Public A game of dice

[Aldric Varanin]

Aldric was always glad to be checking out more of the galaxy. His sister had the throne in her future, but he was keeping the throne to heart. He wanted to defend it as best as he could, and that meant defending her as well. All he was doing now? He was learning more and more about the galaxy as a whole, and was sitting out in the Levantine systems.

The galaxy was a big place. And so many other people had their lives together. But Aldric didn’t even know where he was supposed to be. The Force didn’t throw him into one side or another, the war of Jedi and Sith was not interesting to him. He had greater ideals in mind.

It meant learning what he could. But lately? It was about finding where he really belonged, what he was wanting in life. He had sent a message out to a few others, and the location. Canto Bight.

Cantonica.

The well to do prince had stepped from his high end courier shuttle. A Starburst known as Icy Wind. “Well, Elly, keep the ship watched, I’m going to see what I can learn here.” It was going to be eye opening. Could he read people even if they weren’t moving? Just betting and gambling.

A few well placed credits got him the proper credentials to be allowed into one of the smaller casinos as he made his way to the dice table first.

 

[Merion Oreno]

Aldric Varanin 's little brother had two major advantages for accompanying him into this age-inappropriate place: the all-concealing doombringing swaddleshroud of a Cultist of Central Isopter, and height.

He tagged along behind Aldric, bringing doom and wondering how these games worked.

 

[Sag'etare Baracco]

Spoiler: Music IC

Past the pazaak and the sabacc, the poker and the blackjack for that matter, at a table designed for those who lie if able in the Red Deck Casino is where you might find a pirate named Sage.

He sat with two others in a kind of triangle at this table shaped like a circle and there’s your geometry curiosity. A Bothan guy at his right, a Twi’lek lady at his left, with two empty chairs at other ends if they just needed names to the plates for a fourth and fifth person to play but the others didn’t wait anyway with their game already underway.

“All right, lady and gent,” the pirate said as he rapidly tapped the tabletop. Like his fellow contestants he sat dressed in his everyday outfit; nothing fancy or flashy; a brown leather jacket over garments of the same shade and black pants and with his weapons hidden except for the pistol at his belt by a jacket's flap.

A cup was tumbled then placed before each player, upside down on the tabletop, with five dice inside in this game called Liar’s Dice. “Let’s begin.” Sage grinned. The Zabrak in the midst looked from the Bothan to the Twi’lek to the hand hidden within his cup as he tipped it for a personal peek and placed his piece.

“Four 6’s,” Sage raised with hardly any hesitating after gazing at his hand. Amid a 1 and a 3 he had three 6’s beneath his cup so the odds were in his favor that one of the other players had at least another 6 for a total of four.

It’s the Bothan’s turn. He could counter by raising the stakes for five 6’s or higher; or he could declare Sage’s claim to be spot-on; or he could say that Sage was bluffing. If he did either of the latter and was wrong then he would lose a die from five to four but if he was right then Sage would lose a die.

“Five 6’s,” the Bothan wagered. The Twi’lek was quick as she said “Call” and then all players lifted their cups and the dice were counted at once. There were only four 6’s present instead of five which meant that the Bothan lost a die.

Time went by, round after round, until Sage was left with two dice and his opponents had none. “Better luck next time, guys!”

Aldric Varanin Merion Oreno

 

[Aldric Varanin]

Aldric was more than happy to learn by observing. He wishd he could have convinced Celeste to come. Next time.

Maybe even Merion would help kidnap convince her. The girl needed to get off of Eshan. What Aldric was still not certain of, or sold on, with Merion, is his whole guise. The all encompassing cover. It left much to be desired in a hand to hand situation. Though, perhaps seeing his brother in this would assist Aldric in knowing how to predict motion of the more heavily armored beings he’d since encountered in the galaxy.

And had yet to encounter.

Seeing the dice game, though, Aldric was instantly curious. Reaching back to tap Merion on the chest-shoulder-torso-plate-that-may-have-been-part-of-the-helmet, he nodded to the seats with an interested look. The Zabrak seemed to get the hang of this.

“A deception game, correct?” He asked as he took a seat.

Merion Oreno Sag'etare Baracco

 

[Merion Oreno]

Happy to be included, Merion shuffled his robe around to accommodate sitting down.

"I portend doom upon all of our dice," he said, which was accurate and proper and also sort of incongruous to the moment, in immediate hindsight. Gambling and the Way of Central Isopter didn't intersect tidily.

He wanted to try the game but didn't understand it. Also, a slinky Rodian walked by, and he became distracted.

Aldric Varanin Sag'etare Baracco

 

[Sag'etare Baracco]

Spoiler: Music IC

Gathering his winnings, including credit chits and chips and a necklace that the Twi’lek had been oddly delighted to part with as she gave him her smiling eye, Sage winked back and clapped his hands as two new players arrived.

“Yep,” he answered plainly, if with a bit of a deceptive grin on his face. Isn’t every gambling game a deception anyway? Beside the boyish guy was a face a bit more metallic or whatever the shit. Sage wasn’t fazed. Two contestants here to play and pay. Pay and play? Either way.

“I dunno about portend but let’s pretend we’re just three dudes without the doom, okay?”

“Four dudes,” the Bothan corrected.

“Aye.”

“Are we gonna play some dice?” The Twi’lek rolled her eyes.

“Sweet Teet Martini,” Sage said without taking his eyes off that Twi’lek. “Dry.”

“Right away,” spoke a Rodian waitress passing by.

“Thanks, babe.” She walked away.

“All right.” The guy you might not expect to be a pirate gathered his five dice beneath his cup like the others as if shuffling a deck and drummed his fingers on the tabletop. “Liar’s Dice. Hope either of you can lie.”

In truth, he mostly hoped these two were as easy to read as a Jedi with a nosebleed, whatever that means.

Aldric Varanin Merion Oreno

 

[Aldric Varanin]

Aldric was always happy to include family. The Throne was important, but there was something to be said for learning the galaxy away from Eshan. Too bad their sister didnt come along, but next time, Aldric was going to make sure he dragged her off that ice ball for a few days. Or well, however long it took. But with Merion? Well, that was just keeping his brother busy and away from the throne, for what that was worth to everyone.

“Do you just go around portending doom on everything?” Oh Force, was that a power the Isopters had? Or hopefully, just a catch phrase?

As Aldric sat down, he smirked, He liked this Zabrak already.

Aldric wasn’t about to start drinking, just was here to hang out and try to learn this game. As an Echani he knew how to tell if someone was lying when they were moving, lets see if it came into handy with a game of chance and dice.

“Got an idea on how to.” He said, trying to sound as posh and unlikely to be able to lie as possible. “Just a shake of the dice and guess what everyone has, yeah?” The Prince was shaking the dice given to him.

Sag'etare Baracco Merion Oreno

 

[Sag'etare Baracco]

Spoiler: Music IC (Recurring)

He wouldn’t show it. Couldn’t give it away. But Sage noted that the Human-something-or-other-maybe-he’s-an-Echani had no drink. He could have gotten one that moment. Ah, I see. He thinks he can keep his wits. Maybe even play the game over me because I’m drinking.

Some said they drove best when they were drunk. Most who said this were idiots, granted, but this pirate’s a bit different than the rest. Truthfully, he didn’t know shit from chit about Echani or any of the patrons within this fine establishment but that’s all right. He had his wits.

He had his dice.
He had his eyes.
He knew his lies.
As well as rights.

Ah. A gentleman. It was given by his accent portrayed beneath that fair skinned face. If a kid. Too young to drink. Maybe. Also given in that instant within this instance of sizing up the other player when it came to Liar’s Dice. And don’t hate the player or the game or your neighbor, guys.

“Yeah,” Sage expressed with a dismissive wave of his hand as if this was going to be a piece of cake for the lad. He explained the game with the help of his fellow patrons just to make sure everybody was on the same page. Then it was time to stop keeping everyone from waiting.

“All right,” the pirate said as he licked bittersweet deliciousness from his lips. Winner's turn first. “Five 4’s.” Sage declared that there were five dice on the table turned upward for 4 before all available players. Was he wrong? Was he spot on? Were there more? Or less? Whatever the answer, maybe the new player would notice a glint in Sage’s smiling eye, while the other was shady, whatever that meant.

Aldric Varanin