Welcome to the Casino Gold

Welcome to the Casino Gold
Date of Scene:	23 September 2012
Location:	Casino Gold
Synopsis:	The mysterious appearance of the grand Casino Gold, a place of great wealth and great greed.
Cast of Characters:	Mica Melchiott, Skoll Ulfang, Will Sherman, Mercade Alexander

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Mica Melchiott has posed:
Wherever you are, from city to countryside, the dark places draw the eye. From a glimmer in an alley to hiking a forested path, to simply walking through a door into a dark room. Something takes hold of you, and the darkness seems to wash out any light behind. In the distance, down the path, is an archaic street-lamp, a hanging flame in a cage of iron. The ground below appears to be dirt, a sort of highroad path through a dark forest towards... Something glowing in the distance.

Maybe you're just lucky, or maybe terribly unlucky, but there seems to be a light at the end of the path - A golden light.

With only a short amount of walking down the dark forest path, the dirt gives way to golden bricks, laid tightly and mortared in silver. The forest opens up into a large clearing, as an imposing building in brilliant shining gold occupies the center of the clearing, the grounds before with two pools to the left and right of clear water that bubbles up in fountains, and layered with... well... More gold!

A few people seem to wander aimlessly around the grounds, with blank looks on their eyes. Two large wooden doors stand at the end of the path, slightly ajar, with the sounds of a casino echoing forth from within.

Dingdingdiingdingdingding, mostly.

Will Sherman has posed:
Will has been wondering the dark roads...so this is not much of a surprise to him to be drawn somewhere against his will...or maybe it was his luck directing him. As the darkness tried to take hold, it found itself unable to grasp at him, warded off by something...? It was not light, whatever it was, but Will himself felt a bit queasy. Pushing through the headache and haze, he decides to follow the path until it reveals gold...and silver?

He looks around as he takes foot into the strange area, his mouth curling into a strange slope as he tries to piece together where he was at...and if he could get out.

The answer probably was yes, with a little effort, but if he just ran away, he wouldn't have any fun. Also...something told him he was looking for this place anyway.

He approaches one of the guys with the blank look.

"Hey, what is this place? Where am I?" he asks, looking for a sign or something too. Well, obviously it was a cassino.

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade Alexander, who's been with Will (it doesn't pay to let Hobo Lad out of sight for too long), frowns. "That was an experience. I wonder what the hell is going on here..." He steps forward down the forest path, glancing at the scenery.

The gleaming gold edifice in the distance causes him to squint. "Well damn. Looks like we took the express." He holds up a handheld device with the Xanatos Industries logo on the back and shakes it a couple times. He frowns as it bleeps at him. "This is going to be interesting."

He pockets the device, and walks up towards the golden palace. "I can only assume this is the fabled Casino Gold." He says, cocking a head and listening to the jingling inside. "Looks like slots are hot tonight."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Dark roads, this is a thing that isn't strange to Skoll. Walking the Dark Corridors in order to find further into the reaches of these new 'Shadow Portals' for the Lords of Gaudium, Skoll has easily been attracted by the strange darkness further down the corridor that seemed to lead him off of the normal path. Being whom he is, curiousity took over fairly easily, and the werewolf was drawn towards the light in the distance.

When the Corridor of Darkness finally ends and he walks out into a new place, a new world, Skoll finds himself in that strange area where gold lies at the end. His own golden-like eyes are immediately attracted by the promise of a light at the end of the hall, and the man pockets his hands and strolls on over as if it were nobody's business. He continues on until finally, he's found his way through the forest and stands before the massive golden building. It looks so... earily out of place amongst the scary looking plants.

The wolfish looking young man lets out an impressed whistle, though he's one more for the silver than the gold. Though he does idly wonder if they have a golden firehydrant. From the corner of his eyes, he then suddenly picks up on another man. And wait, there /is/ some silver! Between all the gold bricks.

When Will approaches closer, and starts asking one of teh random passerbys about where he is, he realizes just how strange people are behaving. He soon lazily moves in on Will, figuring there's enough reason here to heed the answer that may come.

Mica Melchiott has posed:
As Will, Mercade, and Skoll approach the blank-eyed folks, it appears as if they are... Smoking? Cigarettes? Yep, just outside smoking. Each of the blank-faced people seem to keep away from the others, giving them dirty looks. Each appears to be a bit dirty, their faces pale and their eyes bloodshot, but they still are alive, human, and more-or-less sane. Upon being asked where they are, they all simply grunt and point at the sign.

The huge, gaudy, golden sign.

Lined with colorful lights and backed in silver, over the door there is a large sign proudly claiming this place as the...

CASINO GOLD

A dark shape, indiscernable in features except for 'her' clothing (the shape appears roughly female, dressed in a sort of short cape with bells and a top hat) pushes open the door and claps its hands. It cannot exactly smile, but it exudes congeniality. "Welcome, welcome!" It offers, doffing the hat and bowing. "Welcome to the /finest/ gaming establishment in all of... Well... Anywhere!"

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade Alexander glances over to the other man who seems to have been brought with them. "Hey there." Mercade says to Skoll. "Here to enjoy a night of gambling yourself?" He looks over the fountains and brickwork some more. "It's a hell of a place." Mercade lowers the brim of his hat slightly as he repeats to himself. "A hell of a place..." Will gives him some information quietly, and he nods to Hobo Lad, leaving the smoking gamblers be.

The sudden arrival of what can only be described as the 'hostess' causes Mercade to perk up. He smiles faintly, tipping his hat to the mysterious female. "Hello there. I couldn't imagine there being another place like this anywhere out there." He chuckles. "Are you the owner of this fine establishment?"

Will Sherman has posed:
Will slowly turns towards Skoll. He squints at him for a moment, and raises an eyebrow...now that was familar, but not as bright. He backs off from the smoking men, and shrugs, "Not very friendly." he offers to Skoll and then follows Mercade, his partner in crime.

"Will." he offers to Skoll, a friendly kid, that's for sure. Will himself is a scraggly young boy of about seventeen years, brown hair that appears to be unkept is hidden (mostly) under a wide brimmed hat. His clothes are scruffy, obviously someone who doesn't enjoy the finer things in life.

He turns to see Mercade talking to someone...and his sight falls on her.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll wrinkles his nose a little in regard to the smoking people. At least they're not showing any open drunkery - like that Seeq and Bangaa pair in Traverse Town. But still, he's not too fond of their presence due to the smell. And the looks on their bodies and faces. How long have they been here, he wonders curiously. His attention from this particular detail is taken away the moment Mercade pipes up again, and draws his attention.

"Gambling?" Skoll asks, moving a hand up out of one of his pockets, lifting a pocketwatch along with that and lays it to the palm of his hand. With a practiced flick and click on its top button, he opens it and looks at the time. "I guess I have time for some..." He admits, before clicking the thing shut possessively and sticking it back into his pocket. He headtilts for a moment at Will when he introduces himself. "Skoll Ulfang." The wolfish young man gives his own name.

And that's when Melchiott breaks out of the casino and makes their presence known. Ulfang is quick to tilt his head her way and steps sideways to get a better look at her. She looks rather fancy, but feels... strange. He has that same feeling from her that he had scar. Not her darkness, but just... this natural sense of feeling some loyalty towards her. Her chipperness distracts him from that however, and the young man nods his head, while smiling a toothy grin; "The finest gaming establishment you say!"

Mica Melchiott has posed:
With a practiced flick of the wrist, the Shadow-Mica produces a baton from her sleeve, waving it. Small pops and cracks like firecrackers appear, as the shadow clone walks up, extending her free hand. "The owner? Oh no. I'm simply the door-girl!" She laughs easily, gesturing with her baton to the door - which opens wide.

The inside of the Casino Gold is far more tastefully appointed, reds and golds abounding as the banks of slot machines at the enrance flank a long red carpet towards a large golden octagonal shape in the center, with bars and more 'shadow' attendants passing out chips. There are heartless, here and there, serving... Drinks. They wear top hats as well, and little bow ties, and have small silver buttons down their front, like they are wearing some sort of suit. They all seem quite docile, and impeccably professional.

The center cage, where chips are given out, contains an utterly ludicrous pile of treasure. As high as can be seen through the bars is mountains of gold, silver, diamonds, precious items, paintings, watches, coins, bills, just... Stupid amounts.

The casino seems roughly radial - the entrance has slot machines, and then clockwise has gaming tables, billiards, a resturant, a hotel area, more table games...

Everyone here has a varying state of that 'dead' look, all plugging away with chips. Some people win, gathering up chips to bet more, to play more. All are served faithfully by the shadow attendants and the Tophatless.

The Door-Girl pipes up. "Of course! The Casino Gold is the one-stop for all your needs. The payouts are big, and the games are fantastic! The serving staff will wait on your every need, just for your pleasure!" She adds, gesturing inside. "Should I prepare a High-rollers room for you three?"

Will Sherman has posed:
William looks around...his hands moving to his forehead for a moment...

Argh...it is like listening to several TVs at once spill out static. Except he's seeing the sound and it's...look, I am trying to explain seeing holes in space that look like shit from madoka magica, it don't get much more real.

After a moment, he seems to adjust his eyes to this, it's always been a thing of his to have to deal with sights he can't block out, but he can cope with them after a time. He's gotten better at tuning out, but it takes his toll on him. He wants to start puncing these things into non-existance as soon as possible. The Door girl's show is mostly missed, due to this. Instead looking towards the not-there thing and narrows his eyes at her for a moment.

"Hm." he says for a moment, "Aren't I too young to be playin' here?"

Mercade Alexander has posed:
"Mercade Alexander. That's Will, or Hobo Lad if you prefer." He responds to Skoll. "Nice to meet you." He would do his usual introduction but he's got a hunch that would be a bad idea here.

Mercade enters the casino when invited, pulling out a camera and taking pictures of the area as he moves in. "This is a wonderful place." He says to the doorwoman. "I never imagined that there would be anything like this." He smiles.

Will's question causes Mercade to shake his head and nudges him. "Aw, don't worry about it, Will. We're not on Earth, clearly. Go ahead, enjoy yourself."

Mercade rubs his chin, and gestures. "Sure, why not. Let's go ahead ane live it up big."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"A pleasure to meet you." Skoll answers Mercade.

The looks and 'smells' of these people seems to raise Skoll's heckles. He's used to people like Helba and Fungus of course, but a situation like this is still somewhat strange to him. And what's more, what is with the heartless wandering around like that!? He quickly glances around, before twitching one finger and trying to reach out with his own darkness towards one of the heartless, trying to 'touch' it and see if he can wrest control over them, just a small thing. A twitch, a nudge, anything. It's /Will/ who might catch a silverish-black thread... no, perhaps more like a /chain/... extending from the wolfish man towards one of those statics. To grab it, only to let go mere moments later and disappear again.

While doing this, Skoll's attention seems to remain on the Door-Girl. "Fantastic to hear. But I am afraid I don't have much in the way of Munny." He has some valueables that he dare not lose, like that pocketwatch of his, and some of those chains on him. Like that chain with the mickey-mouse symbol on it. He follows the other two in however, immensely curious about this place, as much as the place makes him feel uncomfortable.

Perhaps it's more the voice of Mica's though that draws him in, and the desire to 'stick with the group' - a natural behavior of the wolfish creature. Skoll is after all, not a lone wolf. The details on the Casino are taken in as he wanders on in, and keeps note of where the other two hobble off to.

Mica Melchiott has posed:
The Door-Girl Mica leads everyone inside, past the plebian slot machines, and towards the center cage. The Door-Girl returns to the doors, shutting them softly after, as... Two identical Money Cage Mica's look up from beancounting to address everyone. They speak in an odd unison, which may-or-may-not be disconcerting.

"Here at the Casino Gold, we accept anything of worth! Monetary worth, bartering worth... personal worth. We feel that the games are truly exciting when the stakes are high, and strive to provide excellence in gaming at any level of wealth or skill!" They explain eagerly, and little slots open up. "Simply deposit anything you desire, and you will recieve a claim check and your chips! If you'd like to cash out your chips later, you can also retrieve anything you've checked with us at the value you sold them at. You can also simply recieve some sort of currency - we have many! Would you like to play today?"

As this is all explained, one of the Tophatless, the one touched by Skoll, seems to snap to attention, picking up a tray and hurrying over. In an impeccable fancypants speech, it addresses the wolfish lad. "Mmmyes, sir? How can I help you? Shall I prepare a VIP room?"

The voice seems... Fake. Like it was simply being projected from the Heartless.

Will Sherman has posed:
Will squints at all of this.

Well, his age doesn't seem to be an issue, good because he's not really this young. He thinks for a moment and considers his hat...nah.

He grabs the money from Mercade's wallet and hands it back to him. Exchanging a few hundred MUNEY for whatever passes as currency here.

He'll then shove half into Mercade's hands.

"Don't thank me." he says, using this to spread a bit of his luck around. Well too Mercade anyway. Looking at his own money he looks about...he doesn't want anything with skill.

Oh no, Will is feeling /lucky/. Well, maybe Poker.

Mercade Alexander has posed:
"Whoa what, whoa!" Mercade says as Hobo Lad efficiently divests him of his cash on hand. "Be careful, Will!" He says. He frows for a moment and then shrugs, taking the chips provided... And then smirks. "All right, let's make this more interesting. High Roller's table, right?" He reaches into his pocket, pulling out the Xanatos Industries device, placing it on the Money Cage counter, as well as his private investigator's license. "Let's make this /really/ interesting." Needless to say, without those Mercade and the TDA are in a bit of trouble.

And by a bit, we mean 'Mercade can't operate the TDA anymore and they're kind of lost in the middle of infinite worlds with no way to detect or track portals'.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll keeps on following until suddenly, the Heartless he'd tried to wrest control over reacts... unlike what he'd expected. Had its owner realized that he'd tried to take control over the beast of darkness? The fact that it speaks is more than enough to alert him. Heartless /do not speak/ after all. The werewolf-in-human-form squints his eyes for a moment, grabbing for the chain that forms his belt, and tilts his head a little. "No thanks, I'll... stay with the other two chaps." He comments, before he just abandons the heartless and arrives a bit late to the central section.

When he finally comes to stand before the counter however, the beast hesitates. He has very little of value - he once again considers. Yet he sees the other two young men so easily be divested of items that appear to be rather important to the two. With a slight wince and uncertain look, Skoll can't help step outside of the group think and undoes the hook on the mickey-mouse keychain, and puts it on the table. He gives a wary glance. "It's a collector's item... be careful with it." He asks, and then holds his hand out for the chips. Seems he's really kinda wanting to stick with the other two for no apparent reason.

Really, he just doesn't want to be alone in this venture.

Mica Melchiott has posed:
The Munny is parted with quickly, and changed for a moderate stack of tokens of varying dull colors. Grey, and teal, and one or two pastel yellows.

The Mickey chain is placed in a small velvet-lined case, and placed in a safe, which spins shut and lowers into the floor, before...

Two Mica come from nowhere, dragging a large case of tokens. It's practically a cart - Bright yellows, greens, blues, reds, and a sizeable pile of blacks. On the top is a single solid golden chip. "Here are your chips, sirs!" the Cart-Carrying and Bean-Counting Mica's exclaim.

It appears that chain was worth... Quite... A bit.

From there, it's to the tables! Upon mention of poker, the three are gently ushered to a table in the back, in a shaded, comfortable area with nice seats and a veritible multitude of serving Heartless and a Mica-Dealer, instead of a heartless, this one with white dots for eyes and a broad white line for a mouth. It's grinning quite broadly. "What style would you like to play? House rules can be quite flexible when we've got VIP!"

Will Sherman has posed:
"I haven't played Poker before." Will says, he says and immediately sits down at the table. Will: Dumb as hell.

Instead, he thinks about this for a bit. "Hey Mercade, what the hell are the types of Poker games?" he asks, evenly with the older looking gentlemen.

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade arches an eyebrow at Skoll's cash-in, but doesn't comment eight now. He takes his own chips, and moves on, smiling as if he doesn't have a care in the world.

They sit down at the VIP table, and Mercade kicks back and acquires an interesting looking glass of some fizzy thing a passing Tophatless as carrying. "The most common types placed in casinos are five-card stud, in which you form basic hands by dealing and exchanging cards with the dealer, or Texas Hold-Em, where everyone tries to form the best hand they can with a communal card deal and a pair of cards." Mercade replies. "You generally want to try to match up multiple cards of the same value or suit, or assemble cards in sequence. Card value goes from 2 to 10, then Jack, Queen, King, and Ace. Sometimes the Joker is used as a wildcard, but that's more common in some variants than others."

The brief tutorial complete, Mercade grins to the dealer. "So, how long have you been around, miss? You must see all kinds of interesting things here."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll almost whimpers when the chain is taken away, and watches with big puppy eyes as it gets stuck into the safe, and then lowered into the floor. Some of this worry, but certainly not all, is forgotten however when the two Micas appear dragging the gigantic cart with the filled with the chips. The werewolf blinks profusely, but his eyes lock mostly onto that single solid golden chip at the top.

The wolfish youngster reaches out to the chip and takes it into his hand for a moment, and then looks at the place where the vault had disappeared. He's feeling those immense pangs of regret regarding the priceless object, but in the end, decides to wander off - letting the other two Micas carry the cart and kind of just half-zombie, follows the other two to the poker tables, sits down, and stares at the table. He's incredibly worried about what he'd just left behind.

Still, Skoll sits there, with his immense 'fortune' of chips, not entirely sure how to play until Mercade is kind enough to explain to Will just how one plays this game. Makes enough sense, he's played card games before! He can do this.

Mica Melchiott has posed:
The fortune of Skoll seems to be mostly in high-denomination chips, but under a layer of the black chips is some low-value ones, possibly for games like this.

The Mica-Dealer tilts her head. "Been around? I've not really been 'around', I'm just a simple dealer of cards." She comments, shuffling the cards and bridging them. There doesn't seem to be any foul play at all. "We can play a few hands without a bet to accomidate you, or perhaps play for small amounts, if you'd like. Otherwise..." She looks at the golden chip, and smiles. "You certainly did wager something precious, Mr. Ears." the Dealer comments to Skoll, everyone recieving drinks.

After a few rounds of 'tutorial' cards, with a bit of one and five worth chips trading hands, the dealer begins stepping the game up, accepting the larger bets and generally the players winning. There are a few losses, keeping it about even.

"The Casino Gold has existed for decades as a premiere gaming establishment, and has recently expanded into the new worlds for clientele. What brought you here?

Will Sherman has posed:
"The dark roads." Will says, generally, not being careful at all in his bets. Will seems to be easily excitable, treating money as if it means nothing to him. Rather that is true or not...well...

Finally, Will gets Ballsy, putting three quarters of his stash on the table as a bet.

"I think I got this game."

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade plays with some skill, actually knowing how the various forms of Poker work. "Oh? So you've always been working here, miss? It's surely been a long time to be dealing cards." He chuckles, flipping cards and frowning as he loses that hand. It doesn't keep him from betting again on the next hand, however. "Where are you from? I've been about and around, exploring these new worlds and trying to find out what's out there. I'm not sure what path brought me here, but I'm happy I found it."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll looks down at his golden chip as the woman continues to deal cards, and kind of keeps it close to him. "It's important to me... it's very rare. Got it from a nice looking world with nice people in it, but haven't been able to visit it again since." He explains, before he continues placing some small bets. He has picked up on the game fairly quickly - showing that he's pretty smart.

When Will Sherman decides to bet higher though, Skoll keeps his bets low, too afraid to lose what chances he has on getting his precious keychain back! His ears fold down a little each time he loses some money, and perk up when he wins some. Still, as 'low' as his bets are compared to the rest, they still seem to rise naturally. It's only inevitable as he's forced to match other folks.

He doesn't answer what brought him here though. He doesn't really want to admit that he was attracted to the darkness.

Mica Melchiott has posed:
The risky bets of Mercade and Will seem to adjust the flow of boom and bust accordingly, and making larger wins and losses. Will's big play, a third of his chips, is met with a landfall win. In general, the game seems rather positive, though there are little losses here and there. The slow drain seems to be the effect, though Skoll's betting strategy seems to pan out, his wins happening more often then his losses, and the low buy-in keeps the low-risk strategy fairly competitive with the other two. But then...

The luck turns on Will and Mercade, and soon enough, they're drawing down low on chips with their cavalier play, Will ever-so-slightly more then Mercade.

"Would the sirs like to restake themselves? I can call over an a-" The Dealer-Shadow Mica pauses, before just walking off between hands, mid-sentence.

A human girl dressed in blacks and silvers, tall and slim, with a black silk top hat on that has a silver brim, a red scarf around her neck, and a black short cape with bells and card suits on it. She wears a pair of black gloves, and generally looks like http://www.court-records.net/arts/giantminuki.png except older, and with black and silver clothing and different top.

"So!" She claps, smiling happily. "I'm a busy person, really, I could have you all hang out here all day, but since nothing interestng was going on... How are you all? I am... The Mistress of Games. And this is my Casino!" She peers down at the chips on the table, and shuffles the deck idly. "... Not going too well, boys?" She smirks at Will and Mercade, before whistling at Skoll. "And a high roller! Why did you get lumped in with these two? I could have you up in a nice private room. Baccarat, perhaps?"

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade's expression has been draining the entire game, along with the pallor of his skin. Sweat has been buildingo n his brow, and every turn of the cards, every deal, every reveal causes him to frown. By the time the final blow comes, his hands are trembling and his eyes wide. He is the picture of a man facing complete ruination as he is left with one solitary chip, which he stares at in his hand morosely. "I have to win them back. Look, without that scanner and my license, we're doomed!"

He glances over at Skoll, and shrugs. "At least you're doing all right... Are you planning to keep playing?"

Finally, as if he's realizing what's going on, he looks back to Mica in shock. "So you're the one in charge of this casino? Looks, can we try to figure something out, maybe make some kind of arrangement? Or uh... payment plan?" He looks at his empty wallet, opening it up and wincing at the cavernous void staring back.

Will Sherman has posed:
Hobo lad on the other hand isn't so worried. He's not worried, because...well, why in the hell would you ever give hobolad money? Like, seriously. He's a hobo for a reason, losing money isn't so bad...

"Look, all I lost is our money, you lost the device." he says, shrugging, "I ain't getting in trouble cuz your irresponsible." he says in advance. "So if you have to wash dishes or something, I am totally not helping."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll is glad that his attempts at keeping things low-key for himself is working out as well as it is. And unlike what some might do, his initial opinion isn't; 'well, I've been doing well, let's raise this up'. It's more along the lines of 'when it ain't broke...'. Though perhaps in his case, the wording would be 'stay loyal to the method'.

The wolfish young man lifts his ears and looks up at Mica when she approaches, well... another Mica anyhow. It's getting kinda confusing. And when she finally stands there at the table, Skoll can't help himself; "Just how many of you are there?" He asks before she manages to speak. When the woman then continues to /whistle/ at him, Skoll lifts his head a little like a stupid dog being called by his master. Mica may be able to tell, being a Shadow Lord, the mark of darkness on this one. This one... is almost similar to being another Shadow Lord. Only, she doesn't know this one to be one.

"I walked in with them, and I..." He glances back to Mercade. "I... I think I will." Unlike him, he's remained at least mostly cool throughout all of this - and has obviously taken some of his winnings from both of the other two. And now that Mica is around... he strangely seems to be even calmer. Still, he refuses to leave his spot - close to his chips. "I'm doing good so far here." He says. "I just want to make sure I can leave with what I gave up at the exchange."

He feels a bit bad about the communication device thing though. Maybe he could use his winnings to help the other guy out. But on the other hand... why would he?

Mica Melchiott has posed:
Mica hmms at the two (Will and Mercade), smiling ever-so-knowingly at Mercade. The paleness, the sweating bullets... All the clear signs of someone she's 'caught'. But she rarely reels in quickly. "Well, if you've got nothing to restake with, but you bet something you shouldn't you can always trade something else for chips for your precious thing back. I'm a very reasonable person. But - you've met my staff - I'm in no need of further hands. You'll need to give a little, to get back what you lost." She leans in, favoring Skoll with a smile and a glance.

"Why that's quite a wonderful idea. I can set up a room for you if you'd like to continue. Otherwise..."

Mica turns to Will, giving him a little smile. "I don't even know how you got in here. You're far too cavalier! And... Hmm." She strokes her chin as Mercade sweats.

She snaps her fingers a few times, Tophatless bruisers coming up. "Now, you can restake, our you can have a verrrry nice day, but I don't really have the time to entertain people... Without something to bet." She gives a sharkish grin, before leaning in to Skoll. "Please, I'm sure Baccarat would be more your speed. And a private room! With drinks, and girls. Perhaps a magic show?"

Mica seems to not really... Like Will. Too... Easy with money. If money was no object, she really couldn't mess with him, could she?

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade has that look of desperation on his face. "But... What else could I bet? I live at the office, and I don't have a car..." He thinks, his eyes flicking back and forth as he tries to think. He's apparently at his wit's end at the moment. Mica's got him hooked now. "Without that scanner, I won't even be able to find my way home! What could I restake with?"

Will Sherman has posed:
The question Mica, is what could you use to mess with? Does everyone have a price?

Will is far too easy going for the situation, though he hasn't abandoned his friend Mercade. At least, he has loyalty, but he looks at her, and her threats...

And doesn't flinch, infact he he relaxes more...this is more familar territory for him.

That grin...that calm self assured grin.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll's eyes seem to widen the moment he feels the increased darkness - the presence of the Tophatless bruisers. His tail puffs up a little, even though he knows they are not here for him. His right ear flicks in that annoyed natural manner one might expect from a dog. One might almost expect him to bare his teeth, but he's keeping himself well enough under control. He just has to keep himself calm and collected. The smile and glance from Mica gets a belated nod from the Werewolf, and the creature then slowly stands up.

"Perhaps it might be." He weakly admits, as if giving in to her suggestion. It's not the girls or the drinks, or the private room. Just Mica's natural presence. Having gotten down from his stool, he grabs the chips he's won so far, and stacks them on top of the cart, going so far as to delicately sort a few of them before letting the 'other Micas' continue that task. He then glances at the other two, wary of just leaving those two.

"Very well." He then says, and moves to get closer to Mica - expecting her to lead him. Perhaps it's even a ploy of his, to distract her from these two. Perhaps he might ruin Mercade's 'plan' by doing so. But honestly, he's worried for the two humans. They're in a casino filled with heartless.

Mica Melchiott has posed:
"Hmm. There are quite a few things you could bet. Memories, for example. You're not quite at rock bottom! Perk up!" Mica smiles gently, patting Mercade on the head. "I will... Ah, here's a thought. I will take..." She taps her chin. "Your coat, and... your hat! If you've got a watch, I'll take that too. For all that... I'll give you back your little fiddly device. And then you can come back..." She grins wide.

"And you can win back you liscense. Or, you know, just leave it... With me! I'll take very good care of it, I promise."

"You could also bring friends with things to trade for chips. It's all about the chips in the end, isn't it?" She titters.

"Now, now, I think that's quite reasonable! And then you can make your little empty-pocketed friend here smiling while you sweat bullets help you get your little card back! Fair /is/ fair after all."

To Skoll, the Shadow-Mica's stack the chips back up in the cart, Another pair come carrying a small safe - the safe that had disappeared into the floor, flanked by more of the tophatted brute-bouncers. Protection? There also appears to be a small pouch of gold coins on top of the safe.

"If you'd like to cash out, Ears, that's your choice too."

Will Sherman has posed:
Will finally rolls his eyes, and his hand flashes for a moment, reaching out to grab something from Mercade's pocket.

"So. We're actually on a job from a very very rich man from our world. I'll not go over the details, but this card right here has access to a bank accout he's set asside for us. Something like a few million from our world...from what I got about the worlds...it's about the same roughly everywhere.

"So. I am going to wager this...in a game of pure chance, vs the worth of what the house has to match...including our device and card back." Will says, and smiles towards Mica.

"So. Care to...take the wager, clean us out completely, leave us completely up shit's creek with no hope? Or are you...wanting to cash out?"

Mercade Alexander has posed:
"God dammit!" Mercade hisses, grabbing Hobo Lad's collar and pulling him in. "If you lose that, he's going to /murder/ us. We won't just be broke and lost, we'd be dead men!"

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll remains standing there for a moment, dumbfounded. He then moves, kneels down before the safe, and receives the keychain back - even going so far as hugging it to his chest for a moment before looking around. Nobody saw that, right? And click, it gets attached to his belt again. He then turns around, and his entire air seems to change. Confidence breaks into his entire aura all of the sudden, as if the retrieval of that simple object was all that was needed to make Ulfang comfortable again.

He grabs the little back of gold, and tosses it at one of the shadow-Micas. "This, for the chips. And I'll come to the back room." His shoulders lowered, his head raised, and with a grin on his face he quickly glances back at Mercade and Will who... well... he believes Mercade should never be trusted with money, that's for sure. He then follows one of the Shadow-Micas into the back, avoiding the shadowy bruisers, and looking back over his shoulder...

Wondering what would be the fates of those two.

Will it be like those other poor dopes at this casino?

Mica Melchiott has posed:
With the tiniest smile, Mica waves off Will. "I'm not interested in money. I've got plenty. I want that /hat/. I'll even give you back the liscense for it. Just your hat! It's a wonderful deal. Think about it." She offers, before... Walking away from the table, wrapping an arm around Skoll's shoulder. "So how did you get those... /ears/?" She giggles, before she practically jumps for joy as Skoll gets his keychain back and cashes back in, turning. "Hold on, Earsy, let me just clean this up and I'll be ~right~ there!" She giggles happily, before turning back from /pleasure/...

To /business/.

"You don't value money, Smiles, so I don't value it from you. I only deal in value." She extends a hand, as if to shake. "The hat?"

Will Sherman has posed:
"For someone who claims to know value.." Will starts looking at her, that same smile...that same uncaring attitude as he speaks. He hands the card back to Mercade, as he looks at her every bit as relaxed. Either he doesn't know, or doesn't care, of her power over the heartless. Or that this is her domain...

"And who claims to have plenty of what is here, you still look down at others with that same look I have seen out of too many rich people's eyes." he says, "Which leads to me to believe...you really don't know the value of anything, because you don't value anything yourself...just what other people value."

"You must live a sad empty life."

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade's eyes narrow slightly at the assertions. "So trade my... hat for the license..." As important as the license is, Mercade still hesitates. Mica seems to have a good eye for determining value, given he seems to be /really/ attatched to that hat. "Gggh. Dammit! You have me over a barrel, don't you? What kind of gambling hall lets you wager memories, anyway? How would you even take them?"

Will says what he's going to say. Mercade doesn't get in the way of that. Trying to keep Hobo Lad from talking is like trying to stop the tide or the sunset. Regardless, Mercade stares at the table, agonized over the dilemma put in front of him. "And then there's still the issue of the scanner..."

Mica Melchiott has posed:
"Oh, no. I'll give you both. That was the deal." Mica smiles, shrugging. "I like hats." She rolls a chip between her fingers idly as Will makes his little speech and shrugs. "I don't really understand what the problem is. What you have here is not a situation of us as equals. You came in to my place of business, and you sat at my tables. Do you give a little speech to everyone? You're really no fun at all. Trying to make me the bad person here." She sighs. "Well, I'm /very/ reasonable." She smiles, flicking the chip up before palming it out of the air, and with a flourish, it's gone.

"I'll give you back all of your original stake - the money, the thingy, and the license, Scruffy, but I want your hat. You can just take your things and leave. You can even buy a new hat! I'm offering you a total steal."

Mica shrugs, shaking her head helplessly. "I'm in this for the fun. The thrill! The amusement. Money isn't an object. That's all."

Will Sherman has posed:
Will looks around him, then back at Mica.

"Your idea of fun and mine are so vastly different that it's scary." he quips.

"Whaaaatever." he says, trying to be dismissive...but it does bother him. Fundlmentally it bothers him. It bothers him...because it's so familar...it bothers him because it /feels/ like something he's said before...before he knew better.

Will doesn't like remembering...especially when he can't really remember, it's just familar feelings.

He waits, saying nothing more.

Mica Melchiott has posed:
Mica claps, before removing her own hat, fishing out the device and Mercade's liscense, and handing them to him. She even reached her arm in past where her hat ended, it seeming to be some bottomless container before tossing it off into the darkness over her shoulder, the bouncers fading back to where they came.

"Scary? Or scary /awesome/?" She asks, picking Mercade's hat up and twirling it once before popping it into the air, and wobbling back and forth on her feet before leaning left and letting the hat fall onto her head, a big grin cheshiring across her face.

"A magician never reveals her secrets, Scruffy." She ruffles him on the head, mussing his hair gently as she snaps her fingers with her free hand... The large oaken doors replacing the VIP room doors they had entered from. "You can see yourselves out." She offers.

Will Sherman has posed:
Will immedaitely puts his hat on Mercade's head so he can do that.

Will immediately holds his hand out, waiting for it back.

He looks at one of the heartless....so tempted...

Mercade Alexander has posed:
"There are some things money can't buy. But you knew that as soon as you looked at me, didn't you?" Even so, it's clear that the hat means a lot to Mercade, as he reaches up and slowly takes it off, revealing the somewhat unkempt hair undeneath. He looks at it for a moment, and the grudgingly puts it on the table. "Take it. But I'll be back for it, mark my words." He pauses, narrowing his eyes slightly. "You control the beings here, don't you? How do you do that? What are they?"

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade takes the license and the scanner with one hand.

The other hand comes up with a camera, no-scoping a picture of Mica with the flash on. "I look forward to our next meeting. Mistress of Games."

He stands, stashing the stuff in his coat. With a gesture, he moves to tip his hat... and then grimaces as he grasps nothing but air.

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade Alexander grimaces as the wide-brimmed hat lands on his head. "It's just not the same, Will." He says as he hands it back.