Vice slammed her cards down. "I had a full house! How can she be so calm?"
I laughed a little. I had taught her the basics of the game rather quickly. I answered, "What can I say? Alice is a natural." Alice had won with four of a kind in poker, marking her fourth win in a row. She barely reacted to getting the hand; her acting skills were surprisingly good. I noticed this before, but the girl was also extremely good at picking up new information. She'd, of course, get excited like any girl her age would, but during the game, she was calm and collected. Vice put her cards back in a pile, "Reshuffle! I can't go down like this. Give me another round."
Vice was a competitive type, from what I gathered, and losing to Alice probably wasn't something she thought would happen. Alice smiled, "Yes, Key, please!" I nodded, "We still got time. Let's give it another round. I will deal again." I collected the cards and began shuffling. Vice leaned forward, her eyes locked on the deck. Alice, on the other hand, sat back with a serene smile, her hands folded neatly in her lap. She had an air of quiet confidence that seemed to rattle Vice even more.
As I dealt the cards, I couldn't help but admire Alice's composure. She was a quick learner, and her ability to stay calm under pressure was impressive. Vice, on the other hand, was fidgety, her competitive nature making her restless—something I was sure Alice could tell even without her eyesight. I dealt both of their hands dexterously. Alice had a King of Spades and a 5 of Spades. I whispered her cards to her, and she nodded. They both placed their initial bets. Before the game, I handed Alice about 50 bronze coins to play with. She already had about 200 bronze coins she had won from Vice. Alice whispered, "50 coins." I slid over 50 bronze to the center. Vice frowned, "50? Already? We haven't even seen the cards."
Vice handed over the 50 bronze coins. I flipped over three cards: the Queen of Spades, the Ace of Hearts, and the Jack of Spades. Vice tapped the table impatiently, "Well, what will it be?" Alice knocked on the table, indicating she wanted to check. Vice smirked, "Oh hell no, now you want to check? Not gonna happen. I raise." Vice pushed forward 10 bronze coins. Alice nodded and put forward the same amount. I flipped the next card: the 4 of Hearts. Alice tapped the table again. This time, Vice didn't raise, looking annoyed as if waiting for something. I flipped the final card: the Ace of Spades. I tried not to show it on my face, but Alice had a really good hand. She had a flush.
Alice didn't hesitate. Once I whispered the last card to her, she put 50 bronze on the table. Vice smirked, "Sorry, Alice, this time I can't back down. The odds are in my favor this time, I reckon." She slammed a whole silver coin onto the table dramatically, "I raise!" The stone-cold Alice gave a light smirk. I nodded, "All bets are final. Reveal your hands." Vice smirked, "Don't even bother showing me your card. I win. Flush with a 10 high." I smirked, "You might want to see her cards." Vice froze, "Wh-why?" I put Alice's cards on the table and tapped the King, "Flush with King high."
Vice slammed the table, "You gotta be kidding me! King high?! That was the only high card left in the flush that could beat my hand!" Vice flung her cards on the table; the 10 of Spades and 7 of Spades hit the wooden table hard. Alice smiled, "Shark killer!" I couldn't help but laugh. Vice had a really good hand and bet properly, yet Alice had brilliant beginner's luck. Her ability to act was a real skill, and something I was just realizing I could use in the future. I have no doubt in terms of her poker face, she was far better than even me. We needed to work on her language skills, but I really did think she was something special. It really hurt to know someone like Alice could be cast aside by her parents and was living on the streets until recently. Now she was playing cards and laughing like a girl her age should be.
My thoughts were interrupted by the curtains shaking and being blown back. Rune entered through the open window. His look was stern, "I thought I heard yelling up here. Figured it was the wild west gran—"
Vice gave him a look that shut him up right away, "I mean, I figured it was Vice." She threw her hat down, "Jeez, I am not that old, kid."
I smirked, "You got news for us, Rune?" Rune nodded, "I scoped out the place. She was taken to a place off the main road. I can take you to it; the place is big, fit for a noble." I nodded, "Fill us in on the details." Rune frowned, "Right, well it seems he is actually a traveler just like us. He is staying in a very nice inn. The place is surrounded by other smaller, rich-looking residences."
Rune seemed to collect his thoughts. "To put it bluntly, stealing Aurora back won't be easy. It will be pretty hard to do it without anyone knowing. Not only are there other places close to the inn, but they got guards stationed around the entire inn. The place also spans multiple floors. I would say at least three. I have a rough idea where they might be keeping her for now, but nothing concrete. Ideally, if someone could create a distraction, it might be easier for me to sneak in."
I sighed, "Right, well we knew it wouldn't be easy. How about a simple but effective plan, then?" Rune asked, "What's the plan?" I explained, "Alice and Vice will distract the guards. She can be as loud and crazy as she wants in order to get their attention. Rune, you focus on sneaking in and getting Aurora to safety. Finally, once you are in, I will bail out Vice and Alice."
Vice asked, "That's all well and good, but this distraction and bailout plan—why do I get a bad feeling I am going to have to play the villain again?" I confirmed, "Wow, you catch on quick. I can't help it if you make a very good villain."
Vice sighed, "What kind of stupid shit are you gonna make me do this time?" The way she said it made me laugh, "The kind of stupid shit that is gonna make us a lot of money. We are going to have you pretend to steal a slave." Vice frowned, "What?!"
I added, "Relax. I don't want to spoil the surprise too early, but our little actress right here is gonna help." Alice smiled again, "I am helpful." I nodded, "Right. You two will have a very important job, one that we will have a couple of hours to prepare for. No half measures. We need to do this right. We only have one chance."
Everyone seemed a little more confident the more we did together. Our group was still very new, but we seemed to have a chemistry forming between us. I looked at Rune, "Let's go over building details. You said you had a rough idea of her location. I can't draw that well, but I think a map would do us wonders even if it's missing a lot. You got a rough idea of how the place looked?"
Rune boasted, "Dhampirs have perfect memory recall. In your terms, I have a photographic memory. I can recall any detail perfectly, so as long as I see it, there shouldn't be anything missing."
I had to admit that was surprising and a great asset to have. "Excellent." I pulled out a big piece of paper, "Let's get to casing the place from here." I took out some tools from my satchel that I usually used to make signs. Instead, I began drawing a map of the building. Rune described the place in extreme detail. The roof of the place was green; it was narrow but had many windows around the front and back. The building, as far as Rune described, was made of stone on all sides, so breaking in was not an option.
The sketch of the place made Rune stare in awe, "You can draw?" I shrugged, "You got to be multi-talented to survive as a half-elf merchant." That wasn't meant to be a brag; it was just true that I had to practice and master a lot of skills on my travels this far. Given that I was alone and a half-elf, it was even more true for me. Rune studied the drawing I made, which was akin to an amateur blueprint. He pointed to a room on the second floor, "This is the most likely room where they would keep Aurora."
I asked, "How do you figure?"
He explained, "This room has the fewest windows and is positioned away from the main entrances. Ideally, if you want to make sure a slave feels they have very little in the way of escape, isolation can be ideal for obedience."
Rune was far too young to be saying all of this. I had a feeling there was more to his past than he was letting on. I didn't want to pry, though, so I kept the conversation flowing. I declared, "Alright, we have the plan. Let's gather what we need and then head out under the cover of darkness." Everyone seemed pumped since this would be our first operation as a full team. Rune asked, "Why are you doing all this anyways. We have the gold we could just take it and run."
I paused, considering Rune's question. He was right; we had the gold, and disappearing would be the easier option. But this wasn't just about gold anymore. I looked at Alice, her calm demeanor hiding the pain of abandonment, and Vice, with her tough exterior masking her own vulnerabilities. These people had become more than just companions; they were my friends.
"Because it's not just about the gold, Rune," I replied, meeting his gaze. "Aurora doesn't deserve to be a pawn in someone's game. Just like you, Alice, and Vice, she deserves a chance to live freely. We're not just running from town to town for profit anymore. We're doing something that matters, something that changes lives. We're making a stand, even if it's just for one person."
Rune looked thoughtful, his stern expression softening slightly. Vice nodded, a determined look in her eyes. Alice smiled, her confidence unwavering.
"Alright," I said, breaking the silence. "Let's get ready. Tonight, we show them what we're made of."