Swamped

You stop for a moment and think about how the rest of Squib Squad would react if they heard you turned down a challenge.

Yeah, you can already hear the mocking laughter. You're not facing that later. You'll play her game.

But you intend to play it your way.

"Deal a hand," you say confidently.

"I don't think we got beyond the basic rules last time we played," Lisa says, dealing out the cards, then dropping one face down. "So let's stick to them, just to save time. We'll just add one extra rule for speed."

"What's that?"

She puts a card down beside her.

"If you pass, you lay aside one of your cards. Next bet you lose, you've got to hand that card over as well as the others. So passing has a cost, which means the game can't drag on even if nobody's willing to bet. Of course, if you end up laying your entire stash aside, you'll have to make a bet next turn no matter what."

"Works for me."

"Good. Consider that play my first pass," she says, smirking. She draws a card and puts it aside without even looking at it, though she puts it down so you can see it's a Five of Stones. "So it's your turn now."

"I haven't even picked out my card yet."

"I know. It's called taking a handicap. You get a free turn, and a free card. So make your choice, and then tell me your bet."

You look over your cards. Nine of Wings, Ten of Leaves, Six of Wings, Nine of Blades, Six of Blades, Nine of Stones, Scholar of Wings.

Which one will you lay down?