Raina's eyes burst open as she instinctively sat up. The bright sunlight shone overhead as she watched the clouds drift slowly across the sky.
She didn't know how long she had lay there, but the sky was certainly brighter than when she last looked up.
Slowly limping her way up, Raina let out a soft groan. Her head felt like it was swollen as her brain pounded against her skull. The loud chattering from the nearby casino certainly didn't help as she grabbed her head, taking a deep breath to soothe the pain.
She looked around, her hand sliding into her pockets as she sighed. She had no tokens left.
Raina glanced over to the casino, walked over and entered. The bustling music and the parade of people inside caused her to wince a little as she made her way over to the bar.
"How do I get a job here?" She asked the bartender, who simply glanced at her with a scoff before pointing at a small desk in the corner of the casino.
At the desk stood a lady and a line of around 20 people. They all wore rugged clothing and had a desperate look to them. Their arms hugged their bodies as they stood nervously waiting for their turn to get a job.
Raina quickly joined the line, her head peeking out to see the progress, but it not moving an inch.
"The casino is at max capacity. We will not take any more workers today!" The lady stood up and announced as a loud murmur of annoyance and frustration echoed around her. The line quickly dispersed, many of them bolting out the door as they attempted to head to the next employable location before the rest of the herd. Raina attempted to join the group, but it was already too late. She found herself near the back, so even if she did make it, it would mean she was going to be towards the end of the line once more. So with a sigh, she stopped running, her eyes catching the attention of someone staring at her from a distance.
The individual stood under the shade of an overhanging roof, his features hidden as he raised his hand, beckoning her over.
Raina glanced around her, to see no one else looking over in that direction, confirming he was signalling to her rather than it being her misunderstanding.
"What do you want? Who are you?" Raina walked up to him, her arms crossed in front of her in caution.
"You're looking for a job, are you not?"
"Are you offering?"
The man glanced to his left then right, "I know a Top-Gambler looking for a servant. He wants young blonde girls. Giving 50 tokens a day." He whispered, "I can connect you to him!"
Raina tilted her head suspiciously, "Why? Why are you making this offer?"
The disoriented man, seemingly in his mid to late 40s let out a wide grin, revealing the rotting and gapped-toothed mouth, "I give connection. You pay me 20 tokens a day."
"If they're looking for young blondes, he'll eventually come scout me out, wouldn't he?" Raina rebutted as she took a step away, "It's a no deal from me."
"You-" The man gritted his teeth as he grabbed her left wrist, "You slut! I'm giving you an easy job! Just take it already!"
"What the fuck?" Raina cursed as she pulled her arm back, her right fist instinctively arching forward busting his nose wide open as he tumbled backwards in shock.
"Y-You p-ppunched me! H-How dare you punch me!" The man screamed as he raised his hand ready to slap her back.
"Don't you dare touch me again, you fucking creep!" Raina yelled as she rotated her centre of gravity, raising her leg and kicking the man away with a look of absolute disgust on her face.
"Wow!" A sudden cheer of excitement called out behind her as she spun around to the sight of a tall brunette-haired man looming over her. His eyes wandered from her surprised gaze to the sight of the fallen man on the ground.
"You. I like you. What's your name?" He smiled at her.
Although from the sight of him, he looked to be somewhat ordinary compared to all the crazies in this hellhole, there was something about the way his eyes looked at her that gave her an instant shiver down her spine.
Raina took a step back to recover what little personal space she had left, "Who the hell are you?"
"I'm Garif Melak. Be my servant. I'll pay you 50 tokens a day." He bluntly offered with a mad glint in his eye.
Raina blinked blankly as she turned her head back to the man on the ground, "Are you the one he mentioned? The one obsessed with blondes?"
Garif blinked as his eyes slowly over to gaze at the pitiful man, "… no." He gazed back at Raina with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Doesn't ring a bell."
Raina hesitantly took a step back,
"There's no reason to be afraid. I don't tend to hurt what's mine." Garif said as he took a step forward in response, reaching his hand out and letting his fingers brush against the strands of hair resting on her shoulder.
Raina flinched as she swiped his hand away, her eyes involuntarily squinting in disgust.
"How about we play a bet." Raina offered, calming herself down and finally racking her brain for ideas, "A simple round of Old Maid. You know how to play right? "
"Of course." Garif scoffed as he let out a chuckle, taking a step back, "What are we betting?"
"If you win, I'll accept your offer. If I win, I decline your offer and receive 10,000 tokens."
"AaaHHahaha!!" Garif held his stomach as he let out a manic laugh before freezing as he was. His face flashed back to its stoic expression like a mannequin whose strings were cut. "You must be kidding me. That deal is too favoured towards yourself. Counteroffer. If I win. You accept my offer. Without pay. Without freedom. You become my toy. For Eternity" His quiet voice cut through the silence as he stared her straight in the eyes, "Is that a deal?" He tilted his head.
Raina gulped as she watched him closely. A single word uttered out of her mouth. "Deal."
[A bet has been proposed.
Alice Liddell (0) - Garif Melak ( Hidden )
Bet:
Alice (Life Long Servitude)
Garif (10,000 Tokens)
Duration of Bet: 1 Round of Old Maid
Proceed? Accept/Decline [0/2] (Both parties are required to accept the bet to continue)]