Ch 2.66: Robbery
<span style="font-weight:400">ina did her best to ignore the sights, sounds, even the smells as they made their way across the floor. As they ventured in those became more potent, a vulgar mix of colognes and perfumes that almost masked the overwhelming smell of booze. But she was focused, and their goal was clear. Another guarded door, this time by a man and a woman with a line in front of about ten people.
<span style="font-weight:400">She couldn’t hear what was being said, not over the noise of the music and those damned metal ball counting machines, but it was soon their turn, after the previous two walked away looking dejected.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hi, we’re here for the event,” Flora said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Thirty each,” the woman replied.
<span style="font-weight:400">“”What!” Tira screamed. “Bullshit, we know it’s supposed to be twenty!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“For most, but not you four. Special instructions.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Tira lookedpletely taken aback by thement. “That’s fucking robbery, you can’t just—”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Be careful with your next words, the man said, stepping forward. The woman was taller than average, but this man was a veritable giant, physically imposing enough that even Tira seemed dwarfed, both in height and threat. “This is aw abiding establishment, and we do not take kindly to usations that we are anything but.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Dwarfed or not though, Tira didn’t flinch. She red at him with intensity ina had only seen in her twice before, once when fighting Myri, and once when she found out what Waine had actually done to her in the forest. But even if she wasn’t physically scared of the man, she didn’t make the mistake of arguing further.
<span style="font-weight:400">“It’s okay,” Carly said. “I have the extra money.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I only gave you mine and Tira’s though,” Flora said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You can pay me backter,” Carly offered as she pulled two coin pouches out of herrger bag. “I ended up bringing the full amount myself just in case.”
<span style="font-weight:400">ina could tell Tira was struggling to hold herself back, but ultimately she managed it, stepping aside as Carly handed the money over.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Enjoy yourselves,” the woman said, taking the money and opening the door. “First round is standard poker. Tables seat eight, two winning yers move on to round two, and games start when a table is full. I rmend not dawdling, as if thest table doesn’t fill up, those yers will lose automatically.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“d your pricing isn’t the only thing that’s fucked then,” Tira said as she pushed forward. “Come on, you heard thedy.”
<span style="font-weight:400">It didn’t seem like losing out on thest table would happen though. While the room was smaller, and definitely quieter, it was still filled with table, most of them only half full.
<span style="font-weight:400">“That was bullshit,” Tira grumbled as they walked through the door.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Why’d they even do that?” ina asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“They want us to know they’re out for us. And they’re mocking us to do it.”
<span style="font-weight:400">That drew an unhealthy feeling to ina’s stomach. Wolves’ den indeed. “Shouldn’t be too much of a problem to find a table,” she said, scanning the area. There were plenty of tables with four participants seated, and more besides with only two or three. “Where should we—”
<span style="font-weight:400">“What the fuck are you doing here?” The voice was familiar, and when ina turned to find the source she saw the familiar face it came from, leading a familiar group of five people. She groaned internally, but she supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised that Waine Ferris and his crew were there.
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