The air was stifling with the potent smell of spiced cigars, a renowned favorite of the Lords of the Elven countries, especially in Gaiza. Though they stood in a huge tent, the plush red walls gave a stuffy feeling that made Yunara feel even more closed in as the smell of spice forced itself up her nose every time a smoking patron walked by. Or perhaps it was the fact that she was wearing more money than she'd ever seen in her life, and what she carried in her bag was so heavy she had trouble carrying it.
Oh, and the fact that she was going to gamble it all away.
She knew this was the best way to get to know the nobility of Gaiza, especially if they drew attention as big spenders. The doctor informed them that this was the most exclusive gentlemen's club in the city. It was called the Golden Ram; apparently rams were a symbol of prosperity here in the Elven countries. But she still couldn't help imagining how much money she held in her bag and how wasteful this was.
The Golden Ram was invitation only, and Luca had to do a lot of talking down to the doctor for him to finally admit that he had a patient that attended the club. It took a little bribing, but they eventually got him to solicit an invitation from his patient, a favor the patient was only willing to do because of how austere they seemed based on the doctor's word. Yunara figured that Luca buying his practice and turning it into an inn probably made an impression.
She decided that if she ever became rich, she would do a terrible job of it. She just wouldn't be able to bring herself to live like this, always spending an huge amount on silly things. Just this dress alone cost them more than she'd ever spent in a year. And what's more, with all of this ludicracy, she wasn't sure how much more of Luca's stolen goods they had to spend. But when they left Luca in his room that morning, he assured them not to worry about it.
"Most of these pretentious snobs live up to their waists in debt," he'd said that morning. "Spending every last dime we have is most accurate way to play our role. Isn't that right, Manuel?"
Manuel simply rolled his eyes and informed them that the carriage was waiting to take them into the city and purchase the dresses they would wear for that evening.
That was the other lesson in being wealthy Yunara learned. That rich people put all of their expensive purchases on their credit, which they rarely ever paid in full. The dresses she and Kailu wore were the most delicate velvet dresses she'd ever seen, handwoven to suit the fashion of Crilian women right there in the store as the seamstresses sewed the fabric to their forms. It had been ages since she'd seen women dressed like she did now, with a silver sash across her bare shoulders to compliment the deep rouge of the dress she wore, golden ornaments adorning the intricate braid pattern that was put in her hair. The cost of all of which would be put on the imaginary credit they never intended upon paying.
"Where should we start?" Yunara asked Kailu and Manuel. Youssef didn't come with them so he could tend to Luca. Now that the doctor was looking for a new building for his practice, Youssef was the only one left to take care of him, not to mention to keep the doctor from getting too close to Luca and notice the lack of wings on his back. All the while Luca was still interviewing potential servants the doctor recommended. Of whom would also be paid on their credit. If Yunara didn't feel so out of her own character, she might have laughed at the situation.
Kailu didn't seem to have any problems with her role. She adjusted one of the gaudy rings on her finger, the flashing it causing Yunara temporarily blinding. "Wherever there are the most men gambling and the most money being bet. We have to attract as much attention as possible, right?"
Manuel pointed at a table that fit that very description, a crowd of men dressed in exquisite Elven style wraps groaning and cursing as several of them threw down money in frustration and others hooted in victory. Some of them walked away, but a lot of them stayed, all of the commotion attracting others to try their luck.
"That looks like what we're looking for."
"Step right up, gentleman! Try your hand at Rafti's Eye," they could hear the dealer announce as they came near. He shuffled cards quickly between his hands before passing them out between the men sitting around at the table. His black eyes caught the three of them coming and followed them to their seats. "I see we have some foreigners that'd like to try their hand. Would you like to deal?"
Manuel put down the chips they were given to play with. "Absolutely. How do you play?"
The whole table started chuckling. Yunara bit her inner lip to keep herself from shrinking within herself. She imagined Cadri and how she always acted in the presence of powerful Lords. She never shriveled or backed down. Even if she didn't have an ounce of confidence, she was at least going to act like she did.
The dealer showed teeth as he smiled, a little too widely, his crooked nose coming in the way of his eyes as he tilted up his bald head. "It's simple. In the entire deck of cards, there is only one that is Rafti's Eye. I will deal out the entire deck to all of the players, and you will all guess who has it. The person that guesses correctly wins. If you have the card, you are not allowed to tell anyone, but if no one guesses you, you win the round. Easy enough, no?"
"Sure. Deal me in. Them, too," he said, pointing to Yunara and Kailu.
The dealer gave him a sideways glance, but he said nothing as he dealt the cards as agreed.
Yunara tried to be careful to keep her cards to herself, a difficult task with so many cards in her hand, but she finally managed a way to keep them all together without looking too clumsy. She didn't seem to have Rafti's Eye in any of her cards. Not that she knew what it looked like, but none of them called out to her as being it.
"Alright, men, take a minute to study the faces of your opponents," the dealer said, all of the men giving suspicious glances to one another, as though they were staring down thieves that would take from them at any time. They clutched their cards nearly flush against their chests, holding them only the slightest bit angled so they could study them and their opponents at the same time.
Yunara glanced across all of their faces, not sure what she was looking for. Someone that looked shifty? That could be said for all of them. Someone nervous? Well, in that, there was a mix. There were people that looked very good at keeping a straight face regardless, and those whose eyes kept darting, but it could be said that they were looking for the holder for the Eye as much as she was. And then there were more than a few that kept making glances to her that had nothing to do with the game at all. Self consciously, she pulled the bodice of her dress up.
"Have you made your guesses?" the dealer asked. He took out a notebook and pointed to Manuel first. "What's your name?"
"Manuel."
"Who do you suspect?"
He pointed to a man that was blowing rings of smoke from his cigar. "Him."
The man merely chuckled and kept blowing.
The dealer wrote it down in his notebook and proceed to record the guesses of all of the men at the table. It was obvious all of the men thought the three of them were rookies that were about to lose all of their money. Yunara couldn't say she disagreed.
Finally the dealer came to her. "Name?"
"Yunara," she squeaked, incapable of forgetting how much money she was putting into this bet.
The dealer frowned and cupped a hand around his ear. "You have to speak up ma'am, I can't hear you if you mumble."
A round of chuckles rumbled through the men, making her cheeks burn even more.
Manuel's eyes narrowed at all of the people standing at the table, silencing the room an octave when they saw the chilliness in his glare.
"Yunara," she repeated louder.
"Very well, and who do you guess, Yunara?" the dealer asked.
She gave another once over of all the faces at the table. There were over a dozen, in all. She wasn't sure how one was supposed to win the game with so many players all at once. Deciding to just pick one, she settled on a man who'd worn a nearly completely still face the entire game.
"Good. Place your bets."
Everyone pushed in a pile of chips, and the dealer said, "Anyone want to change their guess before I call it?"
"I do," Kailu announced, not an ounce of shame on her face as all of the eyes at the table rounded to her. "I'll place my bet with Yunara. I say it's him."
The dealer shrugged and complied with her request amidst heads wagging everywhere with disapproval.
"Final call. Anyone else?"
Eyes darted to and fro, most nervous, others arrogantly taunted each other.
"Are you sure you want to say it's me? I'm telling you you're wrong,"
"I'm sure it's you, I'd bet my living on it! I can tell it in your eyes!"
"I can tell it's the foreigners. They look guilty to me."
The dealer allowed them to wait a few moments more in suspense before he finally said, "Show your cards."
Yunara placed her fruitless cards down and watched as all the others did the same.
Then a round of gasps went out, which Yunara didn't understand the reason for until someone said, "The foreign girl was right!"
When she finally realized that everyone was staring at the man she'd guessed, a hand of cards laid on the table in front of him, a card very evidently different than the rest in the middle of them. The deck was comprised of white cards with black illustrations on them, but his card was the only purple card in the midst, the drawing of a twinkling eye right in the center of it.
The table erupted in arguments.
"That shouldn't even count!"
"Who said a woman could play, anyway?"
"This is why we don't allow women, they're bad luck!"
"She must have cheated!"
The dealer spread his hands and made a motion to get them to settle down as he came around the table. "Alright, alright. Lady Yunara, and Kailu, you may take your winnings, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. It is true that we normally do not allow women here at the club, especially without their husbands. Please come with me."
"What?" Kailu demanded, enraged as she struggled against the dealer's strong hands that grasped her and Yunara.
Manuel grabbed Yunara by her arm to stop her. "How dare you talk to my wife that way?" he said in a low tone.
The entire table went silent at that, Yunara included. She caught herself before she opened her eyes wide and snatched her arm back. She had to play along.
"Now, sir, if you don't remove your hands from off my wife and sister-in-law, I'll remove them for you."
The dealer released his grasp and put his hands up, his face good deal paler than before. "I-I had no idea that this was your wife, sir. It's just, we've never seen you around this club before, so I assumed you all came a-as individuals."
"I came here with my wife and her sister to enjoy ourselves, hoping to experience a little of the local culture on our visit to Gaiza. But apparently you're nothing but a den of sorry men that can't act properly around a Lady of class."
"N-no, please. Your wife and her sister are more than welcome to play here."
The other men looked at him disgruntledly, but kept their silence.
He reached a hand out to Yunara and Kailu. "What do you say, dear? Do you still want to play?" His face was firm, but the twinkle in his eye told her he was enjoying every second of this.
"I suppose," she answered, sending every dagger she could with her stare to let him know that she was not.
Kailu turned her nose up at the disappointed faces of the men standing around the table.
"Very well, then. You heard the Lady."
"But I don't want to play at this table any longer. Let's take our winnings and play something else."
"As you wish." He smiled as he proceeded to hook his arm through hers and lead her and Kailu away from the perplexed men standing around the cards. "Where would you like to play next, my Lady?"
"You think this is funny, don't you?" she said in a low tone.
Kailu waved the complaint away. "Oh, just play along, Yunara. You only have to pretend for the evening. When we get back, you can go back to hating each other. It's no different from real married couples."
"Kailu!"
"Besides, it keeps us here, doesn't it?" Manuel said with a smirk.
Yunara rolled her eyes. "Let's just stick to the task hand."
"As you wish, my Lady."
"Stop calling me that!"
Manuel only laughed, infuriating her further.
--
If you were at the Golden Ram, would you be more like Yunara, or Kailu? I think I would be a little more like Yunara, but I know a couple Kailu's that would disagree XD