Even though the gambling house was one of the more reputable in the city, it was still a cesspit compared to the House complexes and competitions they'd spent most of their time in. Everyone went around armed, though common criminals wouldn't idly tangle with an Archcrafter. Many of the patrons smoked a heavy herb that left an acidic scent fogging the air. Hosts and hostesses moved among the games, implying sensuality without ever crossing the line, at least on the surface.

Theo leaned back in his chair, tapping the blank ends of his sticks against the table. He pretended to stare out the window, scratched his side, and engaged in a number of other behaviors designed to distract the other players from the fact that he was cheating.

The first component, which had served them well for the past several days, was the point system he'd created with Nauda. It was slightly more complex than counting cards, since it needed to account for the variability in how the sticks fell, but otherwise it was just a matter of following the system and betting when the odds were in his favor. In larger gambling houses that used more sticks, his advantage only increased, so he engaged in other behaviors to distract from his heavy bets at the end of the round.

His second component was careful research. He'd returned to the State of Rest and inquired about opportunities for gambling, and after rejecting a number of offers for private games, gained a decent understanding of the city's gambling houses. From that, he determined the best targets and picked nights when eyes would be focused on other events.

Of course, all his distractions paled in comparison to Fiyu, who sat across the table. When the dealer laid down another stick, she immediately peeked at the symbols on her sticks, then gave a small smile. It was such an obvious tell that he could see the other gamblers' minds turning flips as they tried to decide whether or not she was bluffing.

Her apparently simple nature had won them a massive bet of over fifty Fithan Discs in a different gambling house, since it had allowed for a glorious bluff. That had been hard to replicate, but she still did an excellent job diverting attention.

When the dealer turned to him, Theo pretended to consider before calling for another stick, which dropped onto the table with the others. They were close to a full set on the table, which was one of the highest payouts in the game, but the wager was getting too high for everyone. Instead of staying in the game and calling for more sticks, which would have increased his likelihood of winning, they began dropping out.

That was where the cheating came in. When it came to Fiyu's turn, Theo flexed the muscles of his left foot inside his shoe. Fiyu noticed without any sign of surprise, since their signals were familiar by now, but when it came to her turn, she increased the bet and called for another stick.

Communicating between them was an immense advantage, and it would have been even more effective at strategic games, but Theo had hesitated to try those. With many Ichili in the city, he was concerned that they must have a way to detect such cheating. Avoiding detection was essential to keep earning money, which had totaled to four hundred Fithan Discs. That would have attracted attention, if it hadn't been spread across several gambling dens and different nights. Nauda wasn't with them for the same reason, since their trio might be memorable even in a city like this.

"Last call." The dealer held a final stick over the board and Theo added in another Disc, trying not to think about the probability of losing everything. It was frustratingly high, but playing on high value sets like this was statistically optimal.

It landed with a red sigil up... completing the set. Across the table, Fiyu gave an audible sigh of disappointment and lowered her head, which distracted from the fact that Theo was raking in the entire pot and the set award from the dealer. Though the woman dealing cast him a slightly suspicious glance, she didn't say anything.

"Well, I should quit while my luck is good." Theo faked a laugh and levered to his feet, pretending to fumble a bit with the last Discs. That round had been worth nearly eighty Fithan Discs, his highest so far, putting his total gambling profits at nearly five hundred.

Half of what he needed to purchase the drysupernova. Though pushing harder at more gambling houses could have gotten him to the necessary sum in under a week, he judged it was best to stay cautious. Theo nodded to everyone except Fiyu, who looked deeply concerned, and stepped away from the table.

A hand settled onto his shoulder.

"We want to congratulate you on your victory, friend." There was a Fithan man standing behind him, but more importantly his hand was burning with a Ruler's cantae. It exerted no pressure, but guided him toward a side room instead of an exit. "Let us buy you a drink."

"Why not?" Theo laughed and went with them as if he was unaware it was a trap. If they were local thugs aiming to take his winnings, or just the gambling den's guards, Nauda wasn't far away and Fiyu would help. For now, best to play it cool.

As they walked toward the chamber and he got a better look at the people behind him, Theo suspected that they were not simply local soulcrafters. Two men and two women, all wearing nondescript robes that were expensively tailored. The worst case scenario would be if they were mercenaries hired by the Armeau family, intending to kill him before the duel with Esaire, but he thought it was more likely that they were representatives of a House. Given the circumstances, most likely...

"The House of Coin congratulates you." One of the women sat down on the opposite side of a low table, while the Ruler stayed at his back and encouraged him to sit. When he saw a stone plate with an elaborate golden seal, Theo slouched into the seat opposite her.

"You're not going to punish me for getting lucky, are you?" He intentionally held his soul stiff as he spoke, trying to make the words come out a bit garbled, as if he was a recent foreigner. All he got was cool stares from the cloaked group.

"There's no more need for that, Peanen of House Blacksilver." The woman folded her hands in front of her and gave him the most clinically precise smile he'd ever seen. "The House of Coin watches all of its establishments carefully for certain patterns of behavior, and we are as familiar with statistics as you are. You did well to evade notice for this many nights, but we are now certain."

Dropping the act, Theo met her gaze without blinking. "Nothing I've done is cheating." Not true, but he wasn't going to get Fiyu into any trouble, so he intended to deflect to his stick counting strategy. All he got was the same smile.

"You misunderstand me. Though we do intend to politely ask you to leave, we would like to congratulate you on your efficiency. If you were not already a member of House Blacksilver, we might invite you to work in our gambling division."

"I'm honored." While he mirrored her smile, Theo leaned back and considered his exits and whether or not he'd need to use them. "But since I can't, are we going to have a problem?"

"That is up to you." The woman set a stack of larger coins on the table and Theo realized that they were valued at exactly a hundred Fithan Discs. She slid them incrementally in his direction and gave that precise smile again. "Consider this a reward for your competence, and also a reminder not to return."

He hesitated before reaching out, half-expecting the Ruler to cut off his arm, but no one stopped him from collecting the money. That done, Theo rose carefully, beginning to believe that they really had no intention of doing anything more than threatening. Instead of leaving, he glanced over the entire group. "I suppose that's one way to do business."

"Business is indeed our concern. We do insist on maintaining certain monopolies, but for those who understand the nature of trade, mutual profit is generally ideal. Failing that, effective retaliation. Please have a pleasant day."

Realizing that his luck had been pressed much further than he'd thought, Theo left the room and then the gambling den. He found Nauda and Fiyu by the outside wall, Fiyu tracking him and Nauda looking like she intended to break through if there was a problem. When they looked to him apprehensively, he shook his head and jingled the sack of money.

"They caught on to what we were doing and politely asked us to leave. I suggest we do so."

"Not going to try again?" Nauda moved to walk alongside him as they left the neighborhood. "There are a lot of gambling dens in the city, and this has been earning you more money than anything else."

"Yes, but I don't want to cross them." Theo glanced back one more time, imagining golden eyes on his back. "I can deal with a blood vendetta from a noble family, but getting on the wrong side of merchants..."