Lois Plays On

"Same game?" Lois said.

The demon nodded. "Same game, new stakes."

"Let's play."

And like that, there were no more pussy-chips or breast-chips on the table. Only seven pink chips on Lois' side, and four on Blaze's side the color of tarnished gold. Seven virtues versus four souls.

"Ante up." The demon said.

The reporter hesitated, but only for a moment. She picked up the chip labeled Castitas—Chastity—and pushed it into the middle of the felt. Blaze pushed forward a golden chip with the name Diana Reynolds on it.

She began to deal, red cards flicking back and forth across the table. "If at any point before the final hand, you want to trade...we'll stop." Blaze added.

Lois swallowed, knowing the demon was just trying to get at her, to plant that doubt inside of her...and she didn't want the succubus to know it was working.

The cards were dealt.

Lois: K♥ 3♥ Q♦ 8♠ 8♣

A pair of eights, two face cards. Not a bad opening hand, if the stakes were lower...but they weren't. The reporter tried to think of it as any other poker hand. Keep the eights, obviously. Then either keep the King or the Queen...hope for two pair or a full house. Lois took a breath, knowing even a second's hesitation was being counted.

"Check," she said.

Blaze glanced at her cards. "Check works for me."

The reporter discarded the two hearts. Blaze, who sat there calm and impassive, discarded three cards, keeping only two. At least a pair then, unless she was bluffing.

Can she afford to bluff, though? Lois asked. I have more chips. Can't chance it.

The new cards hit the felt.

Lois: J♠ 7♥ Q♦ 8♠ 8♣

The reporter felt a trickle of terror. It was her bet, and she had a weak hand. Normally she'd fold on a pair of eights—the smart move would be to make a trade now, lose one chip to gain one soul, rather than take the risk of betting more and losing more.

But...she did have more chips than Blaze. The demon knew she had only taken two cards; for all that the succubus was aware, Lois was sitting on three-of-a-kind. If she bluffed it out...she might lose more chips if Blaze called her on it, but the human woman knew she might also win.

It was a hell of a decision, with a woman's soul and Lois' virtue on the line.