Hope

No longer was Noah's mind clouded by thoughts of giving up or running away, it was now focused solely on the goal of winning and getting to tomorrow.

`This is going to end up being a challenge, but a challenge is better than nothing` Positivity was the only way to avoid falling into the trap of defeatism, a deadly pitfall for any gambler, new or old.

Looking into the elf's eyes didn't yield much information other than the cockiness that he had been exuding since the game had started five minutes ago, which, while aggravating to no end, wasn't a very useful action to take, but there was always the chance that the elf would slip up.

But he couldn't spend all day just staring, he had to take a card sooner or later, as much as he didn't want to, as much as he wanted to stop, he couldn't and would have to float or sink, preferably float but at this point he felt like that was highly unlikely.

Still, though he had an idea of a plan formulating, despite what the elf had said he didn't believe that the elf behind him was benign, although if he was doing anything he had no idea what it could be.

And so, before he acted rashly again he would try to gain some information about whatever technique the elves were using to communicate, he didn't once believe in that damn elf's luck, not even for a second.

"That's enough time wasting wouldn't you say?" Noah's train of thought was interrupted by the elf's whining.

`If I could, I would give that f*cker a piece of my mind` his nervousness was turning into anger, which he had to suppress as it wouldn't look great on him if he lunged at a guy for saying some words.

Drawing a final breath he pulled a card, a heart showed itself to him, yet it seemed like the very heavens themselves had been revealed as he was prepared to cry with joy right then and there.

That could wait for after the game though, for he still had to worry about the card difference between him and the elf, it was only a single card, but that could be all the difference and if the elf was truly cheating, then he would lose his chance to counteract as the elf would have more chances to be lucky.

That was a situation that he could not allow by any means necessary, it would practically mean that he had lost before the fifteenth card.

Again the elf remained calm and composed, plucking a card from Noah's hand and adding it to his own without even batting an eye at it.

`Somethings definitely up` he expressed to himself, it wouldn't surprise onlookers even if he did say it aloud, it was evident that something was up if you paid close attention to the elf's behaviour.

Noah had an idea though, it may not work, but it was better than being beaten in such a one-sided manner.

Before he took a card, he shifted his own, pushing the hearts over the clubs and spades he owned, hiding them from the view of the guy at the back.

He then used sleight of hand to take his only diamond card out of the deck entirely, sliding it into his suit's side pocket, he would have repeated this with the clubs but his hand suddenly becoming significantly smaller would arouse too much attention.

He would have to hope that the elf's normal luck was abysmal and that he could pull all the cards he needed before the elf did the same.

He also needed to pay attention to the arrangement of his cards to not give away what was hidden behind the hearts.

All his preparations were finished, so he went to take a card, not paying too much attention to it since he needed to keep the cards in his hand hidden and had to try and not shift them around.

This proved incredibly difficult as he leaned over the table, but somehow he managed, receiving no card in return.

`Oh god, no, I should have never accepted this damned game` his hope now falling to pieces as the card advantage for the elf remained at ten to thirteen.

But all was not lost, for the elf picked up a heart, the wrong card for the first time, clearly his strategy had worked, the elf seeming to lose his nerve a little as well.

Noah was barely able to hold off hysterics for now, but despite this he still had to play, something he had had to tell himself many times by now to keep himself going.

He reached for a card, sweat dripping off making gripping it difficult, the temperature of the room seemingly blasting itself to that of the hot Arabian desert where Noah had been only once before.

Then he noticed that the elf's old behaviour had returned, his ears twitching for a fraction of a second.

Noah was not letting this go to waste and quickly grabbed the card, struggling to do so because of the sweat absolutely covering his fingers, the elf also made it harder by gripping the cards with a much harder grip that bordered on damaging the poor pieces of gambling apparatus.

But there was nothing the elf could do as Noah pried the card from his hand, revealing it to be a club, what a glorious sight it was to him, a shred of hope in what seemed a sea of despair.

He managed to form a smile for the first time since the game had properly started over ten minutes ago, it wasn't over yet, but the worst had seemed to pass and all that was left was steady sailing.

These thoughts were further reinforced by the elf picking a spade once again, getting more aggravated and shaky as his plan rapidly fell apart under Noah's speedy improvisation.

The man behind Noah also seemed to be on edge, more so than the elf in front of him, which told Noah that he had been correct in his assumption that the man behind him and in front had been conspiring to cheat in some way.

`I'll have to ask Julie what she thinks after the games done` he had already regarded the game as done and dusted before winning.

But as he had experienced, once your nerves had gone, it was incredibly difficult to bring your head back into a useful mindset.

He shifted over the table again to pick a card from his opponents shaking hands, the tell of a bad outcome being incredibly visible now that the elf's nerves had well and truly been shaken to a point that they had likely never been shaken to before.

There was very little that he could think of now that would change the tide of the momentum, they were both on card parity from his pulling of another club, and if the elf failed to grab a card this turn he would lose.

But the whims of fate are never so simple as to let something like that ever happen, for he finally pulled a spade Noah's hand, his face lighting up like a Christmas tree as he eagerly slipped the card into his own deck, just one more away from total victory over Noah.

The same could not be said for Noah who once more had to deal with the lingering thought of losing and being forced to be what amounts to a slave to the casino, for however it was, he didn't know the time, but he did know that he didn't want to do it at all.

But he had also made great headways, it had been ten to thirteen not too long ago, now it was thirteen to fourteen, with his thirteen most likely turning to fourteen very soon as he picked a card out of the elf's hands.

And just as he had prophesised, it was a club meaning that it all came down to this last card, the elf had one shot to catch one of the remaining spades and snag his victory, while Noah had to hide the cards as best he could.

The atmosphere was tense, many onlookers had gathered around to see what was going on, Noah just hadn't noticed them due to the concentration he needed to ensure himself a safe tomorrow.

They didn't seem to realise the stakes that were at play Noah noted, they were chatting casually around the fence of the area, looking on every once in a while to see what had changed in the time they had been faced away talking to someone else.

Noah didn't pay them any mind, they were here to watch an exciting show of two guys taking cards from each others hands, if anything sounded more exciting you'd have to be a lunatic.

The elf moved his hand over slowly, his eyes darting in every direction trying to decide which card he would pick, he was starting to hyperventilate, not much but there was a definite increase in the amount of times he was breathing in and out.

Finally he picked a card from Noah's hand, the entire crowd grew silent awaiting the result.

After a few seconds tears started to stream down the elf's face as he put the card back into Noah's hand, for all the showboating and cockiness he really had fell so far from grace.

Noah didn't waste a second on empathy and instead went straight for the killing blow, snatching the last card out of the elf's hand and turning it over dramatically to reveal a heart, his winning card which he swore he would never part with as he raised his hands to the air and cheered.