《Rise of the Protector》Chapter 11: Pokerface

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Ravok sat at the dinner table with an awkward look on his face. His gaze met with Sarah, who had her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. When he got here, she didn't say anything but let him know how she felt. Red and Blue were eating their food. Cole was still impressed with Red and kept talking to her about everything he managed to do at school, while Red nodded and talked about things a twelve-year-old would like with the same excitement back.

It was not long before Ravok finished his food and offered to clean up the dishes. Sarah only gave him a reaffirming nod while still having her arms crossed, quickly going upstairs, most likely to talk with one of her friends. As she went upstairs, she yelled. "IT'S YOUR EVENING FOR COLE DUTY TONIGHT!"

Ravok only sighed. Originally it was Sarah's task this week to look after Cole and make sure he did everything he needed to do before going to bed and making sure he went to bed on time. But he knew that arguing about whose task it was right now would only create more problems for him. He went on to do the dishes, putting each of the plates in the machine orderly. "Should I help?" Blue asked as she looked down with a confused look on her face.

"Sure," Ravok said as he pointed out the stack of plates. After only a few seconds, it was clear that Blue had no idea how to stack and copied Ravoks placement for items that looked similar to the ones she was holding. Luckily for him, it was not that complicated, and for anything that was placed wrong, Ravok could move slightly. As the two finished, they made their way back into the living room, only to see Red and Cole simply playing a card game, with Cole easily beating Red.

"I win again!" Cole said out loud as he played his final card. Red put her cards down and sighed. "Only because I just learned how to play this game."

Seeing the scene, Ravok couldn't help but smile, not only because it was clear that Cole was enjoying himself but also because Red was seemingly distracting herself from the situation that they were in.

Ravok looked at the time. It was only seven P.M., So they would have to watch cole for another two hours or so before they could do anything else. "How about we all play?" He asked as he looked at Cole, then Blue, who slowly nodded to the suggestion. While Cole only nodded with pure excitement, it wasn't often that so many people sat down to play a game with him.

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Throughout the next two hours, Ravok explained how the game worked, with Red occasionally interjecting, telling Cole that that was not how he explained the game and making it clear that Cole, in their time playing, simply made up the rules to allow him to win—explaining the simple game of lying, how you can put down as many cards as you want and have to call the name and amount of the cards you are putting down, that another player can say that you are lying and check your cards or keep silent and believe that you are speaking the truth. As the quartet started playing, it quickly became apparent who would come out victorious, no matter how well Cole or Ravok managed to lie and how badly Red was lying. Blue's poker face would easily win her most games, with Ravok and Cole occasionally securing a win through a couple of well-placed lies.

At the end of the game, Ravok had to bring Cole to bed, who promptly protested as he wanted to continue playing, but Ravok took a stand and sent him to bed, much to Coles and, surprisingly, Red's dismay. He looked at Sarah's door for a moment and decided to knock, only to get an angry "What!" back.

"I came to say sorry. Something came up," Ravok said without opening the door. He sighed as he waited a moment only to get no response. "Someone chased me through the streets… I had to make sure they didn't follow me here."

The door opened up as Sarah peeked through the small gap. "I know… I looked out the window," She said, her voice upset and irritated. Her gaze avoided him, but she wanted to let him know she was listening. "I was worried… I am sorry for lashing out like that."

Ravok wanted to say something, but nothing came to his mind. He took all the dangers upon himself when he linked with Red. Something in his mind was confused, but he couldn't entirely lay his finger on it as he looked at Sarah. "I am sorry for worrying you… but Red and Blue take care of me… You have nothing to worry about."

"You are lying again…." She spoke in a hushed tone, not wanting to wake Cole back up or maybe to hide the real sadness in her voice. "Can't you just… let them leave? They seem fine…."

Ravok shook his head. He knew that the only reason Red was doing as good as she was doing was the soul link. Yet that was not something he could easily explain here. "I don't think I can… but I think they could help… keep us safe" He smiled as he spoke. He knew the power he gained from having the both of them around would at least help him protect his siblings.

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Sarah looked up, right at Ravok. She knew that he wasn't lying, or at least that he believed that they could indeed help keep them safe. But it was clear that she could not stop worrying, that there would always be something that ate at her heart. It was faint, but Ravok could see her cheeks were still slightly red. In the past, they often became red after Sarah had been crying for a while, but in recent times, Ravok rarely had, if ever, seen her cry. "Just stay safe…." She said as she closed the door.

Ravok took a moment, looking at the door before going back downstairs. He realized yesterday evening that he did not think his decision through enough, and while he would most likely retake it, he could not deny that this was just as stressful for Sarah and Cole, albeit differently. When he came back downstairs, Red and Blue were practicing the game. Blue was winning as Red had her hands full with at least three-quarters of the deck.

"So… back to practice? Or back to practicing cards?" Ravok asked. Blue shook her head as she looked back.

"We shouldn't practice now… we need to lie low for a couple of days before we try something again. Otherwise, they will catch us again," Blue stated as she put down two cards "Two nines… Besides, I am tired."

Ravok looked at Red, who agreed with Blue as she put down three cards. "Three nines" Red had an unmistakable smirk, which told Blue everything she needed to know as she played another two nines, turning Red's frown into a perplexed look.

Blue looked Red in the eyes. There was no hint of any lie behind what she said, and as such, Red accepted it, realizing that she might have been lied to in the first round. Sighing as she realized that Blue was about to win again. "I do think we should discuss our approach in the future…." Blue said as she turned her head towards Ravok. "When we fight, we risk our lives… in this case, all three of ours."

As Blue spoke, Ravok was about to say that he understood what she meant, but she continued before he could get a word in. "In this case, our opponent is also doing so, so when it comes down to a battle, we cannot hold back. They are willing to kill you… us. But are you willing to do the same?"

Ravok kept silent for a moment. He had not thought about it in the single day they spent together but realized that what she said was the truth. There was doubt on his face, yet some part of him heard a voice of an older man, it felt familiar, yet he was sure he had never heard it before. "Be cold. The moment one picks up their blade, they are prepared to die. All we can do is grant them that"

"But… you don't have to be willing to yet… It is just something to consider when you create the weapons and face someone…." Blue said as she returned her focus to the game, looking at Red as she put down her last two cards "Two nines."

In turn, Red slammed her hand on the pile. "That's a f*cking lie" But as she checked the two cards on top, it was clear that they were two nines and that Blue had been lying twice before the last round. She sighed as she put the cards back down. "Fine… you win… again."

Ravok sat next to Red as Blue was sitting at the corner of the couch, turning on the TV as he watched the news. He wanted to ensure that nothing was mentioned about him or Red and Blue. Luckily enough for him, nothing noteworthy came across, some incidents here and there, the current war in Europe raging on, and more "normal" news.

He was tired as a lot had happened today. He fought a beast from another world and had to run away from another human being that could keep up with him even with both Red and Blue's power combined. After the news, some show came on about the police trying to investigate a murder, one of the many shown nowadays. But Ravok couldn't help but fall asleep during it. His head fell against the wall as he started dozing off.

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