A Game Of Strange Cards

A tall, skinny man walked over to Aaron, offering him a handshake. "I'm Stephen, The Boundless Illusionist." He introduced himself as Aaron shook his hand. "You must have seen some of my illusions on your way in here, right?" He asked. Aaron nodded in response, a smile on his face. "Yes, I did. I must say, your illusions are quite impressive. This should be what you can expect from someone whose Boundless title is The Boundless Illusionist." Aaron complimented him, watching as the man smiled in return. "Thank you! It's nice to hear that new people enjoy my illusions as much as I do creating them." Stephen responded, a glass of what appeared to be apple juice appearing in his hand. "I never thought a Boundless user would be into apple juice." Aaron joked, causing Stephen to chuckle. "I never understood the point of alcohol. Lower your guard in exchange for being sick the next morning after drinking some foul-tasting poison? No, thank you. Plus, unless we wanted to, we can't be placed under the drunken effects of alcohol." Stephen told Aaron, who honestly agreed with him.

Aaron walked over to one of the few tables. There were a few people playing poker. Two young adult males, one middle-aged man and a woman. Aaron did not peer at each player's hand, but when they all played their cards, Aaron realised that they were completely different from what he was used to seeing. "Yes! I win!" One of the younger males exclaimed, dragging the pile of assorted poker chips towards his side of the table. "Damn it!" A woman cursed, slamming her fist against the table. "Hey there," Aaron said to them, his hands in his pockets. "Yo." A different young man said to him. He looked like one of the 'Gangsters' that resided on Earth. "What kind of poker game is this?" Aaron asked, looking at the cards as the woman began dealing their hands, sending five cards Aaron's way as the others shifted their seats slightly to make room for him. Aaron sat down on a chair made from Boundless Telekinesis, so it looked to the others as if he was floating. "It's a customised game of poker that I invented." The woman stated, and Aaron realised why she was angry at losing. Being defeated at a game of your own invention wouldn't be the best experience. "What are the rules of the game?" Aaron asked, looking at his hand, realising that each card was unlike those he had seen before, yet he could understand them. "It's the same as normal poker if you know it. However, they were made with cards that, by Stephen using his illusions, are gibberish to people who aren't Boundless. As long as you pay attention, you know what cards you have." The gangster explained as Aaron nodded his head. Jack of Hearts, Queen of Diamonds, King of Diamonds, Two of Spades, and a joker.

"Oh yeah, just so you know, any two and any joker you get are wildcards. It's to make the game more fun, you know?" The man who won the last game told him. Aaron's expression never changed. A perpetual smile. Aaron knew the basics of poker, but it wasn't like he was a gambling addict. "Alright, I'd like to start the game by raising five hundred Gil." The middle-aged man started, the turn order then passing to the gangster. "Sure, I'll call." He replied, putting five hundred Gil out to the table. This was in the form of a poker chip. Aaron lifted the bag of three million Gil out from his pocket, a smile on his face as he converted fifty thousand of his Gil into poker chips. "Look at Mr Moneybags over here. What'd you do to get such an amount of money?" The woman asked him, his smile never breaking. "I got them from doing a quest that required me to kill monsters. Three thousand Gil per monster confirmed dead, and I killed around a thousand. Treehuggers are apparently a serious threat, aren't they?" Aaron asked, the woman's jaw dropping. "You mean to tell me you went out and slaughtered a thousand monsters, and NOBODY questioned it?!" She yelled in response, Aaron's face as unmoving as a stone statue. "No. I established myself as an S-rank familiar, summoned by the kid I followed in. Since I was an S-rank, nobody knew what I could do. Plus, I had defeated a popular S-class summoner. This could easily be passed off as my full power or only a slight amount. By doing this, nobody can really tell what feat of strength I'll participate in next, allowing me essentially free reign." Aaron explained, shocking the woman as he continued to smile.

"Well, going past that, I'd also like to call on the offer of five hundred." The young man who won the last game said, changing the subject as he placed down his chip. "I call." Aaron continued, betting one of his chips. "Well then. I will call also." The woman stated, a pile of 2,500 Gil stacked up in the centre. "Alright, everyone, place down all of the cards you don't want." The woman stated, watching as the others placed down their cards. The gangster wanted two, and so did the middle-aged man. The woman would deal herself one, while the other young male needed three. Aaron put down no cards.

Everyone picked up their cards, and the gangster immediately folded, revealing his hand. He only had one pair, and it was a pair of fours. After waiting for another few seconds, the woman and the middle-aged man folded, revealing pairs of eights and nines to their respective owners. It was just Aaron and the younger male that won the last round. "I raise a thousand." The man told Aaron, placing in two chips, each worth five hundred. "I'll raise you to two thousand." Aaron stated, increasing the prize pool to 5,500 Gil. "I call." The man responded. The entire match was then worth seven and a half thousand Gil.

The pair revealed their hands. Aaron had a straight, and the man had a flush. All clubs. "Flush beats straight. The match goes to Teraphim!" The woman announced. The man called Teraphim collected his winnings with a grin. "You win some, you lose some," Aaron said to himself, his smile never fading. "Well then, I best be off. I hope you enjoy your day." Aaron stated, standing up. The poker chips he had placed on the table suddenly disappeared, turning back into his three million Gil, minus one thousand five hundred of it. He popped the pouch into his pocket and then walked back over to Coranth, who was just walking around, confused.