Quoted By:
The cards quickly get handed out. Your hand is pretty solid, a King and 6, and a quick glance at Ashley's mind tells you she has a Queen and a 9. One of the two cards the Dealer has is hidden, only showing you a seven. A quick mindread tells you he has a pair of 7s. You don't need any more cards to win.
Ashley seems to pick up on this too as the both of you yell out "Stand!" while the others risk too much with hits, resulting in you two being the only ones to win. An extra $5 isn't much, though, so the two of you obviously continue.
Neither you or Ashley say a single word to each other but your movements and actions quickly synchronize. Every round, you two double the amount of money you risk whenever it feels safe. $10. Then $20. For the first few rounds, the Dealer seems to always have the worst cards possible. Even a few of the gambling addict husks around you manage to win some pocket change.
So far, you won about an extra $75 each. This immediately starts to change once you start beating $80. A quick check in the Dealer's mind shows he has a <span class="mu-s">19</span>, an Ace and an 8, though only the 8 is visible to an outside observer. Meanwhile, you have a 4 and a 6 while Ashley has a 5 and a 7.
"Hit me." "Hit me!" The next cards sent your way is a 7 for you and a 6 to Ashley. How funny, only one or two points off. While the others seem content in their hands, the two of you ask for another hit. To an outside observer this would be suicidal.
But the results don't lie. As you two call and the cards are revealed, Ashley now has a 20 (5 + 7 + 6 + 2) and so do you (5 + 6 + 7 + 3). The Dealer narrows his eyes but allows you to collect your bets. <<span class="mu-b">"Blind luck. They won't do it again, would they? Normally people stop hitting when they get a 17 or 18!"</span>>
The next round, where you bet $160, ends very much the same. He tried pulling the same trick of having a stupidly high total to beat and trying to lure you two into staying with a card total just barely below it. Neither of you fall for the bait and in no time flat, you win this round as well.
All in all, both of you win a total of $315 without even really trying!
>+$315! You now have $546.
The Dealer has the same warm, inviting smile as always but the sheer seething mess of static running through his head is evident. "Well, well! You two have been on a hot streak, aren't you?"
Ashley flashes a stained, toothy smile. "Beginner's luck. We haven't really played this before." You nod your head along. "Yep. New to all of this. Trust us." The static haze blaring through his head is only getting worse.
"How cute. How about we raise the steaks a bit?" The Dealer flashes an ear to ear smile that's obviously forced.
"Don't you mean stakes?" Ashley questions.
"I SAID WHAT I SAID-"
>22! 18! SUCCESS
You look behind to your three allies heading over to the table, clearly having finished whatever business you assigned them to do. You do take note of the weird black stains on Benjamin's shirt.
