"The only calibration that counts is how much heart people invest, how much they ignore their fears of being hurt or caught out or humiliated. And the only thing people regret is that they didn't live boldly enough, that they didn't invest enough heart, didn't love enough. Nothing else really counts at all."
― Ted Hughes

Tommy walks along the edges of the crowd in Las Nevadas. He flexes his fingers, closing them into a fist before reopening to let his palm feel the warm air whirling around the mass of people. He feels on edge, though that has less to do with his setting than it does what Briar told him. He's glad that he was able to recruit her for his mission to save Pearl, but he doesn't like knowing that there's an underground dealer that he's never heard of before. Tommy wouldn't mind so much if that dealer wasn't connected to both Reishi and Briar. If the dealer could make those sorts of connections, who else was this Sparrow character acquainted with? What kind of goods did he push through the system, buying and selling to keep his customers happy? Why was he interested in Vendetta now? What changed?

"Vendetta," Someone calls out to him. He looks over his shoulder. Ultraviolet catches up to Tommy easily with his long, purposeful strides outmatching Tommy's slow ambling. He matches Tommy's speed when they are shoulder-to-shoulder, getting between Tommy and the crowd. The purple sparkles around his eyes shift, expanding slightly to cover more of his face. Tommy looks away, blinking rapidly. Ultraviolet is upset right now, and Tommy knows because he can't look the starborne hybrid in the eye. This only happens when Ultraviolet is conflicted, an emotion that very rarely happens. "Why did you ask Briar for help?"

Tommy frowns underneath his mask. He didn't expect Briar to keep their meeting a secret from Ultraviolet, but he definitely didn't think information would spread this quickly. It has barely been an hour since he left Briar and Ravager. The only way Briar could have told Ultraviolet anything was if they had some sort of direct line of communication, a rarity in the esper world due to the lack of trust and privacy between everyone. But if Briar and Ultraviolet went through the effort of having this level of communication, why wouldn't Briar tell Ultraviolet herself what Tommy wanted? She would have, at least, traded that secret for a story about Tommy, since she said as much when they were discussing her involvement.

"I need to get as many fucking people as I can to bring in Scarlet Demoness, and I don't have many options," Tommy explains, shaking his head. He was going to have to answer eventually. Croupier is going to want to know what Tommy's affiliation with Briar is, if he doesn't already know that Tommy left a note for her in the gardens. Tommy hopes Croupier isn't upset about that.

"I'll go," Ultraviolet volunteers immediately. Tommy looks at him from the corner of his eye. The purple around his face has receded, so Tommy is able to actually look at him for a little while. Tommy is able to see that Ultraviolet is being completely genuine in his volunteering. Tommy smiles slightly. It's nice to know that Ultraviolet is willing to help him, even if Tommy is pretty sure that Ultraviolet is only doing this because he wants to fight someone powerful. Well, Briar did say Ultraviolet cared about him more than Tommy thought he did.

"Fuck off," Tommy tells the Ace of Spades, elbowing Ultraviolet in the side. Ultraviolet frowns at Tommy, swatting his arm away with more force than playfulness dictates is appropriate. Tommy rubs his pained arm, deciding Briar was high off some shrooms. "Las Nevadas cannot pick sides right now. You fucking know that. You also know that you can't leave Las Nevadas undefended right now. Don't pretend to be a fucking moron when we both know you aren't."

"I dare Minotaur to attack us. I've been itching for a fight," Ultraviolet says, pounding one fist against the opposite hand's palm. He cracks his knuckles, and the sparkles around his body begin to sizzle and pop like oil in a heated pan. His smile is downright villainous, but it makes Tommy feel a lot better about the situation at hand.

The two of them walk into the casino. Ultraviolet starts walking Tommy towards the private hallway used for the Aces. Ultraviolet starts putting his code into the hidden door.

"I wouldn't mind going with you to put Minotaur in his fucking place right now," Tommy agrees as they step into the open hallway. This time, he wants to remember beating up Minotaur. He wants to make sure that the villains suffer twice as much as he did the first time, though Tommy hopes that he doesn't get as hurt. He doesn't think the healing espers want to deal with him anymore, and the guild probably won't give him any healing potions if he attempts to murder the leader of his task force. Alas, he can't. "But not right now. Minotaur has some shit on me, so I'm stuck being his lackey for the time being."

Ultraviolet's hands fall to this side as they walk down the hallway. Tommy can feel Ultraviolet's stare burning across the side of his face. His anger has softened, but his voice is filled with a bitterly cold, almost scarily apathetic, hostility. "I don't like that."

"Chill out, king. It's all going to work out. I've been officially assigned by the guild to Minotaur's team, meaning they won't be on my fucking ass about my extended vacation," Tommy explains, waving his hand. He barely had a couple of weeks of vacation, but they treated it like he was retiring. Tommy wishes he could retire. He is so done with the guild's bullshit. "Right now, Minotaur has approved my plan to capture the Scarlet Demoness alive, though he doesn't know about the saving her part. Minotaur is focused on capturing Crimson, anyway, so all I have to do is quickly get the brainwashed lackeys before Minotaur uses his fucking head for the first time in his life to see what I'm trying to do."

Tommy and Ultraviolet step into Croupier's office. Unexpectedly, Ankh and Reynard are standing around Croupier's desk with the Jester himself. There are papers all over the desk. They seem to be discussing something intently. Ankh is holding up a piece of paper with a serious expression on his face. Reynard is leaning down to peer at multiple papers at once with his fox tails flickering anxiously behind him. Croupier has taken a step back, placing his chin in his fingers and letting his wings hang low to the ground.

Ankh looks up sharply. It takes a moment for recognition to gleam in his gemstone eyes. When it does, a smile spreads out across his face, his sharp teeth glittering like a vicious predator. He lets the paper fall to the desk, using his free hand to wave at Tommy and Ultraviolet. "It's good to see you, Vendetta! And thank you for finally joining us, Spade."

"Something really fucking important must have happened to get you away from the drawing board," Tommy responds, lifting his fingers up to wave back. Ankh's expression twists fitfully with Tommy's words. His attention shifts back to the desk of papers.

Tommy reaches the desk with Ultraviolet still at his shoulder. Reynard's tail straightens out, his ears flicking down on his head. He taps his fingers against the desk. "Minotaur will be taking an examination in the coming week. He'll be recognized as a hero if he passes, and depending on how well he does, it's possible he'll get a high ranking."

Tommy snatches the paper Reynard is looking at. He scrambles to read the contents even though his vision is starting to blur. As a high ranking hero himself, Tommy knows the kind of power that would give Minotaur. He'll have access to resources like potions of all kinds and even Netherite if he pleads a good enough case for it. Minotaur would also be able to command the lower-ranking heroes. The commands are not supposed to be harsh or self-serving, and usually the lower-ranks can disagree if they are really opposed. Tommy had no doubt that Minotaur would disregard all of that. He will use fear to make the lower-ranks do what he wants them to, and no one will be able to stop him because he'll argue he's just exercising his rights.

"Why the hell would the public agree to this?" Tommy demands, looking up at Reynard. The Minotaur's actions affected everyone in the city, not just L'Manberg. Even if they don't necessarily hate his guts, they should have no reason to believe he would make a good hero.

"Vendetta, I hope I don't need to remind you how little control the public has over matters relating to any of the guilds," Croupier says, his voice cold and even distant. Tommy resists the urge to shudder. Even when he's lecturing Tommy or Charlie, Croupier has never sounded like that. This anger- if that's what it is called- is unfamiliar to Tommy. He's never seen it before, and he's especially never been on the receiving end of it.

"The mayor's hands are also tied. All of the guildmasters agreed to this plan, and he doesn't have the power to go against them directly. Even if he could, since you've been making progress against the Red Army, the people believe Minotaur is doing his job," Reynard continues, and Tommy forces his eyes away from Croupier to meet the vulpine eyes of the Ace of Clubs. "The Red Army has everyone on edge. They want to believe that there is some force protecting them from being slaughtered or kidnapped, even if that force was the one doing the killing years ago."

"Look at this, Vendetta. They blew up part of Empires' grand park, the one most villains don't even touch. The initial explosion killed ten people and severely injured three. The smoke in the air injured more, and some of the animals got so spooked they started attacking people," Ankh explains, handing Tommy a newspaper. Tommy takes it, wincing at the pictures that line the front page. Ankh wasn't exaggerating. There were ten confirmed deaths of innocent civilians, and many more people were injured in the aftermath.

"It was all a ploy to get the Enforcer's away from the forest," Reynard says, explaining the motive because the newspaper has no idea why the Red Army would do something like this. "They snuck Mobs into the city. We don't know why or where they're being stored."

"They either got the Mobs for training for the new recruits, experimentation, or to be released at a later date," Ultraviolet says, taking the newspaper from Tommy's hands. It isn't a smooth transition because Tommy has squeezed fist-shaped creases on the side of the page. He almost tore it from holding on so tight, but he let go the moment he heard the tearing. There is a small tear along the edge of the article, but Ultraviolet doesn't pay attention to it as he scans the words.

"The problem is that we don't know. We don't know anything. The Red Army only knows the individual missions given to them by the Cult of Erythr. The cultists are too tight-lipped to be of any use," Croupier explains, looking up from his pondering. Even though there are four of them, he seems to be meeting all of their eyes at once. Ankh's eyes start faintly glowing. Reynard's tails lash out like whips. The sparkles around Ultraviolet seem sharper around the edges. Tommy takes a deep breath. "This makes Vendetta's plan all the more crucial. We have to find out what the Scarlet Demoness' knows."

Tommy is about to start explaining his plan when the doors are thrown open. Tommy whirls around, a hand going to his baton. He releases the breath he was holding when he sees Charlie standing at the doorway. Charlie takes a few steps into the room with a bright smile on his face, but he stops once he realizes that the other Aces, the Jester, and Vendetta are around the table. He frowns at them, crossing his arms over his chest. "Hey, that's not fair! Why is everyone having a party without me?"

"No, buddy, we're just talking about some boring business stuff," Croupier assures Charlie with an uncharacteristically bright smile appearing on his face. Croupier gestures toward Tommy. "Look who's here, Slime. Vendetta is going to be staying with us for a while."

Charlie's displeasure slides away. A merry smile stretches across his face. He races across the room, ignoring Croupier's order to be careful. Ankh and Reynard start picking up the papers, and Ultraviolet leans against the desk with a carefree expression. Charlie doesn't pay attention to anyone else as he grabs Tommy's arms, squeezing tightly in both of his arms. Charlie disregards the idea of personal space to shove his face near Tommy's, his eyes glittering with amusement. "Come on, come on, come on! I want to play a game! Please, pretty please! I haven't seen you in so long! That's not fair. You have to play a game with me."

Tommy lifts his free arm up to pat Charlie's hair, pushing down on his curls and avoiding the slime creature hanging off the side of Charlie's head with the emoting expression. Charlie closes his eyes, his grin widening as he soaks up the affection. "Of course, bud. I love playing games with you. But Slime, I need you to listen to me. We can't have a sleepover tonight. I have to sleep tonight because I have something important to do."

Tommy learned his lesson the last time Charlie caught him sleeping with the chain on. Charlie probably doesn't remember that time, however, because his smile drops down in a frown. "But-"

"Slime, how about we go to the game room? We can start setting up. Vendetta will join us once he gets done doing his business with Croupier," Ultraviolet cuts in, reaching a hand out. Charlie looks between Tommy's eyes and Ultraviolet's hand. The slime creature on his head shows a conflicted expression. Tommy nods at Charlie. This is enough for the slime hybrid as he releases Tommy's arm to grab onto Ultraviolet's hand. As Ultraviolet leads Charlie out of the room, he throws Tommy a hand symbol that Tommy has learned means 'you owe me.' Tommy scoffs. Like Ultraviolet wouldn't have cut in, anyway. No one likes when Charlie is upset, especially Ultraviolet. He hates cleaning up messes.

"You can stay at the pyramid," Ankh offers, leaning to the side to look into Tommy's eyes without having to move his feet. Tommy turns his head to look down at Ankh.

"I haven't stayed in that shitty pyramid before, and I won't start doing it now," Tommy says, pushing Ankh's head away from him. Although Tommy would never admit it, he does want to try staying in the pyramid one day. The exterior itself is beautiful to look at, and the interior must be more so considering Ultraviolet and Reynard all stay there without complaining. Ankh even refrains from trying to rebuild the pyramid from scratch every few weeks, a trait not commonly shared among all his builds.

"You are not sleeping in the hotel. That place is not protected enough," Croupier states as if the hotel isn't one of the most protected places on the island. The only better places are the casino, particularly the upper levels, and the pyramid. Tommy supposes the dragon would also be a safe place to stay, but that is only if Ankh is there, too. Ankh's esper ability allows him to animate anything he has created. It becomes increasingly dangerous when Ankh is standing on top of the dragon he built himself. Tommy wishes he could see the dragon come to life at least once before he dies, but he doubts there will ever be a threat big enough to awaken that sleeping giant.

"Fuck. Can I sleep in my old room?" Tommy asks, looking over his shoulder at Croupier.

"It hasn't changed since the last time you used it," Croupier answers, his eyes narrowing underneath his mask and something frigid creeping across his tone. When he says nothing's changed, he means that no one has touched the room since the last time Tommy closed the door.

"That's fine. I'm a Big Man, and Big Men know how to do everything, even clean," Tommy tells Croupier with a shrug. The last time he was in that room, the sleep-walking got terrible. There was so much blood by the time Tommy became conscious enough to stop aggravating the wound. Tommy removed the chain, stumbling out of the room without looking back. He wandered the halls of the casino, dripping blood everywhere. He must have blacked out because Croupier appeared within the time it took Tommy to blink. Croupier already knew about the chain at this point, but he still made Tommy explain the whole story one more time as he personally patched Tommy up. It was a hazy time of blood loss, so Tommy doesn't remember what he said. He just remembers Croupier's heavy look. He wears it a lot when Tommy's around.

"Just stay in the pyramid for a few days while Ankh builds you a better room," Reynard says, sitting on the desk. Croupier gives him a look, but Reynard doesn't get off. He just slides over to be beside Tommy. He nudges the blonde's shoulder in some bid to be comforting. It is, surprisingly, just that, but it astonishes Tommy that Reynard would do this for him.

"Oh, that would be so much fun! I don't normally use a lot of red in my builds, but you're definitely a red kind of person. You also seem like a... cobblestone person. Oh, that would look great with a castle theme! Or maybe I could use white to go with an Ancient Builder's theme," Ankh says. He reaches into the folds of his wrap-around skirt. He pulls out his upward flipping notepad and emergency pencil. He starts jotting down different things like keywords and a rough sketch. He taps the pencil against the edge of his mask, making a clinking noise. "I should get started right away."

"Absolutely fucking not. Cut it out, both of you. There's no fucking point. I'm not staying in Las Nevadas for long," Tommy explains, stepping away from the desk to look at them both. There's a harsh frown on his face, but they would be unable to see it considering the mask Tommy is wearing.

"Let me have a moment alone with Vendetta," Croupier commands. Reynard looks toward Ankh, and the Ace of Diamonds glances up from his notepad momentarily to meet the Ace of Club's eyes. Ankh shrugs, heading for the door. Reynard steps off the desk, turning invisible as he passes Tommy. The door shuts behind them, leaving Croupier and Tommy alone in the former's office.

Croupier walks around his desk. He leans against the front of it, looking at Tommy with a thoughtful gaze. Tommy shuffles awkwardly, waiting for the verdict. He hates being alone with Croupier like this. He much prefers when Charlie is there to distract Croupier and make Tommy laugh. When Slime is gone, Croupier focuses on Tommy and the blonde feels no real need to suppress his negative emotions. They usually get along fine, but there are moments like this one where Tommy remembers that all of the bad disagreements Croupier and Tommy have had over the years.

"Are you really going to sleep tonight?" Croupier asks, his voice quiet but not soft. Tommy sighs, letting his voice modifier interpret that noise incorrectly. Tommy drags his feet as he approaches the desk. Croupier keeps his eyes on Tommy like a creepy painting, but Tommy feels a lot more relaxed under Croupier's gaze than some stupid woman in a picture frame.

"I don't have a fucking choice. I mean, tomorrow is important, so I should want to sleep through it, but... Minotaur has limited the amount of pills I'm allowed," Tommy explains softly, sitting on the desk beside Croupier. He feels better like this. He enjoys the close proximity without the unnerving eye contact.

"Shit," Croupier murmurs, his voice modifier just barely catching the word and modifying it correctly. Tommy lets out a breathy chuckle. Croupier turns his head to look at Tommy, and suddenly the reason why Tommy came over here is rendered false. Croupier lifts a hand, putting the back of his fingers against Tommy's forehead to feel his temperature. "Are you experiencing any symptoms?"

"Nothing debilitating. I just have trouble falling asleep and staying that way. It's getting better. It really could have been a lot fucking worse. I guess it's because I've been weaning off the pills for some time now," Tommy explains. Since Serenade has been watching over him while he sleeps, Tommy was able to stop taking the pills every single day. He still took them, much to Serenade's dissatisfaction, but he wasn't taking them as much as he used to. That probably saved him. Not only was he getting ample rest, but he was also preparing his body for the time when the pills would be cut off. One more reason to miss someone he isn't supposed to care about at all.

"If anything changes-" Croupier starts.

"I'll tell you," Tommy promises. At least, he'll tell Croupier while he's still in Las Nevadas. Croupier has dealt with people experiencing withdrawals before. He would know what to do more than Tommy would. The most Tommy has seen from addiction is Reishi's victims, and those people are never allowed to recover. Tommy shudders, trying not to remember the withdrawn, ghastly expressions on those people's faces.

"Vendetta..." Croupier starts, then his voice falls silent. He lifts his hands up, searching the air for something. He lets his hands fall back to his side. He closes his eyes. He wraps his wing around Tommy's shoulders, pulling him closer. Tommy allows this to happen. He feels safe tucked in Croupier's wings, probably a side effect from being in them every time Croupier comforts him. Tommy has started associating feeling better with being in the darkness of these buttery gold wings. Croupier continues, "Remember that you're part of my legacy. There's the Aces and this casino and Charlie, but there is also you. My legacy."

Tommy leans his head on Croupier's shoulder, letting his eyes fall shut. Tommy isn't a good legacy to leave behind, but Croupier speaks with such assurance that Tommy, even momentarily, believes him.