Should I Lie, Should I Steal, Or Should I Care?
Six O' Five, inside Hag's Hex casino.
While the Guildmaster and most of her underlings were out on a weapon-recovery mission, their newest member had the job of holding down the fort for a day. Managing the staff, tracking the flow of revenue... rigging a few games with Telekinesis Magic...
Although Axel thought this was meant to be a form of hazing, it ended up feeling like just another day for him.
As he poured on the charm and guided a group of wealthy tourists to a VIP table, one of the waitresses caught his attention by tapping his shoulder.
A blonde girl in a bunny suit. She was his junior in age but a senior in terms of guild service. A partner to watch over this first mission and intervene in case he fucked up.
"Look at your six o'clock," she whispered, and he subtly glanced at the front entrance.
"Ah, is that the new dancer from Saguaro? Wonderful—"
"Nope. That's trouble."
"HAAAAAG! C'MON OUT, I KNOW YOU'RE IN HERE!" screamed the newcomer as she stomped through the crowd. She was a redhead with a bloodthirsty smile, covered in something that could barely be considered clothing, which led to Axel's first impression.
"Explain," he demanded, fully turning to his guildmate.
"Some chick who says she doesn't have a name. She tried joining the guild, got kicked out, and now comes in every other week to trash the casino and scream at the boss lady about how evil we are."
"And Vera didn't tell me about this because...?"
Luckuv shrugged. "Something about not showing weakness to the newbie."
"HAAAAAAAG!"
"Tell me about her skills."
"She's just a crazy strong idiot. As for what her magic does... no clue! Pulls something new every time I see her."
"..."
"So what's the plan?" Luckuv asked, smiling as if nothing was wrong. But if she wasn't worried after seeing that woman in action, Axel wouldn't worry either.
"I'm investing in you. Take everyone else playing in the back room to the upper floors. My doubles will hide the evidence and entertain the VIPs."
"Your what?"
Through his current Risky Bet, one Axel became two, then three.
Phase 1: Foundation.
"Let's go," Axel #2 said, dragging the perplexed bunny girl along.
Axel #3 stood back to talk with the equally shocked VIPs.
Meanwhile, Axel #1 strode off briskly to the scantily-clad woman, who was in the process of throttling a fellow staff member.
Phase 2: Approach.
"Good evening," he greeted, signaling the incoming security to stay back. "What brings you to our humble establishment?"
She dropped the man like a sack of potatoes, looking him over with a frown.
"Another suit? Listen, I wanna talk to your Guildmaster," she punctuated by smashing her bandaged fists together.
Face to face with her, Axel felt rather foolish for mistaking her as a dancer. Her build was closer to one of the pit fighters he used to run a betting ring for.
"Well? Gonna step aside? Or block my way?"
"Unfortunately, our Guildmaster is out on important business. But I can relay any message you wish to pass."
"Heh," she snorted, sauntering forward and staring him down. "Like I'll believe that."
His plastered, customer-service smile broke into a carefree grin. "Why would I lie? Has Vera ever shied away from meeting you?"
The woman blinked, taking a moment to remember Vera's general disposition before crossing her arms.
"Hmm..."
"If that was everything—"
Axel moved to pat her shoulder, but she smacked his hand away.
"You asked if I wanna leave a message?"
He nodded.
"Well, I do. A nice, strongly worded message on that illegal betting ring y'all got in the back... the hell are you laughing for?"
Phase 3: Build-up.
"It's nothing. The back was it...? I'll gladly take you there."
Under her suspicious glare, he led her into the back room, which was devoid of... pretty much everything. Just the two of them and a bunch of empty tables.
"Eh...? This place's squeaky clean. Where're all the poor sods gambling their lives away?"
Luckuv had already escorted them into the guild's front while his clone had removed contraband with Transport Magic. Of course, that meant their shady deals were happening closer to regular people, and they'd have to clear the tables around those... unique clients to stop prying eyes. But by Axel's math, they'd lose more revenue if they told anyone in the back to come back another day.
"Squeaky clean, huh... perfect choice of words. After you thrashed our humble establishment yet again, the boss started rethinking her approach. Games are supposed to be fun, right?"
"Well, duh...?"
"But the people in here were definitely not having fun. So, our guild turned our attention to making money with what was supposed to be our "cover" casino. And in the meantime, we can take missions that the light guilds don't care for. Even our dear Guildmaster is out there now, working to flow hard-earned cash into our business."
Her eyes widened comically the more he talked. But honestly, even Axel was surprised at the amount of bullshit coming from his mouth. Even more surprising was the fact that she was buying it.
Pushing his advantage, he placed a hand on the small of her back, nudging her into the casino, and the sight of hundreds of people caught up in a fever that could only be stoked by games of chance.
"See? We've learned our lesson and are trying to make the casino more enjoyable for everyone."
Axel stopped before her, clasping her hands and bowing his head. "Really, we should be thanking you. Your efforts turned this into a better place."
The sudden proximity and overwhelming earnestness pouring from his frame left her at a loss for words.
"Huh... never had anyone thank me for kickin' their ass before... feels weird."
He chuckled. "Maybe it's because you didn't kick my ass? Although, I'm sure many wouldn't mind if you got rough with them. Every rose has its thorns."
"... never had anyone call me a Rose, either..."
"I can keep doing it since you have no name," he offered. "It's not the most creative, but it fits. From your disposition to the color of your hair."
"... uhh..."
Things were changing too quickly for her liking. She came here expecting to kick ass, not take names!
"Imma... think about it?"
She wanted to get a name from someone close to her. Not some smooth-talking casino worker.
"Anyway! You guys may be less shady now, but you can't fool me! You're still stealing money from people with your shitty rigged machines!"
"My, my, that's quite the blind accusation. Balsam's authorities have already checked our wares, and everything was fine. It's fine if you don't understand the probabilities, but to call—"
"Are you callin' me stupid?"
"... What are the odds of hitting a column bet in one of our roulettes?"
"..."
"..."
"... I'm not stupid," she insisted, poking his chest.
"I didn't say anything!" he replied, raising his arms in surrender. "Look, why don't you play some of our games?"
Phase 4: Pay-off.
"Hahhh? Are you tryna to scam me?"
"Not at all," he lied as easily as he breathed. "I'm offering free rounds... courtesy of the house. You have nothing to lose, even if you lose."
The idea of making money off of these people was enough to make her pause. She wasn't exactly swimming in funds, and if this guy was offering...
"... What do you get out of it?"
"Changing your mind. You'll get a new perspective once you actually gamble. It's really all a matter of luck."
"... suppose I did believe your shady ass self... which game do I even start with?"
His smile widened. "... Bingo."
Hag's Hex casino was such a well-oiled machine that he didn't need to rig anything for her. Sometimes, Axel had to channel Luckuv's magic to draw the nameless woman's attention away from the shady dealings happening in the upper floors, but that was that.
She won in the bingo, lost in the slots, and then hit a massive payout on the roulette alongside several others at her table.
By getting little tastes of victory, being surrounded by other winners, and building a slight buzz from the expensive cocktails offered by the servers, the nameless woman slowly lost her inhibitions until the possibility of losing or quitting seemed like a distant delusion.
Then, the rug was pulled from under her. Wins were slowly outnumbered by losses, and her earnings from using her free chips... everything she built... came crumbling down.
... But when it seemed like it was time to call it quits... she played another game. Using her own money earned from a mission, she found a lucky break that brought her back to where she started.
So, why stop now? If you stop now, you'll only have the same amount you started with. Wouldn't that make you feel like all the games you played were a waste of time?
Just one more. One more round so you can make a bit of profit.
You can stop whenever you want.
You could even make it big again.
There's no harm in just one more round... right?
"Sorry, the minimum wager for this table is a hundred chips."
The cycle of wins and losses lasted for hours, and now, the Hag's Hex casino was about to enter its midnight shift.
"Ah..." the drunk, nameless woman blinked, taking a second to register the words. "... shit. I think I'm gonna call it quits, pretty boy."
Phase 5: The Hurrah.
The lights were getting too bright on her eyes, she was struggling to speak, and she was pretty sure she was seeing double because there were two Axels in her line of sight.
Then, she blinked, and Axel #2 was no longer there.
"You sure?" Axel #1 asked. "You could probably make a hundred on the slots."
"Nah, I'm good..." She stepped away from her chair and wobbled on her feet, almost stumbling into a server and mumbling something close to an apology. "... I can just feel I'll puke all over 'em."
"In that case, let me take you to the exit."
Linking arms with the nameless woman, Axel navigated her around the wandering casino patrons, thankfully without her throwing up on anyone.
"I'm... I'm neva coming here again," she said as they crossed the doors, and to his credit, he held back from laughing at her face.
"Aww, don't be like that. Didn't you have fun?"
"Eh." She shrugged. "I woulda had more fun if I beat up that Hag like I wanted. But this gambling stuff... maybe I'd like it better if I didn't get so wasted..."
"Looks like you have much to think about," he said, nodding sagely as she began to walk away. "Take care, Miss Rose."
"I told ya to stop calling me that!"
Axel watched her stumble through the streets, only returning to the casino once he was certain she'd left. Inside, he beelined into a break room, meeting his clones.
"She's gone. I assume everything went right on your end."
"Yep."
"You know it."
With a collective high-five, three became one, and that one dropped down on the couch, letting out a quiet sigh of satisfaction. It'd been a while since he put so much effort into a con. Good to know he still had it.
His partner in crime sat on the couch arm to his right, offering him a glass of water.
"... my thanks," he told her after a sip. "So, Lucky... do you think I handled it well? She came here itching for a fight and left drunk and penniless. Can't get much better than that."
"I think that if—" Luckuv shook her head. "When she catches on, you're doomed."
True... he only pulled off this scam because he was a new face to that woman. He doubted he could fool her as easily again.
However...
"Hmm... I disagree. That's more of a problem for Vera when she comes back."
"Shameless man."
He couldn't help but laugh at that.