The taverns of Rascade we’re buzzing with people and the ale was flowing like never before. There was tension in the air and rumors on the street. People spoke of soldiers being stationed at the border with Meche and gossip on the street was that something had gone down at the royal palace. Some whispered that there soon will be war again while others spoke of an assasination attempt on the king. Nobody knows for sure but on the tables of the taverns theories run wild.

The wildest theory Kaito had heard was that some royal brat was kidnapped. There wasn’t much to go on really as it wasn’t even clear what brat from what royal house was snatched. One could assume that it was the king’s son but the source was some bandits that mostly operated in the border regions. Not to mention that the leader of the group was known to tell bullshit stories all the time. The only thing that the Kitsune found intriguing about this whole affair was the fact that those bandits were quickly apprehended before their story could spread.

It was a busy day in The Black Swan tavern and Inn, one of the finest establishments in the city of Rascade and a popular place for the upper class to gather. A place for merchants and lords alike to enjoy some of the finest food and drinks you could find in the capital. And yet this classy place was one of Kaito’s most favorite hunting grounds

The fox had gathered a fine group of wealthy men around the table for a friendly game of cards. All fine lads of reputable status but questionable morality. There was Lord Baltimore Dawney who starved his peasants half to death in order to squeeze more coin out of his estate. Next to him sat mister Ridgeway, a slave trader and last but not least was there was mister Conway, a wealthy landowner who runs a number of plantations and relies on mister Ridgeway to supply him with the laborers. 

As Kaito shuffled the cards the men all bragged about their fortunes. Boasted about their lavish lifestyles and joked about the plebs they trample under their pompous feet. It was clear that these men made their fortunes over the backs of others with a disregard for the lives of fellow men.

[color=#0E3DDF]“Damn, I lost again”[/color] shouted Kaito with faked frustration as he threw his cards on the table. For a moment he looked around the table at his companions. Lord Baltimore Dawney certainly was having a good time, he had won already three times. Mister Ridgeway had won two times and so did mister Conway. They were all in the winning mood, the mood Kaito wanted them to have.

“You want to quit? You’re on a losing streak for a while now” Asked lord Baltimore. Kaito sipped from his wine and smirked. [color=#0E3DDF]“Of Course not, the day is still young and fortunes can always change. What do you gentlemen say that we make the game a bit more interesting, minimum bet 5 gold coins?”[/color] Said Kaito as he emptied a bag of gold coins on the table and slowly placed the coins at the center of the table.

Ofcourse, this was all part of the setup. First you let your win a couple of times. Just feed the belief they can win. Then you raise the stakes by increasing the minimum amount to bet while showing a big pile of cash they supposedly can win. No greedy bastard can resist such temptation. 

For a moment the three men at the other side of the table were silent but none could avert their eyes from what was on the table. Mister Ridgeway was the first to place his coins at the center of the table and the other two soon followed. The game was on. 

As Kaito shuffled the cards, he was carefully controlling who gained what cards through the use of his illusion magic, always making sure that he knew exactly who had what hand and controlling the outcome of each round. This time the kitsune made sure to give all participants strong hands and his victims quickly raised their bets. The number of gold coins at the center of the table piled up quickly. One more card to play and Kaito would be a significant amount of coin richer. What could possibly go wrong with a setup like this?