Chapter Twenty – Stacking The Deck
"Why does Aidios hate me?" Cyrus sighed.
"Come on, don't be so dramatic; you need this," Alisa stated, smirking slightly.
"I agree. You need to start getting along with people better," Emma added, stifling a laugh.
"I can't disagree with you, but isn't this a little… Drastic?" Gaius asked, looking at Cyrus.
What Gaius was referring to was the situation Cyrus found himself in. After the little altercation he had with Rean the week before, Sara had finally followed through on her promise to punish Cyrus for taking his assault too far.
Originally, Cyrus and Rean were supposed to be paired up so they could work together more closely and deepen their fractured relationship. Naturally, Cyrus thought that was bullshit and decided that he was going to avoid having to be subjected to what he deemed was babysitting. Since he had refused to heed Sara's punishment, Sara had now taken it a step further. Sara had decided to handcuff Cyrus and Rean together, which proved to be entertaining to most of Class VII, with the exception of Jusis and Cyrus himself.
Rean didn't seem to mind, which made Cyrus think he was suffering from a stroke of some kind. Who in their right mind would be fine with being handcuffed to someone else? It was absolute nonsense, and Cyrus was going to make sure everyone knew how he felt.
"I hope you know that I can easily break out of these things, Sara," Cyrus stated, scowling at his Instructor.
"If you do that, I've already arranged with Vice Principal Heinrich for you to be his assistant for the month. So, if you'd like to sit in the Vice Principal's office, doing his paperwork and listening to him drone on about whatever nonsense he likes to drone on about, then by all means, cut your way through those handcuffs," Sara responded, smirking as she spun the keys to the handcuffs on her index finger.
"Aw, c'mon Cyrus; it'll be good for you guys!" Elliot smiled.
"I don't need a sixty-two-kilogram deadweight slowing me down! How do you expect me to fight like this?!" Cyrus shouted.
"Why would you need to fight? You're at school, and unless you're planning to start another fight with Patrick, there will be no reason for you to fight anyone," Machias sighed.
"I meant when Rean and I go to the Old Schoolhouse this Sunday. Are you expecting me to drag him around like a sack of potatoes?!" Cyrus snapped.
"Oh, no, you'll be free from them when you guys go and investigate the Old Schoolhouse on Sunday. Until then, however, you're going to be stuck like this," Sara clarified.
"What about sleep?! You can't expect us to sleep together, can you?!" Cyrus protested.
"Who's sleeping together?" Levana called out from the kitchen.
"Stay out of this, you nosy bitch! Go do your job at the Engineering Club!" Cyrus yelled.
"Jeez, calm down, will you? You're just being punished for doing something wrong. It's not the end of the world," Laura sighed.
"Oh, you're one to talk! You get to smack the shit out of people and drown them, but I don't see anyone chaining you up like some fucking animal!" Cyrus growled.
"Cyrus, that's enough!" Sara shouted. "This is your punishment, so just suck it up and deal with it!"
"Fucking mongrels, all of you…" Cyrus muttered under his breath. "Fine. Schwarzer, we're going."
Without giving Rean a chance to respond, Cyrus yanked Rean along and dragged him out of the building and headed to school. He swore that if anyone had anything to say about his current situation with Rean, they were going to have their skull ventilated by Mercy and Redemption. So, of course the first person Cyrus came across just had to be Crow.
"Hahahaha! What the hell is this? Some kind of marriage counselling?!" Crow laughed, falling to the floor and rolling around in the dirt.
"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, I'd advise against it. You can't tell me that you didn't see this coming," Rean stated, looking at Crow as he rolled about in the dirt, laughing.
"Fucking moron… What do you want, Crow?" Cyrus asked, relaxing his free hand to stop himself from summoning Mercy.
"Oh, right! Well, I have a… 'Thing' I wanted to talk to you about, but I don't think now's a good time," Crow responded, looking at Rean.
"Don't tell me you got another STD, Crow. I told you, those hookers in Heimdallr aren't worth it," Cyrus smirked as Crow went white.
"Wh-what are you talking about? I have no such thing! The only person I've slept with recently was Vivi, and she insisted she was a virgin!" Crow cried.
"I don't think I need to be hearing about this…" Rean muttered, holding his hands over his ears, and dragging Cyrus' hand with him.
"Would you cut it out?! God, it's like you've never even heard of a vagina before. Calm down," Cyrus snapped, yanking his arm down again. "Alright Crow, completely serious this time; what's this 'thing' you wanted to talk to me about?"
"Uhh, is it ok to talk about it in front of Rean? I mean, I know he's cool and all, but he's not 'us cool', y'know what I'm saying?" Crow responded, giving Rean the side-eye.
"Crow… If you're talking about the casino, then it's fine to talk about in front of Rean. It's a perfectly legal business venture now, not some cheap, two-bit scam you concocted to swindle innocent people out of their money to line your own pockets," Cyrus sighed.
"Wait, what's this about a scam?" Rean blinked.
"Don't worry about it. Go on, Crow; we're busy," Cyrus pressed.
"A'ight, cool… Well, Reggie and I went shopping in Heimdallr on Sunday while you guys were out doing stuff, and we're pretty much all ready to go! Reggie said he was gonna spend the next couple of days decorating the building we have and he said it should be ready to go very soon!" Crow beamed.
"Who's Reggie, and what are you guys talking about?" Rean asked, looking at the two silver haired boys.
"Crow… Stop calling him Reggie; his name is Reginald. He treats you with respect, so I expect you to afford him the same honour," Cyrus sighed.
"Aw, he's cool with it. He's awesome! Call's me 'Master Crow' and everything. It's been a while since anyone has called me that," Crow smirked.
"With the exception of Reginald, who in their right mind would want to call you 'Master Crow'?" Cyrus asked, looking at Crow with confused look.
"Eh, don't worry about it. I'm just saying that Reggie's all good!" Crow smiled, giving the boys a thumbs up.
"Does anything I say actually stay inside that head of yours, or is it just in one ear and out the other with you?" Cyrus growled.
"Wait, hold on a second… You guys are running a casino now?" Rean asked.
"No, I am. Crow is going to be my janitor," Cyrus smirked.
"Hey! That wasn't part of the deal!" Crow cried.
"When did you get permission to open a casino?" Rean queried, looking at Cyrus like he had two heads.
"Remember the time I smacked Machias around like a bitch? Yeah, it was around that time," Cyrus responded, making Rean nod as he remembered the altercation Cyrus and Machias had a couple of months ago.
"Anyway, Reggie has asked me to check and see if you're free on Wednesday night to oversee the grand opening?" Crow asked, making Cyrus scowl.
"Reginald. Wait… You're telling me it's going to be ready tomorrow?!" Cyrus cried.
"Sure is! Like I said, that man is a magician or some shit. I've never seen a butler buttle as well as Reggie does!" Crow smirked.
"Sure, that's going to be a good look. 'Hello everyone, I am the casino's owner, and before you say anything, yes, I am indeed attached to a simpleton by a pair of fucking handcuffs'. Yeah, that'll be a perfectly acceptable look," Cyrus snapped, waving Rean's arm around with his own.
"If it's that much a problem for you… I won't say anything to Sara if you wanna slip them for the night," Rean muttered, not taking kindly to being called a 'simpleton' by Cyrus.
"Right, and how are you going to explain to Sara that you're in the dorm and I'm not? I could slip them, sure… But you'll need to come to the casino with me," Cyrus sighed.
"Ok, fine… I'll just wait out the back or something," Rean shrugged, surprising Cyrus with how compliant he was being.
"What are you playing at Schwarzer? Why are you so willing to comply to my orders?" Cyrus asked.
"It's not that I'm willing to comply, Cyrus, it's that I want us to get along. Look, I know I never said this to you, but I'm sorry about how I reacted when I found out Master Ka-Fai trained you after he said I was his final student. It wasn't fair to treat you the way I did, so I'm sorry," Rean responded.
"I'm not saying that I don't get how you feel, but you should have taken it up with Master Ka-Fai when he was here. Frankly, you're an idiot for running off like a child instead of breaking words with him about it, but what can you do? It's not like you can go and seek him out now," Cyrus stated.
"I hate to interrupt this heart-warming bromance moment, but my casino?" Crow said, shoehorning his way back into the conversation.
"Your casino? Don't make me make you scrub the toilets for real, Armbrust," Cyrus warned. "Tell Reginald that I'll be there… And I'll be bringing a croupier with me."
"You will? Who?" Crow and Rean asked.
"You're both idiots… I'm talking about Rean!" Cyrus shouted.
"Oh, right! That's a great idea!" Crow smiled.
"Wait, hold on! I don't know the first thing about casinos!" Rean protested.
"Can you count?" Cyrus asked, somewhat condescendingly.
"Of course I can," Rean responded with a frown.
"Then you can deal cards and count out chips to players. Come on, we have to get to class," Cyrus stated, dragging Rean along with him.
"Ah! Hey, wait up! See you later Crow!" Rean waved as he tried to keep up with Cyrus' pace.
"Alright, Rean's on board now too… I wonder if I can get him to side with me as well…? He'd at least be a viable substitute if I can't bring Cyrus into line," Crow muttered. "That being said though, that tip off I got about Cyrus' secret base was just too good. How the hell did that guy come up with something as ridiculous as that?"
For the remainder of the day, Rean allowed himself to be dragged around campus by Cyrus, doing his best to keep pace with his fellow Eight Leaves practitioner. It seemed that he meant what he had said to Cyrus in the morning about wanting to use this opportunity to actually become friends. Cyrus being Cyrus, however, wanted to see how far he could push Rean to see just how serious he was about that declaration.
"So, did you guys have fun today?" Alisa teased, despite her secretly wishing she was in Rean's position.
"Mm, it was fine. Rean actually managed to keep up, and didn't complain. So, I think it's a decent start. Could still do without actually being handcuffed to him though," Cyrus muttered.
"Hey, complain all you like, but you should have listened to me and not tried to avoid your punishment yesterday. Had you not done that, this wouldn't have been necessary," Sara responded.
"At least you two seem to be getting along though. That's a good sign," Elliot smiled.
"I mean, it's hard to eat when Sara has cuffed our dominant hands together, but I suppose we'll have to find some way to deal with it," Rean muttered, struggling to eat due to Cyrus's arm strength being stronger.
"Just take it in turns, you fools. Honestly, for someone who's supposed to be so intelligent, you really struggled to figure that one out," Jusis sighed, rolling his eyes.
"Thank you, Jusis, for babying Rean to the answer. I was hoping he'd get it on his own, but it seems I expected too much of him," Cyrus muttered.
"What are you talking about?" Rean turned, looking at Cyrus.
"Rean, I've been dragging you around all day, and you've just let it happen. How do you expect us to have a co-operative, symbiotic relationship if I'm the one doing all the work?" Cyrus said.
"Wait, so… This whole time, you've been dragging me around, expecting me to fight back?" Rean asked.
"No, not 'fight back' in that sense, but be more fluid. It takes me a hell of a lot of energy to pull you around, and probably about the same for you to subconsciously resist. Things would be a hell of a lot easier if you kept pace with me, and co-operated when the need arises," Cyrus explained.
"There's that Master of the Eight Leaves I've been waiting for," Sara smirked.
"Sara, Sara, Sara… If this was some hare-brained scheme you concocted to get me to teach Rean how to be a better swordsman, I'm going to ban you from drinking for the next month," Cyrus muttered.
"I'd like to see you try. I'll just have to hide it where you'll never find it," Sara responded, sticking her tongue out.
"Try as you like, it'll just end in disappointment for you," Cyrus smirked.
'Despite everything, he's really holding himself together after what Chancellor Osborne made him do. It's almost concerning how unaffected he is by it all… I really hope he's not bottling it all up, as that would end badly…' Sara thought, staring at Cyrus.
"Instructor, those had better not be 'fuck me' eyes you're giving him," Alisa muttered, glaring at Sara; Envy once again taking control.
"Huh? What? I wasn't doing anything of the sort!" Sara cried.
"You were staring at him for quite a while, Instructor… Anyone else might have assumed you have feelings for him," Laura stated.
"Absolutely not! We're teacher and student, that would just be grossly inappropriate!" Sara shouted.
"Can't you guys see she was just spacing out? Probably trying to figure out where to hide all her booze so I can't find it," Cyrus smirked.
"Y-Yeah! Exactly! See, why can't you guys be normal like Cyrus, instead of thinking about sex all the time?" Sara responded.
"I can assure you, Instructor, some of us don't even think about sex," Machias sighed.
"Now that I can believe," Cyrus and Jusis muttered together, resulting In laughter from some of the other students.
"Shut up, both of you!" Machias shouted, which only made the others laugh more.
It was night time now, and Sara had refused to free Cyrus from Rean, even when it was bedtime. Her reasoning was that since Cyrus only slept for two hours over the course of a day, once Rean went to sleep, it would be like he was free until the following morning. Cyrus had assumed Sara was drunk when she made that sound piece of logic come out of her mouth, but she had been graceful enough to remove the cuffs from Rean, before slapping a new pair on him and chaining him to Cyrus by a long rope so that Rean could sleep whilst Cyrus sat at his desk.
That was the exact scenario Cyrus found himself in that night; sat at his desk whilst Rean slept in the bed behind him. While he found it annoying, he was at least grateful that Sara hadn't forced the pair of them to sleep in the same bed together. He could already see Alisa was envious of Rean's situation, so the last thing he needed was her going off the rails because of some asinine thought of someone else being in the same bed as him, instead of her.
"Hmph, what an unorthodox situation you find yourself in… I'm almost impressed that the Purple Lightning came up with this idea by herself," the individual chortled as Cyrus brought him up to speed with everything.
"I'm sure she had Levana whispering nonsense in her ear at the time," Cyrus sighed.
"Hmph, nevertheless, I think it's time we talked, Dragon," the individual muttered gruffly. "I grow weary about the toll the Blood and Iron Chancellor's deception will ultimately have on you."
"No need, I've already addressed it," Cyrus said flippantly.
"How? Burying it and pretending it never happened will only cause your destruction," the individual growled.
"You underestimate me, old friend… Meikyō Shisui," Cyrus responded, twirling a pen in his hand as he spoke.
"You fool! That will only work so long as you aren't overwhelmed. What will happen to you once that wall in your mind crumbles?" the individual hissed.
"I've taken steps to ensure it won't. Akuma no tamashī no bunki," Cyrus muttered.
"Are you sure that's wise, Dragon? The blowback from such a technique could be immense," the individual warned.
"I know, I know… But this allows me to lock away what happened to those people, and force it all onto the Crimson Yaksha. I'm confident it'll work," Cyrus responded.
"I hope you are right… I've seen the effects that technique has had on people… They end up struggling to draw a line between themselves and the 'other side'. Eventually, they completely lose themselves as the 'other side' takes over, destroying them," the individual sighed.
"Don't forget who you're talking to here. You've seen it happen to lesser beings, ones that had no hope of being able to overcome the risks. I am different," Cyrus grunted.
"Hmph, I hope that arrogance of yours can be backed up by proof when the time comes," the individual snorted.
It had taken a couple of weeks, but Sharon had finally received a response from Arianrhod, Ouroboros' Seventh Anguis. Through this meeting, she had hoped to glean information about Sara, and what caused her unsettling behaviour on the night she threatened to murder anyone who tried to stop her from enjoying her vices.
Normally, Sharon wouldn't have been too perturbed by Sara's actions. She knew Sara enjoyed her drink, but that night she was something else entirely. She had never threatened violence over something so trivial, and especially towards children. Though, she hadn't seen that side of Sara since that night, she couldn't discount it happening again, as she had discovered that Laura had also had a shift in personality, and wanted to know if the events were connected, or a direct correlation to each other.
"Kreuger… Why have you requested this meeting?" Arianrhod asked as she watched Sharon step out from the shadows.
"Apologies, Lady Seventh, but I need to ask you what you know about Sara Valestein," Sharon stated, bowing her head to the Anguis.
"The Purple Lightning? What, specifically, would you like to know, and what is so important about her that you requested to meet with me face to face?" Arianrhod replied, watching Sharon from behind her helmet.
"Do you know what happened to Sara in the two years between the death of Colonel Valestine of the Northern Jägers and her resurfacing as a Bracer? Despite my best efforts, I cannot dig up anything on her during that timeframe… Since I have exhausted all possible avenues of investigation myself, I thought it be prudent to ask you if you know anything, Lady Seventh," Sharon explained.
"What's this about, Kreuger? Has something happened?" Arianrhod asked, careful to not give anything away.
Sharon explained what had happened to Sara, as well as Laura, given the similar circumstances in which they both show signs of what could only be described as possession.
"That is all I know, Lady Seventh, and I'm just trying to find out if these two events are linked," Sharon bowed.
Arianrhod stood there in the moonlight, staring at Sharon. She was trying to work out what Sharon was thinking. The Seventh Anguis knew all about Sara 'Purple Lightning' Valestine from her days as a Jäger. Of course she did; Sara had a role to play in the plans Arianrhod was a part of.
"Yes, Kreuger – the events are related. However, what happened to the Purple Lightning after the death of her adoptive father and when she became a Bracer are top secret, and only those who know what Project Nemesis entails are privy to those secrets," Arianrhod stated.
"'Project Nemesis'? Is this a plan that the Society are involved in?" Sharon asked.
"If you have need to ask of that, then you should know what my answer will be to that question," Arianrhod bit back.
Arianrhod was right. If Sharon had to ask, then she knew it was not her business to be involved in. Whatever this Project Nemesis was, Sharon knew it was important. The only question; who was it important to? The Society, or someone else?
"Then allow me to ask something else; this phenomenon that is happening – is it dangerous to those around Sara?" Sharon asked.
"No… She's not a lethal weapon, if that's what you're asking. As long as she isn't… influenced, she is no more dangerous than a newborn pup," Arianrhod responded. "Is there anything else you need, Kreuger?"
"No, Lady Seventh. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me," Sharon bowed as Arianrhod disappeared into the shadows and vanished.
The following morning, the residents of the Third Dormitory were disturbed by a loud banging coming from the front door. When Sharon went to answer it, everyone inside were disappointed to see that the disturbance was none other than Crow.
"Good morning, Master Crow. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit this morning?" Sharon asked with a smile.
"Huh? 'Master Crow' from you too? Damn, a guy could get used to this," Crow chuckled as he strutted inside the building. "Alright, ladies and germs of Class VII; I'd like to invite you all to opening night."
"Uhh… 'Opening night'? What are you talking about?" Elliot asked.
"Yes, I myself would like to know what nonsense you've come here to pedal," Jusis scowled.
"Aww, come on! None of you know?" Crow cried. "Man, what a disappointment… I figured since everything was legal now, it'd be fine to talk about."
"Crow… You have three seconds to explain what the hell you're rabbiting on about, otherwise I'm going to drag you out of this building myself," Laura growled.
"Calm down, you fucking Wrath machine… Crow! You mind telling me what the hell you're doing here?" Cyrus snapped as he and Rean walked downstairs, still handcuffed together.
"Dude, you own a bitchin' casino and you didn't tell anyone here?!" Crow exclaimed, looking at Cyrus with disbelief.
"A casino?!" Machias cried. "You can't do that!"
"Says who? Your daddy? Fuck that guy," Cyrus grunted.
"Ooh, a casino you say? Looks like mama's found a new place to enjoy her Free Days," Sara chuckled, rubbing her hands together.
"Oh, no. You and alcohol already don't mix. I'm not letting you add gambling to the mix as well. We all know that spells 'fucking disaster'," Cyrus stated, pointing at Sara.
"Aww, c'mooooon! I'll remove those handcuffs if you let me play a little," Sara cooed, holding the key out for Cyrus to take.
Cyrus stood there and scowled at Sara. As much as he wanted to be free of this nonsense he had been subjected to, he just knew that by accepting her offer – rather, her bribe – that he would be setting a precedence, and that would just make things worse for him going forward. The last thing he wanted was for the rest of Class VII to think he could be bought off. He was feeling torn between his desire to be free, but also to not look like he can easily be bribed.
"Y'know, Sara… On your teaching salary, I didn't think you'd be able to afford to drink and gamble. What happens if you lose and you can't buy any more precious alcohol?" Cyrus teased.
"No! I can't go without my booze! Booze is my husband!" Sara cried, taking the key away from Cyrus's reach.
"Well, that's an embarrassing thing to admit…" Alisa sighed.
"That's Instructor Sara for you," Gaius smiled.
"Cool, cool, cool, beer is great, you can marry it later. Are you guy's coming to this opening night or not?" Crow interjected, waving his hands so people would pay attention to him again.
"Sure, sounds like fun," Alisa stated.
"Alisa?!" Emma gasped.
"What? It does sound like fun. Besides, this is Cyrus' business; don't you wanna show your support for a fellow classmate's business venture?" Alisa pouted.
"Hmm… I don't… I mean, I don't have any money to spend on gambling," Emma frowned.
Now, it was Emma's turn to feel torn. She was right about not having any money for gambling. If Roselia found out she had been using the funds given to her by the Hexen Clan for a vice such as gambling, Emma knew that she'd never hear the end of it from her Grandmother.
However, she also had to consider the words of the Immortal Dragon. If Cyrus was indeed involved in the truth that was inscribed onto her soul, she had to get closer to him and discover what, if anything, her soul felt for him. Failure to do so would surely incur the wrath of the almighty Reignbow Arbiter, and that was a fate she so desperately wished to avoid.
"Hello? Earth to Emma?" Alisa called out, snapping her fingers in front of Emma's face.
"Huh? What?" Emma blinked.
"Everyone else is going. We're just waiting on an answer from you," Elliot stated.
"Seriously? Everyone?" Emma gasped.
"Hehe, that's right! These two wanna see who's got the better Poker Face," Crow smirked, pointing to Jusis and Machias, before turning and pointing to Elliot and Gaius. "While these guys have never been in a casino and want to see what it's like."
"Even you want to go, Laura?" Emma mumbled.
"Nah, but she does like the idea of being a Security Officer and kicking out anyone who causes trouble," Crow shrugged.
"Crow, you really need to stop trying to hire people to work for me," Cyrus sighed.
"C'mon, man… Look, if your Class Prez doesn't wanna go for the purpose of gambling, how about we get her to make people drinks? A sexy babe like her working behind a bar is sure to get people spending top Mira just for a chance to talk to her!" Crow grinned.
"Crow, you idiot… Ugh, it's up to you, Emma. You can come along with the rest of these guys, or you can stay here," Cyrus responded.
When she realised that everyone else was going to be at this grand opening, Emma suddenly didn't like the idea of being alone in the Third Dormitory all by herself. She was already doing her best to keep herself from thinking about Fie, by distracting herself with the usual chaos that was happening in Class VII. If she was here, alone with her thoughts, she wasn't sure what would happen to her.
"Alright, I'm in!" Emma declared.
"Haha! Alright! Clean sweep! Clean sweep!" Crow cheered.
The rest of the day was filled with people approaching Cyrus, mostly hesitantly after the reputation he had built up, and asked him if it was true that he was opening a casino that night. Much to Cyrus' exasperation, Crow had been telling everybody about the opening, after he realised it was a legal business operation, and not just a cheap scam to make money.
More frustratingly, Cyrus had also been approached by Towa, and a couple of teachers about the business. Towa, while apprehensive about a Thors student owning a casino, had simply asked that he keep an eye on Crow to make sure he doesn't make any trouble for people; a request that Cyrus wholeheartedly assured Towa he would carry out.
The teachers that had approached Cyrus were Makarov and Thomas. Makarov just wanted a place outside of Trista to relax, have a few whiskeys and a smoke in peace. Thomas, on the other hand, was much more interested in trying to teach Cyrus about the history of gambling and where all the current forms of gambling came from. Cyrus had zero interest in listening to Thomas drone on, so he suggested Thomas come along and share in all the fun, adding that Sara would be there, and she'd love to listen to Thomas' history lesson over a drink.
One of the more surprising people to ask Cyrus about his casino was Instructor Mary. At first, Cyrus thought she had a secret vice for gambling, but the reason she was asking was because she wanted to know if Cyrus wanted to do live music. It wasn't something he had considered, but given his background, as well as that of his family, having live music would indeed be an appropriate addition to the casino and its ambience.
Crow, the conniving little shrew, had of course banked on the students being interested in the casino, and had asked Vivi if she could create a simple banner to hang in the Main Campus Building to advertise it, which was weird to him, because he was certain Vivi was part of the Gardening Club, not the Art Club.
Eventually, after a very long day, the opening night had finally arrived, and it seemed like Crow was the most excited about the endeavour, despite it not being his casino. Unbeknownst to Cyrus, he had even gotten Reginald to advertise the casino in Heimdallr, so there were hundreds of people, both people of Thors and regular citizens alike, all waiting outside to be a part of Heimdallr's newest attraction; the Raven and Dragon Casino (Crow's delightful idea).
Even Sariffa had offered to help out, as she and her father expertly controlled the crowd outside that was eager to get inside. It didn't take long before the place was packed, and Crow couldn't be more pleased with himself.
"So, what do you think? Reggie and I did a good job, huh?" Crow shouted over the loud throng of the crowd.
"That's a hundred…" Cyrus muttered. "Crow, despite everything, I'm surprised you managed to pull this off. You even managed to find plenty of staff."
"I know, right! All it took was to simply hang around outside the other casinos in the city and find the people who looked like they hated their job and wanted a change of scenery!" Crow smirked.
"Did Reginald give you that idea?" Cyrus asked.
"Hm? Nah, this was all me, baby! Though, Reggie did help out with some of the recruitment," Crow responded.
"Two hundred…" Cyrus scowled. "Look you can pat yourself on the back later; go do some work."
"You got it, boss!" Crow saluted as he ran off to do… something.
"Hey, Cyrus! Got a sec?!" Angelica called out.
"Ange? What are you doing here?" Cyrus asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Are you kidding? You think I'd miss this? Crow hasn't shut up about it for ages, and was practically begging me to come. Also, this little kitten wanted to come see you," Angelica grinned, revealing Ferris behind her.
"Ferris? Are you sure you're well enough to be out here?" Cyrus frowned.
"Y-Yes… I'm f-fine…" Ferris mumbled.
Cyrus could see that Ferris was just putting on a brave face. She was definitely uncomfortable being around so many people. She was more than a little jumpy, her skin was pale, and her hands were shaking. Still, despite that, Cyrus knew it took a lot of fortitude for her to come here with Angelica. Were it not for the Rogner Family heir being with her, Cyrus knew there was no way Ferris would have come.
"Thank you, Angelica. It seems your presence is helping Ferris get back to her true self," Cyrus said, bowing his head to Angelica.
"Hey, don't sweat it. You know I have a soft spot for cute girls, and Ferris is just adorable… She looks good in her underwear too," Angelica smirked.
"And, just like that, the moment has been ruined," Cyrus sighed, rolling his eyes as his gaze went back to Ferris' hands, and that's when he noticed it.
"Something wrong?" Ferris asked, noticing Cyrus was staring at her hands.
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it," Cyrus shook his head. "I have to go, please have a good time while you're here."
As Cyrus walked through the casino, he saw everything that was happening. From the intense game of poker that Jusis and Machias were currently locked in, to the group of men who were currently congregating at the bar, just for a chance to see the pretty pink-haired barmaid who was serving drinks like she'd done it her entire life. He could see Rean too distracted by Elliot and Gaius that the customers at the table were starting to get impatient, which Cyrus fixed by giving Rean a crushing gaze that only a Le Guin could do. Perhaps his most favourite scene was the one of Instructor Thomas who seemed to be having the time of his life in the VIP Section with Sara, who looked like she wanted to commit suicide. Cyrus wasn't always a petty person, but when he was, he made sure to enjoy the fruits of his pettiness.
"Pardon me, Master Cyrus; Father needs you at the entrance. We have a… 'situation'," Sariffa bowed as she approached Cyrus.
"Well, can't say I didn't see this coming. Come on, Sariffa," Cyrus sighed.
"Thanatos damn you, Reginald Birch! How dare you deny entry to someone like me!" Oscar screamed as Cyrus and Sariffa returned to the building's entrance. "You! Tell your servant to let us in!"
"What the fuck are you doing here, Oscar?" Cyrus scowled.
"Hmph, obviously we're here to see my dear Sophie. Now shut up and do as I say!" Oscar yelled.
"Sophie's not here, you pleb. And what's this 'us' and 'we' bullshit you're going on about?" Cyrus snapped.
With a smirk, Oscar stepped aside to reveal the person who was with him. It had been almost six years, but Cyrus knew who it was immediately; the pale blue hair and bright blue eyes were unmistakable. It was Cyrus' childhood friend, Amelia.
"Cyrus…" Amelia whispered, looking at the boy that stood before her. When she last saw him, he was just a child, and looked nothing like he did now.
"Yeah, I should have known… Like I said; Sophie isn't here, so why are you?" Cyrus scowled, looking at the couple.
"I know Sophie isn't here, you fucking moron. She told us about this place opening, and said I should come here to clean you out," Oscar scoffed.
"Yeah… Sure she did. Get out of here, Oscar. The buy in here is more than you can afford without having to ask daddy for his chequebook," Cyrus snorted, waving his hand dismissively.
"You dare speak to me like you're better than me. I'll have you know; I've stood face to face with the Concierge of Crime. If he didn't scare me, you certainly won't," Oscar declared, causing Cyrus to laugh.
"What absolute bullshit. If the Concierge had business with you, then it'll be because you did something stupid, like interrupt his actual business dealings," Cyrus smirked, knowing Oscar was lying.
"Hmph, me and my boys had a secret meeting with him, and we came to an… Understanding," Oscar scoffed. "Not like someone as dull as you could understand; you and your meathead sister have spent years trying to catch him and failed. I meet him once, and already have an established relationship with him," Oscar laughed. "If my brother was in charge of the Lamare Provincial Army, he'd have caught him by now."
"Ok, and is this the part where you woke up and realised it was all a dream? Get over yourself, you arrogant little cunt," Cyrus growled.
"Oh, Cyrus, how pathetic you look. Why can't you just accept that I, and my family, are better than you and yours in every facet? Even Amelia knows I'm better than you; why else do you think she chose to marry me?" Oscar cackled.
'Tch, 'chose' isn't the word I'd use,' Cyrus thought, before shaking his head. "Do you really want to lose all your money, little boy?"
"The only one who is going to lose anything tonight is you and your pathetic casino. Get out of my way, you bitch," Oscar spat as he shoved Sariffa out of his way.
The moment he shoved Sariffa, Oscar found himself looking up at the sky. Blinking in confusion, Oscar tried to process what had just happened. As he put his hands on Sariffa, Reginald grabbed Oscar by his little cape and yanked him to the ground, slamming his head into the ground.
"HOW DARE YOU LESSER BEINGS TOUCH ME!" Oscar screamed as he clutched the back of his head.
"Apologies, sir… When it comes to people trying to harm my child, I forget my place," Reginald bowed as he stood up.
"Think nothing of it, Reginald. If you hadn't reacted, I certainly would have. Are you alright, Sariffa?" Cyrus asked, looking at the Florald Family maid.
"Yes, I am fine, Master. Thank you, Father," Sariffa responded, bowing to both men.
"DON'T JUST STAND THERE! HELP ME!" Oscar continued to screech, looking up at Amelia.
"Ah, I'm sorry, darling. Are you alright?" Amelia asked as she helped Oscar to his feet.
"Do I look like I'm ok, you stupid bitch?!" Oscar shouted, back-handing Amelia.
"I… I'm sorry, darling…" Amelia whispered, tears welling up in her eyes.
Cyrus stood there and watched the exchange between Amelia and Oscar impassively. He so desperately wanted to punch Oscar in the mouth, but knew that it was not his place to get involved. Amelia was nothing more than a memory to him now; why should he get involved in their tiffs? His mind wandered back to something Sophie had said to him when they met in Heimdallr last week; were it anyone else, would he step in and intervene? No, he wouldn't, as it had nothing to do with him. This scenario was the same.
"Forget it. Taking all of his money will make me feel better," Oscar snapped as he stomped inside the casino.
"Sir, might I be so bold as to request something of you?" Reginald asked as Cyrus was about to head inside himself.
"What is it, Reginald?" Cyrus asked. Reginal very rarely made requests like this, so he wanted to listen to what the man had to say.
"Please, sir, embarrass him thoroughly," Reginald requested.
"Heh, I plan to," Cyrus grinned. "Come on, you two. You won't want to miss this."
While Cyrus and Oscar were having their confrontation outside, Crow had managed to eavesdrop on all of it, and quickly ran back inside to announce to everyone that a massive high-stakes game was about to take place.
As such, when Cyrus walked back inside, everyone in the building had gathered on the ground floor around the poker table Oscar had sat down at. Rolling his eyes, Cyrus walked over and sat on the opposite side. As it so happened, Rean was the dealer at that specific table.
"Alright, so what are you guys playing tonight?" Rean asked, sensing the tension between the two males.
"Poker. Ardent Style, no limit. We each start with two million Mira; more can be added to our hand should we need it," Oscar demanded as he watched Rean look at Cyrus. "Do you two know each other?"
"Yes, he's in my class at Thors; what do you care?" Cyrus grunted.
"Absolutely not! I will not have you using your school chums to help you cheat!" Oscar shouted, standing up and slamming his hand on the table.
"My 'school chums'? What are you, a ninety-year-old man? Tch, fine. You pick someone. That way, when I beat you, you can't accuse me of cheating," Cyrus scowled.
"Man, they haven't even dealt the cards yet and this is already intense! Everybody, make sure you've got your drinks and been to pee; you don't wanna miss a second of this action!" Crow shouted, as if he were a commentator for a sports match.
'Fucking hell, Crow…' Cyrus shook his head. "Will you hurry up? Some of us have lives to get back to!"
"Don't rush me, you fucking dog! Hmm… Woman! Deal!" Oscar barked, pointing at Amelia.
"M-Me? Are you… Are you sure, darling?" Amelia mumbled.
"Are you deaf and stupid?! DEAL!" Oscar screeched, making Amelia jump.
"Here you go, I guess," Rean muttered, handing Amelia a brand-new deck of cards, that were still sealed. "As you can all see; this is a brand-new deck. Sealed and untouched, so no chance of it being tampered with beforehand."
Murmurs of agreement came from the crowd. It seemed that they were satisfied with a clean, sealed deck. Oscar, however, knew that it made no difference. He had spent time at the Raquel Casino in the past, and Amelia was the one dealing. There was no way he was going to lose.
"So then, mongrel… How much are we betting? Since there's only two of us, blinds are pointless. How about we start with a minimum of fifty thousand, and go from there?" Assuming that's not too high for you," Oscar sniggered.
"Yes, that'll be fine. Deal," Cyrus commanded, looking at Amelia.
"Why does it feel like we're looking at another 'Mid-Term Exams bet' here?" Elliot whispered.
"Probably because we're about to see another obscene amount of money change hands tonight," Alisa sighed.
Hesitantly, Amelia shuffled the deck and then dealt the cards. Both Cyrus and Oscar got two cards face down.
"Very well, I shall go first. I'll start with one hundred thousand," Oscar declared, sneaking a look at his cards.
With a blank expression, Cyrus looked at his cards; a Four of Clubs and a King of Hearts. Not an ideal hand.
"Call," Cyrus muttered, throwing a small white chip into the middle of the table.
Now that both players had made a bet, Amelia dealt out the first three Community Cards for the table; a Six of Diamonds, Two of Hearts, and a Jack of Spades. Assuming Oscar had a pair and was going for a three of a kind, if Cyrus wanted to have any hope of winning this hand, he needed a Three and a Five.
"Hmm… I'll bet an extra hundred thousand," Oscar shrugged, adding another white chip to his one already on the table.
'Odds of me getting a straight here are around fifteen percent… Damn it,' Cyrus thought as he tapped his chin before throwing his cards at Amelia, uttering a single word. "Fold."
Murmurs from the crowd were making their feelings of concern heard. First hand down, and Cyrus lost a hundred thousand Mira. Of course, this didn't bother Cyrus. A hundred thousand Mira was nothing to him. All he was focused on was the next hand.
Without hesitating, Amelia shuffled the deck again and dealt the cards out. Cyrus could see she had done this before, but was it possible she was going to help Oscar cheat? He couldn't discount the notion, but for now, he decided it was best to say nothing and keep playing. This time, Cyrus was given a Nine of Hearts and a Nine of Clubs.
"Fifty thousand," Cyrus muttered, sliding a black chip into the middle.
"Hmm… Raise; two hundred thousand," Oscar shrugged, placing tow white chips into the pot.
"What?!" Amelia blinked.
"Hey, hey, hey! Quiet from the dealer!" a man in the crowd shouted.
Amelia looked at Oscar with Oscar with a look that said 'please be careful', which did not go unnoticed by Cyrus, but he elected to ignore it. Even if Oscar was using Amelia to cheat, if Cyrus could beat Oscar while he was trying to cheat, it would make Oscar all the more pathetic.
"Hmph, call," Cyrus grunted, adding an extra black and white chip into the pot.
"Well, at least he's got confidence in this hand," Thomas muttered, standing next to Sara.
"You play, Thomas?" Sara asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, heavens no! Just the amount of money these boys are throwing around is enough to give me heart failure. Plus, I have a terrible poker face," Thomas laughed.
"Hm, shame. I almost started to think you were cool," Sara sighed, taking a sip of her beer.
As Amelia dealt out the next three cards, Cyrus odds of winning the hand increased dramatically with three straight Jacks. He was now holding a Full House of Nines and Jacks. A very solid hand.
With a very strong chance of victory, Cyrus decided it was time to up the ante and see if Oscar was brave enough to follow him.
"Bet, two hundred and fifty thousand," Cyrus muttered.
"Looks promising," Sara smiled.
"Raise; five hundred thousand," Oscar grinned as he pushed a small stack of chips into the centre of the table.
Oscar's bold action was met with gasps and excited murmuring from the crowd. They had no idea if Oscar believed he could beat Cyrus, or if he was simply bluffing. Cyrus knew Oscar was arrogant enough for it to be either.
With a strong hand, Cyrus knew he couldn't back down. With a sigh, he decided he had no choice but to match Oscar's bet, and added an extra two hundred and fifty thousand Mira to the table.
"One point four million?! And it's only the second round!" Alisa gasped.
"Yes, but if I know anything about arrogant Nobles, this was the reason Oscar put a zero limit on the table and said they could add more if needed. I reckon we're going to see tens, maybe even hundreds of millions change hands by the end of this," Machias muttered.
"Very well," Amelia muttered as she placed a fourth card down on the table; an Ace of Diamonds.
At this point, an Ace wasn't helpful to Cyrus's Full House, but it could help Oscar if he had an Ace in his hand, as his two Aces would trump Cyrus' two Nines. It didn't matter though; Cyrus wasn't about to back down, especially not when he had already put up seven hundred thousand Mira. He refused to lose to Oscar.
"Check," Cyrus said with a blank stare.
"Pfft, really? Are you really that scared of losing so quickly you won't even add to the pot?" Oscar mocked. "Hmm, fine, I guess I can drag out your humiliation a little longer. Check."
The final card dealt out was the Ace of Clubs. Now the Community Cards themselves were a Full House of Aces and Jacks, meaning Cyrus' hand was effectively useless, and all banked on Oscar not having Pocket Aces of his own.
"Bet, one hundred thousand," Cyrus muttered, trying to see if Oscar would call his bluff.
"All in…" Oscar grinned widely as he shoved all his chips into the centre of the table to a loud kerfuffle from the crowd.
'Fuck… I suppose I could match him and go all in as well. I can always use my other finances if I need to, but… If I don't and I fold again, I'll have lost almost half my starting amount with almost no resistance,' Cyrus thought, trying to work out his next move.
"Well? Come on, Cyrus. Are you going to call, or tuck your tail in between your legs and run away?" Oscar laughed.
"Ferme ta foutue gueule, putain de petit rat," Cyrus growled, which made Oscar laugh even more.
"Ahaha! So it is true! You do speak in other languages when you're under pressure! Remiferian too, I am surprised!" Oscar cackled.
'How does that little prick know about that? I only picked up this habit after I left Ordis, and only a handful of people have seen me do that before… One of them being…' Cyrus thought, looking at Crow from the corner of his eye.
Crow knew Cyrus would rage in different languages when he was stressed. He and Angelica learned that first hand when he started screaming at them in fluent Liberlian last year when the two couldn't co-operate on the Field Study to Ordis, whilst they were working down by the coast, where no-one else was present. He was certain Crow had never met Oscar prior to this meeting, but then words from his father suddenly came back to him.
You cannot trust that boy, son… That boy will only cause you, and those around you, suffering…
Why had Count Michael said that to Cyrus? It was clear he knew Crow, but how? Was it because of the trouble Crow had caused with Angelica in Ordis before Cyrus became his babysitter? That wouldn't give Count Le Guin justifiable reason to distrust Crow, however. Something wasn't sitting right, but Cyrus couldn't figure out what it was that wasn't right.
"Are you going to play, or just sit there like a retard?!" Oscar shouted, slamming his hand down on the table, breaking Cyrus from his thoughts.
"Merde… All in," Cyrus growled, pushing his chips into the table.
Four million Mira, and all of it was about to be decided by a flip of two pairs of cards. At Amelia's suggestion, Cyrus flipped his cards over and revealed two Nines, which didn't improve on the Full House of Jacks and Aces on the table.
"Looks like I win," Oscar stated smugly as he flipped his two cards over and revealed the other two Aces.
"Four of a Kind beats Full House. Oscar wins," Amelia stated.
"Hahaha! How pathetic! It only took you two rounds to lose! Man, that was like taking candy from that little brat, Tahlia!" Oscar laughed.
As Oscar started to scoop up his winnings, Cyrus clamped down on his hand with an iron grip, rage burning in his azure eyes.
"Think you can make comments like that and run away like a little bitch?" Cyrus snarled. "We're not done here just yet. I'm going to add another five million to my pot. How about it? Feeling confident?"
"Five million?! Has he lost his mind?!" Emma cried from her spot at the bar.
"Hey, you can ignore those losers, babe. I'm the only guy you need to be paying attention to," a man slurred as he demanded another drink, which Emma begrudgingly complied.
"Hmph, alright then. I suppose only two million isn't enough to say I completely embarrassed you, is it? I'll match your five million, making my total nine million," Oscar grinned.
"Fine," Cyrus muttered as he sat back in his seat and watched Amelia shuffling the cards.
It was at that point Cyrus noticed the way Amelia was shuffling the cards. Before she began to shuffle them, she'd flip them all face up and spread them out like a fan. Then, after allowing everyone to see them, she flipped them back over and shuffled them.
'No… There's no way she's… That motherfucker,' Cyrus scowled as he sat up in his chair and remembered something important about Amelia; she had perfect recall.
With her ability to remember where every card was after just a few seconds of looking at them, Amelia had been shuffling the deck in such a way that it stacked in favour of Oscar. That's how he had been given such a poor hand to start with, followed by Oscar getting four Aces. Taking a deep breath, Cyrus sat back in his chair and covered his right eye with two fingers as he propped his head up in his right hand.
'Breathe…'
Now that Cyrus had realised he was playing against both Amelia and Oscar, he was much more conservative in his approach. Winning the first two hands to claim back the two million he had originally lost, the next half a dozen hands were a mixed bag of wins, losses, and folds from Cyrus.
The crowd were really starting to get into it, and were cheering whenever Cyrus won, as almost everyone had taken an immediate disliking to Oscar and his smug arrogance. For the next two hours, the game carried on, swinging both ways, with Cyrus knowing just when to play a hand and when to fold, which began to annoy Oscar to no end.
Eventually, the final hand had been played, and Cyrus had called Oscar's bluff and gone all in, betting his six point two million Mira pot, which forced Oscar to gamble his seven point eight million pot, marking the whole fourteen million that was wagered between the two boys.
As the two revealed their hands, Cyrus managed to win with a Flush of Clubs, whilst Oscar could only manage a Straight. At the conclusion, the crowd cheered as Cyrus had claimed victory after what could only be described as an unlucky start. Oscar, on the other hand, was less than pleased.
"NO! I WON'T ACCEPT THIS! YOU CHEATED!" Oscar shouted, throwing all his chips off the table like a child throwing a tantrum.
"I'm sorry, I cheated? Perhaps you would like to try that again, or would you rather I tell everyone how you've been using your fiancée to cheat by dealing you better cards," Cyrus stated, still leaning back in his chair, his right hand over his right eye.
"He did what?!" Alisa shouted.
"Boo! You coward!" Sara cried, who was already intoxicated.
"Come now, Sara, let's just stay out of this," Thomas mumbled, chuckling nervously as people started to stare at them.
Slowly, the crowd all started to voice their disgust at Oscar and his unscrupulous behaviour. Some even started throwing stuff at the pair, which was more often than not, glass.
"Enough!" Cyrus shouted. "This is a casino, not some kind of den of depravity like Club Himinbjörg! I can understand your displeasure, but I will not allow my business to be turned into some common fight club! Oscar! A proposal for you. One last hand; put up any amount you want, and I will match it."
"Tch, yeah right! As if you have the money to match my financial dominance!" Oscar spat.
"Reginald, would you please bring the company ledgers from my office?" Cyrus asked, and immediately, Reginald had returned with a large black leather book, which Cyrus opened. "Alisa; you're good with numbers. Please read out the current total value of my business holdings."
Alisa took the ledger and tried reading it. To her surprise, the ledger was coded with some kind of bizarre handwriting that she could have sworn she'd seen before, but she decided now wasn't the time to dwell on it. At the bottom of the page, she found the overall value for the businesses Cyrus had control over, and she dropped the ledger in shock.
"There's no way… Not even the Reinford Family have that much equity," Alisa gasped.
"Alisa, darling… Just read the damn total," Cyrus sighed.
"Three…" Alisa mumbled.
"What was that? We can't hear you!" Crow shouted, which earned him a sharp glare from Cyrus.
"Thirty-three billion Mira!" Alisa shouted, silencing everyone.
"Impossible… My family own the Port of Ordis, and that's barely worth three billion…" Oscar whispered. "Give me a look at that! What the hell is this?!"
When Oscar picked up the ledger, he found everything indecipherable. All it contained were pages and pages of scratchings, with only the numbers being comprehensible. Since Oscar was unable to read everything, he immediately assumed Cyrus was lying.
"Well, I'm not about to let everyone see how I make my money, am I?" Cyrus snorted.
"I guess being an Assassin paid better than we thought," Elliot whispered to Gaius.
"Maybe, but are you sure that money is actually his, and not his father's?" Laura muttered.
"I mean, I suppose that is a fair point… Count Le Guin owns plenty of businesses, all over the Empire and beyond. I think he even owns a mining and fracking company in Leman that helps to break through the near impenetrable bedrock to access the massive vein of Septium that runs underneath Ored. That would have to bring in tens of millions each year, since only he has the tools to access the Sepith in there," Jusis muttered.
"Where did you come from?!" Elliot jumped.
"Oh, please. I've been watching from the balcony above this whole time," Jusis sighed, pointing up to the second floor. "I'm impressed Cyrus still kept playing after he found out the girl was cheating."
"You knew she was?" Gaius asked.
"Hmph, of course. That little trick of hers is as old as the Nobility. I've watched Rufus do it a number of times," Jusis muttered.
"Fine! Let's say this book of scribbles is correct, and you do own thirty-three billion in business assets! I'll take them all from you anyway!" Oscar shouted, throwing the ledger back at Cyrus, who caught it and handed it off to Reginald with complete calm.
"What about you?" Cyrus asked, sounding bored.
"What about me?" Oscar spat.
"Pfft, you don't think I'm going to let you get away with betting nothing, do you? Since you obviously can't match my financial prowess, at least try and make an attempt to wager something," Cyrus sighed.
"Grr, fine! I'll wager… Amelia and her family's estate!" Oscar declared.
"What?!" Amelia cried.
"Oh, would you shut up?! I'm going to win again anyway, so quit your bitching!" Oscar screamed.
"How much would that be worth, I wonder… Reginald?" Cyrus muttered.
"By my calculations, sir, the value of all the land, property, and assets owned by the Gainsborough Family is approximately four billion… Which includes Master Rupert's prized antique collection," Reginald stated.
"Ahh… Very good. Yes, I believe that will be most satisfactory," Cyrus nodded. "Very well; my business holdings for the Gainsborough Family, and all their assets."
"That's not even a fair wager! Thirty-three billion compared to four billion? Why on earth would he agree to that?!" Elliot cried.
"It seems this family has more value to Cyrus than what appears on the surface," Gaius pondered.
"Yeah, but the imbalance of wealth is eight to one! That's an absurd risk to be taking!" Alisa shouted.
"Tch, whatever," Oscar scowled as he turned to Amelia. "Deal."
"Ah-ah… Not a chance. You want to do this, you do it properly," Cyrus stated.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Oscar glared.
"You think I'm going to allow your little fiancée with her perfect recall to shuffle the deck and give you favourable cards, especially now when she's a chip on the table, so to speak? Absolutely not," Cyrus laughed mirthlessly.
"Pfft, fine. Who is going to deal the hand then?" Oscar muttered, doing his best to hide his rage at not getting his own way.
"Crow. You deal," Cyrus stated, looking at the silver haired boy.
"Wait, what?!" Crow and Oscar shouted in unison.
"Is there a problem here?" Cyrus asked, looking from Crow, to Oscar, then back to Crow again.
"I can't trust this lower lifeform! Who knows what he'll do to the deck! He's a shady prick!" Oscar snapped, pointing at Crow.
"Now, how exactly would you know that, Oscar? Do you two know each other?" Cyrus queried, staring at Oscar.
"Know each other? That's crazy talk! Hahaha, you so funny, Cyrus!" Crow garbled out awkwardly.
"Then deal this final hand for me. I'm getting tired of seeing that stupid look on his face," Cyrus muttered.
Without another word, Crow opened a new deck of cards and shuffled them right before everyone's eyes. If Crow was using some sort of trick way to shuffle the deck, neither Cyrus nor Jusis managed to spot it.
Holding his breath, Crow dealt out the cards to Cyrus and Oscar, with Oscar checking his cards carefully. Cyrus, on the other hand, didn't even bother to look at his.
"Well, considering we're going all in, I see no point in betting. Finish the deal off, Crow," Cyrus commanded, still not looking at his cards.
"Aren't you going to look at your cards?" Oscar asked smugly.
"Nah, I'm good. You just focus on what you're going to try and do," Cyrus responded blankly.
As Crow dealt the final five cards, the ones he had revealed were the Ten of Clubs, Six of Diamonds, Jack of Clubs, Queen of Clubs, and the Queen of Hearts.
"Well… Since there's no betting… Show your cards," Crow mumbled, looking down at the table.
"Hahaha! I win! Quad Queens! Suck it, you arsehole!" Oscar cackled, throwing his Queen of Diamonds and Queen of Spades into the middle of the table, to the collective groan of those watching.
As Oscar and Amelia were celebrating, Cyrus remained motionless in his chair, his cards still face down, a blank look on his face. To those watching, it looked like he was struggling to come to grips with having lost thirty-three billion Mira. Discreetly, Crow let out a sigh of relief. He knew he'd never hear the end of it from Duke Cayenne and Marquis Dragonia if he had caused Oscar to lose.
"Reginald…" Cyrus muttered, still staring at his face down cards.
"Yes, sir?" Reginald asked wearily.
"Please make the necessary preparations to oversee the transfer of House Gainsborough's assets into the control of House Le Guin," Cyrus commanded as he stood up and walked away from the table, confusing everyone.
"Hey, hey, hey! What kind of sore loser shit are you trying to pull, you fuckwit?! I won, not you!" Oscar yelled.
"Did you? You don't even know what cards I hold," Cyrus responded, his back to Oscar and the crowd.
"I know it doesn't matter, because you can't beat four Queens, you retard!" Oscar cackled.
"Crow. Flip my cards over," Cyrus ordered, making Crow tense up a little.
"Uh… Ok, I guess," Crow mumbled as he picked the two cards up and stared at them in horror. "Dude, what the fuck?"
"What is it? Reveal his cards to me, you simpleton!" Oscar screeched, to which Crow placed them face down and flicked them over to Oscar and Amelia. When Oscar picked them up, they both went white.
"How… You didn't even look at your cards," Amelia whispered as she started to cry.
Oscar had become stunned by the cards he was looking at, which resulted in them falling from his hand face up on the table. The crowd gathered around to see what the cards were.
King of Clubs and Ace of Clubs. A Royal Flush.
'NO! NO! YOU CHEATER! YOU FUCKING CHEATED, I KNOW YOU DID!" Oscar screamed, picking up his chair and smashing it over the table.
"Get a grip, you smug little cunt. I didn't cheat; I did something far more extraordinary," Cyrus stated, still not turning around.
"WHAT DID YOU DO! TELL ME NOW!" Oscar continued to scream and throw anything he could get his hands on.
"Simple; I altered fate," Cyrus responded. His ridiculous response only served to make Oscar even angrier.
"WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT EVEN MEAN! YOU CHEATED! CHEATER, CHEATER, CHEATER!" Oscar wailed.
"Crow. One last time, you're going to deal me five more cards. Those cards will be, from the top, the Two of Spades, Seven of Clubs, Jack of Spades, Ace of Diamonds, and the Three of Diamonds," Cyrus declared.
Growing curious, Crow did as Cyrus commanded, and dealt the top five cards. Much to everyone's awe and disbelief, Cyrus was exactly right.
"There's no way that should have been possible," Machias stated, his glasses dropping down his nose as he looked at the cards.
"He didn't even need to look," Rean gasped.
"Do you see now, Oscar? This wasn't a game you could win. Hell, you weren't even a player. I just needed you to think you were playing the same game as me," Cyrus stated, turning around for the first time since leaving his chair.
"How could you possibly have predicted everything like that?" Laura asked, still trying to understand what Cyrus had done.
"It's not hard to manipulate Oscar into getting him to do what you want. I've had dogs that were more difficult to train," Cyrus snorted.
"When did you even plan all of this?" Amelia asked, now completely sobbing.
"It doesn't matter when I planned this. All that matters is I won, and Oscar lost," Cyrus responded.
"You can't do this… This isn't fair," Amelia choked.
"Fair or not, a loss is a loss. I knew Oscar would be too scared to willingly part with anything he or his family owned, so I knew he'd move on to something he could easily risk losing; you," Cyrus stated.
"You… You're a monster," Amelia hissed.
"Perhaps, but from now on, you shall address me as 'Master Monster', if you're so way inclined. House Gainsborough no longer exists. Everything they once owned now belongs to me, including you, your mother, father, and siblings. All of you, are now servants of House Le Guin. Pack your things, girl; you'll be reporting to my mother first thing tomorrow morning to assist her with setting up her next performance in Heimdallr at the end of the month. Reginald shall send word to my father about House Gainsborough's liquidation, and to expect Lord Rupert and Lady Aerith at the family manor by tomorrow lunchtime. Good evening to you both," Cyrus nodded as he turned and walked to his office with Reginald at his side.
"Cyrus! Don't you dare walk away from me! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! CYRUS!" Amelia screamed as she entered the throes of a complete breakdown.
Everyone stood and watched as both Amelia and Oscar had their own separate meltdowns. No-one could have ever imagined Cyrus was this clinical and vicious. Even in the eyes of Class VII, they didn't even think Yang, a legendary Assassin, could have even come close to standing on par with how lethal Cyrus was at that moment.
Suffice it to say, the opening night of the Raven and Dragon casino was a night no-one present would ever forget.