S'what I was tryin' to explain to Knock-knock. He's surprised that I ain't thrilled 'bout not gettin' set before the law came down 'bout gamblin' in Nieve. Gettin' grandfathered in's real ace if you can swing it. Instead we gotta pay folks to look the other way. And the price keeps goin' up.
[ Boohoo, mobster doesn't like having to pay to take advantage of corruption at the government level. Especially because it's in his partner's name, but still.
Ladon is also a chatty guy when he feels comfortable. ]
Yeah, Cain. Think I seen him 'round. I got a possible system for chips since we ain't got real money. You found any pieces of glass that've gone all round and dull? Found some while diggin' the ship outta that dune. Figure those'll work for credits 'til we find somethin' better.
And yeah, okay. I'll invite her, but kiss your space-kale goodbye. She's a sharp one.
Being real with you right now, brother: I understood, like, half of what you just said. ( How nostalgic; isn't this how they met?
This time, instead of being bratty about it, there's a clear smile in Jonas' voice. Their differences are enjoyable, and Ladon's speech patternsβand accentβare charming. )
"Not getting set"... uh... what's "grandfathered in"? I got the other part, though, about the bribes. It sucks you have to go through that just to, like, have a good time.
( Mobster-in-training. )
The glass is really pretty, though, so I'd be down. Maybe the locals like to barter with it and stuff. It could be useful.
... Maybe we could pay Fizz to look the other way. "Grease her palms," or whatever.
All right, so gamblin' used to be all above board. On the level. Legal. Then the church gets real whiny 'bout the fact that we're usin' the names of their Knights of the Round and makin' their names the same as a game of chance. So they pressured the city-states and eventually, boom. Gamblin' is illegal. Gettin' grandfathered in means you were already there, already running games, so they don't make you close down because you're a big part of society. Smokey Joe's had the reputation, before I bought it and called it the Golden Apple. Then suddenly since it's not Smokey Joe's, I gotta not run games unless I wanna pay protection money to the folks who can look the other way.
S'the long and short of it.
[ Ladon is so proud. Though he knows he shouldn't be, contributing to the delinquency of younger Wayfarers. ]
S'nice stuff. Pink and purple. Like the sunsets back home. And t'be honest, don't think we gotta worry 'bout Fizz rattin' us out. Just 'bout takin' us for everything we got. 'Specially in Dagonet. Got a feelin' she could bluff her way out of a bad hand with nothin' but a smile and a story, and have the table thank her for it.
Wow, the church screws everything up again. Why am I not surprised at all? ( Who cares about the card game names? They're just games. He doesn't understand, nor is it likely that he'll ever. ) I can't believe I'm just hearing about this now, though. Like, you owning a... a what, casino? Dude.
( That is... Well, one of the coolest things he's ever heard, actually. Owning a casino sounds like an incredible responsibility, but fun, rewarding, lucrative.
Jonas realizes he has a lot to learn from this Ladon Ceto. )
All talk of Fizz aside, because I'm starting to get worried now that you're, like, singing her praises so hard, can I ask you something? Illegal gambling, protection money, that kind of thing... You talk about stuff like that a lot.
Have you been a, uh... ( Ahem. ) Bad boy, Mister Ceto? You know. Law-wise.
Technically, I own the club. The casino's my business partner's. But considerin' one's cover for the other... [ He gestures with both hands, then realizes they're on audio so that really isn't accomplishing anything. ] Tit for tat. Now and then I run out some cheats and sore losers when Hardy's busy elsewhere. Hard to throw loaded dice or use marked cards with broken fingers.
Countin' cards's a strategy, though. Even if Hardy don't like hearin' it.
[ And... we're going to have to pause for a moment. Because Ladon Ceto just snorted his drink. Evidenced by the way he suddenly starts to cough-laugh. ]
Yeah. I'm what folks back home call a "wrong number." Got a rap sheet, cops know me by name, so-on an' so-on. Tryin' not to fall into the same kinda patterns here but... [ He glances over at his stash of dreamweed. So much for that. ] Habits die hard.
Hardy's... my business partner. [ Yeah, that pause is loaded. ] One of the fellas I robbed banks with in my twenties.
[ This time he wasn't drinking anything. But it does give him a chuckle to hear that out loud. ] I'll tell 'im you said so if I figure out a way to get word back.
[ Or he shows up here. Ladon doesn't even want to voice that possibility-- both out of fear and false hope. ]
How d'you mean? I sorta keep things lookin' clean from the outside. But when certain things need doin', I got that down too. Hypothetically. Can't confirm or deny, y'know, all that bushwa my lawyer makes me say.
I don't know, honestly... Maybe we should talk about it in person sometime? Then you can cough or tip your hat to signal "yes" or "no."
I'm not unfamiliar with the whole business, you know what I mean? I mean, I don't know anything about casinos or clubs, but I've got some experience in a few areas.
Willin' to talk in person, yeah. Just ain't very trustin' of the bots runnin' this network. In my experience, don't want nothin' that sticks 'round... Voice, writin', anythin'. S'got a way of comin' back to bite you later.
[ He's waiting for the "have you killed anybody" question to drop, to be honest. He's just not sure which young fella he's started talking to it'll come from first. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[ Boohoo, mobster doesn't like having to pay to take advantage of corruption at the government level. Especially because it's in his partner's name, but still.
Ladon is also a chatty guy when he feels comfortable. ]
Yeah, Cain. Think I seen him 'round. I got a possible system for chips since we ain't got real money. You found any pieces of glass that've gone all round and dull? Found some while diggin' the ship outta that dune. Figure those'll work for credits 'til we find somethin' better.
And yeah, okay. I'll invite her, but kiss your space-kale goodbye. She's a sharp one.
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This time, instead of being bratty about it, there's a clear smile in Jonas' voice. Their differences are enjoyable, and Ladon's speech patternsβand accentβare charming. )
"Not getting set"... uh... what's "grandfathered in"? I got the other part, though, about the bribes. It sucks you have to go through that just to, like, have a good time.
( Mobster-in-training. )
The glass is really pretty, though, so I'd be down. Maybe the locals like to barter with it and stuff. It could be useful.
... Maybe we could pay Fizz to look the other way. "Grease her palms," or whatever.
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S'the long and short of it.
[ Ladon is so proud. Though he knows he shouldn't be, contributing to the delinquency of younger Wayfarers. ]
S'nice stuff. Pink and purple. Like the sunsets back home. And t'be honest, don't think we gotta worry 'bout Fizz rattin' us out. Just 'bout takin' us for everything we got. 'Specially in Dagonet. Got a feelin' she could bluff her way out of a bad hand with nothin' but a smile and a story, and have the table thank her for it.
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( That is... Well, one of the coolest things he's ever heard, actually. Owning a casino sounds like an incredible responsibility, but fun, rewarding, lucrative.
Jonas realizes he has a lot to learn from this Ladon Ceto. )
All talk of Fizz aside, because I'm starting to get worried now that you're, like, singing her praises so hard, can I ask you something? Illegal gambling, protection money, that kind of thing... You talk about stuff like that a lot.
Have you been a, uh... ( Ahem. ) Bad boy, Mister Ceto? You know. Law-wise.
1/2
Countin' cards's a strategy, though. Even if Hardy don't like hearin' it.
[ And... we're going to have to pause for a moment. Because Ladon Ceto just snorted his drink. Evidenced by the way he suddenly starts to cough-laugh. ]
2/2
Think some of it came out my nose. Fuck.
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Wow, though, I didn't realize a guy who breaks thumbs could be shy. Who's that Hardy guy you're talking about? Your muscle or something?
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Hardy's... my business partner. [ Yeah, that pause is loaded. ] One of the fellas I robbed banks with in my twenties.
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( I do it for the vine )
You specialize in something? You gotta tell me about it. I'm not gonna say I'm interested, I'm just curious, that's all.
( A LYING LIAR )
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[ Or he shows up here. Ladon doesn't even want to voice that possibility-- both out of fear and false hope. ]
How d'you mean? I sorta keep things lookin' clean from the outside. But when certain things need doin', I got that down too. Hypothetically. Can't confirm or deny, y'know, all that bushwa my lawyer makes me say.
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I'm not unfamiliar with the whole business, you know what I mean? I mean, I don't know anything about casinos or clubs, but I've got some experience in a few areas.
( The most vague conversation ever )
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[ He's waiting for the "have you killed anybody" question to drop, to be honest. He's just not sure which young fella he's started talking to it'll come from first. ]
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Well, I'm around camp if you wanna hang out. What are you up to right now, anyway?
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[ Because Ladon is always making pancakes. ]
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