My Servant System

Those few moments after Sla'Salaxi was told off were laden with danger for everyone inside the hall, but after a few breaths she took a step back and took a deep breath, before smiling innocently at the Sultana as she said "If you ever change your mind there, Anubi, just know that my 'door' will always~ be open for you... forever and always~!"

With that, she made her way to the other side of the table and sat on her lonesome, resting her chin on her palm as she smiled sweetly at the Sultana and ignored the bristling petite Dogkin beside her target, as well as the rest of us too, which was more than welcome.

The Sultana took her seat as well, before staring down at Lady Kio as the Dogkin simply took her seat on the Sultana's lap, marking her territory further and grinning smugly at a Fiend, which only made me wonder if this confidence came from that earlier sucker punch or if she was really that fast without any noticeable buffs...

As the servants came in with trays laden with food though, that thought went out of my mind as well, my focus instead landing on the food and the coffee that I was about to indulge myself in, my hunger returning with a vengeance.

Like I had assumed, I had 'feasted' too much this morning and last night, so my appetite before we left wasn't that high, and now that we had some delectable cuisine in front of us again, my appetite flared back up and I wanted nothing more than to eat and eat.

Even though Anput had requested something lighter and something that goes well with coffee, we were treated to a wonderful array of kebabs and a giant stack of naan, alongside some vegetable dishes and even a thinner curry too, which Anput instantly slid over to herself before anyone could make a move on it.

Grabbing myself a few different kebabs - after giving them a good sniff each and having Anput confirm they weren't worm meat - I began to eat and savor the variety of flavors that cascaded off of the juicy grilled lamb and chicken, savoring their gradually rising heat and enjoying the way the cool glass of water I had only made them hotter.

"Sultana, those arena's that are around the city... the 'fighting clubs' where you can bet on the fights and all that. Does that include your own fights, and how does that work? Do you wager something of equal value, just wager whatever you want at a set rate of return... what exactly are the arena's for?"

"Why? Want to wager some of the things I just gave you? I can make that easier for you if you want; I have gems aplenty, as well as a few other things of value that simply lay around in my vaults collecting dust. You would be surprised to know what sort of things my people deliver to me as tribute; I have a golden statue of one of my Vizier's, completely in the nude. Another sent me a painting of the stars shaped like a Jackal. I also have a rough diamond that looks like a skull somewhat that was interesting enough to ignore it's lack of value..."

The bored tone she had as she discussed some of the extents of her wealth was rather amusing, but not as much as the sharp and almost instant head turn of Lady Kio as she asked "You have a what?", her eyes narrowed down to slits that resembled a serpent and not a dog.

"A rough diamond in the shape of a skull. Rather heavy and crude, but interesting."

Taking one of the kebabs in front of her, the Sultana bit into it and glanced down at Lady Kio before shrugging as she turned back to Jahi, saying "All of that is to say that I am more than open to exchanging goods, so long as the value is equal to the things you want. But to actually answer your question, unless you make a bet against a specific person, all bets are on the arena itself.

If you wager for fighter a to win, or have fighter b not dying in the fight, the arena pays up. If you wager on how many fights fighter a wins, or wager on a specific kind of fight having a specific outcome, you make money. But if you approach someone and bet with them... that's all on you. Almost everyone gets the arena to validate the bet they make though, so just understand that anything you put on the table as a bet, needs to be something that you're willing to part with. I can't tell you how many idiots have bet their house or their partner just to be horrified when they have their house taken or have to watch as their partner is 'taken'."

"And I guess the merchants are the ones that make those sorts of bets? The ones where they match or wager things that are worth far too much? Do they happen often, or are they rather rare?"

The Sultana just snorted at that, while Lady Kio plucked the kebab from her wife's hands and took a bite from it, quieting the Sultana with her bold action, though she pointed the kebab at Jahi as she replied "No, everyone who goes to the arena's to gamble are degenerates, and they live for that thrill of winning. So they gamble bigger and bigger until they sell themselves into indentured servitude to pay off their debts... only to begin gambling again and again. There are far to many even in my own Pack who have lost their weapons, their clothes, their fortunes and so much more because of gambling. Hells, one of the girls gambled away her virginity , but I think she was just a nutcase..."

She pointedly stared at me for a few seconds, causing me to raise a brow as I met her gaze and didn't shrink away from it, something that made her let out a huff before biting off more of the kebab, after which she handed it back to the Sultana.

"So if you're going to gamble, don't be a dumbass; just because you're someone special over in the Empire, just because you're lovers with the Begum, just because you ARE the Begum, don't be a dumbass and chase after that thrill. Not with anything substantial, anyways; and if you lose, don't even THINK about coming to me and crying about your loss. I'll just laugh at you."

As the Sultana was mid bite, Lady Kio pursed her lips and looked towards her wife so that she could steal the rest of the kebab for herself, and even though you couldn't see the Sultana's eyes I just had a feeling she was blinking right now out of the shock of what was happening.

"Ahem... well... I was going to set a limit and ensure I didn't surpass that limit, and I was NOT going to allow ANY bets that weren't of gold or other material items that we could afford to give up. Nothing weird being gambled away, just money that I already have enough of..."

I ignored Jahi's pointed look as I grabbed another kebab, though Sla'Salaxi just giggled as she said "Just saying, your lover there is so~ not listening to you right now, and she very~ much so is going to do something 'stupid'~! Isn't that right, Cali~?"

Feeling two arms draping over my shoulders, I let out a sigh as Cali appeared and said "Damn straight~! Little lust puppy has ideas on her mind for more and more, and I betcha she wasn't going to take no for an answer~!", to which I replied "No was an answer I would have very much respected and adhered to."

The two Sla Fiends just nodded and hummed at that, though they were both grinning as they stared at me pointedly, which made Jahi narrow her now golden eyes while Anput and Leone raised a brow as they waited for another answer.

"Alright... maybe I would have tried once or twice to 'entice' some people and get them to bet bigger than they could afford, but only after assuring my loss was impossible would that have actually come into play!"

That only made them all stare at me longer, while Lady Kio snorted as she said "Yeah, good work there little pup.", and Jahi nodded as she leaned closer and asked "So when I say no right now, what does that mean later, Katherine..?"

Those twin golden eyes made me shiver as well as the use of my full name, something that rarely happened anymore, at least with people I was actually close to, so hearing it from someone I don't think has ever actually called me that... well...

"It means no... it always means no..."

Looking down at the table, I took a deep breath before focusing on my food, deciding to let go of that one idea of mine and instead just eat this meal, all while Jahi kept her eye on me for just a little longer.