"Myo hand sa ten. Dealer, wompa more card."
Dafnea's eyes followed the slug-like creatures short, leathery fingers as they reached across the card table and snap at the dealer. The copper-toned droid awaiting instructions to this a sign to slowly slide another sabacc card towards the Hutt, then turned expectantly towards the young woman.
"I believe it is your draw now, Madam."
Dafnea tapped her fingers anxiously on the table's felt edges. The two cards in front of her read quite the unlucky array: 19. It would have to take an Idiot's Array to even out her chances of winning this hand. And God knows that was impossible.
"Ootiman, draw do cards!"
"I'm getting there, Oruba!" The girl snapped, arousing a snot-filled grunt from her Hutt opponent. Realizing her mistake, Dafnea quickly plastered on a beaming smile. "Besides, isn't the...anticipation the best part of sabacc? That's what my grandfather always told me."
Oruba snarled again, shifting his enormous, bulbing body around in the upholstered casino chairs, which squeaked in anguish under his weight. Dafnea briefly wondered how the workers at Canto Bight's casino would remove the slime that Oruba was bound to leave behind. And does it smell? Or stain? Surely it does.
The droid stiffly waved its claw in front of Dafnea's face, snapping her out of her slightly disgusting thoughts. "Madam, the round only has 3 more minutes left. It is now customary for you, the second player, to announce your hand."
Dosh. There was no way Dafnea could tell Oruba her hand; the game would surely be over. And to admit defeat? To the Ido heiress, that was worse than losing a thousand credits. And she loved her credits.
"Tell you what, Oruba…" Dafnea started, slightly leaning across the table. "Let's make this a little more interesting, shall we?"
That got the Hutt's attention. His foggy, grayish eyes lit up in delight as he ran a dripping purple tongue across his nonexistent lips. "Choy? Do u settah, ootiman?"
Dafnea bit her lip, eyes darting back and forth across the room as her brain racked through options. The dimly lit club was packed full of wealthy tourists, gangsters, and all sorts of creatures looking to score big at the galaxy renowned Canto Bight Casino. Smoke and the smell of hooch filled the air, wafting its way through the crowd to the desolate corner in which the human and Hutt gangster had spent the last few hours gambling away both of their bank accounts and downing various liquors like there was no tomorrow. It would've been like heaven to Dafnea, save for the constant shrill chittering of Oruba's Kowakian monkey-lizard goons.
And the vaguely molten dung smell emitting from the Hutt's body.
And also the fact that she had lost almost every single round of sabacc they had played, accumulating in a nice clump of debts that she had neither the credits nor dignity to pay for.
But sometimes, a little uncomfort was all Dafnea needed to formulate a quick and decisive course of action.
"I have 2,000 credits with me right now, Oruba." Dafnea whispered to her Hutt rival. This was, obviously, a lie. She had spent a majority of her inheritance back on Coruscant after betting on a few podrace tournaments. And then a fortune reading. And then another fortune reading after the first one turned out to be not exactly what she wanted it to be. And then a few more podraces. And then, perhaps, a little bit of shopping...and some more podraces to top it off.
What could she say? She loved podracing.
Oruba gurgled in approval. "Um choy? Do u ask of je?"
Dafnes smirked. "All I ask of you, my sweet friend, is to break even with me. Lets scrap this round and start anew, but this time, all in. I win, you erase my, erm, debts from our previous matches, and maybe throw in a few credits for good sportsmanship. You win, I give you those shiny little coins, and we're on our way."
The Hutt rumbled his approval in his throat, then turned slowly to consider the deal with his lizard-monkey entourage. God, Dafnea hated looked at their feathery, puppet-looking bodies. They gave her the shivers.
Oruba returned his focus, opening up one of his grubby claws as a sign of approval. "Mee like this bargon. But, mee wanta wompa more thing tuta u."
A cold sweat started on the palms of the girl's hands. "One more thing? From me?"
"Tagwa." Oruba confirmed, squinting his eyes impishly. He pointed a single stubby finger towards Dafnea's neck. "Necklace."
Her hand flew towards her collarbone to clutch the small, ocean-blue crystal that hung on a delicate golden chain. He wanted her necklace. The last thing remaining of her mother. Out of all the treasures that Dafnea had possessed in her lifetime, from the most beautiful gowns, rare spices, luxurious silks, and glistening jewels, it was this small, unassuming token that Dafnea held onto for dear life.
"That is a very interesting piece of fine jewelry, Madame." The droid commented, shifting itself closer to Dafnea. A beam of red light sputtered out from the robot's eye lenses and scanned over the crystal. "My analytics seem to process this certain jewel as a result of the ice caves in Illum. Very rare. Very interesting, indeed."
"Mee naga doe necklace." The Hutt growled, slobber dripping down from its mouth. His Kowakian posse shrieked approval of their masters wishes, jumping up and down in excitement.
Dafnea pressed herself back into her chair. Suddenly, it was starting to look like maybe her plan wasn't so great. But, what was new?
"Maybe I should, uh…" Uh oh. Panic mode was settling in. A thousand escape routes zigzagged through Dafnea's brain. Play the game? No. There was no way she could win. She had a nagging suspicion the Hutt had rigged the dice, but there was no way in Hell Dafnea would dare accuse a Hutt gangster of that. Especially if she wanted to keep her head intact.
"I think I need to...feed the Sarlacc!" She blurted out, scooching herself out of the chair and tiptoeing around the chattering lizard-monkeys. "Use the ladies' room. Stretch out the exhaust port. If you catch my drift. Now, if you would excuse me…"
The droid dealer quickly planted itself in front of her, holding out its mechanical claws to block her exit. "I am sorry, Madame, but excusal is not permitted until a final winner is announced, and the winnings have been distributed accordingly. The rules of sabacc exclusively outline that the game must be finished, or the quitting opponent owes twice the agreed upon amount to the opponent. Additionally, leaving a game in its midst is strictly against Canto Bight's Casino procedures and rules."
Dosh, again! "But…" Dafnea stammered, averting her glance to scan the crowds behind the droid. Ah hah! An emergency exit hologram glowed faintly at the otherside of the room. If she could just get around the crowd… "What if it's an...emergency?"
"An emergency will only constitute excusal if there is a fire, death, or sudden invasion." The droid replied promptly. "According to my analytics, there are no detailed emergencies in this location at the very moment."
"Oh! In that case, erm…" Dafnea fumbled around her traveling satchel, pulling out her personal holoprojector. "Oh no, look! My holoprojector, I think I just missed a call, and oh! How sad! I think my...great aunt, or-uncle! Yes, uncle...erm, Ebkneazer just passed!" She shoved the the holoprojector back in the bag before the droid or Oruba got a chance to sense her terrible lie. "Well, I guess that means I need to head out so, farewell! Catch you on the flip side, Oruba! Say hi to the kids for me!"
The human ducked under the droid's arms, escaping off into the crowd. She could hear the Hutt yell in outrage, the sounds of his tiny goons shrilly mimicking their master.
"U get bata unko! Liar! Liar!"
The yelling faded quickly as Dafnea entered the heart of the casino, squeezing her way through the crowds.
"Sorry, so sorry, just passing through…!" She murmured, sliding around the other gamblers. Some gave her strange looks, but she doubted anyone could hear Oruba's threats. Besides, everyone was so drunk off of booze and hooch, Dafnea found it hard to believe they could even make sense of his garbled speech.
Dafnea pushed open the emergency exit, shimmying her slender body through the doorway.
Click! She pressed the door shut, leaning on its metal exterior as she recognized the familiar sound of its automatic lock feature. Another successful escape.
Letting out a breath of relief, Dafnea took a moment to observe in her new surroundings. The air was nippy and calm, slowly lifting the bangs off her face. The smell of salt was in the breeze, and she could just see the city's beaches from her position on the escape porch. She was at the top level of the casino, and the whole city of Canto Bight was below her, like she stood atop the world.
She took a step away from the door, resting her forearms on the metal terrace that kept her from tumbling down to the streets. It was a beautiful evening, the suns setting down over the glistening beach. Cantonica was one of the most beautiful planets she had visited so far...at least, if you were to remove all towering casinos, lounges, and clubs that invaded its coasts. Fun, they were. But pretty? Not so much.
It had been a few weeks since her wedding day rendezvous.
Dafnea closed her eyes tightly. No. Lets not think about that. Not for now, at least.
She opened her eyes again, exhaling the bad thoughts away. It was fine. She didn't have to think about her past anymore. Dafnea had started a whole new life, traveling from one planet to the next. She had met so many new people, experienced so many new things.
And gambled so, so much money.
Dafnea cursed herself silently. This was the fourth time she jumped ship on a bet. The fourth mortal enemy she had made. There was no doubt at least one of the gangsters she had jipped would be sending karma her way soon. The thought scared her, but Dafnea knew she could hold her own. The only thing was...could she really?
Click!
The sound of the opening door caused Dafnea to spin back around, fully preparing herself to see one of those demon lizard-monkeys armed with a blaster, ready to shoot her head off.
Instead, the young woman found herself face-to-face with a man decked head-to-toe in beskar armor, a hunting gun strapped to his back. Strangely enough, he was fully helmeted. An odd sight in a gambling casino, where weapons and armor were usually prohibited. Then again, she had seen a fair share of weirdos in her days.
"Howdy, stranger," Dafnea nodded, smiling to greet the stranger. "Catching some fresh air, too?"
The man said nothing. She couldn't see his eyes through the tinted helmet, but she got the uneasy feeling he was sizing her up. Dafnea turned her back to him to avoid the piercing gaze, focusing instead on the gorgeous sunset. "You wouldn't think Canto Bight would have these kind of views, but wow. It just takes your breath away, doesn't it?"
Silence again. Admittedly, Dafnea started to feel a tad bit annoyed. She hated being ignored. She whipped back around, narrowing her eyes at the stranger. "I'm sorry, do you have something to tell me? Or are you just going gawking at me, Buckethead?"
Nothing.
"Listen, buddy," Dafnea started, puffing her chest slightly as she inched closer to the man. He stood almost a foot over her, but that wasn't about to scare her. "I don't know what your deal is, but you're kind of creeping me out. So, if you have something to say, just-"
Without a word, the man extended out his hand to Dafnea, opening his fist. A hologram suddenly emitted itself into the air, revealing the bust of a young woman with upturned eyes, pouting lips, and a mop of white-streaked hair.
"Oh." Dafnea's heart dropped into the pit of stomach as she suddenly began to put two and two together. The hologram. The armored stranger. The silence. "That's me. And…" She tentatively gazed back up to meet the man's gaze. The helmet. The gun. "You're a Mandolorian. Okay. Great."
Slowly, Dafnea began to step back, the stranger mimicking her every move as he closed in on her.
"Listen," Dafnea began, hiding the anxiety in her voice. She curled her fists behind her, preparing for the worst. "I don't know who sent you, and why, or when, but… I'll tell you what, I've got 2,000 credits in my back pocket right now, if you would just-"
The stranger took one more step forward, forcing Dafnea's back to hit the edge of the terrace. One more push, and she would be plummeting to the earth, 30 stories up. Not a great look for her.
So, feeling like a trapped womp rat, Dafnea soon realized her options. Fight, or flight. Normally, she would choose flight. But, considering the Mando was blocking her exit, and she wasn't about to take her chances and jump to her death, it looked like there was only one option.
Fight.
As quick as she could, Dafnea cocked her fist back, shooting it straight towards the Mandalorian's neck.
Without any problem, he caught her fist in his, yanking her arm behind her and shoving her face first into the gate.
I guess "fight" failed, then.
Dafnea grimaced as he twisted her arm even tighter, manhandling her other arm and bringing her behind as well. She heard the faint clank of chains and felt cold metal press into wrists.
"Handcuffs? Really?" Dafnea snorted, craning her neck to get a view of her captor. There was no trace of life behind the black visor of his helmet. Asshole. "I knew Mandalorians were a little kinky, you could at least buy me dinner first."
The Mandalorian, it seemed, was not amused.
author's edit (3/19): hi! i'm so glad i finally have the chance (thanks to the pandemic lol) to write this story and share it with you all! i hope you are enjoying it so far, and i cannot wait to hear your thoughts! please feel free to leave reviews down below, i am more than happy to chat about the story and its path with you guys! expect another chapter tomorrow ;)