Gambling for Information

JP with Omni and Lorem:

It seemed like a nasty sport, betting on the lives of two innocent animals being forcefully pitted against each other. They had no choice but to defend themselves or die, and the only reward was to live until another animal took your life. It seemed like a metaphor humanity now that she thought on it. Ah well, people were into worse vices, she supposed, so she kept her thoughts and coin to herself for a while, loitering round the piper woman and pretending to be more interested in the music than the scorpion fights.

Whilst dancing close to Gonyaul, she had seen or heard the outcome of the previous challengers, so it seemed like a sure bet to join. If she won, it would perhaps look like beginners luck or maybe even help gain some rapport with the gamblers, especially the man taking the money so when the man offered a match, Voah decided to accept.

She allowed Gonyaul to continue his exploration of the area nearby and his attempt at communication with the piper while she wagered the the last of his coppers as an ante for the next bout.

Just as she expected, the large pincer had another victory, winning her a handful of extra coppers before the fighting paused for a while. Voah was able to have a private conversation with the bookie, a dark skinned man with a cropped black beard and a bright, mischievous smile. He introduced himself as Ad’zeem and while he failed to win Voah’s egg with a tremendous amount of coin, he eventually directed her to someone by the name of Arak.

After a string of inquiries to locate the shop, Voah was somewhat confused to find the woman sold medicine.

Gonyaul had lost interest in the scorpion fighting after observing just one match. He didn’t see the appeal of the game’s final outcome and the whole concept of gambling for money seemed silly. Which was a shame, in his opinion, because there was something quiet interesting in the functionality and form of the tiny creatures when you took the time to pay closer attention. The fact that the arachnids were in mortal combat did make him wonder what having a giant one around would be like. He couldn’t help but consider that he may end up as Skara food if Skara had the same intelligence level and behaviors as the small ones.

Instead he took to watching those present, as well as those coming and going, with pleasure. He moved about the scene trying to get the best views on those in attendance. He studied their expressions, if visible, and tried to make sense of their body language accompanied with their Ozaniae shouts and banter. In truth, he wished he had more opportunities to experience things like this in order to further his understanding of social norms.

As he let Voah go about her seeking tendencies, he finally found his way to the woman playing the music. With more songs secured, he began to perform a vauxian style dance. Though contained within a small space, his dance was full of emotion and musicality as he danced off to the side. It did not matter that he was dancing alone admits a gathering that was not there for that purpose, he was enjoying the sounds and let them flow through his movements.

He was all but lost in memories of performing these movements underneath a Kru’ll canopy when Voah interrupted him. Taking him by the hand, and he grabbing the staff he let rest nearby, Voah began leading them off. Apparently she knew where they would need to be going next. He waved goodbye to the musician as they moved onward.