Cassandra dropped from the wooden beam and wiped sweat from her brow. Her workout wasn't particularly intense, but the sun had been beating down on her the entire time. She guzzled a bottle of water as she stared at the man toiling beside her. Cain had constructed an enormous stand and, with the entire crew watching, had lifted the entire Howling Knave out of the water. It was always incredible to see Cain exercise his monstrous strength. The bodyguard was as modest as ever, reminding them all that Morgan had used his stone elemental to help guide the ship onto the stand.
He now towered over his captain, fishing out a burned piece of wood with a knife. The white mountain tattooed on his back gleamed in the sunlight. True to his word, aside from having assisted Morgan two nights before with groceries, he had been patiently going over the Knave for repairs. Cassandra wasn't surprised he had already picked up the most basic shipwright skills. While he was far from a professional, the Howling Knave did look better than it had in months.
He looked down at her when he noticed her stare. "All finished, Captain Libera?"
"For now. Why, want to go a round? You and I haven't sparred in a while."
Cain chuckled as he shook his head. "It is quite enjoyable to fight a regular-sized person without restraint, but I think I'll pass."
"Whatever you say, my friend. What are you working on?"
He lowered his hand, and Cassandra obligingly stepped on. He lifted her to his shoulder so she could get a better view. "When Damien let loose, he broke a lot of the medical ward. It's going to take a while to get it back to Raven's standard. Most of the piping is intact, which is great because I know next to nothing about plumbing, but the cabinets need to be replaced."
Cassandra peered around. She had already seen the damage, but picturing the task Cain had before him was daunting. "Most of his fire went through the hatch you installed, thankfully. Of course, even half dead he managed to ruin everything Raven did. Thank Mors I took that index to my room. The numbers don't correspond to anything now, but chemical names and all that are preserved."
Cain nodded. "I will take your word for it."
She swatted his ear. "Just get everything shipshape, meathead. Anything less than perfection and I'm kicking you off my crew."
His booming laugh filled the air. "I won't disappoint, Captain Libera."
When his laughter subsided, she wrapped her arms around his head. "In all seriousness, I do want you to know how much I appreciate everything you do. Now before you say it's your duty, it's nothing, I just want you to know that I'm really glad you decided to join my crew. I know you only joined because Morgan did, but I'm sure you were involved in helping him make that decision. Thank you very much."
Cain rubbed the back of his neck, nearly dislodging her from his shoulder. "I'm glad to be of service, Captain Libera."
"You always are. Plus, you're right. Sparring with you is tons of fun. You may not be a giant, but you're certainly larger than most people."
"That's undeniably true. I-"
"Oi, Captain!" Alexander called from aboard the ship. "This goddamn bird won't leave me be!"
That was one of the more peculiar complaints she had ever heard. "So shoo it away or something. Why are you yelling at me?"
"It has a message on its leg, so I think it's for one of us, but I have no idea for whom or why."
Cain put his hand by his shoulder, allowing her to step on so he could toss her onto the ship. Cassandra raised an eyebrow at the crow perched on the back of Alexander's chair, staring the musician right in the eyes. No matter how much he moved, the crow never stopped staring at him. Its head snapped around as she approached, and it let out a loud caw. Cassandra vaguely recognized the type of crow, but was more curious about what it was doing here.
"I'm Cassandra Libera, captain of the Black Glove Pirates. Is that for me?"
The bird dipped its beak and fluttered over to land on her outstretched arm. It extended its leg, allowing her to remove the small piece of paper. It cawed right in her ear, causing her to move her head away, then flew up to land on the rigging and peer down at her. Shaking her head at its absurd behavior, she unrolled the paper and read its contents.
1. 7 - 1 = 6. 6 - 7 = 5. 5 - 5 + 7 = 6, 6 + 1 = 7? 6.
It took her a moment to decode the message, and she burst out laughing when she did. Alexander came over to see why she was so amused. When she showed him the piece of paper, his brow crinkled in confusion. "I don't understand. It's just a bunch of arithmetic, and some of it isn't even right."
"I think you can figure it out. In the meantime..." She drew one of her knives and cut part of the paper off. After asking Alexander to transmute a small quantity of ink, she used the tip of her knife to scrawl a single word - Sorry - and gestured for the crow to return. She tied it to its leg and lifted her arm so it could take off, but it merely looked at her expectantly. "Get going already. I don't have anything for you. Ask for a reward when you get back."
The crow continued to watch her for a moment before spreading its wings and flying away. Alexander glanced up from the paper as it departed. "Were you really talking with that bird?"
"Why shouldn't I? It understood me just fine."
"Whatever you say. I still don't really understand this. Am I correct in assuming it's a letter of some kind?"
"In a sense. I'm going to wash off. If you haven't figured it out by then, I'll give you another hint."
The cold shower was one of the most refreshing she had ever taken. The frigid water contrasted nicely with the midday heat. Even for a Spring Island, Juhla was very warm. Fortunately for Cassandra, the temperature was perfect for exercising. Her body didn't tire regardless of how long she moved, so she was able to enjoy herself immensely. She would have liked to spar a little, but her crewmembers were either absent or occupied. She wasn't terribly worried about training her fighting skills, as she had engaged in true mortal combat not a week before, but she always wanted to be in top form.
After she dried herself off and pulled on some clothes, she emerged to find Alexander waiting outside her quarters. "I think I have it," he said without preamble. "It took me a while, but I'm pretty sure I'm right. This is a letter to you from one of your Moon Sisters, isn't it?"
"Very good, Alexander," she praised. "How'd you figure it out?"
He gave his explanation as they ventured to the galley. "Well, first I wondered why you were so calm when you were talking to the crow. You didn't seem at all surprised, which made me think you were familiar with it. We don't have a Den-Den Mushi because you're always worried that we'll be tracked or someone will eavesdrop, both silly concerns-"
"They are not," she protested.
Alexander only smiled. "They are, and you know it. We're following a specific path of the Grand Line, so it's pretty easy to figure out where we are. And even though we're privy to some really confidential information, what with you and various Moon Sisters hanging around and all, there are easy ways to prevent Den-Den Mushi from being wiretapped.
"Still, that got me to why the sender didn't use the regular illegal post service. This person really didn't want this letter to be intercepted or any evidence that it was sent. Combine familiarity with total need for secrecy and that leads me to your assassin background."
"Fair enough. I'm making a smoothie. Want one?"
"As long as it isn't apple."
She lobbed one of her favorite fruits over her shoulder, hitting him square in the forehead. "My hand slipped. Okay, how did you go from assassin background to Moon Sister? How did you know it wasn't my own family?"
She easily avoided the retaliatory throw, stabbing the apple as it missed the back of her head. "Educated guess. Your family banished you, so they probably wouldn't send you anything."
"You forget how much my dear sister loves me."
"That's right; I keep forgetting you have a real sister."
Cassandra grinned nostalgically before returning to the task at hand. "Did you actually figure out what it says?"
He waited until she was done crushing the ice cubes to continue. "I think so. To the oldest Moon Sister. Seven Sisters minus the oldest is six. Six minus the youngest is five. Five minus the fifth oldest plus the youngest is six. Will the oldest return to make seven? From the second youngest."
"Top marks, Alexander, well done! I should give you some more codes to crack."
He gave a brief chuckle. "What, training me to be an amateur cryptographer?"
"If it interests you. That's from Yin, for the record. Her codes have always used numbers."
"Do each of you have your own codes?"
"No, not all of us use codes. We mostly communicated by Den-Den Mushi."
Alexander gaped in mock shock. "You used Den-Den Mushi? You're the most unreasonably suspicious person I've ever met!"
"Trust me, where I'm from, that's the only way to stay alive. Just because I'm no longer a Negras doesn't mean people aren't trying to kill me. I may regenerate from nearly any wound, but I'm not immortal." Alexander's face grew solemn, and Cassandra had a pretty good idea why. "Look, he still has two days left. I'm not budging from that."
"I've been doing some reading," he said in a low voice. "It isn't healthy for him to go for so long without food. The starving body consumes stored fat, which Damien doesn't have, if you haven't noticed. And have you heard of refeeding syndrome?"
"I have. I know how long it takes until the symptoms appear. But Damien isn't most men. He might be the toughest person I know. He's had swords and lances stabbed straight through him that he completely ignored. I don't think I have to be worried quite yet."
"This isn't the same!" Alexander insisted. "This isn't a battle he can win! He's human, just like the rest of us! If he doesn't eat soon, it'll take him weeks, months to recover! That's far beyond the scope of his punishment."
"What would you have me do, Alexander? Renege on my word? I won't do that."
"I'm not saying that you have to release him early. All I'm asking is that you give him some form of sustenance. Oatmeal, gruel, even sugar water. Anything to keep him somewhat alive. You wouldn't give anyone else such a harsh punishment."
"Nobody else would come out of such a punishment like Damien will. What happened to unwavering faith in your nakama?"
Alexander's frustration was evident. "Starvation is not an enemy anyone has ever conquered. Even Damien can't win this fight. Please, anything at all. He already hasn't budged an inch in days. That's enough of a physical burden, don't you think?"
"When I said faith in your nakama, I wasn't just talking about Damien. I've made my decision, and I'm standing by it."
"Don't tell me this is about stubborn pride, Captain," he said.
Her temper was rising as well. "Surely you can't have forgotten that I acknowledge when I've made a bad decision. Don't push me on this, Alexander. Damien nearly killed us all, and he needs to get through his thick skull that that's not okay."
"He can't help it," Alexander snapped. "Did you begrudge Raven for knocking you out, knowing that more harm may come to Lyn?"
"That was completely different from what Damien did. She did that because she thought that was the optimal solution."
"You're just saying that because Lyn only broke her leg, only. What would you have done of Jordan had gone further?"
"I have enough on my plate already. I don't have time to deal with hypotheticals."
"Do you? What did Damien do, break some bones, burn us a little, a few cuts and bruises?" He pounded his chest emphatically. "I'm already healed. Cain took as much damage from that Marine as he did from Damien. You're fine, and he didn't even touch Lyn. Morgan? He's already walking about and talking. His most incapacitating injury is from you, when you shot off his finger. Jordan did more lasting harm than Damien did, but you let her get off scot-free!"
"Jordan isn't a Black Glove Pirate."
"Of course she isn't! She's the precious baby Sister who you've been coddling, and you can't deny that, Cassandra. She tortured Morgan far more than Damien did, burned through a good chunk of our money, and generally been a nuisance, but you've done nothing to her. Black Glove Pirates have their punishments, but an equal offense given by an outsider should be ten times worse."
Cassandra slammed her fist onto the counter. "I'm not responsible for Jordan's behavior. I'm responsible for my crewmembers' and nothing else."
"I can't believe that's the best excuse you can offer. Don't even pretend like you would have treated Jordan the same if she hadn't been your Moon Sister. You would have thrashed her yourself."
"I shot her in the head."
"And she walked that off inside five minutes." He took a shuddering breath in an attempt to calm himself. "I'm not saying I want Jordan to be punished further. I'm just saying that Damien's punishment is completely excessive and unjust. I only bring it up now because I've learned what could be in store for him. Six days without food or movement followed by potentially months of recovery is entirely too much. Damien's body may be extraordinary, but it is still human."
Cassandra stared at the short musician. On one hand, she was gambling with Damien's health and depending on his absurd constitution to keep any adverse effects from occurring. On the other, he was right about most of his points. Damien was tough, but he also consumed more food than most men of his size. Additionally, it would probably be good to give her unrestrained Moon Sister some rules, crewmember or not. She gently slid a smoothie in front of Alexander and walked out from behind the counter. She paused at the door and half-turned towards him. "Six days. He has two more left to serve. After that, his penance is complete."
"Thank you, Captain." She exited the galley without acknowledging his gratitude. She instantly heard Lyn's voice along with well as another person's that she didn't recognize. She looked overboard to see a man staring up at the pirate ship with his arm around the first mate. The pair were engaged in conversation with Cain, who had stopped evaluating the ship to chat with them. He glanced up to see her leaning on the railing and immediately stood up. He offered her his hand, allowing her to jump down to his level.
"Is everything all right?" he whispered. "I heard arguing."
"It's all taken care of," she assured him before hopping to the ground. "Good to see you back. Who might this be?"
"This is Arvo!" Lyn introduced cheerily. "He didn't believe me when I told him I was a pirate, so I brought him here!"
Cassandra accepted the plump man's handshake while she appraised him. His thick mane of hair and scruffy beard dominated his face. He had showered and his clothes were clean, but the odor of cannabis was still evident. Her gaze moved to Lyn for a moment, but swiftly returned to the newcomer. "I'm Captain Cassandra Libera. Thank you for taking care of my first mate."
"Oh believe me, the pleasure was all mine," he grinned. "I'll be honest, I didn't expect her to be telling the truth. I mean, come on. Lyn, a pirate?"
"I can't imagine her Jolly Roger was hidden," Cassandra said dryly. "Still, you remembered to check in, and I appreciate that. Seeing as how you smell of disinfectant and ink, I assume you either fell in a paint shop before getting rushed to a hospital or you got another tattoo."
"Yeah!" Lyn clung to Arvo for stability as she carefully peeled the dressing away from her right ankle. An imitation of her prayer beads wrapped three times around her ankle, but what interested Cassandra were the characters inscribed on each bead. She couldn't quite recall where she had seen such characters before, but she had a vague feeling she knew what they were.
"Uh, Lyn, what's that on the beads?"
"Oh! It says Jubilation Unity Harmony Love Acceptance. Juhla!"
Cassandra studied the beads. "And in what language does it say that?"
"The ancient language, of course!"
"I see. Do you know the ancient language?"
Lyn faltered slightly. "Well, no, but-"
"So how do you know it says that?"
"Because those characters have been Juhla's motto since this land was named," Arvo informed her. "It has always been this way."
That didn't make much sense to Cassandra. She highly doubted the ancient language had words that began with sounds that corresponded so perfectly with the island's name. Nevertheless, she let the issue drop. There were a paltry few readers of the ancient language alive, so it didn't matter what the characters' true meanings were. All that mattered was was what Juhla's inhabitants thought the characters meant. "I see. Isn't that desecration of sacred symbols or something?"
Lyn's cheerful laughter filled the air. "Silly Captain, those are all virtues! I pray for those things every night! Why would the spirits be mad?"
"I don't know how your religion works. Still, if you're happy with it, I won't say anything more. What're your plans now?"
"Gambling!" Lyn announced. "I saw a casino in town, and since you only managed to sell some of Morgan's shinies, I figured we could try to get lucky!"
The pirate captain was more than willing to see how much she could swindle. "Good thinking. We can't go shopping, as we still don't have a lot of money. And while you can reuse the same dress from Brickwork, I lost mine when a certain somebody ripped it up."
Cain sputtered as he tried to explain himself. "I... they... you were dying! What was I supposed to do?"
"She's just kidding, silly Cain!" Lyn giggled. "I wanna change clothes and wash. Up!" The large pirate easily picked her up and hopped high enough to deposit her on the deck. She grabbed onto the rigging as she waved down at them. "Bye Arvie! It was fun!"
"Indeed it was!" he called back. As she disappeared into the women's quarters, he chuckled and turned back towards the city.
Cassandra cleared her throat to get his attention before he could take two steps. "This casino. Tell me about it."
Rather than being offended by her brusqueness, Arvo only chuckled again. "Lyn did say you like to get right to the point."
"Is that so. What else did she tell you?"
"That you'd have hunted me down if anything had happened to her. Don't worry; she's completely fine." He paused as he stared up at the Knave. "She's as fine as she was when I met her."
"Good. The casino."
Arvo shrugged. "What is there to say? It's a casino. You go there, you gamble, you win or you lose. There are all sorts of things around it - restaurants, clothing stores, jewelry stores, spas - and of course, there's always a party down the street."
"And who owns it?"
"I don't know, some guy. I don't go there myself, so I don't know much about it. I only showed Lyn about it because she was curious. Piece of advice: if you're gonna try to cheat, don't bother. Trust me, you won't be having fun when they bust you."
Cassandra had no intentions of being caught. "Thanks for the tip. Farewell, and I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone we were here. We're not hiding, but undue attention isn't welcome."
He drew his fingers across his lips as he sauntered off. Cassandra watched him for a moment before turning back to Cain. The massive man was crouched so she wouldn't have to strain her neck. "I delayed them because I heard you and Alexander shouting. Are you sure everything is all right?"
"We had a little disagreement over Damien's punishment. He's being released in two days instead of indefinitely. It's not much, but it should be enough to prevent any adverse effects of temporary starvation." The very thought of Alexander's argument caused her fist to tighten. "Last time was an offer; this is a command. Choose your weapon. Prove to me you could protect your prince from the ex-heiress to the most powerful assassin organization in the world."
\\'/.\\'/.\\'/.\\'/.\\
"The Mint State Casino?" Morgan's voice was laden with skepticism. "Really, Captain? This is the surefire moneymaking venture you mentioned? Are you completely unfamiliar with how establishments such as these make money?"
"One of my Sister's cousins owns one. We spent quite some time learning about how they operate."
"Morgan, I like your nails!" Lyn exclaimed. "You stopped doing them for a while, but now they're back!"
The prince checked his violet fingernails. "It is apparently part of my physical therapy to practice fine motor skills to ensure my fingers do not grow weak."
"That's right," Alexander confirmed. "And Captain, what didn't you do before you became a pirate?"
"I myself didn't do much," she said airily as she stared at the enormous building. "But the aggregate knowledge of my Sisters is quite amazing."
"You didn't do much?" Cassandra rolled her eyes as everyone jumped jumped at the sudden intrusion. She had had a feeling that Jordan was tailing them incognito for his own amusement, but hadn't felt the need to mention it. He had his arms around a redheaded man and woman who bore a striking resemblance to one another, all three of them visibly tipsy. "You were the goddamn living archive of who knew what and who would be most useful when."
"Why should I deliberate over a problem when I know someone who could solve it ten times faster than I could?" Cassandra asked. "It's not my fault that the discord and hatred is sown so deep that our families don't cooperate more."
"Ah, that'll never happen," Jordan stated. "We only get together when we're taking on another family. Us Moon Sisters are a once-in-an-era fluke."
"You say that like we've always gotten along." Cassandra trailed off, still focused on the massive building before her. "Another time. Why are you here?"
"Believe it or not, I've got a present for Four-Eyes." He let the woman go, causing her to stagger forward. Alexander was instantly before her, making sure she didn't fall. "There ya go. She's got a thing for musicians, though I fucking swear everyone on this island does."
"Silentium Larundae." Jordan only had a split-second to look puzzled before Cassandra's fierce jab caught him in the solar plexus and sent him skidding down the street. The pirate captain easily caught the red-headed man Jordan had been carrying, not bothering to look at him. "I did warn you, Jay. What Alexander does in his spare time is his business. If he wants to find someone, he'll do it himself."
Her lecture ground to a halt as the man she was supporting clumsily pawed at her chest. Her body went into overdrive, and she bodily heaved him into the air. Even through her anger, she could appreciate her accuracy. He crashed directly into Jordan, knocking them both to the ground. She was sorely tempted to do more damage, but Alexander's hand on her shoulder reminded her of where she was. "If you touch me again, whatever you're touching me with gets lopped off. Same goes for you, Jay, until you apologize and remember your goddamn manners."
The man's brows drew together as he tried to focus his eyes upon her. "Come on, darling, I was just having a bit of fun."
"Fun, fun, fun, everyone throws that word around." Cassandra clenched her teeth. "I can imagine a few things that sound fun right about now."
"And if only you had someone with you who enjoyed those things as much as you currently do."
Cassandra whirled to glare at the musician, but couldn't keep the small grin from cutting across her face. "You two may seem as different as night and day, but I swear on my life, I can't tell who's more stubborn."
"We all have something we refuse to yield on," Alexander said gently. "Still, a compromise was reached, and-"
"Hold on a moment," Morgan interrupted. "Compromise? What compromise? How is that hellion's punishment in any way allowed to be lightened?"
The pirate captain wasn't even going to try. "Alexander, you convinced me; convince him. Anyway, is it too much to ask for me to walk the twenty feet from here to inside the casino without me or one of my nakama being harassed?"
"Well, that's your fault for being so awesome, Captain!" Lyn gushed as she glomped onto Cassandra. "You're like the most badass woman on the Line! You know anyone who messes with you isn't gonna be happy about it! The problem is everyone's scared of you, and these people don't like to be scared, so they fight! You fight, they fight, you fight, they fight, it'll never end! I know you want a break, but the places we go won't give you one. That's why we have time when you're just Queen!"
Cassandra gaped at the woman draped across her shoulders like Lyn had grown an extra head. "Who are you and what the hell have you done with my first mate?"
Lyn giggled as she kissed her captain's cheek. "Sometimes when you focus on the details, you forget there's a painting! No, wait. If you only look at the grass, you won't see the zoo. No..."
"Forest, trees," Alexander provided before seamlessly resuming his argument with Morgan.
"Yeah! You'll miss the trees if you only stop and look at the forest!"
Cassandra laughed as she rested her hand on top of Lyn's head. "You're my Lyn, all right."
"And you're my Captain!" exclaimed the first mate. "The bestest best captain in all the seas, no matter what anyone says!"
"Aren't I just." She absentmindedly thumbed one of her pistols as she looked at the passersby. If there was one noteworthy aspect about the inhabitants of the Grand Line, it was how accustomed they were to spontaneous bouts of chaos. Unless there was a huge fight or significant property damage, they had better things to do than to stop and stare every time a punch was thrown. "So, shall we? Alexander, what are you doing?"
The musician looked confused that she was even asking. "What do you expect me to do, leave her with Jordan? I wouldn't inflict him upon her."
"You're pretty short," the redhead burbled, "and squishy."
Alexander gave a sheepish smile. "And I couldn't in good conscience leave her alone in this state."
"Whatever. Are you coming with us or not?"
"I am. Are you ready, Breda?"
"You're like a big living teddy bear."
He glanced at his drunken companion. "I think that's a yes."
Cassandra rolled her eyes. "If you get thrown out, we three don't know you."
"Good to know you have my back, Captain."
Although the pirate captain was wary of giving her crew too much leeway, she decided to split half a million Beli between the four pirates. She still had about five million Beli worth of jewelry to sell, but they still had a fair amount of money left over. She had spent a large portion fully sating Cain's hunger, restocking the ship, and giving Morgan a small reward for letting go of his jewelry without prompting. Cain always looked slightly ashamed whenever he brought back the massive amount of food required to refill him after his usual fast at sea, but Cassandra would have none of it. Of all of their expenses, keeping Cain fed was the one she minded the least, no matter how costly it was.
Still, buying enough food for him took a toll. A four-way split of half a million Beli was still a decent sum for a night of gambling. Cassandra and Morgan strode right inside the casino while Alexander dissuaded Breda from swimming in the fountain. Morgan's gaze was naturally drawn to the enormous gold-plated coin in the center of the lobby, but the pirate captain was more interested in locating the security cameras. She could see two Den-Den Mushi tucked in the corners of the ceiling, and she hadn't even entered the casino itself yet.
Morgan easily matched her leisurely pace. "The high limit room needs a million just to be admitted entry, Captain."
"Well, if you miraculously get that much, feel free to go there." She was more focused on being as discreet as possible while analyzing the area. While there was only one more Den-Den Mushi in the hallway leading to the game floor, the restaurants were staffed with burly security guards. "Have you picked a game yet? I'd stay away from poker if I were you. You still haven't finished those chore slips."
The prince shook his head. "You forget that many of those chore slips overlap with my punishment."
"Oh, I haven't forgotten. Those won't expire until they don't overlap anymore." She flashed him a cheerful smile. "Though you can always try to barter them off."
"I've learned my lesson, thank you very much." His dark blue eyes roved slowly about as the pair entered the main casino area. "Perhaps I will try my luck with their cuisine first."
"Morgan, I swear, if you start another fight over their food being unfit for a prince, I'll have Damien sear your taste buds off. Not even kidding."
"I fear the quality of food aboard the Howling Knave would take a significant drop in quality."
She lightly flicked his head. "Just keep your temper cool, smartass." She braced herself just as Lyn threw herself onto her captain. "How're Alexander and Breda?"
"We both know you know exactly how they're doing, silly Captain!"
"It's loud in here," she responded with a grin, "people are smoking, and I don't have eyes on the back of my head."
Lyn's giggles were infections. "And you can still hear Cain banging away at the ship and probably even Raven doing whatever it is she's doing. Nothing can hide from you!"
"If you say so. Could you please stop ditching your crutches to jump on me? I'm worried you're gonna bust your leg again."
"Nah, I'll be fine. And before you say anything, mother, yes, I'll tell you if I fall down and get a boo-boo."
Were it not for the first mate's injury, Cassandra would have shoved her forward. "It'll cost sixty million Beli to get back on the Knave. Think you can manage that?"
"That might be a bit hard. Can I have Alexander's portion?
Cassandra knew the musician had opted to escort the drunken Breda to her house, but she didn't know if he was going to stay with her instead of returning to the casino. "If you run out, check back with me. And I don't mean blow it all at once."
Lyn planted a kiss upon her captain's cheek before retrieving her crutches and hobbling onto the casino floor. Cassandra played the part of the indecisive player, idly running a coin through her fingers as she ambled about the floor. It took her a while to figure out where every single security camera was and, much to her annoyance, the coverage was complete. There were no blind spots she could use to her advantage. She lingered about the blackjack tables, but she didn't want to try her luck against the hawk-eyed dealers.
To keep any suspicion off of her, she made some low bets at a few games as she got a better layout of the room. She managed to draw out her losses, but she learned everything she needed to about the security. She couldn't escape the watchful eyes of the Den-Den Mushi, so that narrowed her options. There were only a few guards scattered at the edge of the game floor, concentrated around the bars and restaurants. While she was very certain that she could escape without any collateral damage if she needed to, she knew that her crew could not do the same. Fortunately, Lyn, Alexander, and Morgan didn't cheat. She needed to be concerned with herself.
The game that drew her attention the most was roulette. It was located in a relatively easy spot to escape from, and she was beginning to listen to the spinning of the wheel and rolling of the ball. Furthermore, it would be nearly impossible to catch her cheating. The croupier rolled the ball with practiced fluidity, which would help her determine approximately where the ball would land. As she threw away some more coins at the slot machines, she kept an eye on the roulette machine and listened as carefully as she could.
She glanced up as a cocktail waitress set a drink down beside her. "I didn't order anything."
The waitress only smiled. "It's from the cute blond with the cane."
Cassandra barely succeeded in keeping a straight face as she caught sight of the cook approaching her. "I see. I'll thank him myself." She tipped the waitress, who instantly left to deliver drinks to other patrons. Cassandra was watching her to evaluate her possible physical prowess when Morgan limped up. "Have you seen the cute blond with the cane who sent this to me?"
Morgan smirked proudly. "Injuries do not necessarily detract from physical appearance."
"Yeah, I've always found Damien to be the handsomest of all of you." The prince's expression immediately soured. "I'm joking. It's a shame you decided to bribe me instead of spending your last bit of cash to try to earn it back."
He stared at her, evidently thinking hard. "You know that I know that your ring is outside your glove, so strong alcohol would be much less effective than a drink you enjoy, hence the cider." He gave a slight frown. "So I was obviously trying to curry favor, though I was depending on you appreciating the gesture. The reason you also figured out I wasn't simply trying to earn some privileges back was because you knew I had been swept up by the possibility of making money."
"Here's Alexander's portion." She made no effort to conceal her amusement at how taken aback Morgan was. "Oh, don't give me that look. It wasn't much, considering you were mostly describing your own thought process and any moron can read their own mind, but that was still a neat little bit of deduction. I keep forgetting how you're not stupid, just an idiot."
"Always a pleasure, Captain."
He reached for the bills she offered him and froze as she grabbed his hand and pulled him close. "So dust off that big brain of yours and don't bleed out so quickly this time, or I'll be recouping that loss from your hide. If Alexander comes, you owe him this amount. If you can't pay up..."
Tight-lipped, he bowed his head and left. Cassandra stared after him, shaking her head in wonder. Having a cocky young prince on her crew was certainly a treat. She didn't know how successful she'd be about helping him grow into the ruler he wanted to be, but she would give it her best. He was her crewmember, after all. It was her duty to help him, regardless of how he behaved.
Her money was beginning to dwindle, which meant it was time to make her move. She sidled up to the roulette table, still listening to the ball rolling around the wheel. As she exchanged the rest of her money for chips, she relished the challenge before her. Calculating where the ball would land while keeping her bets as inconspicuous as possible and preparing to bolt if the situation worsened would be a true test of her skills. She grinned widely.
She started out slowly, winning and losing equally. Most of her losses were intentional, but the few real ones only served to give her a better understanding of the ball and wheel. She made both inside and outside bets, but the outside bets were more to give the illusion of caution than to actually make money. She absolutely did not want to be caught, but she couldn't deny that she was beginning to enjoy seeing how far she could push herself. Her bets grew more extravagant as she made more money. She began winning and losing large sums of money, and she was drawing a small audience.
It was only when the security guards began to move that she snapped out of her trance. She may have relished the thrill of cheating the casino, but she had a lifetime of escaping perilous situations that no amount of excitement could override. She tensed in preparation to grab her chips and flee, but stopped as she noticed something peculiar. Unless they were trying and failing to sneak up on her, they weren't converging on her. She relaxed, knowing that she would only appear to be slightly disturbed by the mobilization of authority figures. As a wanted pirate, such a reaction was completely natural.
She smiled as she listened to the burly guards ask the offender to come with them. Her smile vanished instantly as she recognized the offender's voice. She whirled around in disbelief to confirm what she had heard. Glad that the table had just finished a round, she grabbed all of her winnings and ran over to the gathering of guards, hoping she would be able to figure out what on earth they wanted with Lyn.
