Private Guilty as Sin

[Lila Lacrimosa]

[art credit]

Telephassa, a free state that boasts of its constantly expanding city by the same name. It is always under construction; roads continuously change, and buildings grow wider or taller until unrecognizable. They say those who visit one day and return a year later will be unable to find their way. The residents of Telephassa enjoy the night air out on rooftops, surveying the construction still at work. There are always whispers about lumber shortages, but the construction never halts. Many work in the mines, collecting quartz, feldspar, rutile, garnets, sapphires, and diamonds. Pearl farmers also carry their findings to the prominent center tower of the city.

Its great blue dome can be seen for miles; all roads lead to it. The building is many stories tall and home to gemologists who assess the quality of stones and minerals for trade. Some disgruntled mine workers say these rock collectors make more than the political and noble families who have also found a home. Many allude to them setting the pace of the city's construction and that their taxes must fill greedy pockets.

Merchants can enter the city from a river that leisurely travels to the sea. By boat, new miners often make their way to the mines to work for months away from their families. When they do return, they are tired and thin but are offered an entire month of rest before needing to return. Nearly all their food is exported, so while merchants do not stay long, the families who own a successful general store need not worry about going to the mines, the pearl farms, or learning construction work. Those chosen to protect the city most likely paid someone to put their name on the list, as the city has employed a referral system for new soldiers, making Telephassa all about who you know instead of what you know.

Lila found the entire city to be disgusting. The city was an amalgamation of completed homes, new and old, and homes yet to be built-- or worse, homes still being built. The streets were crowded, even as the moon climbed higher and higher into the sky. She couldn't believe her eyes when she caught sight of a mother walking with her young child. Did they not enforce bedtime? How could that mother ever expect her child to behave if not given strict rules and a routine? No wonder why so many young men went to the mines and the young women found themselves at a pearl farm.

Why the Empire chose not to take back Telephassa was beyond her. The guards she had passed wore shoddy armor, which a desperate king might place on his strongest, sturdiest peasants because all his knights were already losing on the battlefield. There must be some agreement made, one that benefited the Empire. When it didn't, she imagined the Empire would take it back and hopefully set about some much-needed rules. Firstly, all children should be in their homes by sundown unless they work, but only a fool would hire a child to build a house.

She paused, eyes the color of purple thistle looking over a building with a lopsided door and a window that looked cut out with a spoon instead of a knife. The wall appeared lumpy as if someone had smacked a handful of clay to plug a hole. Cracked brick around the corners of the home couldn't have offered much stability, and when she inspected the roof, she saw the beginnings of black mold in the eaves. She had heard that no one owned a home in Telephassa, and instead, they paid a small sum of rent to a man named Poep, rumored to be the wealthiest man in all of Telephassa, even more than the Praetorian who had kept this city free.

Anyone with a privileged name could find out what Poep enjoyed doing in his free time: running his little casino for the rich and ultra-rich. Amongst her mother's circle, Lila had heard the gossip of Poep rejecting anyone from the Capital, despite their status or heavy pockets. Lila suspected he got a kick out of it since there were rumors Poep was relatively small and had a particularly nasty smile with crooked teeth that couldn't cover all his gaps. He probably thought he was shaming the Empire by accepting everyone, even those struggling, into his casino.

Lila had found her way to the city's center, the enormous building a goliath amongst everything else. Craning up her head until she felt an uncomfortable pressure in the back of her neck, she barely glimpsed the steel-blue dome. The casino was below the first floor, though she had yet to figure out how to enter it. She tried the twenty-foot wooden front door, knocking, and then tried pulling on a latch on a cut out of a normal-sized door. No one answered her, and nothing budged. She placed her hands on her hips.

She knew He had to be inside here; where else would a traitor like him go? But he must have found a way inside. If he could do it... well, then, so could she.

 

[Zalan]

Inside, the world seemed a place all its own. Lavish and opulent. Dark granite tiles spanned across the floor, made it seem as if the whole room sat atop the belt itself,f and all the stars that twinkled behind it. The well to do mingled with the desperate hopeful to the light of crystal and the glow of gold.

A bump came from behind Zalan, and spilled out some of the sweet smelling drink he had been enjoying from the needlessly luxurious glass it had been served in. Wide brimmed, like a cymbal, a trick of the glassblowing, turned the crystal a warm and brassy gold.

"Well, shit," he cursed through the din of the gambling house, and wiped away at the spill. "The one time I wear my good-"

"Zalan, you unwashed hound, is that you?" a voice like velvet came from across the way.

"Fuck," Zalan muttered. Eyes squint, he turned with a smile. "Artemesia," he said with an upturn of his lip. "Why, isn't this a surprise?"

Long like a mountain cat, Artemesia stalked forward. Her gown sweeping across the polished stone, like a curtain of night spilling against the dusk. A look, all too pleased, smoldered in her eyes. "I would say so, but then, you've always been fond of your little, dens, haven't you?" she came to a stop near to him.

"Where else would I have caught a drink with such fine company?" he raised his drink to her.

Artemesia smiled a wicked smile. "Does that ever actually work for you?" she turned away.

Zalan shrugged. "Depends on your definition of success," he said with a secret laugh, and took a sip. The two lingered about each other, whilst dice were tossed. Fortunes won, fortunes lost. "So," he began, as he stepped closer to Artemesia, put his elbows on side of the gambling table as he spied the coins placed on their bets. "You workin for Poep?"

Artemmesia smiled sharper. "And what would make you think a thing like that?"

Another roll of the dice. The jeweled bones glimmered and shined as they skate across the table.

"Call it intuition," he added, and took another drink.

 

[Lila Lacrimosa]

Walking around the entire perimeter of the tower took too much time. It took too much time because it was the walk around that one had to do twice or thrice, and while Lila knew her mental prowess was her greatest asset, even she felt she had missed things on her first walk-through. There was too much that could be important, and even more that wasn't important. There was graffiti on top of graffiti, the most recent a lanky scrawl of "Same shit, different smell." She found numbers on one side, thinking maybe it was some code to help her get inside, but then figured the eight numbers were probably a vital date for some nobody.

Deep scratches marred the window's iron bars, as if a wild beast had tried to break in; however, closer inspection revealed shoddy workmanship. Everything about this town looked impressive from afar, but with a single gimlet glare, Lila found it an illusion of grandeur. So where in the forgotten hells was this damn casino?! Was it secretly inside a pigpen? That would fit the Telephassa lie of doing better without the Empire.

"Let me in," She grunted, both hands holding onto a poor iron bar and shaking it so the window behind it would rattle behind it. "Let me in!" Would it have been better if she shouted 'open sesame' into the night air? She could feel grim sticking to her fingers.

"Uh, excuse me, Miss?" Lila swung her head over one petite shoulder, probably looking like a wild beast. At the very least, she looked like she was trying to force herself inside a tower that houses thousands of rare gems and jewels, rumored to cover every wall from floor to ceiling. A guardsman on watch, with a face as youthful as her little brother's. He should have been inside, asleep in a warm bed, not patrolling the streets.

"Do you know where Poep's little cash grab is?" She let go of the bars. "I was told it's in the basement, but how the hell am I supposed to get there when everything's locked?" The inside of her hands and fingers were black, like wood scorched by hungry flames. She was tempted to wipe them clean, but not on herself. The boy gulped, looking to the side. He was not like her brother, despite the roundness in his cheeks. He was unsure, nervous. He was weak. Perfect.

"If you were invited," He began, but Lila shook her head and strode towards him. He gawked but didn't move as she faced him head-on. He only flinched a little when she clapped both hands on either side of his thin pauldrons. At least he didn't squeak.

"I was invited, word of mouth." She didn't stutter, her eyes staring straight into his. He must have thought her to be unnerving in her confidence, as if she were a gargantuan man with an enormous sword. "Now, if you know how to enter, you must tell me because I will look like a fool to all my partners inside who invited me. You must understand how they think of us, too young and too stupid, right?" She saw the shift in his nervous brown eyes. Like a well-seasoned musician, she knew how to strike a chord that unified people.

He looked past her shoulder, and she turned around. His hand reached out, pointing at an unused stable across the street.

"You can't enter through the Cabochon Repository because of... well, stealing and stuff. So a stall with a trapdoor takes you to the tunnel that leads to the casino." Lila was silent, mulling this over. "I swear, I'm not pulling a fast one on you."

"Oh, it's not that." Lila said, biting back a cocksure 'you couldn't even if you tried.' The boy was being genuine, and his insight was appreciated. She just found it to be strange, entering from a tunnel below. The casino was said to get busy, and she hadn't seen anyone lurking around the stables. Were there multiple secret tunnels and exits, then? "Thank you. Here, enjoy something on me." She released the boy and shoved a small copper in his hand. She pivoted on her heel, her brows set low with heavy determination.

 

[Zalan]

The dice rolled up three ones. Zalan clicked his teeth. As one man shout with joy.

"One hundred eighty to one," the dealer offered the large some of winnings to the man, who greedily scooped up the silver coins.

To another, the dealer pushed thirty silver forward, for the one, and scooped up the rest.

"You should've gotten the insurance," Artemisia said, her smile like a knife in Zalan's gut, while her fingers scooped up the silver stacks that were her winnings.

"And you should've bet with gold," he managed through wry grin.

"Now now, don't be bitter," she set her coins near to her. Thirty silver. Put a small stack forward. "Five on big dragon, one on the Alls,"

The dealer whipped his cane across the table, and shuffled up the coins. Put them in their requisite box, simple as could be.

Zalan put a gold piece on the table. "On small,"

Out came the dealer's cane, scooped it back and onto the proper grid.

"A big bet, and a small upswing," Artemisia teased.

"Gambling's gambling,"

Artemisia looked pleased at that. "So it is," she took a sip of her drink, savored the bubbles that fizzed in the fluted glass. She pulled her lips away and asked. "What brings you, to the Stolen Jewel, Zalan?"

The mercenary playing patron smiled at that. "You said it yourself," the last of the bets were scooped to their spot amidst the grid. "Just another hound whose' found his den,"

Sharp smile turned sharper still "As easy as that is to believe, we both know that isn't true,"

The three die were let fly.

 

[Lila Lacrimosa]

"Don't be rash, Lila." She whispered, walking along a long corridor created from shroudweaving through granite. Though they had smoothed the walls, floor, and ceiling, they could never buff out the streaks and whorls left from such powerful magic. Steel beams held the ceiling overhead, a lantern burning alternating from the left or right beam. Her steps echoed around her, the tempo quickly building up as she approached the grand granite door. It was hard to ignore the eight circles representing the eight daughters and the door's outline representing the Mother. Who would have thought Poep to be a pious man? Or perhaps it was a warning instead. Each circle had an intricately carved scene, and the upside-down hanging man didn't go unnoticed by Lila.

"Be calm like Mother," Lila breathed, picturing her mother's stern face. She closed her eyes, remembering the story she had overheard about her mother catching her father dancing with another woman. Instead of ignoring it or making a scene, she strode up to him, greeted him warmly, and then complimented the woman's dress before offering her tailor to the woman. The woman had left immediately, unable to do or say anything, when her mother smiled benevolently upon her. Lila supposed her father failed to do anything more than hang his head in shame, but no such story of his infidelity ever reached her ears again.

She knocked on a small part of the door that was not carved out, for this door had no handle for her to try. Probably best not to make a fool of herself here like she had outside. The hanged man swayed from his rope so slowly that Lila thought her eyes were playing a trick on her. A pair of granite eyes opened, soft blue light emanating from pupils, twin blue moons that brought to Lila's attention how much dust was floating about in the air.

"Name." A granite mouth from the hanged man moved in uncanny movements over one word.

"Any name I choose?" Lila inquired.

"Any name to gamble with, though many like to go with names to bring them fame and wealth. It just has to be unique to you. Fortuna is already taken."

"Violet."

"Heh." The hanged man snorted. "How creative. It's been taken. Try again." Lila narrowed her eyes at the piece of swaying granite.

"Okay, fine... Violet Lila." There was a pause.

"Taken."

"Oh, come on." She groaned, rolling her eyes dramatically. Her hands had already turned into fists.

"If you're going to keep being simple, might I suggest adding a number? Violet Lila three-oh-four is available."

"No." Lila gnashed her teeth together, trying to piece words together, or even think of one word that was so spectacular and her but also unique and unused... and while words did come to mind, she found them to be such a poor representation of her. How could she choose one word to encapsulate all that she was? Two wouldn't be enough, but there was one pair of words that suited her, even if she hated hearing them. "Mourning Violet."

"Hmm." This time, Lila waited for a much longer time. Right as she opened her mouth to ask just what was taking so long, the hanged man spoke. "Your face and name have been recorded." There was a rumble as the door was pulled back, swinging off from the starry and mystical shroud. Lila stepped through, concentrating as hard as she could to feel herself pushing into a bubble barrier, holding her breath. She blinked, and the sensation was gone, the magic so meticulously woven that Lila couldn't feel it even if she kept herself from breathing or blinking. The moment had passed; it was too late.

Someone chuckled, an old man off to the left in a small room. He grinned at her, missing a bottom tooth. He snorted like the animated hanging man had.

"You shouldn't be peeking at things not for you. Don't be a troublemaker; more eyes are here than mine." Lila raised her chin, somewhat defiantly, but mostly from emulating how her mother would look when arriving anywhere. Shoulders back, spine straight, suck in the gut, head high, eyes forward, and walk with measured grace. "Have fun, Violet." The old fart called after her, and Lila couldn't stop her lips from silently mimicking his words, followed by another roll of her eyes. No one needed to tell her to have fun. She knew how to do that.

Finally, Lila Lacrimosa had arrived, pushing past many layers of heavy velvet to bring her to the Stolen Jewel. She squinted at all the bright lights: candles and lanterns, some with wax and oil, others with magic and sparkstone. The place was gaudy, with brass shined to look like gold and everything else painted gold. Loose, gauzy fabric shimmered with golden sparkles, wrapping around white pillars still accented with gold paint or hanging over archways. Tapestries and paintings hung from the walls, golden frames and threads woven around borders. There were white sculptures of nude men and women, coyly hiding whatever was between their legs with pearls, large handfuls of jewels, or... even a lumpy piece of gold ore. Thank the Mother that Poep hadn't had the bright idea to make the floor gold, instead keeping the dark granite that matched the tunnel from earlier.

Lila grimaced at the fake opulence of it all, but as she began her search, she realized that finding the traitor would be hard. For one, some weirdos wore masks. For another, she only had a vague description of him: a scoundrel and a gambler with brown eyes and hair. She prowled underneath an archway, turning her head this way and that as if the man would walk right in front of her. Even a youth like Lila knew that was wishful thinking, nothing was ever that easy.

"What brings you, to the Stolen Jewel, Zalan?"

Zalan? She eyed a nearly full table, only one seat open. Three men and one woman. She knew who Zalan was? Which one was it? All the men had brown hair! But, one lead was better than none, and so if she sat at that table and played a few games, she could probably figure out which one was more of a scoundrel. Lila scampered to the last seat, elbowing out of her way a short, stocky man with a balding head.

"Hey!" He shouted, rubbing his ribs and shooting Lila a glare.

"Ladies first," Lila said, using one hand to sweep her skirts over the wooden stool to sit more comfortably. The man looked to the dealer for help, but the dealer only glanced at Lila before finishing this round. The man walked away, grumbling about something or other about her not acting like a lady, but Lila didn't care, glowering at each man separately.

 

[Zalan]

The dice tumbled and smacked against the table's side wall. Three pale bones, with jet black eyes that marked each face's number. Little red rubies their pupils. A two. A three. And a six.

Zalan clicked his teeth.

"Big!" the dealer called out. Most of the table let out a groan. "The dice show, eleven!" out came the cane to scoop the dice to the center of the table. A practiced gesture of the hand to show the more clear the three dice, and their jeweled eyes that twinkled their promise to all who rolled about the Sic Bo table.

Out went the rake to gather the coins once more. Zalan turned his head away. Looked in turn to each face that had come to the table.

Purple hair. You did not see that very often. But it never did well to stare. His eyes moved on, fell back to the table as the payouts were being dolled out. Artemisia quick to scoop up her five silver pieces, leaving five there in the betting circle.

"My, you have not changed one bit," Artemisia gave. "Things don't go your way, and you go all dark and quiet, as if the world won't see you if you stand still enough," she mimicked his expression, almost playful as she exaggerated the curls of his brow, and the depth of his frown.

Zalan grinned, almost laughed. A bitter and caustic thing. "Whose to say I had any which way, Misia?" he put down his last gold piece.

"You play the fool, Z, you always have, but we both know the depth of your act. I'm to believe you're just here for fun?"

The dealer signaled to the rest of the table for bets.

"You're here, ain'tcha? Playing the part of Poep's little guard dog,"

A cold smile. Sharp as broken glass. "If I see you in here after tonight, I'll bring you in myself, Zalan, and that's a promise,"

"Final call for bets!"

 

[Lila Lacrimosa]

Lila strained her ears towards the conversation between the woman and the scruffy man beside her. She turned her head to glower at the dealer instead, watching him rake in coins after his call from the dice. Damnit, she hadn't watched the dealer whatsoever. She bit her lower lip, pulling out her coin pouch beside her hip and opening it up. She might have come from a wealthy family, but it wasn't like her parents or brothers would lavish her with money. Though she always had clothes with holes and sturdy boots that could last for years, most of what Lila received were gifts that felt foolish to resell.

She would act like a newcomer and play into her youth. She placed various small bets along the table, following the men who had put much larger bets on a single color or symbol. This time, Lila would watch the dealer, see if she could catch a trick up their sleeve, or figure out if the die was loaded somehow. Her lips moved in a silent chant of concentration, losing her focus on the conversation but catching bits and pieces.

A shiver coursed down her spine.

Z.

Zalan.

Final call for bets.

Lila swallowed hard, her body now tense. She hoped she looked nervous, not ready to leap across the table and grab the man she was after by his collar. That woman beside him, though... pale violet gaze flicked towards her momentarily before returning to the dealer and his hands. Maybe it would be better to wait until she wasn't at his side, what with all their flirting. Lila ignored the urge to roll her eyes at their words. Bring him to her room herself? How desperate.

 

[Zalan]

Zalan's eyes narrowed as he pushed forward his last coin. "Small," he said again, though his eyes stayed fix to their sides as he eyed Artemesia.

"Odds, and the Alls," Artemesia said cold as a winter chill.

Come the bets. Come the cast. Out went the dice from their cup. All tumble and roll across the table field. Smacked against the walls, clattered on corners. A three showed first, a three once more, that last die tumbled and spun upon a corner, slowed as it leaned towards four, wobbled toward five. The dealer gave just the slightest tilt of his nose. So too tilt the die. Landed on the five.

"11! Big! Odds!"

One of the men shout with glee. "Doubles!" he called out.

Zalan's frown deepened as his last coin was swept up, and the payouts were dolled out.

A quick swipe of the hand saw Artemesia swipe up the coins again. "Better luck next time, Z," She said with her sure smile, and made away from the table.

Zalan took a look down at his drink. Gave it a swirl. Glanced to the purple haired young woman beside him. "Hope you're luck is better than mine," he said, and offered her a little raise of his glass. Took some steps away before he took a drink.

 

[Lila Lacrimosa]

How lame. In only a few seconds, Lila had lost all the little bets she had made. It turned out betting on nearly everything wasn't a good idea. It also turned out that the woman in her black dress, Misia, was part of Poep's underground casino. She won just enough to seem lucky, but not enough to warrant dissatisfaction amongst other patrons. The look on Lila's face was a mixture of regret and frustration. It left a foul taste in her mouth to lose this way.

It wasn't enough to detract her from her target, so she moved away from the table. She slid off the stool, leaving behind one chip she hadn't given away to another or the house, and chased after the traitor. After all, he had spoken to her. He had started the conversation with her. Was it even weird to chase after him?

"Wait!" She was quick on her feet, far more nimble than others who waded around the tables. She had yet to drink, but more importantly, Lila had trained herself to have quiet footing. Lila had taken her studies beyond the shroud, struggling against the physical limitations of the human form. She knew she wasn't the only one to do so. Her hand snagged at Zalan's sleeve, tugging him back to her.

"To fool destiny, you mustn't go to the first table you see," Lila said with firm conviction. Her eyes were steadfast, matching her tone. She was young and didn't occupy much space, but her will was indomitable. Relentless. "The second table, or the third. One must tempt fate over destiny. Join me."

@Zalan

 

[Zalan]

A snag, a pull, brows pinched and breath hissed through Zalan's teeth.

Yet before he could snarl and shout, he found himself confronted by eyes most unnatural. Shroud-touched. A young and pretty face spoke of destiny and fate. Such heady words hung over Zalan like the warm winds of a monsoon that gathered in the near distance.

A flash of lightning across his mind's eye.

"You sound like an addict," he said flatly. Pulled his hand away from her grip, and smiled, sinister as his gaze flit up to look for Artemesia, but the desert cat had already stalked away. Off to play with some other mouse, no doubt. "Sure, kid, we can roll a few bones," he said simple enough, and mozied off to find a serving tray. Snagged up a drink.

Something bubbly and dry against the nose. Its effervescence tickled each breath before he took a sip. Pulled the drink away as he went on with his steady stroll.

"You fancy any games?" he asked, and spared the youth a glance.

 

[Lila Lacrimosa]

Her grip was tight and hardly polite, but Lila didn't care, her gaze beseeching and severe all at once as she waited with bated breath. He had looked annoyed at being interrupted, but a little less so the next second. Lila figured he had expected someone else, or maybe he didn't like being poked and grabbed by a stranger. Lila could empathize with such a sentiment. She grinned. He hadn't turned her away.

"I think I sound like a genius." After all, even addicts win a round now and then. She followed after him, a step or two behind, not keeping his languid pace because his legs were longer than hers but because she was looking, searching. Her gaze didn't stay still, moving from one table to the next, from one face to the next, from one dealer to the next.

Did she fancy any games? Her lips stretched further, curving into something that was a crescent moon made of pearly teeth.

"High-low." It was a risky game, one designed by chance and chance alone. Any roll of the three dice meant a loss or a win immediately. Two-hundred-and-sixteen combinations were possible when one bet on all three dice, but many preferred the odds of one in fifty-six by betting high or low. So it was no coincidence that it was also a game known for being rigged, nearly impossible to beat unless destiny did smile upon a player. That was even rarer than winning. Maybe she was an addict?

She skipped that step and half and was beside Zalan, pointing at a table in a far corner.

"That one. It's practically empty. Everyone must be losing there." Gimlet gaze turned up towards him as she craned her head to the side. "So one of us will surely win in a round or two over there, as long as we place humble bets."

@Zalan

 

[Zalan]

A laugh there in the back of Zalan's throat. "If I had a coin for every genius I'd met at a dice table, I'd own this whole gaudy place," he said in a hush, smile warm as an iron sat over a flame.

He couldn't say he didn't like the confidence though. And there was something about that smile. Wild and reckless. A go for broke energy he had to appreciate. Even if it was the sort that had landed him in more than one bad spell or two.

She called her game, picked her table, and there they stood, but strides away from the dealer and her cups.

"That's the grand strategy, huh?" he smiled his fools smile. Took a a long sip from his drink, and was well aware of just how many coins he had left. "Suppose gambling, is, gambling," he said, all hound's teeth there beneath the curl of his lip. Looked back at the young lady, saw the thrill there in the glint of her eyes. "You know, maybe you really are, a genius," he said with a laugh, and went to the table.

 

[Lila Lacrimosa]

Lila bit her lip, keeping words trapped within her mouth. She thought about telling him how he'd only be able to own the casino if he had one coin and the right genius-- and she liked to think of herself as the only real genius one met once in a lifetime. Geniuses were rare, like her, and she felt herself to be the rarest.

"It'll take three games at most for us to start losing horribly," Lila whispered. The dealer had already looked their way, a welcoming smile splashed across their face. It matched their eyes, even the little twinkle from the arcane light above the table. Lila turned around, surveying the lay of tables, looking up and seeing a balcony. Where had the stairs been for that? Just how far underground were they? A woman leaned against a pillar, red velvet curtains with golden trim behind her, obscuring the rest of the patrons there.

"High rollers. By the night's end, I'll be there," Lila turned back to the table, no longer hesitating to sit. She sat on a seat to the dealer's right, pulling out her coin purse and placing ten coppers onto the table. She pushed them to the dealer who continued on with the magnamious smile as she traded them in for hand-painted tokens.

"Do you know how to play?" She asked, sliding dull brown tokens back to Lila. The table's dark wood was painted with white lines and boxes, representing the die and all its sides.

"A little," A lie and a smile went hand in hand. Lila attempted that slow, bovine blink her classmates did when they didn't grasp something a professor said. She needed to be underestimated, to keep those with eyes preoccupied by others who were genuinely luckier than her.

 

[Zalan]

Gambler that he was, and fiend that he was, Zalan was more than a bit curious as to the how and why of this mysterious young woman's plan.

The confidence, the certainty.

Either she was a real shark... Or she was lost in the depths of depravity. Either way.

"Sounds fun," the mercenary admitted, and gave a nod. "Let's see how far this bet takes us," His real reason for being here had been left behind at the last table, and, while it meant he would be breaking his own rules when it came to gambling, Zalan put up a gold piece, and broke it into chips.

Took fifty pieces of silver and divvied them up into neat little stacks of five before him. Fingers came around the chips, he put them into the ante. "Low,", The dealer took his money, and nod with their practiced smile.

 

[Lila Lacrimosa]

Lila took her time in surveying all the boxes. She could see from the slight scrapes in the white paint that either high or low were the most popular places to put in tokens. It wasn't that she could blame them, the odds made far more sense, and in the back of her mind, she could do most of the math. Her numbers might have been a little off, but the scale would be close enough. What she would do would be less than amateur, it would be seen as downright stupid.

Her pile of chips were worth much less than Zalan's, with only a small shit-smeared brown tower beside her hand that thrummed an old march song belonging to the Legions.

She moved one chip to the boxes between the high and low squares, placing it on a small rectangle. Six dots on each die. Six, six, six. Lila looked up to the dealer who, if surprised, hid it so well that she looked almost bored at Lila's bet.

"All bets have been placed." She said and picked up one of three golden cups. She took a red dice and tossed it inside, using her hand to cover the mouth of the cup while she shook it as if she were now a mixologist.

"You don't use a box?" Lila asked. "I've always played the game by tossing all three dice into a box." The dealer shook her head. Her dark hair reflected the light above them, so neatly pulled back in a bun without a strand of hair out of place it looked more like freshly polish obsidian.

"Patrons complained about cheating. This way, there's no question of foul play." She put down the first cup, though Lila found it strange. Her hand was against the table, and had to have a lifted wrist to let the dice slide off through a gentle push of a cup. It was skillfully done so that no player could catch a peep of what the possible number of the nice was. The dealer started on the second cup. "After all, no one ever questions luck." She said with a sharp-tooth smile and a wink towards Zalan's way.

Lila wrinkled her nose, barely suppressing the shudder that wanted to ripple alongside her shoulders.

"Right." Lila glanced towards Zalan as the dealer placed the second cup down. As the dealer shook the third cup, Lila was calm. She was going to lose this round, and of course she was, her odds were something ridiculous, like one in three hundred. The final cup was placed on the table, still was the strange transfer of dice. With a flourish of hands, the dealer opened up the first cup: 5. Lila sighed. Neither of them would win the first round, which she had assumed anyways, but thought it better to look defeated anyhow.

Another 5. And then, curiously, a 1. Their coins were scooped up and placed in a secret compartment under the table.

"So close," the dealer said, as if sad about the outcome.

"Five looks lucky," Lila said and put another token on the three faces of five.