[[ OOC: Looong post incoming, haha! ^^; Sorry, I got started writing and had trouble stopping.. ]]
A thick blanket of heavy, aromatic smoke hunt in the air of the gambling hall tucked neatly away in some non-descript corner of Limsa Lominsa. It wasn't a large room, by any means; Â five or six tables at most, by Naoh'to's count, some more populated than others. In fact, the table that he himself had settled in at was only occupied by one other man, a middle-aged Midlander gent nursing a glass of amber liquor and a pipe in equal measure as he stared down at the dice strewn across the table in front of him. It was hard to gauge just how invested he really was, what with the mixed signals sent by his glassy stare and just low long he'd been sitting there, humming in consideration.
"I've seen a few stellar Twelves' Dice tactics in my day, but I do believe this is the first time I've seen someone try to win by boring their opponent to death," Nao finally groaned, slouching down in the plush velvet seat. "Lover's Teats, Gustav.. All you have to do is hold the dice or re-roll, or would you like to usher in the Seventh Astral Era first?"
"Patience, boy. The best plans ain't always the quickest," The man murmured, seemingly unmoved by the complaints. He didn't even look up. "Or did ol' Balon neglect ta' teach ya' that?" This time, his gaze did move up -- just in time to catch the brief hint of displeasure on the Keeper's face.Â
Just as quickly as the sour look had come, it was replaced with a charming smirk at the approach of one of the hostesses. Well, if they could truly be called that.. Lapwarmers and whores with a taste for the finer things in life and a wider vocabulary than their common kin, more like, but that didn't stop Nao from greeting the familiar long-legged elezen woman with his infamous charm as soon as he noticed her.
"Giselle!" He crooned, taking his eyes away from the table and offering up a hand towards the woman, "As beautiful as ever! You're far more pleasing to the eyes than my friend here, thankfully.. And likely at least twice as bright, if his dice playing is any indication."
"And I come with wine," The woman purred back as she took his hand and allowed him to gently pull her down into his lap without complaint, carefully placing the dark bottle that she had brought down on the table in front of her. "Courtesy of my boss.. a gift for your continued patronage."
Naoh'to let out his own soft hum of consideration as he reached out, taking the bottle in hand and turning it to read the label. His eyebrows lofted at the sheer quality of the vintage. For such a small gambling hall as this, it was a lavish gift for the proprietor to be giving. That only meant one thing: Â his business dealings with the owner had went quite well, without interruption. More than the wine, that big of news had that self-satisfied grin on Nao's lips growing wider. With all the stress and.. troubles he'd been running into lately, a touch of good luck was exactly what he had needed.
"That's certainly very kind of him," He purred, wrapping his free arm around the woman's thin waist to pull her closer, "Though I would've much preferred you, Sweetling."
The jarring sound of dice clattering against the wooden table pulled Naoh'to's attention back to the game. A moment of silence hung between them as all three watched the dice settle -- Giselle, only with feigned interested -- before the older man nodded. "Two pair," The hyur stated, looking just as uninterested as before. "Well, boy..? Y'mean to bed 'er right 'ere an' now, or shall we get on with it?"
"And now you're the impatient one? Gods, how Balon ever enjoyed your company, I'll never understand." Nao scowled at him before dropping his eyes back to the dice on the table, surveying them with cool, calculated interest. Gustav was right - he was looking at two pair. But there was still one die left to roll, and if that die came up Menphina.. He'd secure himself an Umbral flush, one of the highest hands.
"I'll raise, fifty gil." Gustav pushed the short stack of coins across the table. Nao looked up at him briefly, studying his face before giving his own bet.
"Two hundred."
The mention of coin had Giselle's renewed interest, pulling her attention back to the game and putting a puzzled look on her face. Gustav only looked mildly surprised. "You're raisin' two hunnerd gil on a chance fer a godsdamned umbral flush?" He asked aloud, cocking an eyebrow.
"What can I say?" Nao smirked. "I'm feeling lucky today. So.. call or fold, friend?"
"Oh, I'll call alright. Ain't no better gil than easy gil."Â
After Gustav pushed the gil across the table to join the rest, Naoh'to snatched up the last die lying to the side. He shook it lightly in his hands before paused, opening his fingers, and holding it up to Giselle with a grin. "A lover's kiss for the Lover herself?" The elezen laughed daintily before pressing her lips to the twelve-sided die in a light kiss, and Naoh'to finally cast it. It seemed ages before the die settled -- on Azeyma.
"Hoo!" The hyur hooted, the first real excitement for the game he'd shown all evening. "Three pair, and chocobo's shite fer you!" His hands went out to hastily gather up his winnings, while Naoh'to watched with a deep scowl.Giselle only clucked her tongue piteously, shaking her head.
"I thought the Lover was supposed to be the Keepers' guardian goddess?" She sighed, gently disentangling herself from his arms and sliding free of his lap. Typical harlot -- gone like the wind, just as soon as the money's gone. Yet before she left, she turned and leaned over to leave a sympathetic kiss on his cheek.. and discretely slip a note into his hand. "Better luck next time." With a smile, she was gone, off to entertain another table of men with cards. Yet as much as the loss of his precious gil and armcandy stung, it paled in comparison to the contents scrawled onto the parchment paper in his hand.
Nao looked one last time at the piece of paper he held in his hands, scowling at the contents before crumbling it up in his hand and shoving it into his pocket. The bottle of wine from earlier was tucked under his other arm and in a white-knuckled grip as he rounded one last streetcorner, giving only a brief look over his shoulder before ducking into a small, hidden away alley. It didn't take long to spot the man that he had been asked to meet. As soon as his eyes landed on him, Naoh'to's pace picked up, bringing him right in front of him.. and the much larger Roegadyn man hovering just behind him. Was the man really afraid of him, so much as to hire a bodyguard? Somehow, the thought was less pleasing to him and more infuriating.
"You think a bottle of wine will make me happy?" He spat in a hushed but angry tone at the nervous-looking hyur, upper lip curling back into a snarl. "Gods take you and your damn wine, Sighard!" He sharply thrust the bottle forward against the man's chest, making him give a nervous start and the surly-looking Seawolf perk up. But before the roegadyn could even speak, the other man lifted a hand to dismiss it.
"I.. I'm sorry, Mr. Mujuuk. I just can't keep doing business with you is all," He tried to explain, weakly at that. Naoh'to watched as the man turned into a prattling mess right in front of him, chattering endlessly about 'risks' and 'enemies' and his business. Finally, not giving him time to finish, the Keeper broke in.
"How much did Ferigen pay you?" He asked pointedly. When the man trailed off, his expression slowly transformed from surprise to fear again. His mouth opened, moving but without words. Impatiently, Nao thumped him in the chest again. "Speak up, Sighard! If my competitor is buying off my associates, I'd at least like the courtesy of knowing how much he's paying!"
No words came, still. At length, he spoke in a wavering tone, his voice barely above a whisper. "He.. p-paid me nothing.." Naoh'to stared blankly for a moment before it seemed to set in, prompting him to lean forward slightly and give the other man a more scrutinizing look clearly demanding further information. "He only said that.. if I kept associating with you, there would be consequences. He'd take the hall, and.. my girls, he said he..." A long, telling pause. "You understand, don't you? As a businessman? Without the hall and my girls, I don't have anything.."
Sucking in a sharp breath, Naoh'to reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose, fending off the burgeoning headache from the encounter. So, Ruarc was buying off his associates with threats now? After Naoh'to had already had to offer them more money than normal to keep them loyal? Truly, this situation was a pain in his ass.
"Fine. Fine." He finally relented, dropping his hand and holding it out instead. "But as I recall, you still owe me my gil from that last shipment." His hand remained, even as the seconds ticked on and Sighard grew more and more nervous. When no payment was offered, the picture became clear. Ferigen had not only threatened his associate and cut off that tie, but he'd taken the profits as well. That snarl was back with a vengeance. "If you lost the money, then -- pray tell, dear Sighard -- how did a mediocre gambling hall owner get his hands on such a pricey vintage?" The unintelligible babbling began again, though the Keeper quickly cut him off. "Speak!"
"Mr. Ferigen.. asked me to deliver it to you.." At Naoh'to's clearly displeased stare, he quickly launched back into his simpering. "I just thought.. thought you might not appreciate it if I just told you.. I wasn't meaning to lie. I just.."
"Leave!" He spat, "You and your damned bodyguard, both!" Sighard lingered for a moment longer, as if he was intent to continue pleading. But after studying the infuriated look on the Keeper's face, he finally moved to leave the alley without further protestation. The roegadyn gave Nao one last look before following after his employer, leaving him alone in the alleyway.
Naoh'to watched Sighard retreat, waiting until a long moment after he'd turned the corner before taking the bottle of wine in his hand and angrily tossing it to the ground. A vintner's worst nightmare, surely, but the man would've rather drank a pint of goblin piss before giving Ruarc the smug satisfaction of enjoying his little 'gift'. Angry curses were muttered under his breath as he paced back and forth in a tight circle, arms crossing over his chest.
What now? It would only be a matter of time before his other associates would likely receive similar offers, if they hadn't already. And there was no doubt that they'd turn their backs on him. After all, they couldn't be that hard to buy.. It hadn't taken much for Nao to take most of them off of Ferigen in the first place. Matching money was one thing, though, but violence.. That was another matter entirely, and a path that he was certain would have Balon turning over in his grave. There had to be some other way. He just had to be clever enough to find it..
A thick blanket of heavy, aromatic smoke hunt in the air of the gambling hall tucked neatly away in some non-descript corner of Limsa Lominsa. It wasn't a large room, by any means; Â five or six tables at most, by Naoh'to's count, some more populated than others. In fact, the table that he himself had settled in at was only occupied by one other man, a middle-aged Midlander gent nursing a glass of amber liquor and a pipe in equal measure as he stared down at the dice strewn across the table in front of him. It was hard to gauge just how invested he really was, what with the mixed signals sent by his glassy stare and just low long he'd been sitting there, humming in consideration.
"I've seen a few stellar Twelves' Dice tactics in my day, but I do believe this is the first time I've seen someone try to win by boring their opponent to death," Nao finally groaned, slouching down in the plush velvet seat. "Lover's Teats, Gustav.. All you have to do is hold the dice or re-roll, or would you like to usher in the Seventh Astral Era first?"
"Patience, boy. The best plans ain't always the quickest," The man murmured, seemingly unmoved by the complaints. He didn't even look up. "Or did ol' Balon neglect ta' teach ya' that?" This time, his gaze did move up -- just in time to catch the brief hint of displeasure on the Keeper's face.Â
Just as quickly as the sour look had come, it was replaced with a charming smirk at the approach of one of the hostesses. Well, if they could truly be called that.. Lapwarmers and whores with a taste for the finer things in life and a wider vocabulary than their common kin, more like, but that didn't stop Nao from greeting the familiar long-legged elezen woman with his infamous charm as soon as he noticed her.
"Giselle!" He crooned, taking his eyes away from the table and offering up a hand towards the woman, "As beautiful as ever! You're far more pleasing to the eyes than my friend here, thankfully.. And likely at least twice as bright, if his dice playing is any indication."
"And I come with wine," The woman purred back as she took his hand and allowed him to gently pull her down into his lap without complaint, carefully placing the dark bottle that she had brought down on the table in front of her. "Courtesy of my boss.. a gift for your continued patronage."
Naoh'to let out his own soft hum of consideration as he reached out, taking the bottle in hand and turning it to read the label. His eyebrows lofted at the sheer quality of the vintage. For such a small gambling hall as this, it was a lavish gift for the proprietor to be giving. That only meant one thing: Â his business dealings with the owner had went quite well, without interruption. More than the wine, that big of news had that self-satisfied grin on Nao's lips growing wider. With all the stress and.. troubles he'd been running into lately, a touch of good luck was exactly what he had needed.
"That's certainly very kind of him," He purred, wrapping his free arm around the woman's thin waist to pull her closer, "Though I would've much preferred you, Sweetling."
The jarring sound of dice clattering against the wooden table pulled Naoh'to's attention back to the game. A moment of silence hung between them as all three watched the dice settle -- Giselle, only with feigned interested -- before the older man nodded. "Two pair," The hyur stated, looking just as uninterested as before. "Well, boy..? Y'mean to bed 'er right 'ere an' now, or shall we get on with it?"
"And now you're the impatient one? Gods, how Balon ever enjoyed your company, I'll never understand." Nao scowled at him before dropping his eyes back to the dice on the table, surveying them with cool, calculated interest. Gustav was right - he was looking at two pair. But there was still one die left to roll, and if that die came up Menphina.. He'd secure himself an Umbral flush, one of the highest hands.
"I'll raise, fifty gil." Gustav pushed the short stack of coins across the table. Nao looked up at him briefly, studying his face before giving his own bet.
"Two hundred."
The mention of coin had Giselle's renewed interest, pulling her attention back to the game and putting a puzzled look on her face. Gustav only looked mildly surprised. "You're raisin' two hunnerd gil on a chance fer a godsdamned umbral flush?" He asked aloud, cocking an eyebrow.
"What can I say?" Nao smirked. "I'm feeling lucky today. So.. call or fold, friend?"
"Oh, I'll call alright. Ain't no better gil than easy gil."Â
After Gustav pushed the gil across the table to join the rest, Naoh'to snatched up the last die lying to the side. He shook it lightly in his hands before paused, opening his fingers, and holding it up to Giselle with a grin. "A lover's kiss for the Lover herself?" The elezen laughed daintily before pressing her lips to the twelve-sided die in a light kiss, and Naoh'to finally cast it. It seemed ages before the die settled -- on Azeyma.
"Hoo!" The hyur hooted, the first real excitement for the game he'd shown all evening. "Three pair, and chocobo's shite fer you!" His hands went out to hastily gather up his winnings, while Naoh'to watched with a deep scowl.Giselle only clucked her tongue piteously, shaking her head.
"I thought the Lover was supposed to be the Keepers' guardian goddess?" She sighed, gently disentangling herself from his arms and sliding free of his lap. Typical harlot -- gone like the wind, just as soon as the money's gone. Yet before she left, she turned and leaned over to leave a sympathetic kiss on his cheek.. and discretely slip a note into his hand. "Better luck next time." With a smile, she was gone, off to entertain another table of men with cards. Yet as much as the loss of his precious gil and armcandy stung, it paled in comparison to the contents scrawled onto the parchment paper in his hand.
-----------------------------------------------
[Two hours later.]
[Two hours later.]
Nao looked one last time at the piece of paper he held in his hands, scowling at the contents before crumbling it up in his hand and shoving it into his pocket. The bottle of wine from earlier was tucked under his other arm and in a white-knuckled grip as he rounded one last streetcorner, giving only a brief look over his shoulder before ducking into a small, hidden away alley. It didn't take long to spot the man that he had been asked to meet. As soon as his eyes landed on him, Naoh'to's pace picked up, bringing him right in front of him.. and the much larger Roegadyn man hovering just behind him. Was the man really afraid of him, so much as to hire a bodyguard? Somehow, the thought was less pleasing to him and more infuriating.
"You think a bottle of wine will make me happy?" He spat in a hushed but angry tone at the nervous-looking hyur, upper lip curling back into a snarl. "Gods take you and your damn wine, Sighard!" He sharply thrust the bottle forward against the man's chest, making him give a nervous start and the surly-looking Seawolf perk up. But before the roegadyn could even speak, the other man lifted a hand to dismiss it.
"I.. I'm sorry, Mr. Mujuuk. I just can't keep doing business with you is all," He tried to explain, weakly at that. Naoh'to watched as the man turned into a prattling mess right in front of him, chattering endlessly about 'risks' and 'enemies' and his business. Finally, not giving him time to finish, the Keeper broke in.
"How much did Ferigen pay you?" He asked pointedly. When the man trailed off, his expression slowly transformed from surprise to fear again. His mouth opened, moving but without words. Impatiently, Nao thumped him in the chest again. "Speak up, Sighard! If my competitor is buying off my associates, I'd at least like the courtesy of knowing how much he's paying!"
No words came, still. At length, he spoke in a wavering tone, his voice barely above a whisper. "He.. p-paid me nothing.." Naoh'to stared blankly for a moment before it seemed to set in, prompting him to lean forward slightly and give the other man a more scrutinizing look clearly demanding further information. "He only said that.. if I kept associating with you, there would be consequences. He'd take the hall, and.. my girls, he said he..." A long, telling pause. "You understand, don't you? As a businessman? Without the hall and my girls, I don't have anything.."
Sucking in a sharp breath, Naoh'to reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose, fending off the burgeoning headache from the encounter. So, Ruarc was buying off his associates with threats now? After Naoh'to had already had to offer them more money than normal to keep them loyal? Truly, this situation was a pain in his ass.
"Fine. Fine." He finally relented, dropping his hand and holding it out instead. "But as I recall, you still owe me my gil from that last shipment." His hand remained, even as the seconds ticked on and Sighard grew more and more nervous. When no payment was offered, the picture became clear. Ferigen had not only threatened his associate and cut off that tie, but he'd taken the profits as well. That snarl was back with a vengeance. "If you lost the money, then -- pray tell, dear Sighard -- how did a mediocre gambling hall owner get his hands on such a pricey vintage?" The unintelligible babbling began again, though the Keeper quickly cut him off. "Speak!"
"Mr. Ferigen.. asked me to deliver it to you.." At Naoh'to's clearly displeased stare, he quickly launched back into his simpering. "I just thought.. thought you might not appreciate it if I just told you.. I wasn't meaning to lie. I just.."
"Leave!" He spat, "You and your damned bodyguard, both!" Sighard lingered for a moment longer, as if he was intent to continue pleading. But after studying the infuriated look on the Keeper's face, he finally moved to leave the alley without further protestation. The roegadyn gave Nao one last look before following after his employer, leaving him alone in the alleyway.
Naoh'to watched Sighard retreat, waiting until a long moment after he'd turned the corner before taking the bottle of wine in his hand and angrily tossing it to the ground. A vintner's worst nightmare, surely, but the man would've rather drank a pint of goblin piss before giving Ruarc the smug satisfaction of enjoying his little 'gift'. Angry curses were muttered under his breath as he paced back and forth in a tight circle, arms crossing over his chest.
What now? It would only be a matter of time before his other associates would likely receive similar offers, if they hadn't already. And there was no doubt that they'd turn their backs on him. After all, they couldn't be that hard to buy.. It hadn't taken much for Nao to take most of them off of Ferigen in the first place. Matching money was one thing, though, but violence.. That was another matter entirely, and a path that he was certain would have Balon turning over in his grave. There had to be some other way. He just had to be clever enough to find it..
