Unlucky in Cards

"Unfortunate, Lady Witcher" Frederic the innkeeper chuckled, slamming down a Commander's Horn card and putting his score well beyond anything Eve could hope to match.

"Shit!" Eve cursed, swiping her cards away and conceding the game. Normally she tried to be composed and respectful. That was a lot more difficult after a string of who-knows how many crushing defeats.

Her opponent had taken everything but the armour and swords on her back. Every oren from her pouch, both the coin she held in reserve, and the two hundred odd pieces she'd been paid earlier in the day for eliminating the remote Velen village's griffin problem. Even the few trinkets in her pack she'd been saving to sell off when next in Novigrad.

As she had been settling in for the night, she had gotten to talking with the innkeeper, and as with so many in this war-torn land, talk had soon turned to Gwent. Both had spoken of their passion for the game, with Frederic promising his rare Emhyr the Relentless card to Eve if she could best him.

That card had drawn the Witcheress like a fly to honey. With it, she was convinced she could have entered the Passiflora's tournament with her Nilfgaard deck. Of course, the proper pounding she'd taken from Frederic had disabused her of that notion a little.

"That griffin's head'll look fine on the wall over there." Frederic grinned. Eve inwardly groaned, before heading to the door to retrieve it from Roach's hook.

"Leave it, white lady." Frederic said. "I trust you to bring it in before you depart tomorrow. No sense in you getting soaked unduly-like."

"How very gracious of you." Eve said tersely. Frederic loosed a long laugh.

"That's me! Gracious in victory! Just like King Foltest, rest 'is soul." Frederic said.

After a lull in the conversation, Eve considered excusing herself, and retreating to the room she'd rented to lick her wounds. From the griffin, but mostly from her terrible Gwent performance.

"Witcheress!" Frederic stopped her. "I can tell how much you want this." he said, holding up the Emperor's card. "How about one last game?"

"That would be great. Only problem is, I've got nothing to bet."

"I wouldn't say that, gorgeous. Even if you're unwilling to part with that pretty amulet or one of your swords, a woman as fine as you always has something to wager." He said, his smile growing slightly lecherous.

Such was her desire for that card, Eve considered it. She had come close, once or twice, and Frederic was far from the worst partner she could take. The man was stocky and still well-built from his military days long ago, and with a full head of red hair, the grey only speckling his beard.