Mark observed Alec to the best of his ability, noting bits and pieces of his mannerisms. A profile formed in his mind, and he gently filed it away in the recesses of his mind.
If he ever wanted to, he could always bring that information to the forefront of his mind and maybe add more to it as well.
"Visiting me after a few weeks, and this is what I get, love? A newbie? My day is ruined before it could even start," Marcus frowned, a chuckle spreading from his lips.
"If it weren't for him, I would have gone to the Virtual Chamber instead, so don't be a diva," Tanya shifted her eyes to the side and clicked her tongue.
Marcus clutched his chest, his face scrunching up in pain.
"That hurts. Would you do that to your favorite person?" Marcus asked.
Tanya, with glowing eyes, closed the distance between them and grasped the sides of Marcus's face.
For a moment, it seemed as though only two people existed in the room—two people in love, or so one would assume. Marcus had his hands around Tanya's waist, and the girl who couldn't ask a question without blushing gently caressed Marcus's sideburns with her pale hands.
"I would do that and more, so don't count on my kindness," her voice, which Alec found scathing and annoying, took on a lower tone that he had no choice but to admit was somewhat seductive.
Tanya broke the distance between them. Quickly, she took his wrist and showed him to his seat.
Alec sat comfortably at the table, noticing the various players turn their attention from the pair to him once more. He sighed heavily and rested his hands on the table.
"Alright, everyone, I hope you all enjoyed the game, but we are going to take it a little slow since we have a beginner among us," Marcus said with an award-winning smile as he stood at the dealer's side of the semicircular table. "Most of all, we have a legend among us. And as usual..."
"For the enjoyment of the game, why don't we all reintroduce ourselves to the young man?" Marcus suggested. "I am Marcus, most call me 'The Magician,' and I'll be dealing the cards for this game. I hope you all win. I'm limiting the bets to a maximum of a hundred credits. So, place your bets, everyone."
"My name is John. It's a pleasure to meet you, young man," a gentle old man said, sliding two chips over to the betting box. One chip was green, and the other was orange.
The green chip had a value of twenty-five credits, and the orange one had double its value, making a total of seventy five credits altogether. "I remember when I was your age, unaware of the horrors of life and what living truly meant. Now, I sort of know."
"Stop the cynical talk, old man," a sharply dressed middle-aged man spoke, his deep black eyes watching everyone's movements. "You've told those exact words to everyone who has come before. Aren't you tired yet?"
The man wore a silver reflective suit and had a wristwatch made from gold and platinum. The watch's design borrowed heavily from watches made more than two millennia ago—a certified antique, especially considering how expensive working objects from that time were.
Elegantly, the man flicked his fingers, causing a black chip worth a hundred credits to slide over to his betting box.
"I'm Silher. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Silher said and quickly quieted down.
Two more people introduced themselves and placed their bets. One of them was Eliza, a pompous girl whom Alec swore came from the capital, and the other was Aurora, a middle-aged lady with impeccable manners and the air of a full-blown madam.
Aurora carried herself prim and proper, wearing a pair of white gloves, as if disdaining to have her skin come into contact with germs in the atmosphere.
At Tanya's behest, Alec introduced himself and placed a single orange chip bet, equivalent to fifty credits.
Noting that everyone had placed their bets, Marcus slid his hand over a square box next to him. The box roared to life, pulsing with white light. Alec saw the gears within the box spin at impossible speeds. With a flick of Marcus's hands, five cards gently fell in front of the players, face up. Another flick saw the cards land on the previous cards, face down.
Tanya leaned onto Alec's shoulders and said, "Relax a bit. This game isn't as intimidating as most would have you believe."
Calmly, Tanya explained to him the basics of the game.
The player on the left, who happened to be John, would go first and must decide whether to "stand" and not ask for another card or "hit" and ask for another card in an attempt to get closer to a count of 21, or even hit 21 exactly.
Thus, he could stand on the two cards originally dealt to them, or he could ask the dealer for additional cards, one at a time, until deciding to stand on the total (if it is 21 or under) or goes "bust" (if it is over 21).
In the latter case, the player loses, and the dealer collects the bet wagered.
The dealer then turns to the next player to their left and serves them in the same manner.
The combination of an ace with a card other than a ten-card is known as a "soft hand" because the player can count the ace as a 1 or 11 and either draw cards or not.
For example, with a "soft 17" (an ace and a 6), the total is 7 or 17. While a count of 17 is a good hand, the player may wish to draw for a higher total.
If the draw creates a bust hand by counting the ace as an 11, the player simply counts the ace as a 1 and continues playing by standing or "hitting" (asking the dealer for additional cards, one at a time).
Alec nodded, certain that he understood the rules. At first glance, the game seemed simple, and he didn't particularly think he would lose...