Pros and Cons (Private: Eli Validus)

It had been a long time since Marick, the now ex-Solitaire, had been to the Oak Inn. Hell, last time he was in here he was a mercenary whose main focus was on cards, booze and the ladies. Nowadays all he was interested in was the booze, what with his card magic out the window and his eyes now only on a single woman in his life. His eyes looked about the cosy inn as he sat back in his chair and smiled as he reminisced of the times he'd spent here after jobs with his supposed friends - the same ones who would later turn their back on him. Fate was a funny old thing.

The Sabertooth wizard - could he be called that right now with no magic? - raised his beer to his lips, taking his mind away from the various troubles for the first time in what felt like forever. Sat in front of him was a game of Solitaire set up from a basic deck of playing cards, as opposed to his old deck which was now gathering dust in his trunk at the guildhall. Without lowering his beer he ran his fingers over each card and began to move them to their appropriate place. Solitaire wasn't as fun when you could tell what card was what just by the feel of it.

He finally lowered the beer and gave another sigh as he looked down at his game, his mind trying desperately to switch off and enjoy the game without any thought. Sadly this wasn't to be as he simply gave in and packed the cards away in defeat. I need my magic back... he thought to himself, before gripping his tankard and downing the remaining liquid in one gulp. He then turn his attention back to the bar, raising his hand as a signal to the barman that he wanted another. I can't call myself Sabertooth's Ace if I can't do anything to help the others...

The Oak Inn was a place Eli tried not to frequent fairly often. While he enjoyed the feel and atmosphere, if he came in to do his 'work' too often, it'd be fairly likely he wouldn't be allowed back in. So, he saved his journeys here for rare occasions, which today definitely was. He needed a break from the guild. It felt almost oppressive to be in the hall too long. He needed to just travel and get out for a bit. Going to the Oak Inn seemed like the best idea to do that. Hopefully he could find a mark and get some stress relief out. While it wasn't that his experiences in the guild were that bad at all; in fact, they had been fairly positive, and that was the problem. He couldn't let himself get attached. 'I'm not going to stay there. I'm not putting myself out like that. I'm a free agent. I always have been and always will be.'

Scanning the room, Eli tried to find himself a good target. It wasn't the most busy it had ever been, only a few people lingering around. There wasn't anyone outright that struck him, but he'd take a better look in a minute. First, he needed a drink. Walking over to the counter, he gave the bartender a friendly smile, placing some jewels on the counter. "Whisky please." Waiting for his drink, Eli turned and scanned the room, leaning against the counter. His eyes almost immediately settled on a man playing solitaire by himself. There was something about the man that rang familiar; like he had seen him before. While that was almost always a warning sign to stay clear, Eli saw a perfect opener and refused to give it up. Catching someone with cards out was the perfect way to start a game, and was the perfect way to start a con.

Seeing the man order a drink, everything seemed to be going perfect for Eli. All the signs seemed to be giving him a go sign, albeit the sense of familiarity. He turned to the bartender, giving him another smile. "I'll bring that man over there his drink, I was about to go see him anyways." Taking the drinks off the counter, he moved towards the man, approaching from his behind. It had been a decent amount of time since Eli had actually played any sort of game. Usually he just did a show or a pickpocket, it was faster and typically less trouble. However, he needed a distraction right now, so a game was sounding good. The man already had a drink, making this at least his second, so it seemed he was fairly relaxed. He nudged him slightly with tankard, extending it t the man from behind with a friendly smile. "It's rather boring to play by yourself. Care for some company?"

What could he do? Did he have to find a new medium for his magic, or what is something that he'd have to re-find all over again? Even after that first drink and his attempts to keep his mind occupied, the Sabertooth Ace was still stuck in that rut. He was given a temporary respite however as he felt a nudge against his arm. Turning around he saw a vaguely familiar face holding a tankard of beer out to him. "Well you're new to the job aren't you?" he joked, taking the tankard and sipping some of the contents before placing it onto the table in front of him. "I wouldn't say boring, but it's certainly not quite as appealing as playing a game with someone else. By all means take a seat, but don't expect an easy game."

Marick took his cards out again and removed one from the top of the deck, rolling it between his fingers absentmindedly. "I've seen you around...you recently joined Sabertooth right?" he asked, hoping he was right on this assumption. If not then he had absolutely no idea where he recognised this young man, meaning his memory was fading almost as fast as hi magic had.

Eli chuckled lightheartedly at Marick's joke, moving towards the seat opposite him on the table. "I work anywhere I can get paid. Unfortunately, this was an act of charity today." Taking the seat across from Marick, Eli tried his hardest to remember where he got the sense of familiarity from. Had he spoken to this man before? He doubted that. Maybe he was in the background of one of his shows? This was gonna bother him for a while. He gave Marick a sly smile, taking a drink of his own before speaking. "Who goes looking for an easy game?" He did, very often. Best source of income. "I'm looking forward to a challenge. The question is whether or not you are one."

As soon as the words started coming from Marick's mouth, Eli tensed up. He recognized him. Crap, where did h- His face dropped down, burying itself in his two hands, not propped up on the table. He was from Sabertooth. Of course it was Sabertooth. He probably saw the man somewhere in the guildhall. Mumbling into his hands, Eli already knew this was a bust. "What is with me lately? Every mark has been from Sabertooth. Seriously, are the gods sending me a message?" Picking his head up, he leaned back in his chair, seeming rather disappointed. "Yeah, I just joined a little while ago, thought not really of my own choice. I'm assuming you're a member as well? I'm Eli, Eli Validus." He extended a hand over the table. Well, there went today's gig. He could probably get a regular, fair game in, but where's the fun in that?

So his memory served him correctly it seemed. The young man was a member of Sabertooth which, it seemed, was a disappointing revelation as his head dropped. "Well you needn't look so glum about the fact we're guildmates." Marick laughed heartily before taking Eli's hand and shaking it. "I'm Marick Lowell, one of Sabertooth's Paragons. Always a pleasure to properly meet fellow guildmates." he replied with as much of a smile as he could manage as the word 'Paragon' stung his tongue, before using his free hand to grip his tankard. He released his grip from Eli's hand and sipped the cold beverage. As he lowered the drink back to the table his eyes looked up and met Eli's with a somewhat low expression. "Heh...sorry. It's hard calling myself an Ace when I can't even use magic right now. Nonetheless if you need any advice or anything in regards to the guild then you're welcome to ask."

With that he picked the cards up from the table and shuffled them. Okay so he didn't have magic anymore. Yet for some reason he still found happiness in the cards. "So kiddo...what're we playing?"

Eli couldn't help but look glum, despite how hard he tried to cheer himself up. He had come here today with the intention of making some cash to get away from Sabertooth, not continue to think about the guild. Eli's eyes almost shot open when Marick revealed his status, not having expected that at all. So this was one of the top dogs of the guild. And he was almost about to try and con him. At least he had dodged a bullet there. If this man was anything like Zenshin, he had a feeling how well it would have went for him. Still, it'd probably be a good way to get himself kicked out. A moral battle started to wage in Eli's head; should he take the risk or should he go for a fair game? Sliding his hand away from Marick, he decided to mirror him and take a drink of his own. "It's hard not to be. I can't say my introduction to the guild was the best, nor was my reason for joining. So forgive me for not being too fond of it so far." So far, nothing had actually made him dislike it, and if he gave it some time, he would probably grow to enjoy being in the guild. Eli's combination of pride and stubbornness however, refused to let him acknowledge that.

He gave Marick a curious look when he mentioned his lack of magic. "You can't use your magic right now? What happened?" This may be the chance Eli was looking for; his odds of pulling this off seemed to go higher and higher. Still, he was holding himself back. Emilia would not be too kind to him if he got kicked out already. He needed to make sure that he got kicked out for something that she'd be ok with. This wouldn't be that. Well, at least if he was gonna come out of this with anything, he could make it knowledge. "As for advice, I can't think of much that I'd need to know. I wouldn't mind hearing a bit about your experiences in the guild though. You can always learn from a senior." He gave Marick a friendly smile, completely faked. Eli had spent many years learning how to feign friendliness and kindness; it made his work a lot easier. As for the game, if it was going to be a regular one, he could care less about what they played. "Anything's fine with me, I might as well give the challenged a home field advantage to be fair. You pick."

So, it seemed that Eli had joined Sabertooth with a similar mindset to how Marick himself had joined the guild; hesitant, not exactly what he'd planned but something he'd gone along with. The former Solitaire couldn't help but chuckle at the similarities. "I was the same way when I first joined Sabertooth, although your reasons for joining in the first place were probably very different from my own." he replied with a smile, placing the deck back onto the table again and taking another sip of his beer before he continued to speak. "Zenshin...I'm guessing he convinced you to join, but hasn't yet convinced you to stay. Am I right?"

Upon being questioned about his magic his expression changed slightly. "Let's just say 'fate' was a bitch quite recently. Nearly lost my life. Lost my magic instead, or at least the ability to use my cards as a medium for my magic power." he replied, before sighing and shrugging. "Still, that's none of your concern. I'll sort something out soon enough. My swordsmanship is fine so I can still do jobs and help you guys out where I can, so that's something right?"

Looking at the cards Marick simply shook his head. "Any game works for me. I've lost my magic but I haven't lost my touch. Blackjack alright with you?"

So, Marick had an origin story like him then? That raised an important question; was he still like Eli, or had he given into the guild's pressure. Taking a slow sip of his drink, he starred the older man down. Who was he really, what was he like? All these questions ran through the con's mind. "I can't exactly say he convinced me to join. It was more along the lines of giving my friend a reason to join, who brought me with her." It wasn't a lie. Zenshin had done nothing but annoy him into joining in a back alley. "I basically gave up on the reasoning if I did he'd stop trying to get me to join." It was true; he had joined more to make Zenshin stop than anything else.

He gave Marick a curiously look, curious what exactly had happened to him. However, he had no intention to pry. It's not like it was relevant to him. "It's better than keeping your magic in a coffin. So long as you can still hold your own, you'll survive." He wasn't too sure if he'd ever go on the job with the guy though. At least the offer was there. "I think I'll be fine on my own, but thank you for the offer."

Eli hadn't played blackjack in a long time, at least when he wasn't the dealer. He also hadn't lost blackjack in a long time for that very same reason. However, this was without his own cards and not sure if Marick would be using the same 'tactics' Eli did. He doubted it, but still there was a chance. "Sure, why not. You want to play house, I'm assuming?"

Marick couldn't help but laugh at the way Eli told his tale. So Zenshin had bagged two new members by...being himself. "Signature Zenshin. He's not so bad once you get used to him. He's just a proud young man who wants to keep Sabertooth's name intact. He might have been annoying, but he obviously thinks you have promise either as a mage or as a person."

He raised the tankard to his lips and down about half of it in one go before lowering the tankard and sighing in satisfaction. Eli made a fair point; at least he was alive and able to fight. "Funny how easy that is to say, yet it's difficult to see it like that when you're on the other side of the table so to speak. Still, you're right. As for the offer...well, it'd be as much of a benefit for myself as it would be to you from the vibe I'm getting. It gets me out of the guildhall for a while and it gives you a proper look into how Sabertooth is. Keep it in mind anyway. It's not like there's any rush is there?"

"I'll let you play house I think." he added, pushing the deck of cards over to the younger Sabertooth mage with a smile before gripping his tankard again. I wonder what kind of player he is...

Eli let out a groan at Marick's words, burying his head into his hand and shaking it as if to push it deeper. "Annoying is an understatement, at least in my opinion." The rest rang a familiar tone in Eli's mind. He did remember Zenshin saying something similar when he first met him though. That didn't mean Eli believed it exactly, however. It sounded like a load to him. Zenshin barely knew him and already had a feeling about his future? "Maybe it's just me, but call me skeptical about that. It's quite the large assumption to make off a brief impression. Also, it's rather annoying to have such expectations placed on you when you don't even want them in the first place."

Eli had no intention of becoming anything like Sabertooth wanted him to be. He worked hard to become the man he was, and was proud of it. His work wasn't honorable sure, nor was it pretty, but it worked and was practical. That was enough for him. As well, it would require him to adapt to ideals he frankly found stupid. Taking a sip from his own cup, he wondered if taking Marick with him and Emilia on a job wouldn't be a bad idea. It's easy to see the reality of someone when they are busy, and if he was like the rest of Sabertooth, or rather their ideals, he could probably deal with it. "I'll keep it in mind, at the very least." He raised his prosethetic before Marick, giving him a sly smile. "As well, you're not the only one to be faced with a tough choice of what to make it out with." While for Eli it was more a battle of his desire for love than his life, it could very well have lead to his death if he hadn't given up. He took another large drink from his cup, trying to force the memories now returning to him from his mind.

So he wanted him to deal. This was clearly not a statement of trust; if anything, it was the opposite. A challenge, so to speak. This placed Eli in a difficult position. Did he think he could pull off a 'game' against Marick? While he didn't know much about the man, being an ace of the guild meant something, and it'd be better to not underestimate him. Taking the deck, he began to shuffle it carefully, his fingers lightly tracing the top of each card as he thought. "Alright then. As for the ante, let's say loser buys the next round, for now at least." Eli's cup was almost empty, so he would have been buying at least himself a drink again regardless. He gave Marick a sly smile as he mentally debated how he'd play the game out.

"I agree, it's far too easy to judge somebody off of first impressions, although they certainly count for something. Still, first impressions can also be a facade. Figuring out the difference is impossible." Marick cut himself short before chuckling. "Apologies. I have a tendency to ramble on when my mind is set in a direction."

Another sip of beer and a sigh as he placed the tankard back onto the table, before leaning back in his chair. This kid was interesting for sure. He was almost the opposite of Marick in his youth from what he'd worked out thus far. Eli's disappointment upon realising Marick was from his guild showed that he'd perhaps intended to rip him off, suggesting he didn't exactly play cleanly. He also hadn't batted an eyelid at the rather pretty young lady a few tables away. Back in his youth Marick would've been wiping the floor with every man as well as taking all the ladies. Certainly a glaring contrast, but both seemingly had their similarities too.

"If you don't mind my asking...how long have you been playing for?"