Abandoned Warehouse [afternoon]

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

Most people's thought on seeing gremlins fighting in the hall was probably not "illegal gambling ring!" but most people weren't Cade.

With a few discrete conversations with some of the NPC people he knew in town might be interested in such things, and trusting in word of mouth, Cade was now standing by a makeshift boxing ring watching two gremlins beat on each other and collecting money as people placed their bets.

A man's gotta make a karking living, right?

[OOC: Open! Cade's ethics aren't other people's ethics.]

Comments

[harpy-daughter.livejournal.com]

Surreal had practically been able to taste violence in the air, so of course she followed it to its source.

"How'd you get them to do that?" she asked, already calling in her money pouch to place a bet.

Surreal's ethics weren't other people's ethics either.

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

Cade grinned at her. "I'm giving them a third of what I make. They wanted to hit each other anyway--win/win."

[harpy-daughter.livejournal.com]

"A third? You probably could have thrown in left-over tinsel and got them down to a fourth," Surreal pointed out, but she dug out two gold coins and tossed them to him. "My money's on the little one; it looks meaner."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"Oh, he's a biter," Cade agreed, "so watch out if he loses. He looks for ankles."

[harpy-daughter.livejournal.com]

Surreal glanced down at her boot-clad feet and shrugged. "He can try, but I'm a kicker," she answered. "In the teeth, usually."

She flicked out her fingers and used Craft to pull over a crate to sit on. "Is this new? If I've been missing out, you've been missing out on my coin."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"Just started today," Cade said. "Don't know if it's another one of those weird things this month like the trees showing up from karking nowhere or why everything smelled like cinnamon yesterday."

[harpy-daughter.livejournal.com]

Surreal shrugged, "I liked the cinnamon," she replied, "but the trees? Creepy. There's too many of them around here to start with."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"And the dolls?" Cade shuddered. "I shot one down at the range. It kept looking at me."

[harpy-daughter.livejournal.com]

"I don't know what you're talking about," Surreal deadpanned.

Which was a total and complete lie. She'd beheaded one and then burned the bits separately.

[one-for-vanity.livejournal.com]

Porthos had managed to find the warehouse on his way back from spending Christmas at his Pierrefonds estate, which explained his elegant dress and the retinue of servants continuing on past the building to return to Efferton Manor.

"So they fight as well as sing?" Porthos asked rhetorically. "How exquisite! I simply cannot understand why my staff are so afraid of them!"

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"They also bite," Cade said, "and it turns you temporarily barvy. That might be it?"

[one-for-vanity.livejournal.com]

"Perhaps it might be," Porthos acknowledged, "if, in fact, I were familiar with the meaning of the English word 'barvy'. Alas, I am not."

He watched the gremlins with interest. "This challenge of fisticuffs -- is it only for the little carolers to enter?"

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"It's the Basic word barvy," Cade said, "so that might explain it. Means crazy. And so far it's only been the gremlins, but if you want to challenge one, I'm sure we could get people to bet on it."

[one-for-vanity.livejournal.com]

"I assure you, I am familiar with most of the basic English words," Porthos insisted haughtily. "I have devoted many hours to the pleasures of polyglottism."

He very neatly removed his coat and began rolling up his sleeves. "Make the arrangements, my friend. And reassure the little man that I shall go easy on him, so long as he does not bite."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"I think poly-whatever is illegal in a couple of systems I've been to," Cade told him helpfully before walking over to discuss the arrangements with the most rational-seeming of the gremlins.

"You're all set up," he said, coming back. "The gremlin won't bite, but he refuses to take hair-pulling off the table."

[one-for-vanity.livejournal.com]

"So he's a scrapper, then, is he? Good! He might even be a challenge!" Porthos straightened his collar and stepped into the ring. "Sir, I wager 20 pistoles on myself! -- No, I beg your pardon... What would be an appropriate number of dollars, pray tell?"

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

Cade had no idea what the pistole to dollar ratio might be.

"Three hundred dollars," he made up.