108 Gambling (1/2)
”Your chance. Roll.”
The sound of the dice rolling around in the circular cup in his hands didn't go very far in the common room of the inn that was empty, for the most part, except for a few clustered around him, and his opponent.
As if he had done it a million times before, he shook the cup until he was satisfied, then spilled the contents on to a scooped out wooden bowl between them. As the dice came to rest at the bottom, where there was a flat surface, the one across Daneel clapped his hands and grinned.
”Five and six. I win!”
Surrounding the wooden bowl, on top, were coins of gold, silver, and bronze. Right now, a couple of the golden ones went to the side of his opponent, and even though he didn't really need to bother with it, Daneel sighed and looked as if he was as dejected as anyone else who had just lost their bet.
A single look around told him that no one was paying too much attention. This wasn't the first time he was doing this; the last two times, he had left when the system had told him that a few eyes were lingering on his back, but now, it looked like it was finally safe to gather the last of the information that he needed.
”My turn to bet. 12 below, 17 above. Five gold. Alright?”
The game was a simple one. Players could choose a range of numbers that their dies could show, added together. If they succeeded, their bet would double. If they didn't, they would lose whatever they had bet.
It was simple enough that one didn't really need to focus on it with all their mind, and this was exactly why Daneel loved it so much.
He took his time picking up the dice from the bowl. The man had relaxed, too, after winning back most of what he had just lost. This was the perfect moment that Daneel had chosen to strike in all such encounters so far: the moment when one felt relief surging through them as they were returned whatever they had thought had been separated from them forever.
His opponent's head was turned to the right, right now, showing a faint scar on his chin. He was searching for one of the maids so that he could get a drink for himself, so when Daneel's question reached his ears, he answered without thinking about it.
”So… I heard that there was a battle last year? Did any of them get inside?”
”Yeah… the fools couldn't get much done, though. With our help, Captain Malik threw them out before they could kill anyone! That's the captain for you! His idea to drill us along with the soldiers was truly brilliant…you! Beer, over here!”
With a nod, Daneel set his eyes on the cup that was actually a coconut, dried and somehow solidified before having its outside stitched with leather. The sound of the dice rolling inside was pleasant to the ears, but something that sounded even better was heard in his mind.
[Outcome?]
”Negative.”
[Affirmative.