Mardock Scramble полностью

Balot felt somewhat placated and placed her chips in front of her. Everyone’s chips were now down, and the cards were dealt. Balot barely paid attention to her own cards anymore, focusing instead on the piles of chips in front of the monocled man and the fat lady respectively.

The man bet a minimum of five hundred dollars on every hand, doubling down whenever the opportunity presented itself.

The woman’s bets fluctuated randomly between around three hundred and a thousand dollars at a time.

Neither showed the slightest inclination of wanting to leave their seats. As long as their bankrolls were intact, wild horses couldn’t drag them away.

The next interesting development came at around ten hands after the shuffle. The monocled man had a seventeen in front of him and boldly charged on, hitting. The card he drew was a 4. Total twenty-one—the monocled man was the only winner.

“A prudent decision, if I may be so bold as to say so, sir,” the dealer said, without missing a beat, as he placed the cards in the discard pile. As he did so he placed the 4—the card that had brought the man’s hand up to the elusive winning total—on the side, as if he were admiring something precious. Balot felt something akin to an electric shock down her spine and rubbed the back of her neck in a reflex action as she snarced Oeufcoque.

–Did the dealer say that on purpose? To manipulate him? Not just out of politeness?

–Hmm…politeness is, in itself, a form of manipulation, of course. But you’re right, that was somewhat over the top…

–The dealer was talking as if the man in the monocle was something special. What a kiss-ass!

–Well, some people like having their asses kissed, as you put it. And it opens up a chink in their armor. This dealer’s got it all worked out—which words he needs to use with which person in order to lay them bare. So that they enjoy themselves even as they’re losing, being bled dry of their last dollar.

Balot’s nose wrinkled as if she smelled something burning. To enjoy yourself even as you’re losing. This was all that a lot of people wanted, she supposed. Amusement was king. To head in with a cool head and a steady hand—this was the sort of player the casino really didn’t want.

The festive, elegant atmosphere, the service nonpareil, the elegant courtesy—strip that away and all that remained was the house edge that shaved away at the customers’ chips, gently but surely. That was why it was called the edge after all; it was as deadly and as certain as the sharpest of knives.

It was then that it occurred to Balot that she really could lose her bankroll here.

What would happen if she had to start all over? What about the trial? And would she really end up a suspect of crimes against the Commonwealth? Could she go back to an existence where all that was left was to endure, day in, day out? Her skin crawled at the thought.

Suddenly the game she was playing didn’t seem so interesting anymore. She had lost all thought of amusement. Everything was riding on this battle—her whole world. She couldn’t allow herself to be flustered by a dealer such as this one.

–Cool it.

A strong admonition from Oeufcoque. He sounded blunt—harsh, even—but it was a clear sign of just how attuned he was to Balot’s thoughts and feelings. He wasn’t about to let her make a grave mistake.

–Before you go charging in, you need to have the full measure of your opponent. Forewarned is forearmed.

Balot squeezed her left hand in lieu of a nod. Tightly. Then she focused her full attention on the game at hand. On the dealer. On the other players. And on the cards. Telling herself that the long and winding road could yet be the shortest and surest route to her final destination. After all, hadn’t Oeufcoque and the Doctor been right about everything so far, showing her the best path to take?

Oeufcoque’s words were sinking in properly. The full measure of your opponent—Oeufcoque wasn’t just helping her out of a rut. He was teaching her. Empowering her. Showing her how to fight against her own powerlessness. So that she could win. He was showing her that she had a chance, a choice. She felt fiercely in tune with the mouse at that moment.