Point-of-View: Dracula

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"Well, now, this has gotten rather tight...seven cards left in play, the two of you have two apiece, and I have three. Any one of us could win this," Remarked Sirius, a tension in the air as the three of us glanced at each other.

I’ve still got the Joker in my hand, I haven’t been able to get rid of it since I first got it. My other card is a five. I just need to get my hands on the other five, and I’ll win...I can do this, I have to!

"And it’s my turn to pick...if I’m right about which cards you hold, there’s a two in three chance that I get a card that I need, I quite like those odds," Replied Azriel, before Sirius held out his cards towards him.

Azriel glanced between the three cards in Sirius’s hand, before narrowing his gaze and picking the middle one.

He paused for a moment before flipping the card towards him, letting out an exasperated sigh as he added it to his hand.

"Ah, so you didn’t get what you wanted? I see, guess the odds being in your favor wasn’t enough, and now, I know which cards you have in your hand," Smirked Sirius knowingly.

"Yes, well, that goes both ways, I’m quite sure I know which cards you have in your hand as well. Incidentally, Lord Dracula, the card I just picked is obviously the one that you need to win...if you pick it, you’ll get rid of your final pair, and then with only one card left in hand, Sirius will have no choice but to take the Joker, and you will win the game. Will you be able to pick it?" Inquired Azriel tauntingly, as he held his cards out towards me.

I have a one in three chance of picking the card I need...which one is it? He isn’t employing any tricks this time, he’s holding all three cards evenly...I see, so he’s leaving this up to chance.

Which one should I go for? The middle? Right? Left? Which one? The stakes are high...I want to win-...no, I NEED to win...-and that desire has only continued to grow with every passing round.

Middle? Right? Or left? What do I pick? Which one is it? Which one will lead to my victory? Which one?

My attention keeps going to the middle...but would he really place the card I want right in the middle? I feel like the middle is the most likely to get picked, so placing it there would be risky from his point of view...but then again, that could be exactly why he would opt to place it there.

He might think that I think that the middle is the most obvious spot and assume it’s a trap and not go for it, which would actually make the middle the least obvious spot...but what if it he didn’t think about it that hard?

In which case, would it be the right or the left? I feel like the left is what I would be least likely to go for...but now that I’ve realized that, wouldn’t it be the one I’m most likely to go for? And if he realized that I would realize that, then-...

"Uh, Lord Dracula?"

"Huh? What is it?"

"It’s just...you’ve been staring at my cards for two whole minutes without moving at all, you need to pick one," Replied Azriel, looking a bit impatient and restless.

What? It’s been two minutes?

Alright, I need to select a card...no more thinking, I’ll just let my instincts guide me. And they’re telling me to pick...the middle! Come on, let this be the five-...!

"Damn it!" I exclaimed in frustration, as I pulled a seven.

"Come on, did you really think I’d place it right in the middle?" He smirked cockily.

"Grr...which one was it?"

"Hm, good question, I wonder...which one could it have been?" He responded cryptically.

It’s all but certain that Sirius has a seven in his hand...so if he picks the card I just got, he’ll win, since he’ll only have one card left after that and pass it to Azriel.

Obviously, they’re able to read me quite well in this game...very well, then. He can’t read me if I myself don’t know which card is which!

I then shuffled my three cards around rapidly, before placing them facedown on the table, feeling quite good about this move.

"Go on, Sirius, pick a card," I smirked, as I leaned back in my seat.

"Oh, you finally figured out that you could do that. Alright, then...my chances are one in three here, there’s no point in overthinking it, so I’ll pick...this one. Yes!" He exclaimed triumphantly, as he picked the seven and got rid of his final pair, before holding out his last remaining card to Azriel as he declared, "Looks like I win!"

Damn it! And I was so close too! No matter, I can still end up in second place, so-...

"And I get second place," Remarked Azriel, as he picked the card, a ten.

He then displayed another ten in his hand, before getting rid of the pair.

"You still had a bit of hope in your eyes, my Lord, I guess you didn’t realize that the game was over the instant I won," Chuckled Sirius wryly.

"I suppose this isn’t necessary, but here," Added Azriel, handing me the five.

I let out a sigh as I grudgingly took it from him before tossing my cards onto the table despondently...if only I’d managed to pick the five during my previous turn, I would have won.

And maybe if I’d shuffled my cards differently, Sirius would have picked the Joker and kept the game going...

"So, do you want to go another round, Lord Dracula?"

"No. Fuck this game."

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