The melody was the gentle twanging of oud and qanun and the whistling drone of the nay, rising above the babble of voices that filled the katra. Serving women in bell-bedecked layered skirts and vests moved through the laughing, singing crowd bearing steaming dallahs of coffee and karak chai, and sweetened tamar and laban, and fortified wines. Here and there one or another of the women spun, laughing as she avoided the groping hands of merchants and sailors.
"Hear my cry Bajir, bringer of fortune!" called a man in one corner. "Show your mercy upon your son Yusef, who will build for you a temple with his winnings!" With that he cast the dice, watching them bounce and clatter and come up with a liar's straight: one, one, two, and three. "Behold!" he proclaimed, throwing down his tiles before scooping the dice up. "The Gods have heard my prayer! I am favored of them!"
The fastest way to go broke gambling was to spend your own money to do so. That was why Aurelia had spent the better part of the evening betting against the handsome stranger with the gold from his own pocket. What was frustrating was that he was beginning to win it back. But she hid that annoyance under a sultry smirk, leaning in closer as she took the cup of dice back.
"Ten endubis," he repeated, meeting her eyes. Then, with a grin and a lifted eyebrow, he offered her the goblet. "Will you drink before you throw, radiant daughter of Edana? The lips of the favored of the Gods have tasted this wine. Mayhap you will drink deep of my blessing?" Unseen nimble fingers reached into his pack, finding several heavy gold pieces between them.
"If you have enough blessing to share, how could I possibly refuse?" she asked in a faux-innocent tone, letting her other hand caress the knuckles of his hand to take the goblet. The hand palming his own gold joined in on holding the cup bringing it to her lips. She let the coins clatter on the table as she returned his goblet to him, empty of course. "I wouldn't dare waste a single drop of your blessing," she explained, leaning closer to him, letting her breasts rest on the lip of the table. He had been gawking all night, and it made pilfering him all the easier. She merely considered it payment for her company.
With an enthusiastic throw, she let loose the dice. Three threes and a five. She squealed in genuine excitement, and squeezed his thigh, just above the knee "Your blessing was most beneficial, Ba-tal. I really must thank you for sharing it with me." Holding up one of the coins she had just won from the pot, "Another bottle of wine, for Yusef, blessed of the Gods!" She collected her winnings and the dice, bending over the table to reach them.
"Twenty endubis," she declared, passing the cup filled with dice back to his hand. She poured him a goblet once the wine arrived, and poured herself one as well, enjoying the way his firm body moved as he settled into his chair. Perhaps she'd throw him a pity lay, if she cleaned him out. Make him work for it, though. Tend to her pleasure first, of course. It had been too long since she demanded satisfaction.
"You should roll, Ba-tal, while the dice are hot. The blessing of the Gods does not last forever!"
He laughed, "The blessing of the Gods is fickle," he declared, "and granted in full measure to beauty! Come, I shall reclaim it before I throw!" At that he darted in, tasting like strong wine as he kissed her. Then he made his throw, holding her gaze rather than watch his results.
The ivory dice bounced across the table, tinkling gently as they struck the tiles. Four sixes lay there on display, the cast known in truth as the Blessing. The only way to avoid defeat now was to cast quadruple sixes as well, in which event all remaining players would have to match the pot or withdraw.
"Twenty endubis," he said, tossing the coins into the pot. "And twenty more, for the Gods love boldness even above beauty."
Perhaps the gods did favor him. She swallowed down her dismay alongside a mouthful of summer wine. "Impressive Ba-tal," she intoned, batting her lashes and getting back in the game. "Truly you are loved by Gods and women both." She tossed her chips into the pot and shook the cup, knowing the odds were against her. And she hated when the odds were against her.
He scooped the dice up and dropped them into the cup. Then he opened the bottle she had purchased and drunk deeply. "Will you have my blessing back before you cast?" he asked, taking another sip and leaning close. "I offer it freely, for I love beauty and boldness both."
She smirked, one hand snaking behind his head to pull him closer. He tasted spicy, and she found she rather enjoyed it, biting on his lip as he tried to pull away. Her free hand dipped into his pocket again, taking a larger handful. It was a dangerous move, making his pouch noticeably lighter. All she could was that hope the weight of her breasts against his chest was sufficient distraction. Still pressed against him, she threw her dice. Six...six...six...the last one bounced a couple times before landing. Five.
"Very good, Yusef, Beloved of the Gods. But you just have to give me a chance to win back my money!" She purred, shifted to sit on his lap now. "Tell me, do you deal in the currencies of the flesh?"
He smiled -not quite leered- at the question. "I have been known to accept such currencies," he whispered into her ear. "From time to time."
"A new wager, then?" he offered, his hand resting on her hip. "All of my winnings, staked against a night spent upon the honey-dewed altar of Edana?"
An act that was intended to distract her mark was proving distracting to Aurelia as well. She could feel him, throbbing beneath her. And, from what she could feel through his clothes, losing this bet might not be the worst thing that could happen. It might even be a win/win.
What was the worst thing was getting caught with her hand in his pouch. Because she was fantasizing about how he might take her, and how she might take him in return. Thoughts that were not easily washed away even as she struggled against him, desperate to free her wrist from his vice grip. "Thief!" he hissed, eyes narrow with fury.
So, as she was preparing a peace offering of carnal pleasures, noting he was still pulsing hard against her, a second set of dice spilled from his sleeve, landing on four sixes yet again. "Cheat! Filthy cheater! Hydranes take you!" Her fist smashed into his ear, and others were joining in the chorus of accusations.