Private Big Bets With a Side of Bunny Ears

[Asani Windsong]

In an old chance parlor on Makem Te, the spice, liquor, and credits all flow freely as many different sentients engage in various games of chance in hopes of making it big. Most would leave with less wealth to their name than they came with, but one particular Zygerrian female was doing very well for herself at a Hintaro table. In fact, she had won so many times at this point that a few of those she had bested had begun to whisper accusations that she was cheating somehow, and indeed she had somehow managed to slice the droid hintaron into skillfully rolling the dice to land in her favor.

Since no one seemed interested in taking her up on another game for credits alone, she whispered to one of her companions, who quickly left the scene. He returned with a small cage that contained a female Kushiban, who cowered at the back of the cage in fear, her fur a vivid blue. The Zygerrian roughly slapped the back of the cage to urge the young adult Kushiban toward the barred door of the cage. Though terrified, the small creature looked healthy, at least at a glance. "To sweeten the pot, I'll raise to triple the standard bet and add in this little creature I picked up on my last stop. I hear they can weave an extremely soft fabric in many different colors, probably make a decent pet too I guess."

From inside the cage, Asani looked around at the nearby patrons of the parlor as they muttered about whether it was worth making another betting attempt now. It was a lot of money to be won with an uncommonly seen species slave as a bonus. It would likely be only a matter of time before someone stepped forward to try again.

Vayla Mirana

 

[Vayla Mirana]

Makem Te was a planet within this galaxy that had spice of all kinds. From nightlife and particular types of massage parlors to just your average cantinas and bars. Then there was of course the spice that most might think of in the form of drugs. One Pantoran woman, however, had not come to this parlor for any of the above. She was yet someone who had come with the Force, for she was a Jedi Knight as much as a Shadow, though nobody knew so.

Grey jacket, white shirt, black pants, she wore no robes to indicate that she was a Jedi. Sat at the bar, Vayla Mirana casually sipped her drink, gin and tonic, keeping her distance from most of the nonsense in her midst. Here for business? Pleasure? Perhaps both, perhaps neither.

“Another?” Offered the bartender.

“Sure,” his customer gestured.

This gin and tonic was her first. A second wouldn’t hurt. As she waited for the next one, Vayla turned on her stool to observe the developments of the establishment. Cards in one corner, dice in another. Sabacc. Pazaak. Poker. Blackjack. Because surely there were more than just two card games that catered to this universe, not that anybody intended to exterminate the immersion with elements far too alien.

Wherever those thoughts were going, aimless as they were, Vayla was distracted just then as an object caught her attention. It was at a table at first, catered to hintaro, though it was the cage in someone’s hand and the creature within it. A slave. At least, that was the mistake one player made.

Sweeten the pot, is it? Vayla finished her drink, took her second gin and tonic, got up and crossed the distance. “I’m in,” she grinned, looking like just another patron who didn’t care about the nature of the prize so long as she won it. “If you’re game then let’s play.”

Asani Windsong

 

[Asani Windsong]

A Rodian who had lost the most out of those who had gambled with this Zygerrian was considering taking up this most recent bet, as it would more than win back what he had already lost to her. But he is too slow to decide and the Pantoran woman beats him to it. "Good luck." He says with a sarcastic snort of a laugh, seeming to be looking forward to watching this newcomer join the rest of them in defeat.

The Zygerrian grinned at the Pantoran, seeing nothing more than her newest victim. "I'm game, of course, tonight has been going quite well. You may call me Taina if you wish. Pay in your ante and let's get started!" She boasted while the droid dealt Vayla and Taina a pair of chance cube dice marked Tukar and Kulro. If Vayla doesn't ask any questions and has placed her ante, the Zygerrian will roll her dice, and await Vayla to do the same. Then the droid asked both women if they wanted to re-roll one of their dice.

While this was going on, Asani watched quietly from the cage she was locked inside. She wasn't sure what to expect when she was brought out here, but if someone were to win her she wouldn't miss the cruel treatment of the Zygerrian, who had already used an electro-whip to keep her in line and even used eating her as a threat. Also, there was something different about this Pantoran woman, she wasn't sure why, but she had a good feeling about her.


Vayla Mirana

 

[Vayla Mirana]

“Mirana,” Vayla introduced, last name basis, not that it would matter because nobody would probably know one name from the other or even recognize her. Not the woman, not the Jedi Knight, not the Jedi Shadow either. She hadn’t done anything to achieve fame or infamy in this galaxy, wasn’t in this parlor undercover, but was just another patron, and that’s all Taina would see of her. And all I see in you is a slaver, a cheater, a liar and a loser. Mirana would make short work of her, not necessarily in that order.

Ante offered to the pot, collected by the hintaron, and the game got underway. No questions. Mirana casually sipped her gin, no deception in her countenance, eyes shifting from her glass to the dice in her hand before she tumbled her two regular chance cubes and got on with it.

The result of her initial roll was an upright die with both a Tukar and Kulro on it. Her second die was blank. Mirana decided to re-roll the blank die upon the dealer’s offer and waited for its result as well as the next step in this game; though she had no mistake that there was a different game being played all the same.

Asani Windsong

 

[Asani Windsong]

Tiana gave a small nod to Vayla's introduction, but as the Jedi thought, didn't appear to know anything special of the name. Sure there are a few regulars that are known, but most who pass through here are as ghosts, no one knowing or caring who they are, many not even using their real names. Her dice landed showing quad Kulro, and she declined a re-roll. The droid Hintaro gets ready to roll but first asks. "Would either player wish to up the ante?" Tiana shakes her head, declining, leaving Valya to decide if the bet would be raised, and if she did, Tiana would be forced to pay in more as well.

Regardless of the answer, the Hintaro rolls next, and the die lands on Taro, canceling out a Kulro for both players. It would be difficult to prove for certain without examining the droid, but it had been re-programmed to always roll a result that was against Taina's opponent, if possible. Although anyone watching long enough would be able to notice the pattern, Tiana didn't tend to stick around long enough for that to happen. She was pushing her luck there tonight, however.

Asani had no idea how this game worked and was honestly disgusted that she was being used as a gambling chip, but such was life for a slave. She could only watch and wait for whatever result came.

Vayla Mirana

 

[Vayla Mirana]

Tiana got Quad Kulro. A Kulro pair on each die. It was a good roll of the dice but that was chance. Right? She declined the re-roll. Vayla’s own re-roll of her blank die needed to be a mirror image of her first die with both a Tukar and Kulro on it. That would earn her Tukar to Kulro as well as a first place win outright. She got just this combination, but didn’t up the ante, and it wasn’t the end of the dice thanks to the hintaron and his final and decisive die.

With the hintaron rolling a Taro that canceled out a Kulro for each player, Tiana was left with three Kulros and Vayla was left with one Kulro and two Tukars. This meant no winning combination for either player from what she could remember of this game, but she didn’t tumble dice every day. If she was right, nobody won any credits at the moment, and the lot stayed in the pot with the hintaron.

“So,” Vayla prompted as the next round got underway. “What’s your poison?”

She sipped her gin and tonic, making aimless conversation, or at least she appeared to be with her question. Maybe her attention was split, maybe she was searching for something, maybe her opponent would notice or just think she did. Often times you didn’t need to be a Jedi to be suspicious or detect suspicion.

Asani Windsong

 

[Asani Windsong]

Indeed this was a no-win condition for both parties, and Tiana didn't look particularly thrilled, but a draw is better than a loss. The Hintaron droid took their dice back and pushed those of the players back to each woman. Next comes the usual question between rounds of this game and many others of the gambling sort. "Would either player wish to raise?" The droid looked To Vayla first, then to Tiana, the latter making no move to indicate yes or know at first, but unless Vayla says yes, she will ultimately say no.

Next comes another round of rolling dice, and Tiana, and it seems that luck was with the woman, as her roll comes up Tukar and blank on the initial roll, and when she rolled again, she got Kulro, giving her the highest ranked roll in the game. Like a hawk eyeing its prey, she watched Valya, looking to see how her rolls would shake out. "Red Cloud." She would answer to the question of what she was drinking.

Asani could only watch and stay quiet lest she give Tiana a reason to punish her, but although she didn't like the idea that her freedom was being gambled for, she couldn't help but root for the blue-skinned woman, figuring the odds were low that she could be a worse owner than Tiana.

Vayla Mirana

 

[Vayla Mirana]

Vayla waved away the raise as offered by the hintaron. She decided to play it steady in this game. Besides, the Jedi was playing a whole different game entirely. She watched the eyes of her opponent, where they went, even in her peripheral vision; and, where they didn’t, the Knight reached with her senses. Her opponent wouldn’t even know it.

Tukar. Kulro. Sometimes it was just a matter of good luck. Other times, well, you didn’t need to be a Jedi to know that the game was rigged to begin with, even the hintaron, or that there was some spell. It wasn’t exactly revolutionary to cheating, if that’s what this Zygerrian woman was doing, and it was up to this Pantoran woman to both determine it and expose her operation.

Though, Taina knew how to play this game too. She was subtle, with no obvious hint in her voice, perhaps like her choice of drink. “Red Cloud, is it?” Vayla asked rhetorically. It was a beverage made with blood. “I prefer my gin and tonic. Less pathogens.” She took a sip, studied the outcome of her opponent.

It wasn’t just Tukar and Kulro. It was Tukar to Kulro which was two Tukars and two Kulros. That was the highest hand. Vayla got Quad Kulro, the second highest hand, which meant nothing because winning was winning.

“Well done,” Vayla congratulated, raising her glass with a grin. “You’ve been winning all evening. You are experienced.” She waited a moment, eyes into eyes, then suddenly leaned back and drummed her fingers on the tabletop, completely innocent. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this hintaron was your own personal dealer, and you two are the best of friends!” Her grin never wavered.

Asani Windsong