Inside Straight

Noel gave her back the cards. “I expect I could teach you, and with practice you could probably become quite proficient, but I foresee some problems. It would be unwieldy to mark all the cards, and you would be tying yourself to the most lethal of your manifestations. Depending on the circumstance, you might want a different power. To pull Death all the time might be coming on a little too strong, don’t you know? Also, this is the crutch on which you hang your power.” Noel tapped the deck of cards with a manicured forefinger. “Would you actually be able to transform if you knew you were cheating? You are Rosa Loteria, the Lottery Rose. If you removed the element of chance …” Noel let his voice trail away and raised his eyebrows.

The girl’s brows snapped together in a ferocious frown. “I can’t risk losing my powers.”

“I would reach the same decision.”

“Well, crap!” She walked away, trailing Spanish like a kite tail of profanity.

Noel fixed on a vapid smile and went strolling. There was a lot of conversation about the concluded Rogue Ace Challenge, but another thread of conversation wove like a line of bright sparks throughout the party.

“… burned to the ground.” Said with breathless excitement by Diver.

“That idiot Bugsy will be behind it.” Said with Southern ice by Tiffani.

“… Peregrine’s fuuurious with Simoon.” Said by Pop Tart, with that tickle of enjoyment at getting to observe anger and not be on the receiving end.

“… didn’t find any bodies.” Said with a thread of disappointment by Jade Blossom.

“… insane with worry.” Said with compassion by the Amazing Bubbles.

“Of course, he’s her itty witty baby boy.” Said with just the right amount of disdain by Rosa Loteria.

Women are always so dependable when you need news. Noel lifted another glass of champagne off a passing tray. He glanced over at Peregrine, and indeed the famous joker’s smile kept jumping back into place as people walked up to talk to her. Otherwise, her eyes glittered with anger, and a strained frown ridged her forehead. Occasionally, she darted a cold glance at Simoon. Noel recalled the girl’s biography: daughter of one of the Egyptian jokers who had sought sanctuary at the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas, she had a second-rate power. Wind powers had always seemed faintly silly to Noel. Of more concern was her connection to Egypt—however tenuous. He decided to find out more.

Noel moved to Peregrine, lifted her hand, and brushed his lips lightly across the back. “Thank you, dear lady. It actually did end up being quite a deal of fun.”

Peregrine’s smile was pinned back in place. “I doubt the Hearts would agree. You defeated them pretty soundly.”

Noel looked over at Simoon. He allowed his expression to shift to grave and disapproving, then nodded sagely. The young woman clasped her hands and stared intently at Noel and Peregrine. High color burned in her cheeks. He inclined his head once more toward Peregrine as she said, “The weather certainly was beastly. Damn Santa Ana.” Noel once again looked over to Simoon and frowned. She came boiling out of the chair and crossed the room with a stiff-legged walk, until she stood directly in front of Peregrine.

Noel hid a smile. Once again the human capacity to assume that everything was about you had kicked in and had the desired result.

“What are you saying about me?” Simoon asked.

“We weren’t talking about you,” Peregrine replied. Her tightly compressed lips allowed the wrinkles around her mouth to escape her careful makeup job. “And feeling the way I do about you right now, it would be better if you weren’t talking to me, either.”

“This is not my fault.”

“You told him about that damn thing!”

“And for all we know the amulet didn’t have anything to do with your house,” Simoon said. “That idiot Bugsy was there, and Lohengrin, and they’d all been drinking.”

“John was not drunk,” Peregrine gritted.

Simoon threw her hands up. “Okay. Fine. Have it your way. Ignore how he felt having to work for his mom, and having DB call him ‘Captain Cruller’ and everybody bossing him around. He was an ace. Now he’s just…ordinary.”

The girl started to walk away. “It was just a necklace. A piece of tourist trash,” Peregrine yelled after her.

Simoon turned around, but kept walking backwards as she yelled back, “If that’s the case, then why are you so pissed? Unless you really are afraid it was magical.”

The room, which had gone very quiet, erupted once again into frenzied conversations. Peregrine turned scarlet, and her eyes filled with tears. Noel pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her. He murmured an apology and hurried out of the restaurant.

Oedipal issues didn’t interest Noel. What interested him was a magical amulet with an Egyptian connection.