Chapter Twenty-Four: Casino

As I step out of the limousine Melody had ordered for me, (apparently it’d be improper for me to walk the streets while wearing this particular outfit), I find myself as what seems like a dozen sets of eyes immediately shift to me. I idly brush down my skirt with the hand not holding my clutch, then carefully take my first few steps forward on my 2 inch wedges, nearly jumping as the door shuts behind me thanks to a man I hadn’t noticed.

Dressed in tuxedo, he steps forward and does a small half bow. “Greetings, madam Engine, have you visited the Argosy before?”

I glance out at the front of the building as more and more eyes fall upon me. The architecture on display here is incredibly different than the Casino I walked past earlier, but apparently this is the place to be nowadays, if Melody is to be believed. Considering the sheer amount of partially muted noise filling my ears, she’s probably right.

The man, seemingly stuck in the bottom of his bow, looks at me pleadingly, so I simply grunt out a simple:

“No.”

He visibly recoils at the sound of my voice, which is… new? I don’t think I’ve seen that happen before? As he stands up stock straight, I reach up and brush my hand against my mask, which has been slightly shifted to have a small pair of dog ears at the top. Perhaps my power escapes more when I speak in spite of the restraint?

The man clears his throat awkwardly. “Well, if that is the case, welcome to the Argosy. Would you perhaps like a guide to show you the different things our establishment offers?”

I hesitate. Is that offer something someone who is confident and proud of themselves would take? I’m supposed to be an ice queen, right? Does that mean going off alone even if I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing?

Something clicks all of a sudden when I see a bead of sweat run down the man’s face. Oh. I’m definitely overthinking this. Intentionally overemphasizing it, I nod.

The man lets out a sigh, then forces a smile. “Okay, are you opposed to waiting for a minute or two while I grab someone more fitting for that role?”

After I give him a quick gesture to move, he scurries off frantically towards a small nearby podium. As he starts fidgeting with something I can’t see, I slowly turn my head towards the idle crowd lingering outside the building, more and more of them looking at me with curiosity. Wherever my gaze turns, the rich patrons finding themselves beneath it shift in discomfort. I have to hold back a smile as a strange exhilaration begins to rise up in my chest, light and airy in a way I haven’t felt in a long time.

Is this… fun? Maybe, just maybe, my power isn’t as awful as I thought?

“I apologize for the wait madam!” I turn towards the voice to find a panicked older man in a suit. “I’m Jeremiah, and I’ll assist you during your time here, can I have your name?”

I pointedly stare at him for a moment, then making my voice intentionally a bit deeper, I mutter:

“Grim.”

“R-Right. Please, right this way madam Grim,” anxiously, the man wipes away some sweat with a handkerchief as he turns away from me and begins to walk, “I will show you around the grounds.”

Without a word I follow him, and we pass by whispering groups as we near the thick glass entrance doors. As Jeremiah opens them for me, the noise inside hits me like a truck and I frown. My guide panics a bit, but I think fast, pushing a bit of DE into my mask to have it stretch to my ears where it creates two small (semi functional) earplugs. I step in after that, the man behind me letting out a breath of relief.

The inside of the casino is a cavalcade of color, flashing lights and people moving around basically everywhere I look, to the point that it’s slightly overwhelming. Clutching my purse tighter in my hands as Jeremiah runs to get in front of me, I suddenly wonder if I’m in over my head here already. My legs move regardless of my overstimulation, my guide serving as an anchor to keep me moving.

Off to the side of the entrance, Jeremiah walks up to a booth with a ostentatious sign labeling it as the ‘cashier’s cage’ dominating the wall above it. He leans down to talk to the lady sitting there, who nods and pushes over a rack of chips, which he takes with a nervous smile as he walks back over to me.

“This first set of chips is on the house as a thanks for your first visit, you’ll have the visit the cage to get more in the future.”

Wait, isn’t this just free money? They’re paying me to play here? It can’t just be because of Melody’s clothes, right? Do they actually know who I am, or is this just how they treat every new Engine who walks into this place?

Before I can even respond, Jeremiah continues talking:

“Now, we have quite a few different games here that you may enjoy, but is there something specific that you’re looking to partake in? Perhaps poker? Roulette? Maybe you’re a slots kinda gal?”

That’s… actually a good question. Though first I have a question… How do I ask it without seeming really awkward though. Unsure, I reach up and tap my mask, and he somehow understands.

“Ah, you won’t have to take your mask off for most games, but if you want to play poker, it’ll have to be at a special private table where everyone will likely be wearing one.”

I smile and nod. “I’ll try that.”

“R-Right away!”

Jeremiah swiftly turns and begins to lead me to the far end of the floor. We walk past much of the building and even most of the card game tables, ending up at a somewhat lonely desk where my Guide begins to discuss with someone what likely will end up being my options. When I notice that a nearby wall is entirely covered by a mirror, I approach and pause as my reflection takes me aback.

Melody really did good work, huh?

I was put into a black off the shoulder dress decorated with floral lace of the same color, its maxi skirt slit just enough to show a decent portion of my right leg. My hair is put up into a bun, pinned into place with a beautiful silver hairpin from which a thread of crimson flowers dangles. She didn’t give me any other accessories, well beyond the little black clutch and 2 inch wedges I guess, but they said simple is best in this case.

What kind of takes me a bit aback though, is my eyes. Most of the time, I have these blase gray pupils that I feel don’t exactly fit me very well, but now? They’ve been partially dyed a deep crimson, creating a gradient that both really stands out and suits my outfit. I’ve seen more than enough other Engine’s eyes shifting as they burn their DE to know why this is happening, but it’s never been mentioned to me that my particular flavor is this. Maybe it’s new?

“Apologies for the wait, madam Grim!” Jeremiah comes running up, chips in hand. “I’ve managed to reserve you a seat at a private table, please follow me again, so we can get there on time.”

He doesn’t even give me time to give an affirmative as he walks into a hallway I hadn’t even noticed was there, leading me to an inconspicuous door labeled with a number 23. He opens it, and I find that it contains, well, a poker table inside, a dealer and four other players placed in front of them. What makes this particular assortment special though, is the fact that all of them are Engines, two of them particularly powerful ones at that.

Their conversation goes quiet as the door opens, all of them turning to look at me with interest. I gulp, then move to take what is obviously my seat, whereupon Jeremiah puts my chips down for me. He takes a step back after that, and I give him an appreciative nod, to which he opens his eyes wide.

One of the other players, a man in a purple suit and wearing a sort of ostentatious peacock style masquerade mask hums in interest as he leans forward to look at me. His likely naturally brown eyes have a almost gold hue to them as well, and I swear I can feel his gaze move as it shifts up and down me. “Well, now this is a surprise. I’d recognize Melody’s design anywhere, but I was unaware that she found a new gem to show off…”

The woman next to him, one of the two powerful ones, chuckles quietly at that. She’s in a rather beautiful turquoise pantsuit, accented by a upper face mask that almost seems like porcelain, both contrasting heavily against a set of bright, fully yellow eyes. “I’m supposed to be one of them, Nero, and she didn’t even tell me we had a new sister. This one is either a well kept secret or something so new she didn’t have time to plan for it.”

“It is the latter.”

Everyone looks towards the girl who said that, who sits at the opposite end of the table from me, and immediately something strikes me as different about her than the rest. The one-shoulder dress she has on is breathtaking on her, its base nude fabric decorated with a ivy-like black floral pattern that breaks off after the waist into a semitransparent second layer to the knee length skirt. Her dark crimson hair is styled into a crown braid, small golden hair clips keeping it all up. Her mask is twisted golden ivy covering basically nothing, and I can’t help but wonder if it even counts as one.

She rolls her exceptionally bright blue eyes as she explains, “Obviously none of you pay attention to the gossip near you, there’s been chatter since this afternoon of some preternaturally terrifying woman showing up at Melody’s Boutique and scaring off her clients.”

Eh? Wait, I didn’t notice-

“Ah.” The other strong person of the group sitting beside her, a black man in just a dress shirt and slacks, wearing a basic white domino mask, throws his hand down on the table. His eyes, nearly as white as his mask and shirt, are unsettling. “I fold.”

The girl beside me who has the exact same skin tone as him, contrary to the rather formal dress code of this place, is wearing a simple hot pink crop top with a band logo on it alongside a pair of black short shorts, whoops as she pulls a stack of chips towards her. The most fitting thing about her is the over the top raven feather mask obscuring the entire upper half of her face, a pair of dark brown eyes carrying a pink hue peeking out behind them.

The girl giggles manically as she declares, “Another W for Triss!”

The man who folded sighs. “You know you’re supposed to use your callsign in here, Sleipnir.”

She rolls her eyes. “Right, da-, Pale Rider , I’ll try to remember to do that. Even though it makes us sound dumb…”

Pale Rider glares at her, and she sticks her tongue out at him as she sits down. Does she not know what that means? I’m scared as fuck of this guy now, how the hell did he get a call sign like that?

Seemingly unconcerned as the dealer begins their work, the Porcelain mask woman smiles widely as she looks at me. “Mmmh. Melody did a good job with you, really. I’m Penelope, what’s your name?”

The room seems to pause as they all look towards me, waiting for my answer. Despite the nervous ache in my chest, I manage to get out a quiet, “Grim.”

The girl beside me, Sleipnir I think he called her, snorts. “Right, Grim is pretty fitting, you come from a funeral with all that black?”

I can’t help but flinch at that, something that I think only the girl at the end of the table catches, her face shifting into one of interest. Still haven’t gotten her name…

“In her defence,” the one named Nero hums, “The black and red is a classic combo.”

“She’s quite…” The girl at the end of the table pauses as she looks me up and down. “Interesting, if I do say so myself.”

Sleipnir snorts. “You’re just biased to pretty girls, Aeolus.”

Oh, Aeolus! God of the wind? That’s nice, I like that. Everyone gets their hands and I check mine. Ugh. 5 of hearts, 7 of spades. Maybe I’ll call?

“You’d be doing the same if it was a cute boy.” Aeolus takes one glance at her cards and throws them down onto the table in front of her.

Sleipnir snorts, then grins and throws some chips forwards after she checks her cards. “Maybe, but you can’t’ prove nothin’.”

“Call.” Nero gives the girl some side eye. “I can, want me to tell them about that Selkie guy?”

Pale Rider’s laugh is deep and strong enough to rattle my bones. “Call. He got you there, Nir.”

“That’s not fair, he’s-” Sleipnir deflates as her loss in this matter sinks in. “Fine, whatever. Yeah, I’d probably be all over her if she was a guy. This fear thing is kinda freaky though.”

Laughing, Penelope reaches over and pats the girl on the shoulder. “Call as well. Is that fear thing something you can’t turn off, Grim?”

I nod silently, throwing in some chips to the pot. The dealer puts out the first three cards, and I frown. 3 of hearts, king of spades, jack of diamonds? I mean, I guess there’s a chance but…

“Ha!” Sleipnir pushes her entire pile into the center. “All in!”

The entire table, including me, groan as we throw our cards into the pit. The girl cackles maniacally as she pulls the chips towards her, and Pale Rider gives me an apologetic look. “So much for beginner’s luck, huh?”

With a sigh, I nod. Welcome to my fucking life, I guess.

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