A/N: Hey, guys. Didn't expect to see this updated so soon? Well, on my profile, I mentioned that on my birthday that I would give you readers/reviewers an awesome present. An earlier-than-usual update of Xion's Opinions (my most popular story to date), I thought, would be just the thing. XD Here you go.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 10: Luxord the Gambling Addict

Ah, yes, it's time for me to talk about the Gambler of Fate. I'm not sure if there's much to tell about Luxord since he does play with his cards all the time...and not much else. The rest of us make fun of him for his obsession, though he disregards it as though we don't matter. However, he does get back at us by beating us at cards. The members who love betting (namely the older members like Xigbar) have lost numerous munny by challenging Number Ten. The reason? Luxord loves cheating—absolutely adores it. I can't really specify exactly how he cheats, because I don't even know. The tricks he comes up with acutely remind me of a magician's. In a way, he is a magician minus the top hat, cape, and a snowy white rabbit. If he had those on him, we would take him even less seriously.

Just because Luxord might have magic tricks, though, doesn't necessarily imply he is a good fighter. In fact, it's seldom that he gets into any physical fights. Rather, he prefers to play mind games and mess with people's heads. I guess he thinks that's the most fun activity in the world. OK, whatever floats his boat. Anyway, Luxord's powers basically consist of using his cards to attack (oh, scary) and turn his rivals into random, gambling-related objects for thirty seconds. The latter, though, is catered more to the unfortunate sucker who opts to play one of Luxord's little games. Really, that's what the dude is all about. The fact that he also likes games is what makes other members (i.e. me) mock him.

His style never ceases to amaze me; it's just so bizarre for a guy his age to look the way he does. Of course, we all wear the robes. But, I speak of his face. He actually wears studs in his ears! I don't think that earrings look that attractive on somebody like Luxord. I mean, he also styles his hair, which looks like blond peach fuzz on his head—that's what it reminds me of anyway. And don't even get me started on his constantly trimmed beard. I don't know who he's trying to emulate, though he looks weird. The guy is, like, thirty years old, OK? Maybe older, so considering that, he shouldn't even be wearing studs. Or play games or trick people as though he's pulling pranks. Luxord might as well be a teenager only less fun. I mean, if he was my age, I wouldn't hang out with him.

Luxord doesn't have many friends since his cheating at everything from bridge to Texas hold 'em tends to drive us away. No one likes a sore loser, that much can be said. But, a cheater is much worse and extremely annoying to have around. You wouldn't want to be robbed of a potential win, would you? Xaldin hangs out with Luxord, though, for some strange reason I couldn't comprehend. After all, Number Three is the easily angered type and losing games due to cheating is certainly very frustrating. But, Xaldin acts like he's completely used to it, so he doesn't so much as bat an eye if he loses to his colleague. Talk about an odd couple! I would never have seen that coming. Then again, I'm not that good at predicting anything.

Yes, this last sentence means I'm going to relate a time in which Luxord and I did not get along. Do I get along with anybody in the Organization? It usually does not seem like it apart from Roxas, Axel, Demyx, and I guess Zexion. It's just the older guys I hardly get along with. The little spat between me and Luxord started out uneventfully, the quiet before the storm. I had decided to hang out with Axel and Roxas due to the fact I had no idea what to do that day. Besides, I can always rely on those two for a little excitement. Most other members can't supply me with that. I was just walking down a random hall with my friends, chatting.

"Xemnas is such a bore! I swear that the meeting this morning lasted for six hours. My butt was sore the whole time, I'll tell you that," Axel quipped, wearing his customary smirk. That smirk would never go away, I swear.

"Well, I did get hungry halfway through it," Roxas contributed to humor him.

"If you thought you were hungry, I was starving," I half-joked. Seriously, though, this particular meeting lasted forever. I thought I was going to die of hunger. I guess, technically, we should all be dead since we don't have hearts. But the fact remained that Xemnas forgot that lunch existed; furthermore, he disregarded that we can still be hungry. It's our hearts that are missing, not our stomachs. Anyway, as the three of us walked toward the cafeteria, Luxord appeared.

Axel's constant smirk seemed to grow even wider upon seeing the gambling addict, almost as though he expected him to challenge him to a game of poker. "What's up, Luxord? Do you suppose you could play us in a game of—oh, I don't know—all-out poker?!?"

Luxord sniffed, crossing his arms in a proper British manner before answering, "Perhaps, if you three were even worth my while."

I couldn't stand for such a snooty, uppity comment from that guy, the one who thought us so pathetic and basically opined that with that accent of his. When my pride seemed threatened, I resolved to stand up for myself. So, since I was so easily inclined to anger, I replied grumpily, "What do you mean by worth your while, idiot?!? Do you think we can't take you on? Do you think we can't pile up our chips, bet them all, and win? Well, I think we are worth your while. Challenge us!"

Scratching his whiskery chin, Luxord thought over my words while wearing an amused expression. I knew he doubted our abilities, considering we are teenagers. To play against teenagers would bore someone as old as he is. But, despite all these factors, he planned to serve to our favor for once—a miracle in itself, since he tended to trick and wheedle time away before agreeing to anything.

"All right, you're on. Meet me in the billiards room."

He just could never call it the pool room. After all, he always felt the need to articulate properly like some sort of obsessed grammar freak. Despite his many annoying habits, we followed him to that room.

We watched Luxord as he meticulously shuffled a deck of cards that he kept in his robe pocket. Staring at us appraisingly, he pointed Roxas out among the three of us. "You're the chosen one, Roxas. As such, you should go first in playing against me. Axel will be next and then you, brat."

"I have a name, you know. It's Xion. I suggest you use it once in a while," I said sarcastically, observing Roxas shooing us away as he put on his game face. Axel and I took that as our cue to move far from the table to watch the game play out. It definitely didn't take very long, only about fifteen minutes.

"What? You cheated! I know you did, because you peeked over my cards!" Roxas accused, abruptly standing to his feet out of sheer, unadulterated rage.

"You should have concealed them better, chosen one," Luxord replied calmly though in a smart-alecky tone.

In response to that, Roxas stormed off and gruffly told Axel he was next.

Axel attempted to beat Luxord at his own game, just like Roxas tried to. Unfortunately, he also failed, though only because he was caught cheating. Luxord immediately disqualified him, a move that did not set well with the redhead.

"Oh, so your rules say you can cheat, but I can't?!? You're stupid, Luxord!" Axel fumed and furiously strode to me. He leaned over me before he hissed sharply, "Xion, beat him for us, won't you?"

I had serious doubts regarding that ever happening. As you probably understand by now, I often lose to the other members when it comes to almost anything. Winning just isn't one of my strong suits. I seated myself across from Luxord, fully aware of this and anticipating failure.

"Ready to lose, Xion?" he inquired brusquely, flexing his fingers in a bored manner.

With a shrug to answer that, I looked at the cards he shuffled before placing one at his place and one at mine. One for him, one for me, one for him, and one for me until finally we each had seven cards in our possession; our competitive game of poker began. Now, I'm not about to divulge all the rules surrounding poker, since I barely understand them myself. However, this game went by rather slowly, unprecedented by Luxord's means. Lady Luck seemed to like me, because I kept gaining after my betting. The score as to what the cards stood for were going for me. Maybe the fact I dealt high cards and a full suit at one point had something to do with it. I eagerly waited for the defining moment that would ensure either my victory or Luxord's. It was a close game.

What really proved to my advantage was a royal flush in my gloved hands. I doubted anything could top that, and I had only played cards twice and poker once before this.

"What do you bet?" Luxord inquired, barely suppressing a smirk.

Putting on my best bluffing face, I answered stonily, "All in."

He chuckled. "You fool."

Tossing his cards carelessly on the table, they flipped upwards to show a full house. That would have been awesome for him if he played somebody else. I smirked as I tossed my own deck.

"Royal flush, dude. I win."

Luxord appeared flabbergasted as Roxas and Axel cheered, "Yeah, Xion!"

You expected me to say I lost, didn't you? Well, I can't lose all the time.

A/N: Haha, Xion pwned Luxord! And he deserved it too, after all of his cheating and ticking off Axel and Roxas. I never got why Luxord wore studs in his ears either. That's like a definite sign of a midlife crisis right there.

OK, this is random and definitely not story-related. Since they were running out of ice cream cakes at DQ, I ended up getting a Hannah Montana cake. And I ate her egotistical face first. XD Sorry fans of that show, I hate the show and Disney peeps. Sorry for the random me-centric story, I just thought it would be random to tell.

As for Xion's Opinions, expect another update on Tuesday. Until then, ciao!