The Copper Bell Hotel Casino (grand opening "ceremony")

[danzilla3 5018]

"Doing well," Mal replied, "They have their troubles of course; but nothing the Knights can't handle."

Grant Knight had managed to find Mal when the spy had been trying to lay low and regroup from his latest failed endeavor. It had been some time since he had been on the side of the angels; though he had never exactly become a devil either. For years, he had lived in the fuzzy grey area of both the law and morality. Working for a government, a cause, seemed like setting himself up for heartache. But the Prince had been able to rekindle the drive to do good that Mal's mother had instilled in him; the firm belief in right and wrong that had compelled him to be a soldier so many years ago. Maybe it would end badly... but if the possibility of bad endings was enough to stop him, he would never do anyting.

"So you guys started out in Lunaris, now you're in Port Kyros and New Everrun. Where else have you guys set up shop?"

[notmuch_23 2300]

"That's it so far," Aveline says, "we never had the resources to expand further..."

"and we won't for a while after how much building this place cost," Aveline thinks.

There's also the problem with Aveline now being so damn busy that she can't participate as much in the business, which means Thurgood has to act unilaterally, which pisses Aveline off, which drives them apart, which makes Thurgood act unilaterally...

[danzilla3 5018]

"Oh?" Mal said, expression puzzled, "I thought you guys were in tight with John, and he's pretty generous with his resources."

Material wealth had always been secondary to personal freedom when it came to John; the former only being important for facilitating the later. Friends and allies were also something the governor placed a high value on, and so he was very willing to help people through means financial or otherwise. From what Mal had understood, Thurgood Singlance had been John's number two during their time in The Wild Hearts gang; and the two were obviously still close. 

[notmuch_23 2300]

"No, Thurgood is tight with John," Aveline says, "I don't want anything to do with that gang-banger, and since he introduced us, I honestly suspect he has some sort of ulterior motive. Besides, the resources we need to expand aren't just capital or material."

Most people on Lagrimosa know by now that black powder and nitrocellulose propellants are unstable on this continent, Vulcanium can't be economically mined from Corinth (if at all), and the supply of Blackblood's petroleum-based propellant has been dwindling. Then there's the fact that not every government wants a gun store in their jurisdiction.

Expanding the Mil Dot stores will take chemical breakthroughs and political leverage. The mighty Smiling Jack may be able to help with one of those, but likely not both.

Then there's the fact that neither of the Singlances want to owe John Wilder even one tenth of an ounce of tin.

[danzilla3 5018]

"Ah, I see."

Mal had to fight back a surge of protectiveness towards his old friend caused by Aveline's words. He knew that what she was saying wasn't untrue; John had been a criminal far longer than he been on the straight-and-narrow. The remarks reminded him that no matter how much one may try to change; there will always be people who will remember only the past. Still, he didn't know the whole story between John and the Singlance's. Maybe his old friend had done something to piss off Aveline that Mal didn't know about.

"I don't think he has any ulterior motives," he mused, "Whatever you may think of John, he cares about his friends. He just wants me to be happy, and I really think he wants you to be happy too. Guess he must think we might be good for each other."

[notmuch_23 2300]

"I am not John Wilder's friend. I have no fucking idea why he would want me to be happy, and I have no idea why he thinks you're the person to make me happy," Aveline says quite sternly. "All I know is that my life is just that: mine. Enough people have tried to push me around already, and I'm not tolerating it anymore. I need time to think, and if I want to see you again, that's my choice."

Aveline has not felt like she's had any control of her life lately, and this is at least one area she can take it, and clearly is not hesitating to do so.

"For now though, this date is over."

With that, she stands up, settles any issues with the bill, and goes to her living space in the basement.

[danzilla3 5018]

Well, in the end his date had decided to leave early; but hadn't ruled out the possibility that she might want to see Mal again. He hadn't realized the depth of the animosity Aveline held toward John; and couldn't fathom what he could have done to make her so angry. She had mentioned feeling pushed around; which he couldn't help but find interesting. He could certainly understand being frustrated with a lack of control over ones life. For a long time he had been under the thumb of those with more power than himself; used and tossed aside when it was convenient. Luck had been on his side when he had gone to work for Grant Knight; who gave him an almost ridiculous degree of autonomy. 

Regardless, things could have gone worse. She could have thrown her drink in his face and told him she never wanted to see him again. For tonight, he would claim at least partial success, and return to his hotel room.

[notmuch_23 2300]

Floor 3, Casino svc

Meanwhile, at a full seven-player table (Thurgood is sitting at the far left if you're facing the dealer) spot a dealer retrieves seven decks from an auto-shuffler machine to place onto the table, and places a red card in front of Thurgood. Then he placed the red card somewhere towards the middle of the decks, then the dealer cuts them at that point, places the red card somewhere between halfway and two thirds up the decks, and places the stack into the shoe, makes one last check to make sure every player has placed a bet, in chip denominations based on one ounce of copper (Thurgood is betting 5 "chips", or one ounce of silver). The dealer then burns the first card, and starts dealing, from their right to left (which would be left to right for the players), these exact cards in the exact order: Three of Spades, Four of Hearts, Eight of Hearts, Two of Diamonds, Five of Hearts, Jack of Diamonds,  and Thurgood gets a Nine of Clubs. The dealer then draws their hole, and deals out a second card to the players. In this exact order they are: Jack of Clubs, Six of Hearts, Five of Spades, Two of Clubs, Ace of Clubs, Eight of Clubs, Thurgood gets a Ten of Hearts, and the dealer draws their up card of a Ten of Hearts.

This makes the totals in order, from right to left facing the dealer, 13, 10, 13, 4, 6/16, 18, and Thurgood has 19 to the dealer's 10.

"Fuck," Thurgood thinks, "a nineteen on a dealer ten..."

[notmuch_23 2300]

Of course, the dealer goes in order from their left to their right.

"Thirteen"

"Hit" the first player says while sliding the tips of their fingers on the surface backwards. The dealer gives the player a Jack of Hearts.

"Bust," the dealer says while taking that player's cips, putting them in the dealer tray, and moving on, "Ten,"

Well, the next player places one finger down, then grabs another stack of chips equal to their existing bet. "Double."

Dutifully, the dealer slides nother card out of the shoe, and places it perpendicular to the rest of the cards. It's a Nine of Diamonds. "Nineteen."

In normal Blackjack, a player can only double down once, so the dealer moves to the next player. "Thirteen."

This player, like the first, scrapes their fingertips backwards on the table. "Hit"

The dealer slides a card out of the shoe to place with the player's other cards. It's a Seven of Spades; "twenty."

The player waves their hand over the cards; "stand."

The dealer then moves to John Wilder; "four."

[danzilla3 5018]

Gambling was a vice John only dabbled in occasionally; not because he lacked self control, but because he found it a bit dull. His enhanced faculties made it too easy for him to use tricks such as counting cards to win the games; which felt like defeating the purpose. To truly enjoy such games of chance, he had to force himself to act only on impulse; without giving himself time to analyze the situation. Now as a four card was placed before him, the governor would tap the table.

"Hit me."

[notmuch_23 2300]

Counting cards is not that hard, which is why dealers won't play a whole shoe: the count gets divided by how much of the shoe is left, and dividing it by more than two or three gives counters a huge advantage. But the dealer dutifully deals John another card: a Five of Hearts.

"Nine," the dealer says, awaiting John's next decision.

It's not a bad card to get in that situation.

Thurgood is still thinking seriously about standing, since there are only 56, no, 55 cards left in that shoe that can give him any better of a hand out of now what, 353 cards? and Thurgood doesn't like that probability.