Playing the Loangame

Rin leaned back, allowing herself to sink into the couch. One of the many perks of being a political figure was the high end suite the casino had provided her with, the couch itself was of the highest quality and made from solid wood, while the cushions were stuffed so perfectly it felt like sinking into velvet. She smiled when she thought about how comfortable this was, it reminded her of her younger days circling the ballrooms and high society gala's, though of course back then she had merely been playing at the trappings of wealth. Letting out a sigh of relief and relaxation she reached over and picked up the cup of steaming hot tea that was waiting for her.
She had had a rather lucky night at the tables as well, fate no doubt repaying her for the myriad of misfortunes she had experienced in her life up until this point, the attachment point for her prosthetic arm itched a little at the though, but she simply ignored it, too lost in enjoying this brief moment of relaxation.
A sound from the adjoining room disturbed her peace a moment later, a groaning sound from Emi's bedroom. Her kage hadn't had as much luck as her, she had lost track of her the night before but she vividly remembered the girl loosing 15 hands in a row at one point. Chuckling to herself she stood, pouring a second cup of coffee and walking over to the doorway, knocking lightly before sliding the door open and striding inside, fresh cup of black coffee in hand. "From those groans your poor luck last night didn't turn around i take it?" She asked with a chuckle as she placed the cup of tea on the girl's bedside table.

Emi Rolled over in bed, she had had a horrible night, she just couldn't seem to win a single hand, in fact she had spent most of the evening watching Rin play cards and go home every few hours for more drinks. And all through that time her own wallet got lighter and lighter. It wasn't until the wee hours of the morning that she finally started winning, but by then the damage had already been done and she was down an awful lot of money. She had never played at such a high stakes table, she barely knew what she was doing half the time and it showed, by the end of the night she was all but destitute. Thankfully she hadn't been drunk enough to tap into the village funds but she was still well and truly in the red now.

Hearing a knock on the door she rolled over, groggily sitting up slightly in the bed "Hm? What is it?" She mumbled, rubbing her eyes and trying not to be irritated by her situation.

A moment after she spoke the door slid open, Rin standing there with and iritatingly cocky smirk as she strode over, a cup of steaming hot tea in hand. " "From those groans your poor luck last night didn't turn around i take it?" She said, placing the tea down on Emi's bedside.

Snatching up the hot liquid Emi took a deep draft of the fluid, the liquid searing her tongue slightly, but that simply helped to distract from the throbbing headache that last nights alcohol had left her with, one last parting 'gift' from a horrible night. "It was horrible, I lost almost everything i brought and even owe a few people favors i would rather not." She said scowling. "I should probably just leave, this trip was obviously a mistake." She said, dropping back into the pillows of the bed and covering her face with one in frustration. "What have i done to deserve such bad luck?" She asked still fuming slightly.

Stepping into the room Rin couldn't help but chuckle to herself slightly at the woman's disheveled look, she hardly looked the daring and commanding kage that she had last night. She watched, listening intently as the woman vented, the irritation on her face quite clear. Rin wasn't one for softness of course, but she had spent enough time studying how to properly manipulate people that she knew when a quiet ear was needed. She let the woman vent her frustrations, listened to her bemoan the horrid luck she had suffered with a gentle nod, but when Emi suggested leaving Rin simply shook her head. "Don't cut your arm off to spite your body" she said, giving the fingers of her prosthetic a wiggle as she poked fun at her own scars, it didn't help the wounds, but perhaps in time it might help her feel better about them. "If you've had bad luck then that just mean's fate owes you, look at me after all, before meeting you I had scarcely had a single moment of luck in my life, and now I'm a political leader of a small but still not insignificant force" She would say with a chuckle before sighing slightly at the other woman. "Look, just give it another night's chance, on me. I'll leave a bag of some winnings for you to try your hand again, even if you don't win at the tables you might win big on the political landscape." she said, stressing those last few words and hoping the woman would understand the true value of her advice.
"I won't force you to stay of course, but at least consider it." she would finish before standing and leaving the room, placing a small pouch on the living room table filled with enough resources for the young girl to turn in for some chips at the tables.

Stepping outside Rin would make her way down into the casino propper. She hoped that Emi was okay and would perk up, but she also knew that at the end of the day she could only do so much to help the young woman, any more than what she had already done would no doubt have the opposite effect. Sighing to herself she rubbed her shoulders the stress returning
[Exit]
-35 “Christmas Cookie Shuriken”
-33 “Chocolate Kiss Makibishi”
WC claims to be made later

Emi listened to her deputy's words, even through the pillow she could hear them, but she didn't reply, she just wanted to stew for a bit, she was tired, frustrated, and felt like the entire world was against her... well maybe not the entire world but certainly she felt she had been unfairly treated by fate these past few months.

In the end she heard Rin leave, she appreciated the space, it gave her time to sit and think. In the end she decided to heed her advisor's words, but in truth it was only out of a feeling of obligation, one more game of chance wouldn't be the end of her after all.

Standing and dusting herself off she changed into an outfit that hadn't been marred by a night of drinking followed by rough sleep, then stepped out into the living room. She saw the small bag Rin had left her and, though she wasn't here she mumbled a sullen few words of thanks before pocketing them and heading back into the casino.

[Exit]
Claims
+35 “Christmas Cookie Shuriken”
+33 “Chocolate Kiss Makibishi”
I'll claim WC later or something

Approved