"I won again." a voice sounded, as a Silver coin was chucked along the table, landing right below a board separating two people.

"Tsk." the other answered, fixing their hood and putting the equipment to the side, now facing their opponent, and everything else that made the gambling hall of Gambino.

Thousands of tables, covered in either red, green or black cloth, separated by walls of colourful curtains or small rivers covered with tinted glasses, all flowing towards the main part of the building, where the biggest bidder and one with the most money sat, overwatching everything else.

Either way, the rather bustling atmosphere and the seemingly high-standard setting didn't compare to the grin of the Beastman choking another shining trinket between their fingers.

"Admit it, Alfredo," he spoke. "You're not winning Sizi today."

"Not a stroke of bad luck. I need to focus."

"Surely." the other inched closer.

The other gulped, slowly pulling on the board again before their hands met at the middle point. Wolf-like claws grabbed smaller, plant-like ends of an arm, and Alfredo shook.

"I bet if you took that hood off you'd see my expressions better. Sizi is all about controlling yourself in the face of inadvertence. So why is this devoted leader desperately running away from a sure victory?"

"I'm not doing that, Peonna." Alfredo shook his head.

"They don't care if you're a Beastman here. Money is equal to all in Gambino." he squinted. "Even for the likes of us."

"You said it already," Alfredo uttered. "Devoted leader means even moments like these aren't an excuse for me to stray away from that perfection."

"Right..." Peonna leaned back. "That's why you came here to get money. The end justifies the means, but whatever you cling onto seems the better solution."

Alfredo clenched his fist, nervously. Eyes met the ones that drifted away as if trying to avoid that topic, but there he was, speaking of it again.

"That's why I'm not asking you for anything."

"Even though you could. I'm well off." they raised a brow.

"No." Alfredo bellowed. "I was blessed with purpose for a reason, and I'm not willing to let that weave."

"You say purpose, I say you were fooled. Beastmen were never ones of belief, so, naturally, you climbed to the top of the ranks when you had an opportunity. What about your leader, then?"

"Sir Ton?"

"Mhm? Shouldn't he be the one holding your hand through the turmoil?"

"I haven't seen him in Halesdeep or... anywhere in Harabara for that case."

"So you've been left all alone?"

"That's not true. I heard there was another case he was tending to. Likewise with me, something closer to achieving that perfection."

Peonna snuck a glance towards Alfredo's cards. If his mind was right, with how many games were either cheated or won by sheer luck, the bends nearing the corners of all his chances meant all his pairs formed a perfect game.

He glimpsed at his cards, and such didn't meet his expectations.

"Yet, you gave into pressure," Peonna added, whispering. "Alright, new round."

***

Taking a few steps out of the gambling hall, Alfredo wrestled with a few of the coins left in his pockets. In the end, he managed to win one game, but without much of the desired outcome. Either way, there would be another chance after all, and moving further away from the golden pyramid in the very middle of the town revealed its rather quiet side.

The loudest of noises, yells of victory or cries of loss combined with the neverending songs played on thaduks or alike were soon drowned out by the everpresent hush. The mix of every architectural style splattered like leaves falling in Yule allowed for such to climb within and make Alfredo tread a little slower.

It wasn't the silence he focused on, but rather, an inconsistency in its presence.

One turn led to a weep, coming from a few meters away. Then, when his eyes met the darkness, something touched his sandal.

"I need to... find him..." a voice uttered, as the Beastman glanced down, meeting a figure which gripped his clothed leg with their destroyed arm. "Please... help me."