Played By Love

Chapter Three

   As Elena follows the stranger to the table in the back, she looks around the room. It's not as dirty as she'd have thought it would have been. The floors were clean, and so were the walls. The furniture was not broken, nor scuffed too badly, and although the room was not expensive looking, taking a deeper look revealed that it actually did cost quite a bit. The walls were a high-quality wood, and so was the floor, which was shined. The lights that hung from the ceiling were heavy looking, but modest. As she passes some tables, Elena watches the game that a few people are playing. It seems to deal with throwing cards around in a fast order, all while swapping dice with one another. One girl drops a pair of dice and curses loudly. A man at her table laughs and scoffs at her. "Much as I've been enjoying your sarcastic comments on my skills Mara, you're out." The girl grumbles and moves away from the table as another moves to take her place and the game begins anew.

   A voice next to Elena's ear startles her and she jumps. "As interested as you seem to be in watching that table, ours is over here." Elena turns, the man from before is at her elbow. "Quitting so soon?" he asks, raising an eyebrow. Elena tips her head back defiantly. "We haven't even begun." "Then let's go", the man says, and taking her elbow, he leads her past the others to stand in front of their table. There, he lets go and sits down in one of the chairs, reclining back in a relaxed position.

   Elena sits down in the chair across from him and sits straight, nervous as to what game they are to play. The man answers her question, "We won't be playing anything as complicated as you saw over there, nodding his chin in the direction of the table she'd been staring at. This is just going to be a simple game of chance, luck, you might say."  "I thought there wasn't any luck here, " Elena says. The man laughs again, then stares at Elena, his dark eyes glinting like a steel knife. "There isn't, for those who already believe they've lost it." "Do you?" Elena asks.

   The man watches her, silent for a moment. "You're inquisitive, for a girl everyone thought was just a passing fad. Perhaps being handed everything on a plate has made you curious as to what those who have to work do." Elena stares in shock. He knew who she was? But why hadn't he said anything earlier, or told everyone here who she was?

   The man smiles, a cruel thing glinting in the little light she could she him in. "Don't worry, I already told you that I wouldn't tell anyone your little secret." Elena sputters, "I thought you meant that I wasn't from here!" He smirks, "that too." Elena glares at him. He merely looks down and reaches into his pocket. Elena blanches, what was he doing? Had she offended him? Was he going to hurt her? The man looks up. "Relax, it's just playing cards, See," he holds up a deck of red and black cards. Elena relaxes slightly, relieved, then mad at herself for acting so nervus.

   The man looks up at Elena, then reaches out a hand, "winner is the first to thirteen points." He waits for Elena to grab hold of his hand and shake it. Elena begins to reach out, then pauses. At any of the other tables, she hadn't seen anyone else begin a game like this. Then she remembered, the stakes. "Wait," she says. "What are the stakes?" The man leans back, a small hint of admiration in his gaze. "I wasn't sure if you'd notice." Elena waits for his answer, she might be new here, but even she knew there was always something at stake here in the underworld of the city. The only question was how large the thing was that you risked losing. A ring off your finger, or your life.

   The man pauses, assessing Elena. She squirmed, uncomfortable under his gaze. "A debt, to be used at any chosen time by the winner." Elena looks up, shocked. She hadn't expected this, of all things. She'd thought he would ask for money, or perhaps an autograph to pawn off. But a debt, especially one that could be used for anything? If she said yes, it would be another tie down on her freedom. "No, that's too much," she says. The man watches her, arms crossed across his chest. "I'll put the same down for myself." "I said no," repeats Elena. "You don't have much of a choice," says the man. Angered, Elena glares at him. "I have every right to say no." I don't want these stakes. Change them." The man leans across the table. "What are you so afraid of, princess? These stakes aren't bad. Ask anyone in this room and they'll tell you the same."