Dokeshi March: Chapter 44 (Patreon)

Chapter 44

“You never told me your name.”  Grant was shuffling the cards while the man divided chips evenly between them.  “Considering I’m sure you know mine, I think it’s only fair you tell me who I’m playing for my life.”

“Oh, how rude of me!  I’m Koshin Friday.  It is good to officially meet you, Grant Monday.”  He slid Grant his pile of chips, and Grant passed him the deck of cards so he could deal.  “Or should I call you Lord January?  Perhaps Lord February?”

“You seem to know a lot about me, Koshin Friday.  Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”  Grant picked up the two cards that had been dealt to him, barely holding in a wince when he saw a two and seven.  Suki had told him that was the worst combination to get.  “It’s only fair if I know who I am dealing with.”

“Ha!  Fair enough.”  Koshin laid out five cards face down, and put in a single chip.  Grant put in two, since he was the big blind.  Koshin matched him by placing a second chip on the pile, and flipped over the first three cards.  None of which were a two or a seven.  “I am the leader of my house here in March.  Unlike most of my fellow Noble Houses, our branch doesn’t have much debt.  We are used to track down the people who try to avoid paying their bills, meaning we are never short on contracts in a place like this.”  One of his Vassals came over and hung several lit lanterns around the underside of the awning.  With the rain, and the deepening night, it made it seem like they were alone in a palace made of gentle waterfalls.  Grant shook his head to clear it.  The weather was making him sleepy.

“Then why come after us?”  Grant folded when Koshin put two more chips on the pile.  “If you don’t need the debt cancellation, why go through the trouble?”

“Why does a bird fly?”  It was Grant’s turn to deal, so he shuffled while Koshin talked.  “Because that is the bird’s purpose.  It is born with wings, therefore it must fly to become what it was meant to be.  My purpose is to hunt down those who run.  All I am doing is fulfilling my purpose.”  The man took a long sip of wine, and cocked an eyebrow at Grant as he dealt each of them two cards.  “Tell me, Grant Monday.  What is your purpose?”

“My purpose?”  He fell silent while he thought about it.  Grant looked at his cards, seeing a pair of fours.  Not terrible, but not the best.  He met the big blind, then laid out the next three cards face up.  Two sixes and a five.  “I am trying to finish a quest I was given.  If I complete that quest, things are going to change.”

“I don’t believe that is the right answer.”  The man motioned off to the side, and Suki joined them under the awning.  “Your friend, she has followed you on your quest.  Is this her purpose as well?”  Grant thought about it, before finally shaking his head.  “Good.  You recognize that this is not her purpose, just what she is doing.”  This time, the man folded, and Grant collected the few chips on the table.  “Now, let me ask you again.  What is your purpose?”

Grant puzzled over the question over the next two hands.  He lost both of them, but he couldn’t even remember what cards had been on the table.  Figuring out the question was really bothering him.  What was his purpose?  No one had asked him that before.

“Are you going to match my bet, or fold?”  Grant didn’t answer, instead tossing in four chips without thinking about it.  The man matched the bet, and turned over the fourth card.  “I check.  It’s on you, Grant.”

“I check as well.”  Grant finally looked at his cards, and realized that he was one card off of a straight.  If the fifth card didn’t have a nine, he basically had nothing.

“The last card is… a ten!”  Koshin laid down two chips.  “Fold or bet?”  Grant silently slid his cards into the middle of the pile.  He was only one off, but close didn’t count in poker.

Suki was standing behind Koshin, and when he wasn’t looking she kept motioning toward Grant’s wrist.  He was confused at first, but then he remembered he was wearing the bracer she gave him that allowed him to hide a card or two.  While it was tempting, Grant didn’t bother trying to cheat.  Koshin had been nothing but upfront with him so far, especially since he could have just fought them.  They might have gotten away, but it was far more likely that one or both of them would have ended up in chains.  It felt wrong to cheat against such a man.

“Blinds go up this round.  Two chips for the small blind, four for the big blind.”  Koshin laid out four chips in a row, and passed the deck over to Grant.  “Your deal.”

As Grant shuffled, Koshin turned to ask Suki a question about her hair.  It gave Grant the perfect opportunity to cheat, one that even his poor sleight-of-hand skills could take advantage of.  He just dealt the cards.

<An honest man can sleep at night.>  Sarge’s words made Grant feel better.  <Even if that bed is inside a prison cell.>  And then they didn’t.

“Your turn, Koshin.  Bet, call, or fold?”  He seemed surprised when he looked at his cards, and put five chips in the pile.  Grant had a nine and ten, so he matched him.  The first three cards he flipped over were all Jacks, which didn’t help him at all.

“Ah, what a flop!  I would say you are either very lucky, or very unlucky with such a hand.”  Koshin pushed in five more chips.  “Which are you, Grant Monday?”  Instead of answering, Grant pushed in enough chips to match him.  “A quiet man when Time is on the line, eh?”

“No, I just don’t know what to say.  I’m still trying to figure out what my purpose is supposed to be.”  Grant turned over the next card, showing a King.  “Your turn.”

“I will check.”  Koshin took a long sip of his wine, taking his eyes off the table for a good bit of time.  Suki was frantically motioning for Grant to do something, but he ignored her.  Grant also tapped the table for a check, and turned over the last card.  It was a six, meaning Grant had only the three Jacks on the table, with the King and his ten as the high cards.  Not a very strong hand.  “Hm… very interesting.”  Koshin squinted at Grant, as if trying to discover his secrets.

“What?”  Grant felt like a lot of what was happening went right over his head.  “Do you check?”  Koshin just stared at him some more.

“I will check.”  He tapped on the table twice, and flipped his cards over when Grant did the same.  “I have a full house, Jacks over Kings.  I take it you have four of a kind?”

“Why would you think I have four of a kind?”  Grant flipped over his nine and ten.  “I just have the three Jacks.  You win the hand.”  He shoved the chips toward Koshin, who carefully added them to his stack of clay disks.  “It’s also your deal.”  Grant handed over the deck of cards, and placed his big blind on the table.

“If you don’t mind me saying, you are close to losing.”  He pointed to Grant’s pile of chips, which were already down to a single stack of ten.  “You better start winning, if you don’t want to end up in the Dokeshi’s gallows.”

“Thanks.”  Grant was gritting his teeth.  “I am well aware of how bad I am at cards.”  He looked at the two aces that had just been dealt to him.  “Usually.”

The next three hands went by in silence, with Grant only winning once.  He was down to just enough chips to make the big blind.  His cards were a six and three, both the same suit.  Koshin watched him carefully, silently flipping up the five cards on the table.  Grant had nothing.  Suki looked miserable, as if she knew that Grant would lose as soon as he flipped his cards over.

<Don’t give up hope, Grant.  You might be able to escape from prison, and get to the Dokeshi before the month is over.>

“Well, I must admit that I am surprised.”  Koshin stood up before Grant could even show his cards.  “I never thought I would see one in person.  An honest Wielder in District March.”  He waved a hand and his men approached.  Suki tensed, ready to fight.  Grant just sat there, confused and wary.  “Men, pack this up.  I forfeit.”

It was hard to tell who was more stunned, Grant or Suki.  Probably Suki.  She looked like someone had bonked her on the head.

“Why would you forfeit?”  Grant stood, so one of Koshin’s men could collapse his chair and pack it away.  “I’m sure you know that you were about to win.”

“First, it is getting late, and we run the risk of other people hunting you finding us.  Second, this wasn’t a game to see how well you play cards.”  Koshin handed over his empty glass of wine as the sounds of horses could be heard in the distance.  “This was a test of your character.  One you passed.”

“So, you just wanted to see if I was honest or not?”  Grant walked over to Suki and picked up his pack.  “I thought you wanted me to answer your question about my purpose.”

“Yes, that is true.  I would certainly like to hear your thoughts on the matter.”  A large carriage pulled up next to them out of the darkness, and Koshin waved for them to get in.  “Why don’t we talk about it some more, from the comfort of my ridiculously expensive carriage?”

“Are you taking us to the Dokeshi’s palace?”  Suki was standing back, keeping under the protection of the awning.  “Or do you have some other plans?”

“I assure you, my dear, I have no further plans than those I expect you wish to come to fruition.”  Koshin opened the door and waved for them to enter.  “Besides, if you end up winning, all debts will be cancelled, after all!”  His laughter was genuine, and Suki was the first person to get in the carriage.  When Grant tried to step up, Koshin’s hand on his shoulder stopped him.  “You bring change to this place, Grant Monday.  Just make sure it doesn’t change you into someone you no longer recognize.”

Grant didn’t know what it was about the word ‘change,’ but when Koshin said it, Grant felt like he was punched in the gut.  All he could do was shake his head in agreement, and make his way inside.