The sound of dices hitting the walls of the bamboo cup filled the already rowdy hall of the gambling house. Long, slender hands swirled the cup in the air, as the patrons cheered on, "Low! Low!"
She LiangLin grinned as he set the cup down, and the last clicks of the dice ceased.
"Is it a 'low'?" LiangLin teased as he sat idly over the tabletop, with one of his knees pulled up, and the other feet kicking the air idly.
"Low!" Howled the men crowding around the table.
LiangLin chuckled as he pulled his golden bracelets up and away from his wrists and lifted the cup. The two dices together amounted to 11. It was a 'High'. Everything higher than six was considered a 'High' and combined points that amounted to six or under was a 'Low'. It was a simple game of High-Low using two dices.
The crowd hollered as they threw the money they owned LiangLin over the table in disgruntlement.
"You are cheating! This must be the tenth round and it has been a 'high' the entire time!"
LiangLin raised his brow as he collected the money and put it safely away in his money pouch by his waist. "I didn't force you to bet on low. It was you who was so honed on it."
"If he is cheating, then lets bet on a 'high' next! All in or no game!"
The patrons cheered at the suggestion, and LiangLin smirked at them. He picked up the dice and dumped them in the cup. Twirling the hoop earring on his left ear with his finger, LiangLin cooed, "All in, 'High' it is, gentlemen. If it's a 'low', I win."
"We will see if he cheated or not!"
"The dice are probably rigged!"
She LiangLin laughed while he shook the dice, listening closely at each 'cluck' and 'clack' as the dice hit against the bamboo. When the right sound came, LiangLin put the cup down with force, nearly cracking the wood surface of the table.
If he had listened closely enough, the dice should be aligned in a 'low'. LiangLin's heart raced. He was never wrong, yet, now that he was more a man than a snake, his senses were not as sharp as they used to be. He had bet all of his winning money so far, too. He silently prayed it was a 'low', or he would have to shake his body around for another month beside QingYu.
"Well? Lift the cup!"
"It's probably 'high', again!"
With quivering motions, LiangLin slowly lifted the cup. The two dices sat side by side, both with numbers 2 carved on them – it was a 'low'. LiangLin squealed in excitement as he threw the cup aside and pointed at the dice. "It's a 'low'! It's a 'low'!"
Ghastly silence filled the room, only LiangLin's cackle broke the devastating atmosphere. Brushing away a tear of joy from his eye, LiangLin flashed a bright grin and held out his hand, "Well? Looks like I won."
"You are cheating!"
"There must be something going on with the dices!"
The men refused to give up the money they lost. LiangLin's grin turned into a scowl as he jumped off the table. His flowy white robes fluttered with his every movement. "I didn't cheat! I won fair and square. Now hand me the money!"
One man took hold of a chair and swung it LiangLin's way, but he ducked in time, punching the guy in the gut.
Another guy took hold of LiangLin's ponytail and pulled on it painfully, nearly ripping LiangLin's scalp off.
"For someone who sells his body, you sure dare to demand a lot." The man spat as he brought his face close to LiangLin's ear.
Red flashed in LiangLin's eyes as he elbowed the man in the chest, emptying his lunges. The hold on his hair eased, and he turned around and gave a good kick in the man's balls, sending him on his knees, wailing.
"I'm a dancer, asshole!"
The crowd went wild, everyone took hold of something to attack LiangLin. It was an unfair fight. There were at least twenty men against him, a snake god without his snake. Just as LiangLin's fists became sore from punching their noses in, a bone-chilling wail broke through the ruckus in the gambling house and everyone halted.
"Brother LiangLin!" Lan QingYu cried as he pushed through the waves of men, stepping on their toes mercilessly. Without another word, he pulled LiangLin out of the crowd of confused men and down the streets towards the inn-house.
The men didn't follow the two since LiangLin hadn't taken their money. The reality struck LiangLin, and he stopped in the middle of the street. Taking hold of QingYu, he shook the snake like a rag.
"They haven't paid me yet! Why did you pull me away? I was winning!" LiangLin hollered, but then his face fell as he saw the distraught marring Lan QingYu's fair features. He loosened his hold on the green snake's robes and asked,
"QingYu? What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Tears brimmed at QingYu's eyes as he sniffled loudly. "Brother LiangLin, it's terrible!"
"What? What is terrible?" LiangLin's mind raced as he went through all the possibilities that could send a green snake-shifter into distress. His eyes were flaming as he shook QingYu, "Is it the sorcerer? Did that one-eyed bastard come to town?"
"What? No! No sorcerer. This is worse!" QingYu's lips were trembling as he pouted at LiangLin.
What in the world could be worse than that asshole? LiangLin thought, but instead, he said,
"Then what is it?"
"I- I saw him!" QingYu's voice broke as he started wailing as if his parents had died.
"Saw who?" LiangLin said through gritted teeth. His fists were itching from annoyance.
"My future husband!"
It took LiangLin all of his self-control to not punch QingYu's pretty face in. They needed it to make money, unfortunately.
"Then why are you crying to me instead of jumping him or something?" LiangLin snapped as he pushed the green snake out of his personal space before he would strangle the man.
"He came in the inn in the middle of my solo dance," QingYu complained in between sniffs. "I tripped after I saw him and fell off the stage. He must think I'm an idiot now!" The wail he broke into was even louder than before.
"Well, you are." LiangLin pointed out.
QingYu's eyes widened as he hick'd and tried to swallow his tears. "How can you say that, brother LiangLin? This was my only chance of getting the husband of my dreams!"
"Why are you so dramatic? He probably didn't even notice your fall." LiangLin tried to comfort the snake, but QingYu's wail only became more agitated.
"Are you saying he didn't even notice my existence?"
"What? No!" LiangLin gritted his teeth as he thought of a way to make the ear-piercing wail to stop. "Look, why don't you dance your solo again tonight, instead of our pair dance? If he is still there, you could impress him."
QingYu's wail halted as his eyes brightened. "Really? You think so?"
Sunk with bait and hook, LiangLin thought as he broke into a smile. "Of course! All the attention will be on you. It will be your moment to shine."
"Oh, ok." QingYu's sniffles died out immediately. The green snake's mind was working hard as he gnawed on his lower lip, making it even poutier than what it already was. "But brother LiangLin..."
"What? What is it?" LiangLin would do anything to skip a performance and instead roam around the town aimlessly for once.
"You can't be there!" QingYu said, his face now defiant. "I don't want him to look at anyone else besides me."
"... I don't even want to be there," LiangLin said drily. As if he wanted to stay at the inn, anyway, now that he could have a day off!
Lan QingYu wasn't listening. Instead, he latched onto LiangLin's arm and pulled him towards the inn-house. "You will have to help me look my best. I have a husband to catch tonight!"