The heart of the cards had not been benevolent. Adam had hoped for something mirroring a turn in their favour. With the two of diamonds being revealed, it was apparent that this would not come to reality.

The mild disappointment came along, for raising the bet to twenty. The AI considered that Soren would have done so in a kind, making the action needed. Yet such a scenario had not occurred. It would have been fine if the cards began turning in their favour. Then again, if everything easily worked out for him, where would the need of investigation show itself? Adam could win this. He just needed to figure out how.

“I'm beginning to cherish your expression, Troy”, Soren stated, letting one arm to rest on the table, the hand propping up his chin.

“How so?” Troy questioned. It was an afterthought really. The man seemed concentrated on the game, trying to bring himself into the zone of the past. In Adam’s initial encounter with the game, he had been able to act on demand, and stay tranquil the rest of the time. The understanding that he would win, had brought intense levels of concentration into him. Adam was still trying to figure out ways to utilize this mindset. So far he had failed.

“While speaking kindly of older ways, you don't use them much yourself. Your face isn't set in stone, you don't look remarkably concentrated, and you barely glance at any of the cards,” Soren responded, giving a comprehensive explanation of his observations. Surprisingly accurate observations at that. Adam himself was sure that Troy had never taken much thought into it when it came to the cards. There had not been any need for him to do so.

Such a way of mind was not negative, of course. It helped stop any signs from showing themselves. As stated so long ago, one could not reveal their secrets if they were unknowing themselves.

“Didn't you criticize those techniques yourself? As a fellow person of extraordinary skill is not unkind of you to think of me in such away. As if I would lower myself to the levels of a beginner. The ceiling for such a role is simply too low for my tastes,” Troy replied. His voice was sarcastically posh. While such an answer may have seemed unintuitive, it was likely the best one, which could be said. Accusations were never good, to be taken head-on. They had to be deflected through nothing but words. Distractions could also be used, yet it was unwise to create them oneself. Capitalizing on the situation was as important as knowing how to observe it.

“Quite right, Troy. But you are beginning to be a little too abstract. A little dirty on your ways even? Your tactic is less skill and more hoping for luck”, Soren said, with mild distaste. “I had been hoping for something newer. Something original.”

Fabricated or not. This man certainly possessed skill.

“Oh, trust me, Soren. My routines have never been used before. It requires a special type of mind if my methods are to pull off correctly.” Troy defended with no small amount of smugness.

“Really? Are you certain?”

“As certain as one can be.”

“Then, what cards do you possess in your hand?”

Troy did not reply, the bluntness of the question hitting the man harder than before. Adam did not blame him. What Soren had been thinking, the AI wasn't sure. Who would ask outright, and expect an answer that one could use? Or… maybe. Just maybe. He wasn't expecting an answer. This was all just to throw him off.

'Don't lie about the cards. Ask why he wants to know.`, Adam sent. Here, he had not intended to buy into the interrogation. It would have been better, for the bearer of the earpiece, to solve it himself. Yet, the five seconds had passed, and an answer was likely being expected.

“Are you expecting me to answer honestly here?” Troy questioned back.

“No. I am expecting you to be incapable of answering,” Soren mirrored in the level of retort.

“I figure myself knowledgeable in my own hand. It is the point of the game, you know. To try twisting your own cards to work the best with the one’s on the table.” Troy was being vague in his wordings. Again, an attempt had been made at turning the conversation to another subject. At this point, it likely did more harm than good.

“You certainly know the premise quite well. Which, of course, is the reason that I feel aghast by your attempt at subverting it. While it can be looked at as a valid technique, what you are doing takes away the fun of the game. Troy. You aren't looking at your cards. How am I supposed to slowly manipulate you into telling me your cards, if you don't even know what you're what with? It is unsportingly, I say!” Soren said with a final reveal. Adam already knew where it had been heading. Yet, Troy did not seem to have had the same revelation, openly reacting to it. While it was not an overly open reaction, a slightly twitching eyebrow had the capability of telling much, to the trained eyes.

“Are you sure that you are accusing me of the right thing here?” Troy asked, with a slight grin to his expression. It wasn't entirely natural, though, and it certainly showed in the corners. The corners had been raised much higher than they needed to. The man needed a concrete lesson on how to act on command. This was not an acceptable level of deceit. “While I will not deny your claims fully, the focus should be turned to the side a bit.”

“That might be so,” Soren confirmed. “The point still stands, though. I believe that you are incapable of truly telling me what cards you possess, without openly having a look at their values.”

An under-handed accusation to be sure. Not one, which could be surprising to hear again, in an abbreviated format. Yet, Adam would have felt it more necessary, if they had the-

“What if I can?”

“What?” Soren asked. This time, for likely the first time in their entire time, interacting, with a natural reaction.

“What if I did say, what cards I had, without taking a look at them? Would you admit that you made a bad judgement?”

This was not going as intended. A sight end needed to have occurred with their conversation, before the game could continue. Adam had planned it all ahead of time. Could he twist it around now? Change their opinions, and make them have the same views as before? The human mind was a moldable thing, but it never tolerated repeats. Such a thing had been shown multiple times, in the AI’s short life.

“Well, I am not sure,” Soren answered. “What would you propose, if such an impossibility came around?”

Troy was back in it. Adam saw the metaphorical gears changing. Soren was off the offensive and back onto the defensive. Meanwhile, Troy was preparing the stakes, ready to get into the heart of things. The data was unimaginable. To turn the tides of an atmosphere so quickly, with nothing but an innocent question, was a thing that needed to be replicated immediately. If he could do it, so could the AI! It was all about technique.

“That's something I can answer right there,” Troy began it off coyly. The wording did not come to deaf ears. “Since we’re so focused on the game today, how about we make my eventual success a prominent part of it? When I prove myself right, I will get myself a small sum of credits to my name. Namely, a small sum of your credits. Let's say… two hundred credits?”

A gamble. Perfect for the atmosphere. Perfect for the game. And, most important of all, perfect for the thoughts swarming by, in Soren’s simulated head. A risk assessment was taking place. Did the reward outweigh the risk factor? More likely, it was Dr Fidelis making the final call in this, deciding if the simulated man would go along with it.

“Deal.”

The doctor from outside had made the final choice. The game within the game had been set. Another layer and the AI might even begin to be confused.

Getting back to their positions, it was still the turn of the two. The latest card had already been shown, making it the time for them to insert their tribute. From their latest dealings, it would be best to keep it low. While they still had the chance of losing the round, the would expect a small number of credits to stream into their pockets nonetheless. A win-win situation. The difference was still how much one could win from it.

Yet the most important was how much one could lose. Adam could go the way of recklessness and begin raising the bar like crazy. Soren had the chance of being overwhelmed by this, and folding before any larger sums were wasted. Or, if the man had better than average cards, there was a larger chance of him trying to keep the result in the positive. Steady planning could always bring back any lost sum. Any professional would know this. If Soren lost enough, it would be slow play for the rest of the test, steadily taking away their earnings. Altogether, it would be better to stay low, and not carelessly complicate the situation.

'Stay at twenty. We’re letting him raise it if he wants to`, Adam sent to Troy. The message was translated into action, with the twenty credits being thrown into the pool.

“Call.” Was articulated. Soren did not look impressed by this action, yet no words were uttered. The focus was professedly on the game now. Strange, seeing how this man had preached about the rules being guidelines and nothing more. Did one’s opinion change to fit the situation? Were social identities so manipulating of a person's physiological structure, that they made a full turn about their personal beliefs seemingly on the drop of a hat? It was not out in the impossible ranges. Adam had witnessed many things, which could be explained by the phenomena that were the incredulity of human minds.

Genetics was not made with the real, reasonable structure being the centre focus. Survival was. If one survived more, by changing one’s opinion to one of the masses, then the mind would be focused on that aspect. The largest group always did have the likeliest chance of survival. Strength in numbers. Quantity over quality. Not the smartest thinking, but nature was weird in those ways. Adam wasn't supposed to understand it. The comprehension ceiling would stop him long before he had an inkling of understanding. Wouldn't stop him from trying to comprehend it of course but still.

“Then I guess that I will call as well,” Soren answered, mirroring Troy’s actions. Twenty credits were gently cast into the quickly growing pile. Nobody would mind getting their hands on that pile. Certainly not the AI.

It didn't really matter. Those credits were not actual currency. They had no meaning, other than the one which Adam gave them. Yet… had such concepts ever stopped anybody? If people were logical in their goals, humanity likely wouldn't have developed to the point, where he was created. Who was he to say, that such thinking was unproductive when he had been a clear product of it?

With both participants having added a small bit of their credit pile to the mix, they were now ready to move on to the next card reveal. With how it had gone, as of late, the AI was hoping for something… better. Or, more along the lines of him hoping for a better set, than a simple high card. Even a jack wasn't good at being high. Their chances of winning currently stood at thirty-three per cent. If it wasn't anything usable, it had the chance of falling to the lower twenties.

The gloved hands took their time in moving the concealed card to the middle of the table. Adam nearly requested for Troy, to ask if they could hurry it up. His perception of time may have slowed the occurrences of anything but his mental processes, but that was no excuse for this laziness. A flick of the finger and the dealer revealed the second to last card of the round.

The king of clovers was revealed, putting their chances down to twenty-five. If fate was an entity, the AI felt the need to damn its existence.

What was the credit pool at? Too much, was the correct answer. If the next card was as terrible as the last, Adam would not be fully opposed to folding. Their chances of winning were lowered to extreme levels. With their low-numbered cards, Soren simply needed a high card, if he wanted to win. Not the greatest motivator, to continue their little sparring match.

'Call`, Adams sent, feeling no larger needed to give anything more. Troy certainly act like he needed to get anything more, throwing in the twenty credits. The message was repeated verbally, and the ball of action was moved over to Soren.

The AI had initially predicted a copy of the earlier behaviour. No intention of raising the amount himself, yet gladly playing along when another did it. A classic strategy, but not wide-spread enough for it to be called a common one. Otherwise, Adam would have already used it as a method of irritating the opponent. One did not have the ability to think rationally when the right chemical balances were created. Capitalizing on this fact was instrumental if one wanted all the buttons pushed optimally.

Did the AI have such a function? A mental disposition, where he was physically unsuited of thinking clearly? Other than issues outside of his control, he wasn't sure there was anything like it.

Getting back on focus, Soren did not act immediately, instead opting to look Troy in the eye. The eye contact was returned, with neither blinking at any point. Soren's reasoning for this was likely due to a lack of remembering and Troy not doing it due to some conformity around pride. A stupid thing, when permanent sensual damage was put into play.

“Twenty credits is a more modest sum, surely. We’re nearly done with this round, and we haven't gone up to the right level of numbers. Even low-ballers go higher than this,” Soren began, before taking a hefty fistful of credits. “I'm raising the bar to fifty.”

The stakes were put upwards, and the AI did not like it a single bit.