You laughed as yet another sore loser dragged himself from the table, leaving his chips and his life savings behind as he trudged to the bar to drown his sorrows in SoulGlad. Sliding your winnings towards you, you began to count the chips with a easy flourish, a smile gracing your face and refusing to slip as your earnings seemed to double in front of you.

“You still playing, sweetheart?”

A saccharine voice called from behind you, ripping you from your glee as you watched him round the table and take a seat opposite you, his shit-eating grin rivalling even yours, despite the fact that he seemed to be empty handed. Your own smirk dropped as you looked him up and down, though you fought to maintain your composure as you assessed him through narrowed eyes. A member of the IPC - you could tell from his tacky accessories and frighteningly expensive clothing. Not to mention the fact that you were sure you’d seen him before, strolling around the streets of the Penacony Dreamscape without a care in the world. It was hard to miss him when you were darting from shadow to shadow in an attempt to remain unseen, warily eyeing every passer by. From what you’d heard, The Family wasn’t particularly merciful towards stowaways. He seemed to notice your apprehension, raising his gloved hands in relent.

“Alright, you wanna cling onto your win - that’s fine. How about a different kind of bet, hm? A different wager? What can I say, I can’t resist a gamble. How about this-“

He pulled out a coin, pure, gleaming gold with what looked like personalised engravings, and held it out on his open palm so you could see.

“I flip this coin. It lands on tails, you can ask me whatever you like - I’ll answer truthfully. If it lands on heads, it’s my turn. Hm?”

With a tentative nod of your head, he grinned, tossing the coin into the air and watching it spiral as the light glanced off before it hit the table. Heads.

“Lucky me… Hmm… How about - what brings you to Penacony, stranger? Business or pleasure?”