Ash closed the door to Veyra's office behind him, the click having a strange finality to it.

You're in the wolf's den now, buddy. He thought to himself.

For whatever reason, he couldn’t seem to get himself to let go of the door handle. Was he scared?

What? No! I never get scared. Why would I be scared? He thought with unassured confidence.

Also, why was the door handle so wet?

Oh no… He thought. Are my hands sweating? Can she see my hands sweating? If she sees my hands sweating will she think I’m guilty? Am I guilty?

Ash was spiraling.

Listen to yourself! You sound crazy. Have you ever noticed another person's hands sweat? No!, So what’s there to worry about… Oh God, but what if she asks for a handshake? I mean, why would she ask for a handshake? If she asks for one, maybe I can play it off. I can tell her I have a condition that causes my hands to sweat when I'm around older women. That could work. No wait! You idiot, that's even weirder than having sweaty hands! But, maybe it would make me look less guilty than having unexplained sweaty hands?

“Ash!” Veyra yelled for the fifth time, finally breaking him out of his trance.

“I HAVE A CONDITION!” he yelped, jumping slightly in the air.

Veyra just stared at him, her face stoic and unimpressed. “Just sit down, will you?”

“Yes, mam.” he said, regaining some of his composure.

He sat in one of two plush red chairs in front of her desk. Veyra sat across from him, her legs crossed. Her office was surprisingly stark, aside from a few bookshelves. Even her desk was free of clutter; a single page sitting at its center.

“Explain.” She demanded, sliding the page towards.

Ash grabbed the paper, concern on his face. Studying it, he immediately knew it to be a copy of a Governance report; also, he could tell it wasn't an original based on the missing seal. He had been served with enough of the things to know the difference.

Ash also knew that the only way to get a copy of a report was requesting one from the Governance Office itself; and one could only make such a request for cases that were closed. However; based on what he saw in front of him, this report was written only hours ago.

How the hell did Veyra manage to get her hands on this?, Ash wondered, looking up at her with curiosity. The mysterious old witch never ceased to surprise him.

Ash continued reading.

The report told of possible gambling fraud taking place at the Calico’s Tooth. It spoke of a patron experiencing an “improbable amount of consecutive losses” while playing the card game Hit.

“This is terrible, Veyra! To think that someone on the team is scamming customers. I can hardly believe it.” He lied. “Do you have any idea of who it is?”

“Keep reading.” She said, tone unimpressed.

Ash turned the page around only to see, to his own dismay, not only his table number, but also an apt description of himself.

They both sat quietly for a few moments, Ash unable or unwilling to meet Veyra’s gaze. Dampened sounds of patrons beginning their night of drinking and gambling filtered into the office, filling the silence.

“Do they have any proof?” Ash asked with uneasy hopefulness.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Only that a certain group of Silvers lost forty-seven hands of Hit in a single night.” She answered.

“That's not too bad. Maybe they just got really unlucky.” Ash said, trying to underplay Veyra’s words.

“Forty-seven hands in a row.” she clarified.

Another lapse of silence followed her statement. Ash’s nervous crinkling of the report in his hand now mixed with the sounds coming from the show room.

Ash had been caught. He knew it. This wasn’t a first for him. His entire life consisted of him being caught doing one thing or another. His usual plan of attack was an expedited retreat through the nearest exit. However, here, he did feel that familiar sense of urgency to escape. Instead, another feeling took its place. Ash couldn’t quite place it.

I feel like I disappointed her. Ash finally realized. He generally never cared what others thought. A friend is generally only good until you find a better one. But Ash didn't consider Veyra a friend, did he? Maybe she was more like a mother figure, not that he had any experience of what it’s like to have that. What he did know was that he needed to set things right.

“Veyra I…,” Ash started, before Veyra interrupted.

“How do you do it?” She asked.

“Wha… I.” Ash tried to get out.

“I’ve always known you slip cards, but I’ve never been able to figure out how.” She continued.

“Known? What do you mea…” Ash sputtered.

“You think I don’t keep track of my own tables?” She interrupted again. “There’s not a coin that slips into my pocket that I don’t have a receipt for.”

“Wait, why haven’t you said anything before?” He asked, confused.

“Why spoil a good thing?”

“A good thing?” He stammered. “I’ve been cheating people out of their coin.”

“This is a casino, not a church.” She retorted. “We're in the business of cheating people out of their coin.”

Ash let out a small sigh of relief. “Well I’m glad tha..” He started, a smile returning to his face.

“But how stupid can you be?” She interrupted, making Ash deflate again. “Forty-seven times, Ash. Forty. Seven” She annunciated. “What made you think that was a good idea?”

“Well to be fair, the first eighteen was just bad luck on their end. I like to think I just extended their bad luck, a bit.”

“A bit?” She questioned, eyebrows raised.

“Okay, maybe more than a bit. But the damn Silvers deserved it, alright? They kept messing with Kendra. Calling her names, grabbing at her… and I… I don’t know… wanted them to get their just desserts I guess.” Ash said, unsure. “There’s not a lot someone like me can do to people like them without immediately getting sent to the pits.”

“You think Kendra can’t handle herself?” She asked.

“Well, no I…” He tried to get in.

“You think I'm not able to take care of my own?”

“That’s not what I was…” Ash said, looking down again.

Veyra sighed as she stood up from her chair. “Ash. You're smart,” she said as she rounded the table, leaning on the edge in front of him.

Ash looked up with hope on his face from the sudden compliment.

“But you're also dumb.” She continued.

Should have seen that one coming, jackass. He chided himself, the hint of a smile leaving his face.

“At this rate, you're going to get yourself into trouble that I can't get you out of.” She lectured. “You need to stop letting your emotions dictate your actions. Do you want to let a petty grudge get you shackled right before the Labyrinth opens?”

“No…” He answered. “I'm sorry Veyra… I’ll stop slipping cards. I'll never….”

She slapped him upside the head; not too hard, enough to wake him up a bit.

“Hey! What was that for.” Ash whined. His ear was ringing a bit.

“Did you not listen to a word I said? I don't want you to stop slipping cards, just don't be an idiot about it.” She said, taking the report from him.

“You're not worried about me getting caught?” He questioned.

“If I still haven't figured out how you do it, then the chances anyone else will are slim.” She answered as she returned to her chair.

A few seconds passed where neither of them spoke.

“Is that it?” Ash asked, unsure.

“That's it.” Veyra said as she pulled out another set of documents from one of her desk drawers and began leafing through them. “You can leave.”

Ash stood up and started to head to the door, unsure if “that” was really it. He made it to the door and started to turn the handle.

“Oh and Ash, one more thing.” She said, making him turn around. “Do something about your sweaty hands. It might upset the customers”

Trying to hide his fear at the comment, Ash nodding his head before making a quick exit back into the showroom.