Ch 2.75:  Nothing


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina noticed the main gambling hall slowing down even more as Shein led her back out. Some members of the staff even seemed to be escorting patrons outside.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Cover charge,” Shein said, anticipating ina’s question. “Five gold to see the remainder of the night y out, for people that didn’t already pay to participate in the tournament anyway.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I’m surprised you let yourckeys take care of that. You seem like more of a hands-on type of boss to me.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Only the important things, like dealing with you,” Shein said with a quick sh of a smile over her shoulder.


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina was even more sure of her n now. She didn’t really mind less people in the main room since it gave her a chance to think. There wasn’t much she could do now though, other than focus on this match ahead of her. As she wondered, her eyes wandered, towards the quiet stage, devoid of the musicians before, only one person on it, a blonde girl in a shining blue dress.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Prisma looked irritated, to ina at least. She was definitely trying to look dignified, hold herposure, but that natural smile ina remembered from what seemed almost a century ago wasn’t there right now, instead reced by a forced look of contentment ina saw on far too many of the kids at Endrin.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“She’s my opponent,” ina said as they approached the stage. It wasn’t a question, just resignment to the fact.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Indeed,” Shein said. “You know her, if I remember that little squabble from earlier correctly?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“We’re acquaintances,” ina replied.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Gods, it wasn’t the time for distractions. Temmie was on the line, and that’s all that mattered. ina would be able to push everything else aside, no matter what. “ina!” she heard a voice shout from the side. It was Tira, alone.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Where are they?” ina asked as Tira ran up, still following after Shein.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Bathroom. Are you okay?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I’m fine, you’ll see what’s going on soon enough, I’m pretty sure.” Tira wanted to continue the conversation from the looks of it, but a guard stopped her from following as Shein and ina walked on stage.


    <span style="font-weight:400">It was a different feeling, looking down on the room from up top. Everything seemed just a bit smaller, a little more distant. She could get used to this, she thought. Maybe in another life she could’ve been that singer, ying whatever crystal instrument there’d been, singing songs for her living. But that wasn’t this life, and she had work to do right now.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Prisma looked surprised too, of course, but only for a moment before righting herself. That moment was one ina would remember though, a genuine look of expression, that long flowing blue dress, modest shoulders and legs, less so in the chest, her hair pulled up into a bundle of curls up top held by a matching blue ribbon, her eyes looking like someone who’d just seen a friend they’d been missing for years.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Shein grabbed the crystal device from the stand in front that the vocalist had sang into. “Well, lovely patrons, do I have some good news for you. We have a special exhibition match for you tonight. Feel sorry for those that have already left, and think twice about leaving just because you haven’t paid the cover for viewing the rest of tonight’s tournament.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“These two lovelydies think they’ve been cheated out of their rightful spots in tonight’s grand event.” A chorus ofughter rang through the establishment at that, all eyes turning to the stage. “I know, I know. My patrons, cheating? Perish the thought. But I understand the frustration, with the fabulousness of tonight’s prize and all.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Shein walked over to the center of the stage, grabbing a cloth from one of the instrument stands and whipping it off the side, revealing a locked, ss case. Inside was indeed the subcore, wrapped in two leather strips, a suspiciously familiar looking crystal embedded in them, the same kind that was on ina’s wrist at that very moment. The crowd gasped at the sight of it, which ina found a little odd.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Behold, a Temmie! One of thergest pieces of pure crystal on its own, in a perfectly spherical shape no less. It also acts as an awakening crystal, but beyond that it emits crystal energy in suchrge quantities we’ve had to suppress its power with our aspect restraints, less who knows what happens.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Which is of course why I’m trying to offload it. I’m hot myself, and enjoy hot things like these two beside me, but this item is a little <i><span style="font-weight:400">too </i><span style="font-weight:400">hot, even for me, if you know what I mean.” The crowdughed again, though Prisma seemed to recoil at thement.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Now, for the prelude to the main event, or maybe the real main event, considering how lucky we are. “The youngdy on the right has suffered what she considers betrayal. Someone she believed her ally betrayed her, taking her spot in the tournament that she had been promised. And thedy on my left was the victim of a very unfortunate deck misprinting, ended up losing to a duplicate ace. These types of things just happen in poker, as you all know, but I’m a generous host, so I’m extending an offer to them out of the goodness of my hearts. Ladies, gentlemen, and all other fine people, tonight, in ast ditch bid to remain in contention for the glorious Temmie, these two beautiful women will participate in the most exhibition-est match you’ve ever seen! Now, participants, are you ready?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina looked around the stage, pretty sure she wasn’t ready. “There’s no table?” she said.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, dear me, I’ve forgotten to exin the rules; how silly of me! This will not be a round of poker, as poker is dreadfullycking as a spectator experience. You’re both familiar with the game ‘stone, parchment, shears,’ correct?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina had to think for a moment, but she nodded, followed shortly after by Prisma. Everyone knew the rules to stone, parchment, shears; it was the ultimate way to settle things when you were a kid.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Good! We’ll be ying a game of that, first to take, say—” Shein paused and looked up and down Prisma and ina both before continuing, “five points, I think, from your opponent will win the match. Of course, I have my other payingpetitors to keep in mind. I don’t want them to feel slighted by this change of events, so to make it up to them, we’re altering the rules slightly. I said earlier to consider whether you wanted to leave without paying the In this game, each point will equal one article of clothing, and as you lose, you’ll have to strip down.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Even despite the gambling machines no longer running, the band not ying, and the smaller crowd, the roar of the apuse that followed was the loudest sound that ina had heard that night. “What the fuck?” she barely heard Prisma scream from only a few feet away.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Neither of you are forced to participate, of course,” Shein shouted, taking the crystal voice amplifier away from her face.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“That’s absurd!” ina shouted. She couldn’t do this right? Even with half the crowd gone, there were dozens of people out there, all their eyes looking towards the stage, all of them apuding… Soon enough, she could bepletely naked in front of them, ssmates and strangers alike. She could feel her pulse pounding, her pussy longing to be touched just at the thought, ready to plow into herself right there on the stage. Gods, she knew she wouldn’t be able say no. Winning was another chance at getting the subcore, and losing? Well, if she lost, she would just have to deal it.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Now,” Shein continued into the crystal, “I’ll exin the conditions in full while thesepetitors decide if they’re up to the task. The winner will be allowed to redress, and then continue on to round two of the poker tournament. The loser, of course, will remain naked for the rest of the tournament for all our viewing pleasure, but will also be under my personal protection. Remember, harassment is never tolerated in this establishment.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“It’s up to you two whether you want topete, but once you agree there is can be no backing out. So, what say you?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">The room ended up as quiet as ina’s bedroom at night with that question, everyone waiting on the answers. To ina, the loudest thing was her own beating heart. “I ept!” she shouted, triggering another round of raucous cheers.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Wonderful,” Shein said, turning to Prisma. “But the game requires two to y, I’m afraid. What say you, youngdy?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">If Prisma heard the question, she didn’t make it known, instead staring straight at ina, eyes popping out in astonishment, mouth hanging open. For the first time, ina realized what would really happen if she were to win, what would happen to Prisma. That thought ran circles around her head, causing her heart to beat even faster. But no, she couldn’t do that to Prisma. She shook her head, holding her hands up, ready to ce all her trust into Carly.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I’ll y,” Prisma said, “and I won’t lose.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">The crowd started cheering again before ina could process the response. Why in the stars would Prisma agree to something like this?


    <span style="font-weight:400">“And that’s that!” Shein continued. “We’ll start in just a few minutes, so pay your fees now if you haven’t, tell your friends nearby if you have them, and soon enough we’ll be seeing one of these two lovelydies walking off the stage with sweet victory, and one walking off the stage with absolutely nothing.”