"Don't swab the deck with me.

"Don't swab the deck with me, Kill.

"Thanks, Dom."

"May unity hold fast your bonds."

"And discord flee your spirit,"

"All my crew's food and drink is free then."
Dom snorted as his hands worked clumsily on the next drink.
"Leave my inn unscathed and I might consider taking off the surcharges."
He gestured toward the staircase.
"Better get going before the food chills.
Xyrra likes taking a layer off her mouth."
Kilyan hummed in acknowledgment then murmured in Mani's ear,
"Stay up here but keep an ear out for me."
Mani settled into a seat at the counter.
"Didn't want to be in that slimy siren's presence anyway."
He raised his new cup in Kilyan's direction and downed it in one gulp again.
Kilyan chuckled at Dom's groan echoing throughout the first floor.
It was a stark contrast to the stifling silence
that smothered his descent to the basement.
His steps thudded loud and hollow against the stone stairs.
His drink faintly sloshed inside of his cup.
Her flickering shadow stretched up the final steps.
"Discount or your dinner is mine," he called to her.
Xyrra raised her bet without a word.
A couple of the other players threw down their cards,
grumbling under their breath.
The candlelight deepened the shadow on their faces.
Kilyan lifted his drink and dropped the tray onto the table.
A few drops of broth slipped down the side of the bowl,
and the hearty aroma wafted into the air.
"Discount or everyone here learns your hand."
A low growl rumbled in Xyrra's chest.
"You get one bonus question."
She raised her hand. "Dealer."
The last card was dealt,
and eventually it was down to Xyrra and one other.
Xyrra pushed her coin toward the middle, saying softly, "All in."
The other player paused, glancing at their meager coin.
Kilyan sipped his drink audibly as they laid down their hand.
The liquid stung his throat exactly how he wanted it to.
"Everyone out."
Xyrra tossed her cards onto the table face down and began eating.
The massive pile of coin in the center of the table remained untouched
as the other players shuffled up the stairs.
Kilyan took a seat and leaned back in the chair,
sipping much more quietly on his drink.
The chair creaked under his weight and was still warm.
Once everyone had made their way up the stairs,
he reached toward the money.
Xyrra's knife barely missed his hand, lightly embedded in the table.
He settled for the knife instead of a coin, sighing.
"What do you have for me?
Let's get this over with."
Through a mouthful, she said,
"Money on the table.
Lay it out so I can count it."
She swallowed and spooned more food into her mouth,
dark eyes honed in on his hand, still next to the knife.
Grinding his teeth, he pried the knife out of the wooden table.
"We've known each other for so long.
You could stand to be a little more friendly, you know."
He twirled the knife in his hand.
"Request denied.
My food is also cold, so your bonus question is only half off."
He ground his teeth at the steam still rising from her food.
"Guess I'll take what I can get."
The gold he'd brought clinked together as he laid them out across the table.
Xyrra hummed with satisfaction.
The dim light made the stark white scar that tore across her face
stand out against her already deep brown skin.
He had never asked about the scar to avoid the steep charges,
but that didn't stop him from hearing rumors
or imagining what could have led to the jagged M
that had been carved from the corner of her mouth to her right ear.
The chasmic mark could not have been something done in the heat of battle.
No, it was the cold branding of victory and a cruel claim of ownership.