His portal had opened to the tavern room that Athena had rented for the duration of the festival. As he stepped through he saw Athena laying on the bed against the wall. When she saw him enter she quickly pulled her blade on him "Who are you!?" She demanded. "Wow my own sister doesn't even recognize me." Asura said disappointed. "Asura is that really you?" She asked. "In flesh and blood." He replied and then told the story of what happened and why he's like this again. "You don't know how long it's been since I've seen you in that form." Athena said running her hands through his hair. "Yea I don't either." "I forgot how attractive you looked when you aren't the other you." Athena said. "Are you just saying that because you and I share some of the same looks when we stay in our normal forms?" Asura asked. "You bet it." Athena said
As Athena finished taking in the sights of Asura's old form Asura had his back to the door. He heard the door open and looked at Athena who held his head so he couldn't look behind him. He heard a gasp and the sound of feet running at him, right before he was attacked viciously by a hug from Priscilla he mouthed the words fuck you to Athena. "Oh my god your soo cute." She said while hugging Asura forcefully. "This is why I hate this form." Asura said trying to force his way out of Priscilla's death grip. Asura forced his way out of the death grip, realizing that Conrad's wallet was on the table by the door, grabbed it and booked it down the hall, down the staircase, and outside. "Got to run now." Asura said looking left and right, he just realized it was nighttime and raining. He heard the hellish cry from inside "Asura wheeere are yoooou?" "GOT TO RUN NOW!" Asura said to himself before running like the devil himself is on his tail. Asura ran until he got to a late night poker hall's doors and thought of a fantastic idea. He took out the sun pendant Kenneth had given him and whispered the same words he was told to. He then said to meet him at the poker hall and that he'll be the person outside that is smoking a black stick with a green smoke. Asura said those words and then leaned against the only wall that had a small overhang above it blocking the rain. He took out his last black stick and lit it making it emit a green smoke. Asura thought of mint and waited for the wine red trench coat man to stroll up. Asura was looking down at his scroll texting Yang, waiting for Kenneth, when he strolled up and said "You're not Asura. Who are you?" "Surprisingly I am I just got changed back to what I used to look like." Asura said still smoking his black stick. "Prove it." Kenneth said reaching to pull open his jacket. "You got your ass kicked by Quinn at the arena." Asura said. "So everyone saw zhat horrible moment." Kenneth spit back. "Well the first time we met you came up to me with two fantastic mugs of Nord Mead and we played cards against humanity." Asura said. Kenneth seeing that this actually was Asura asked "Zhe fuck happened to you man?" "Loong ass story but for now I thought we could attend this." Asura said pointing up to the poker sign. "Well you do have an eye for a good game." Kenneth said.
They both got passed the bouncer and walked in. The floor was covered in a carpet that was the same red wine color as Kenneth's jacket. Golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling and many tables were around the main room, each with a different betting game. "I'm going to ask that you hand over your weapons sirs." An old man said. Asura not having any weapons on him didn't have any to give and Kenneth just took 4 knives from his jacket and set them down on the counter. They decided to go for the simple games first. They both paid the pay in price of 500 and took a seat down at the table. Kenneth and Asura sat across from each other. Around the table there was a rather unusual bunch of people. The total was six people. Kenneth, Asura, two mob bosses, one drug dealer, and a caramel skinned girl with orange hair in a white suit with a white top hat that kept her head down so her face wouldn't be shown. They played just dominating each and every person at the table. Kenneth then thought that he could score it big so he went all in. Kenneth's self-esteem was shattered when the mystery girl destroyed Kenneth, winning everything on the table. The game then ended before Kenneth could win back his winnings.
Kenneth confronted the girl later outside. "You cheated." He started off aggressively. "I sincerely have no idea what you're talking about." The girl said before turning away. "Don't walk away. There is nothing I hate more than a cheater." Kenneth reached to open his jacket but was stopped when the girl pulled out a large red and silver pistol that had metal plates on the side with the king, queen, joker, and ace symbols on each one. The inside of it fired a large caliber bullet. The girl held the gun to Kenneth's chin. "Open you jacket and I'll kill you. Make a sound and I'll kill you. Move and I'll kill you. Do you get that?" She said pulling the trigger slightly making the hammer stop right before firing. Kenneth realized how much he had just fucked up. Asura seeing this vanished and in a blink of an eye tore the gun from the girl's hands and held his nails at her throat. "Don't move. My nails are sharper than knives if you move I'll kill you." He said his nail just barely touching her neck but drawing blood. After an explanation of how she won Kenneth said. "You mean you didn't fucking cheat. How the fuck? I've never lost how?" Kenneth said stomping back and forth. "Well how about this." Asura said still holding his nails to the girl's throat. "We take half of the winnings and we let you live." Asura said allowing Kenneth to search the girl for her wallet. "There half let her go." Kenneth said. Asura forcefully dropped the girl and Kenneth and Asura walked away and down the street. The girl deciding that she wasn't going to take this she quickly grabbed her gun and fired a shot at Asura's head. Asura quickly turned around and grabbed the bullet between his teeth "Guess what I just caught." He said holding it between his teeth and then biting down crushing the bullet to dust. Asura saw the girl get pissed and stomp off in the other direction before turning around and walking away. He and Kenneth walked for a while, maybe an hour or two, before saying their goodbyes and heading their separate ways. Asura walked through the rainy streets making his red hair become wet and stick to his face. He heard armored running behind him and turned to see a group of guards stop and point their swords at him "Stop right there criminal scum, you've violated the law. Pay the court a fine or serve your sentence!" He heard one of them yell "Fuck this." Asura said before turning around and hauling ass in any direction he could go to get away from the guards. Asura ran until he came across a musical hall. He heard music playing and he quickly slipped inside the back door and hid back stage. He stayed there for about 30 minutes and assumed the guards had run off in another direction to search for him. He stuck his head around the corner and saw the same girl he and Kenneth had basically robbed earlier playing the drums as part of a band. He listened and she was the only good player in the band. The singer and others were god awful. He climbed up to the walkway above and waited until they were done.
When they finished the other band members went their own ways while the girl went back to her room to get something. Asura followed her to a hallway and saw her enter a room with an orange ace on the door with the words "Scarlett." He opened the door and walked in remarking in how it the floor and desk were covered in music sheets. "Hello? Scarlett? I come baring." He was cut off when the door shut itself and he heard a gun cock behind him "I thought that's how it was going to go. And here I was about to say sorry out of the kindness of my heart." He heard the gun click behind him. "and I kinda accidentally nicked your bullets back there." Asura said before turning around coming face to face with Scarlett. "I came to give this back" Asura said holding up a wad of cash and handing it to Scarlett. "The guards were a little overboard don't you think." "Who the hell are you?" Scarlett asked. "Me I'm no one just a friend." Asura said. "I have to say though you played good out there, much better than the other people." "I'm only in that band so I can earn money." Scarlett said before taking a seat at the desk but still facing Asura who took a seat on the bed. "Well who doesn't do things for money? Do you like live here or something?" "I entered the poker match earlier to get some more money because I'm saving up for a better set of drums. But then you and that asshole friend of yours robbed me." Scarlett said sighing at the finish of the sentence.