3. Relm Plays Her Cards Right

"Hi!" Setzer didn't glance up from his game of solitaire; there was only one person on the airship who could make a greeting sound like a demand.

"Play cards with me." And then make an actual demand. The gambler sighed. He wanted to protest, but he knew there was no getting out of this; if he didn't play with her, someone was sure to berate him for upsetting a little girl.

Relm beamed when she saw him shuffling the deck. She slid into the seat across from him with a devilish look on her face.

"The name of the game is Crazy Eights! Deal 'em out, captain!" Setzer raised an eyebrow slightly but complied.

"I'm going first," she announced. The man smiled slightly; everyone always thought going first was to their advantage. He placed a four of spades on her four of hearts. She huffed, putting a hand on her hip as she studied her cards. He smiled again and examined his own cards.

"Ha!" The game continued. She huffed and placed a hand on her hip again when he lost another of his cards.

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Setzer grew mildly frustrated; his hand seemed to be growing while hers was almost nonexistent.

Finally, placing her last card on the pile, Relm grinned a cheeky grin.

"All right, what do I win?" Setzer glared at the girl. Nevertheless, he began searching his pockets for some small trinket that he could give to her as a prize. It was about then that Strago strolled up to the table. He squinted at his granddaughter.

"Relm, what is that in your lap?" The gambler's head shot up, and he, also, shot out of his chair. There, in Relm's lap, sat a stack of drawing paper and one of her magical paintbrushes. A half-done ace of clubs was on the top sheet. He turned to the girl with a icy stare. She grinned, but when he turned to leave, she protested.

"Hey, I thought I heard you liked low tricks like that!" Setzer stopped, covering his face with his hand and trying not to smile. He dug a ring out of one of his pockets; it was of no importance to him, and it would surely be too big on her. He spun around, dropping the ring on the table.

"I look forward to another game," he said with a smile. As Relm happily examined her new treasure, Setzer tried to recall how many games he knew in which dice were used. Not that they would be loaded.

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Thank-you for your time~!