from his inner pocket.
Rue's mild anger cooled as he nodded. He wanted to take out his money before Ylre stopped him.
"I had your drink, today, the game is on me, I will pay for everything we lose," he said.
"You don't have to, it's only one drink," Rue argued.
"I have a lot of money," Ylre laughed and showed his full pouch, "I don't mind if I lose it all...I just want to have fun." He clarified.
"Me too," Rue smiled, "I just want to have fun too."
Ylre returned his smile and looked at the guys, who were drooling at the pile of gold. Their heads couldn´t absorb how many months the amount would last them if they got it.
"Are we playing?" Ylre asked.
One came to his senses: "Of course...we're playing."
"And what do you bet?" Ylre smiled in a way that made the guys freeze. However, their years of experience with the Lacrisans gave them guts, so they finally nodded.
"Apparently...money," they pulled out a bag of coins.
Not even a one of the coins was theirs. They all belonged to the owner of the restaurant, as did all the money the employees bet with here. The content of their work was really simple. They lured the new Lacrisans into enticing games that depended mostly on luck, the proud Lacrisans, who hadn´t lived in Rinsel for long, had enough pride to underestimate the Rinselans and nodded at the game. The only thing to do was not to let the Lacrisan's luck at the games take advantage of their money.
It was one of the few businesses in the capital that was doing this and that was constantly getting deals. Although lately there had been a lot of talk about what they were, and fewer and fewer Lacrisans were coming, sometimes a newcomer who hadn't heard of the rumours would be found.
Sometimes even two.
"Okay," cheered one, "let's get started...do you know the rules?"
"I know," Rue smiled and looked at Ylre, who just nodded softly.
"How many rounds?" The guy asked.
"Everyone three?" Added the other.
"Suitable," Rue nodded and Ylre didn't object.
"Okay, you get ten gold coins for a win, we get them for your loss. In addition, for every gold card you draw, you get fifty, and if you draw three black cards at once, we get them," He clarified.
"I see," the man next to him said.
"I know you understand...but let them understand, fool," the other sighed.
"I see," Rue smiled, "ten for a win and a loss, fifty for a golden one or three black."
"Exactly," the guy smiled and began to deal cards on the table, "who will start?"
"Me," Rue chimed in, "or...do you want to?" He looked at Ylre.
"Have fun," Ylre supported his chin with his hand and looked at him contentedly.
When he saw that Ylre had no problem with his start, he looked at the cards enthusiastically. He reached out to the one closest to him and gently turned it the other way.
"Oh, too bad," one of the guys sighed, looking at the black one.
"Try again," the other pushed him.
"It doesn't matter," Rue smiled and turned over the second card right next to it.
Another black card looked at him and Rue just laughed lightly at how unlucky he was, "Two blacks...I've never had two blacks" he mentioned, though he knew he wasn't like he used to be.
"I'm glad you're having fun," one guy didn't understand, "don't worry, if you find gold, you have a chance to win." He clarified.
"I know," Rue nodded and gently turned the card to the side.
"How did you mix them up? Three black ones right next to each other?" One guy looked at the other.
"Normal as always," he shook his head.
"Stir better next time, it'll look like we're cheating," he frowned.
It was actually true that they were cheating. There weren´t four red, four black, and two gold cards in their deck. There were only three reds and in case Lacrisan won a round and made sure they were there, another red one was replaced with black. So in a while, there were always only two red cards, seven black and only one gold. But now there were still three red cards in the package.
Sometimes it happened that the Lacrisans wanted to see the deck before the game, so they had a second one ready to show. However, only fools would play fair with the Lacrisans.
"It doesn't matter," Ylre smiled and handed the guys ten gold coins for losing and fifty for black cards, "it's just a game."
"Exactly," the guy laughed and accepted the money, "it's just a game... the main thing is to have fun." He declared.
"Sorry." Rue looked at Ylre, who just laughed softly.
"The bigger the bet, the more fun...did you enjoy it?" Ylre asked and when the young man nodded, he smiled contentedly, "Then you don't have to worry about anything else. Let's continue."