Gambling was something that was never a concern to you. You could empty your entire pockets onto the green felt of a poker table with no worry, and every time you did, you would leave the casino with more than you entered with.
Why?
Because you were a cheater! A scummy, pockets up sleeve, weighted dice cheater. You could bet all the money in the world without a second thought, confident in your skills.
Sure, you got kicked out of a few casinos. Permanently banned as well. But you always managed to get out with the money, and you were always able to find a new casino to rob or a new poor fellow with a gambling addiction to take advantage of.
Idiots. All of them were.
Your next victim was a nation under the name of Las Nevadas. It had been on your mind for a while, considering the nation was centered around a huge ass casino that sat right in the middle. The only thing that kept you away from it was the sketchy SMP it was a part of. You had heard of the Dream SMP countless times - it was a hot topic. A land of unstable men who had a few stacks too many of tnt. The ground bore the scars of war that would make any traveller weary of stepping foot over its borders.
Las Nevadas seemed fairly new, too. The few newspaper articles you could find on it didn't have many details, other than the fact that its numbers and liveliness was surprising for how young the nation was. It didn't even mention who ran the place, which would put you down a peg - you always knew who you were working with. The pictures of the city didn't do it justice, though. Comparing the image you cut out from the paper to the real thing as you stood under the sign was... surprising, to say the least.
The city was gorgeous. Hot from the desert it was built in, yes, but absolutely gorgeous. The lights coming from the buildings and streets lit up everything in front of you and drowned out the stars that no doubt would have been shining just as brightly. People were walking in and out of the casino doors that stood wide open.
You took a deep breath in and out and smoothed down the sleeves of your blazer that you wore over your dress before beginning to walk into the nation, letting it's noises envelop you as you approached the busy building. Some people glanced at you as you walked past, but it was never in a suspicious way. Just curious. Sizing you up and trying to read your skills based on the way you walked, on the way you held yourself. You gave everyone you passed a tight lipped smile before walking up the casino steps and into the building.
It was as big as it was loud. The sounds of slot machines rang out above the chatter, there was a jazz band playing on a stage somewhere, and everyone in the casino was busy doing something. Whether it be mourning over their hurting pockets or drowning themselves in scotch, the energy radiating off of the crowd was more overwhelming than all of the past casino's you've been to.
The stacked cards pressed against your wrist and held against your skin with a thin wire felt electric. You couldn't be more ready to rob this place's patrons of everything they had to their name.
It didn't take long to find yourself a game of poker to worm your way into.
By the time you got a glass of red wine at the bar, the table had two empty chairs left in front of the dealer. You sat down next to a man with a pair of red and blue sunglasses on your left and the other empty chair on your right. You took a sip of your wine, glancing around at the rest of the occupants surrounding the table.
No one joined the seat next to you for a couple minutes.
"Are we waiting for someone?" You asked, unsure as to why the game hadn't started when there were more than enough players.
The dealer, a woman with pink hair and a sharp blue eyed gaze looked at you. "We're waiting for Quackity. He wanted to play on the floor tonight," she replied, looking away from you and back down at the deck she was shuffling.
You were about to ask who Quackity was - and why the hell there was a person who was seriously named Quackity - when the chair next to you was pulled out and quickly occupied by the man in question. You looked over to put a face to the name when you were met with a man wearing a beanie, a button up, suspenders, a mullet, and quite a gruesome scar. His skin had healed ripped open, his eye socket was empty, and half of his lips were gone. The teeth that were exposed through his cheek were golden, and one of the golden canines had a gem embedded into it.
"It's rude to stare," the dealer corrected you, and you quickly turned away, your cheeks heating up in embarrassment. You could feel Quackity's eyes boring into the side of your head, but the dealer didn't comment on his behavior.
So this was the owner of this casino. This was the owner of Las Nevadas, and you were going to be cheating right under his nose.
"Alright, boys. Standard Texas hold'em. Bet what you can, and put your best foot forward," the dealer smiled as she dealt the cards, ending with the three cards flat down on the green velvet in front of you. She said her next sentence with a grin and a wink to the man beside you. "Tonight, you're playing with the founder of Las Nevadas."
"Big Q!" the man in the glasses beside you toasted, holding up his glass before tipping it back. His accent was just as thick as the dealers, but it was heavier instead of the light sweetness the woman held.
Beside you, Quackity chuckled a bit as he checked his cards, shielding them from your view with his other hand. "Jack Manifold, while you are usually my beloved cheerleader, tonight you are my beloathed enemy. You have nothing to gain and everything to lose," the man snickered, putting his cards back down on the table. When the first card was flipped over and revealed itself to be a two of spades, he pushed a few chips to the center and then leaned back into his chair, smirking with an air of arrogance and confidence.
It was an attractive mixture.
"I'll raise," Quackity hummed, looking across at the dealer before turning and looking at you, his other eye a handsome brown. "Go ahead, darling. Make your move," he smiled when he noticed you were frozen in your chair.
You cleared your throat as you turned back to the table. You lifted up the corner of your two cards, your heart plummeting at the poor hand. You were hyper aware of the cards in your sleeve and the gaze the owner of the casino must be giving you. You swallowed your nerves and pushed the same amount of chips into the pile, muttering a quiet 'call'.
It was hard to tell if you were nervous about cheating in front of the owner of the casino, or if you were nervous due to the fact that the owner of the casino was incredibly good looking.
To be fair, it was probably both.
"Fold. I don't have much to spend tonight, so here is where I will bid adieu," the man on the other side of you - Jack Manifold, his name was - said decisively and stood from his seat, stepping back and pushing it back into the table. "I'm sure you guys can continue the game without me. I do have some business to attend to at the hotel, and this game was a bit over my head, anyways. I'm sure that's alright, right, Big Q?"
Beside you, Quackity chuckled. "Yeah, Jack. That's alright. Have a goodnight, and I'll talk to you in the morning."
Did this man seriously just let this dude walk away from a game? And people didn't even bat an eye!
The game continued from there. More and more chips were moved into the center and more people folded until it was only you, Quackity, a blonde haired man in a dark blue suit, and the dealer sitting at the table. Most of the chips were in the center and a healthy amount of money was up in the air.
Now was as good of a time as ever to switch a card out - you had memorized the order of the cards hidden under your sleeve, and if you switched one of your cards out to match with the two flipped, you would successfully have four of a kind. You just had to hope for two things; that Quackity's hand (and the other person - you thought his name was Connor, but that could be wrong) was worse than yours, and that he didn't catch you cheating.
You watched him from the corner of your eye as his turn came around. He leaned forward, his elbows on the edge of the table as he scrutinized the pile of chips in front of him, considering his next moment.
While his gaze was preoccupied with something else, you were quick. You flicked your wrist to swap the cards, a movement you had done many times before and could practically do in your sleep. The new card slipped effortlessly into your hand, and you made your quick move to slide the old card back into your coat sleeve when it missed and slipped off the table. Your heart dropped as it disappeared onto the floor, and you kept staring straight ahead, desperately trying not to draw attention to the mess up.
Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.
You never messed up as bad as this.
Quackity pushed his remaining chips in and cracked his knuckles, a series of satisfying pops coming from the action. "All in," he spoke confidently, leaning back into his chair and wearing the face of a man who won.
You were now confident in your deck, but no longer confident in your safety. In your security. You just fucked up a cheat you had practiced for years in front of a man you knew next to nothing about. It was easy to cheat in front of men you knew weren't a threat, but this man's past was evident by the scar running through his face. You didn't know how he got it. It might have simply been a freak accident, but knowing the Dream SMP's violent history, that was far-fetched.
This could go very, very poorly very, very quickly.
"All in," you stated and pushed your chips in as well. You hoped that you won so you could just get your money and get the hell out of here before someone noticed the loose card under the table. It was evident that you bit off more than you could chew.
The pink haired dealer turned towards Connor, waiting for his move.
Connor looked at the table before shaking his head, picking up his cards and throwing them out onto the table face up. "Fold," he muttered bitterly, wearing the face of a loosing man.
The dealer nodded and reached forward, flipping over the last card.
"Reveal your hands, please," she spoke, smiling at you and then smiling at Quackity.
He showed his first. His hand of two completed the three on the table, and if you didn't cheat, it would have been winning. "Full house," he grinned, looking over at you and looking you up and down. "Your turn, now. Show me what you got so we can wrap this game up - there's a pack of marlboros up in my office and a record player that's calling my name."
You flipped your two cards over. Combined with the pair on the table, you put forth another pair and completed the game with four of a kind, one step higher than Quackity's full house.
Quackity sucked on his teeth, looking at you with a mixture of surprise and something else you couldn't quite place before shrugging and standing up. He held out a hand for you to shake, grinning down at you. "Congratulations. Must be beginner's luck - I haven't seen you around here before, and Las Nevadas usually favors the newcomers," he grinned, grabbing onto your hand with his other hand once the handshake was completed. "What's your name?"
"Y/n," you responded, holding eye contact with him for a moment before he finally dropped your hand and stepped back so you would have room to get out of the chair.
"Well, Y/n, good game! It's been a while since I was swept up like that," Quackity grinned down at you, his brown eye glinting with something you couldn't put your finger on. "Niki will bring your chips over to the casino cashier for you to cash out before you leave. In the meantime, can I interest you in another game? Or maybe a drink at the bar? Everything is on the house for you, dear," he offered kindly, stepping back as you moved to push the chair back under the table.
You shook your head, offering a polite smile as you rejected his offer. "You're very kind, but I do have to get home, and I've already had a drink. Two might be too many for me," you laughed lightly, picking up the empty wine glass you had drained throughout that incredibly stressful poker game.
Quackity shook his head with a heart laugh, clapping his hand on your shoulder blade and leading you to the bar. You walked alongside him, your heart racing in your chest as he continued.
"Nonsense. We have a perfectly good hotel for you to stay in if you don't want to travel home alone at this hour - and you can't see all of Las Nevadas in one night! It's just as lively in the morning as it is ," he grinned, his arm finding its way to wrap around your shoulders. "You've only played one game here, too, and might I add, you just landed yourself a very large sum of money. Imagine if you put that towards, I dunno, let's say another round of Texas hold'em? You seem to be pretty good at that. We also have slot machines, if you're sick of cards. Even got some pool going on!"
You could feel your heartbeat in your throat.
You could tell this man didn't have bad intentions. It was easy to single out creeps when most casinos were crawling with them. Trying to get someone drunk to sleep with was very different from trying to get someone to stay longer for whatever reason, and it was obvious that Quackity was doing the latter.
You just couldn't tell if it was because you piqued his interest in some sort of way, or if he knew about the way you scored that win.
You shrugged his arm off, gently pushing him away and shaking your head. "I would love to stay in your gorgeous city for the night, Quackity, but coming here in the first place was a mistake," you started, trying to pretend like you really were upset about the fact. "I have work tomorrow, and I thought it would be okay to just pop in and out to scope out the place, but I got sucked in and - gosh, it's already eleven o'clock. I really do have to get home."
Quackity watched you lie right through your teeth. There was a tense moment where you were absolutely sure that he would call you out on the lie and do - do something to you that match his scar. But, instead, he simply smiled and nodded.
"Alright. It was nice meeting you and playing with you, Y/n. You can collect your earnings at the cashier in the back of the casino near the patio," he told you, putting his hand on your shoulder and pointing towards the back. "I hope you do find your way back here sometime soon. I would love to play with you again."
"Thank you, Quackity, for being so kind to me. I'm glad I managed to play with the owner of this place on my first night," you smiled back, doing a little fake curtsy as a joke. He laughed, letting go of your arm and stepping back.
"Have a great rest of your night. Get home safe," he smiled at you before bidding farewell and turning, walking away from you and back into the sea of people on the casino floor.
You let out a deep breath of relief. You fucking got away. All you had to do was go and collect your money and get the hell out of here.
You didn't waste a moment before you started walking towards the back, shouldering past various patrons until you reached the cashier who waited in the booth. There were a few people in front of you, which made you ansty. You just wanted to leave before someone found out about you cheating - although the possibility of that happening was now slim. You were away from the table, away from Quackity, and away from anyone else who was playing.
Once the line was gone, you walked up, quickly gathered your earnings in a check you would cash in back at home, and then turned to walk away and finally get out of this god forsaken casino.
You ran straight into a man with a gold plated chest. You quickly stepped back and looked up at him, eyes wide as you took in his stature. He had to be at least seven foot, and it looked like the gold armor he was wearing was a part of him. It was even on his hands, the gold reflecting light back at you as his hand held onto the trident at his side. His eyes were bright green and kind, as was his smile, but the weight his words held were not.
"I've been told by my employer to bring you up to his office. He's currently busy at the moment, so he can't escort you himself, but I would be more than happy to," the stranger spoke, his tone happy but his words dark.
You chuckled awkwardly, shaking your head as your heart picked up it's pace again. "I already talked to him about this, Sir, and he's okay with me parting ways with this place. I appreciate the forwardness, but I'm not interested in staying the night, no matter how many times you try to tempt me with riches and drinks," you declined as politely as you could, turning to go the other way only to find another man wearing gold standing behind you.
This man had dark green hair and solid black eyes, as well as a mask on the bottom half of his face. He was much more scary than the golden green eyed man. He still wore golden armor, but had a black cloak draped around his shoulders, and he was holding a black and shimmery sword instead of a trident.
"My friend Foolish here wasn't making a suggestion," he spoke lowly, his voice low like he was trying not to attract any attention from the patrons around them enjoying their night. He leaned in a bit as he continued to speak in his low and intimidating tone. "Now, you can walk with us upstairs to Quackity's office, or you can put up a fight and let us drag you up there. Considering how much shit you're already in, I would opt against the latter and let us escort you up so as to not cause a scene."
God, you were fucked. There was no way out of this.
A cold, golden hand gently grabbed onto one of your arms while a gloved one grabbed the other, and you were turned around and led to the bar. The two guards led you through a door that sat near it, revealing a long hallway with a flight of stairs sitting at the end. You were walked up the stairs and down yet another long hallway once reaching the top, no words between you and the men while you were escorted.
Quackity was either super obsessed with you to the point of not letting you go home, or he knew.
You wondered what happened. What he would make you do.
Usually, when you were caught cheating, you were just kicked out without your earnings. Nothing like this never happened. You were never taken by two burly security guards and brought to an obscure office where you most likely would get the shit beat out of you.
It seemed like something this man would do. A punishment that a man with a scarred face would serve.
The guard wearing the mask let go of you to unlock a door, and Foolish led you inside of the office. He sat you down in the chair in front of the desk and gave your shoulders a slight pat before leaving. The other guard - you heard Foolish call him Sam on his way out - stepped back inside the dim office with you. You heard the door click shut.
"Why did you think this place would be a good idea?" Sam asked, his voice a bit louder now that it was just you and him.
You didn't respond. It was easier to just be quiet right now, so he wouldn't hear the shaking in your voice or the panic in your breathing. You didn't even look at him. You just kept your hands folded tightly in your lap as you stared out the window behind the desk.
Behind you, Sam sighed. It sounded like he did that a lot.
"Being quiet will get you nowhere," he told you, his voice as cross as ever. "My employer has a busy schedule, and he expects his questions to be answered when he asks them. I suggest you listen to him and reply honestly to whatever he asks - for your sake."
"Why do you all keep threatening me?" You asked, squeezing your hands together as tight as you could in your lap. You refused to turn around and look at Sam, not wanting him to see the utter fear scratched onto your face. Sure, there had been a couple times where you were threatened, but with no real promise of follow through. Being threatened was different when you were in an office alone with a security guard and waiting for the casino owner who very well looked off his rocker.
"You committed a crime, and people who commit crimes here don't get to just walk away with a handful of cash or a slap on the wrist," Sam responded dryly. "Things are different around here. Quackity is used to getting blood on his hands."
The sound of a doorknob turning made you flinch, and then the dim room was flooded with the hallway light as the door opened. It closed shortly after, and Quackity was finally in the room.
"Y'know, Y/n, newcomers aren't usually common in Las Nevadas. Most of the people I see here are from older nations of the Dream Smp... people looking for sanctuary after their own homes were blown up during the quarrels of my friends," Quackity started, walking around the desk and sitting down across from you. The lighting from the window behind him turned him into a silhouette, which made this situation all the more sinister. "Casino's have a system of warning each other about people like you.. When one is robbed, we send out a message to the other casinos near us in case you decide to make a pit stop. Looks like you did, and it looks like I was ready."
You gripped the seat of your chair, watching Quackity talk. You were hyper aware of the guard behind you, ensuring you sat down and listened to the man of the house.
Quackity leaned forward, putting his elbows on the desk and grinning at you. "You committed a crime in my casino. You decided that you had the balls to come in, make your presence known, and then cheat-" he pulled out the card you dropped at the poker table from his front pocket, flipping it around to show the Las Nevadas drawing on the back, "-right under my nose." With that, he tossed the card onto the desk and then leaned back into his chair. "Where did you go wrong, Y/n? Why have you gotten away all those other times, but the second you come here, you fumble right at my feet?" he asked tauntingly, his voice feigning sympathy.
You gulped, but didn't reply. You weren't sure if you could, even if you tried. Even if you wanted to.
Quackity arched an eyebrow. "Quiet, are we? You certainly weren't quiet on the floor. Cat gotcha tongue?"
No response.
Quackity looked at you for a moment more before looking at Sam. "Why - why aren't they talking? I don't like being ignored, Sam."
A hand clasped onto your shoulder, making you jump in your seat. You turned and looked up at the looming guard behind you as his other hand grabbed your other shoulder, and then, to stop whatever would come next, you turned back to Quackity and blurted the first thing that came to mind.
"Why is your name Quackity?"
Quackity blinked in surprise, his eyebrows rising. "'Why is my name Quackity?'" he repeated back, a small smile curling on his lips. It was much more sinister than the kind smile he showed off on the floor, but it was a smile nonetheless. And he was still so goddamn handsome. Terrifying, but handsome.
Quackity laughed and shook his head a bit, rocking back into his chair and putting his hands behind his head as he considered how to answer your question. "Well... my first name is Alex. Alex Quackity. I don't go by that anymore and haven't gone by that for... for a while, now. But to you and everyone else in this casino, I'm Quackity. Call me anything other than that and I'll see to it you never leave this server."
"Are you going to just hold me hostage in your stupid casino?" You asked. Probably not the smartest thing to ask, honestly, but you were really stressed and scared right now, and you thought for a moment that you could fight aggression with aggression, fire with fire. As soon as the question left your mouth, his stare hardened and lips pressed together before he forced a smile and motioned towards Sam, whose hands were still on your shoulders.
"Why don't you tell them where they can stay, Sam? Since they seem to be so worried about their housing situation."
The hands on your shoulders tightened to an uncomfortable grip. You refused to turn and look at the man behind you, instead looking down at the papers on the desk so you could avoid looking at the man in front of you as well.
One of the papers had a big bold sentence right at the top and three small signatured at the bottom.
Petition for Dissolution of Marriage.
Before you could (stupidly) ask about the divorce papers, Sam began to talk.
"I have a lil something called Pandora's Vault a ways away. We only have one guest in the main cell, but we have many smaller cells that need to be occupied, and Quackity here is a frequent visitor. Keeps my sole prisoner in line and makes sure he remembers his place... He can do the same to you here if you choose to not cooperate," Sam spoke. You didn't have to look at him to see the smirk on his face.
"You have no proof that I cheated. You can't just throw people into jail without a trial - you have to - to have proof. And I deserve a lawyer. You can't arrest me without a lawyer," you panicked. Your fear was evident in your voice now, to the point where you were almost embarrassed at how desperate you sounded. You had been doing a good job at keeping your fear under control, but now you were being threatened with imprisonment and what sounded like torture. Did this guy really torture people?!
Quackity chuckled for a moment before standing from his chair. He came around the desk and paused in front of you before leaning against the edge of the desk. His knee brushed yours as he extended his hand. "Give me your left wrist immediately, or you lose your hand and so much more."
You didn't question it and extended your left wrist, knowing full well what he would find.
Quackity grabbed your hand and made eye contact with you as he pushed the sleeve of your jacket up. You held the stare, your own eyes fearful as his eye was bold. You felt his hand slide down your hand and brush the cards that were neatly tied to your wrist with a thin piece of wire, the cards that helped you cheat.
Quackity smirked. "Breathe. Let out that breath of yours you've been holding."
You let out the breath that had been captured in your chest since his hand touched the soft skin of your inner wrist.
Quackity looked down at you for a moment before he suddenly leaned forward. His right hand still held onto your wrist while his left hand grabbed the back of the chair, caging you into your seat. You leaned back against it as he continued to lean down until his face was inches from yours.
You were 100% sure he could hear your heart pounding out of your chest.
How could someone be so devilishly handsome yet so fucking scary at the same time? How could he make you want to simultaneously run away from him and keep him all to yourself all at once?
He began to talk, his voice almost a whisper.
"I am the most powerful man on this server. To you, I am the police and lawyers that your very freedom depends on. I am your keyholder, and will be your 'caretaker' in your cell if you choose to defy me any further. The very idea of giving you a trial makes me want to retch," Quackity murmured to you, a grin curling on his lips as he took in his effect on you. As if to see how far he could step, the hand on your wrist let go and reached up to gently grab your chin. His hand gently tilted your head up to look at him a bit more.
"You owe a great debt to me. You come into my casino and cheat while playing me as a fool and expecting to leave with your faux earnings. You should be grateful that I prefer not causing a scene and didn't tell my friends here to drag your ass to the prison at first sight," he continued, the hand on your chin keeping your gaze tilted up.
It's not like you wanted to look away, anyways. Something about this terrifying man was so attractive and captivating to you.
"How do you expect me to repay?" You asked softly. You didn't know if you were keeping your volume low so as to not piss him off or to not scare him away. Maybe you didn't want to break this oddly tense yet precarious energy that seemed to have been established in the room.
"I need a spy for Las Nevadas, Y/n. An old friend of mine has recently come back, and I need to make sure he doesn't gallop around where he isn't permitted. Sam here also needs a new prison guard, since his current ones are too lost in a cult to guard his prisoner correctly. It's your choice," Quackity told you, finally letting go of your chin and leaning back onto the desk in front of you. He looked up at the ceiling before shrugging.
You watched as his fingers drummed on the edge of the desk. His chunky rings reflected the low light, and the soft thud on the wood was oddly reacting.
You wanted to ask what would happen if you just refused or tried to run away, but the answer was already clear.
"Can I sleep on it?" You asked, your voice heavy with defeat.
Quackity smirked as he looked down at you, and moved to cross his arms across his chest in a victorious fashion. "Course you can, hun. I have a guest suite up on this floor you can stay in for the night. I can provide clothes that are more comfortable to sleep in than that dress, too. I can't imagine that's comfortable."
"You're oddly hospitable for having threatened to cut my hand off a few minutes ago," you observed, your brows furrowing together in confusion at the sudden mood shift. "Why the change?"
"I'm still pissed at you for pegging me as a fool, don't get me wrong, Y/n, but just less so now that you've finally understood our dynamic," Quackity shrugged and stood up off the desk as he continued talking. "Whatever you choose tomorrow will be your career for however long I deem fitting. You will be supplied with proper housing and materials needed, of course, and you'll be under the watch of Las Nevadas until I decide you've given back as much as you almost took."
"Well, I hope you're a good employer," You responded dryly, looking down at your hands in your lap and fiddling with your fingers a bit.
Quackity chuckled and walked around you to the door. The office filled with light from the hallway once more. You could see his shadow on the wall as he stood in the doorway, his hand against the doorframe as he chewed on his words.
"I'll be the best damn employer you've ever had," he hummed, the grin evident in his voice. "Sam, ensure that they're settled into their suite, and make sure Foolish gets them the proper clothes and necessities for the night. Please don't forget that the door locks from the outside."
"Yes sir," Sam replied.
There was a moment of brief silence as you looked down at your hands, your brain reeling. Surprisingly, what calmed you down was the next eight words from your captor.
"Goodnight, Y/n. I'll see you in the morning."
The door to the office closed, and Quackity walked away from you and Sam, the heels of his shoes clicking against the tiled hall.