The casino working as intended

"Please, let me try again. I'm begging you."

As L'Abbee entered through the casino's front doors, or what would eventually be the casino when the walls were finished being built, he was surprised to see they had a customer. In front of a circular table, the owner he'd met the previous night was standing and smirking at a woman across from him, who'd been through the wringer already. A pile of goods was in the center of the table between them, the bottom lined with a trove of gold coins, but they were hard to see underneath the pile of jewelry, parchment, and poofy fabric that lay on top of them. Indeed, looking back at the woman, all she had on her person was a white lace bra and panties, each decorated with a seashell pattern over her intimate areas.

The woman's dark brown hair had been let down and was now along her shoulders and back instead of tied in a tight bun like noble women typically did. She stood on her tiptoes, keeping her bare soles off the floor as best she could. Unlike what L'Abbee typically saw in noble women who'd been stripped down to nothing (he remembered his piracy days fondly), this woman had a natural hourglass figure, and he could see no shapewear on the pile of her belongings.

"Oh, my lady, I couldn't possibly. You've put so much on the line already; I dare say all you've got left to bet is that pretty set of undies there." The casino boss spoke with an exaggerated, posh tone that sounded more like a mockery of noble speak than an imitation. "And I'm enough of a gentleman not to separate a woman from her unmentionables. That would just be cruel." The man's chuckle told L'Abbee that he didn't believe that in the slightest.

The woman steeled her face and puffed out her chest. "One more game, all or nothing!" she demanded.

The casino owner stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Are you certain? I think 'all' might contain a bit more than you expect."

"I won't back out. I can't show my face outside like this. I have to win this one game."

The boss smiled a toothy grin. "Then let's get this final game a'rollin!" With a flick of his wrist, he pulled a small marble seemingly out of thin air and walked over to a large board filled with wooden pegs. As he flipped the board on its side, showing off the colorful design underneath the pegs, his eyes locked on L'Abbee. "Ah, boy! You're early!"

L'Abbee nervously smiled at the conman. "Yes, sir. I, uh... just couldn't wait to start."

The owner turned back to face the board. "Go get your uniform from the back. I'll get you started once we open. Now, Miss, select your betting range."

L'Abbee turned and walked to the back of the casino, parting a curtain leading to the back. The despaired screams of the woman customer out front confirmed his fears for her, but he tried to push that to the back of his mind as he looked for his uniform.