You Bet

I told Fox to choose whatever, I had no idea what those dishes were. She ordered the food, and we waited. When the food finally arrived, I watched. She laughed while asking "Are you that interested?". I nodded, and replied "I would like to see how you do it". She giggled for a while, then said "I'm not showing you then". 'This woman… Fine then, I don't care anymore' I thought, and ate my own food.

I focused on my plate only. I could hear Fox eating as well, but I ignored it. 'Doesn't matter, I will not fall for her tricks either' I thought, and finished my food. She was kind of angry, that I lost interest. She asked "What? No longer interested? Just because I teased you a bit?". I replied "It doesn't matter really". I looked up, and noticed that her mask, became like a face of a real fox. It looked weird to be sure.

I said "So that's how it is. Indeed, the mask is special. Who would've thought that it will actually become alive, and you could even open your mouth. Looks weird to be honest". She replied "You are weird". It looked like some sort of monster was talking to me… This was nowhere near normal, even for my standards. Fox continued "Actually… What is your name? You never told me your name, is it because you can't tell me?". I shook my head, and replied "You never asked. Don't know if you noticed, but I'm not the sort of guy to greet people, and exchange pleasantries. I don't throw my name around, as if it was worth something. I'm not looking for fame".

She asked probingly "Does that mean you can't tell me?". I stood up, and walked over to Fox. She seemed surprised, at least the "alive" fox mask was. I came closer, next to her ear, and whispered "Nex". I then sat back down, and continued "Don't use my name though. No one here can know who I am". She nodded lightly, and replied "Your name… it's weird". I smiled, and said "I always heard that". I could see her mask changing from the sort of "alive" mask, to the original mask. She said "My name is not Fox either. My name is Sonia". I nodded, and said "It doesn't fit you… Fox is better". She exclaimed "You bastard! It's you who have a stupid name. Mine is perfectly normal, nothing's wrong with it!".

I replied "Yes, but you are a fox though. Although I know your name now, I still prefer Fox". She fumed under her breath "Bastard… I will pay you back…". The food was taken care of, so I stood up and said "Let's go, we still have a battle to catch tomorrow". She nodded her head, and called over the waiter to pay. With that taken care of, we left.

While we walked, I said "Don't pay anymore for my room at the inn. I will stay with Paul. You are welcomed to stay there as well". She kept quiet and didn't answer. 'Is she mad again?' I thought. We walked some more, until she nodded her head, and said "If it's not a problem". I replied "He already agreed, so there's no problem".

We soon arrived at the inn, and headed to our own rooms. I was tired, and went straight to bed. The next day, we headed to the Arena. Fox didn't want to wait around, so she bought more tickets for the two fights before the main event. The main battle would take place in the afternoon. For some reason, no one knew who that Royalty was, and who was his or her opponent. I asked Fox "Any guesses? You know much more about this place than me". After a while of thinking, she replied "I have no clue. I'm not familiar with Royals though". The first battle would take place in about an hour, so we toured the Arena.

There were a few shops, where achievements were not required. Usually they sold promotional stuff. Clothes with the name of the Arena, or emblems of the Arena, that could be pinned to the clothes. There were even banners which people could display during the fight. '"Wreck Him!", how original' I thought, when I saw one of the banners. Most of the shops for general public sold food. Yet, Fox somehow managed to find a shop that sold normal clothes to the public. 'Here we go again' I thought.

I was surprised when she only browsed them, and tried on nothing. I asked "You don't want to buy any?". She replied "I'm only checking out the designs. I will learn to make such clothes, if not better. Lady Mirabel is very experienced, and can teach me a lot". I said "It seems you enjoy making clothes". She nodded, and said "It's alright I guess. After all, I'm still a newbie. I want to learn more, and the old lady is very nice".

After our small sightseeing, we headed to the main stage. It was similar to the one we encountered at Falanks Arena in the North. The only difference was its size and shape. The stage was circular in shape, and a bit smaller compared to the Falanks Arena. The announcer shouted loudly, and tried to engage the crowd. 'It really is similar to the North. Although I would love to participate, I don't want to risk it. Even with my mask on, some of my secrets could be exposed. I don't need that right now, not before I get my sword back' I thought.

Fox nudged me, and said "The battle is about to start. Don't drift off to your land of dreams again". I abandoned my thoughts, and nodded my head. I had no clue who these people were. I didn't even hear their names, not that it ever mattered to me. Both of them were weaker than Fox. 'Although it seems they did break through that Half Step of Outer Limits, it should've been recently. Anyway, nothing really interesting here' I thought.

Fox on the other hand, watched with great attention. She sometimes even commented stuff like "Attack!" or "Dodge!", which I found amusing. Both guys were almost equally matched, but one of them had more stamina, and managed to outlast the other. He won, but only because no one was allowed to kill. 'I think the other guy would've won, if they fought for their lives. Oh well, it was rather boring' I thought, and looked at Fox.

She was really enjoying herself. With fist tightened up, and in full swing celebration pose. I asked with a smile "Why are you so happy?". She looked at me, and replied "Oh! I don't really care who these people are, I just bet on the guy who won. I just won 200 Gold Coins!". My smile disappeared. 'She can make 200 Gold Coins just like that? I guess if someone is wealthy, it's easy to make money' I thought, but then I realised something. I asked "What if he lost. How much did you bet?". She replied "It didn't matter. I placed bets on both of them".

I covered my face with my palm. 'Of course she did' I thought. I decided to ask "So how much did you lose?". She replied "Nothing actually. I gained! That's why I'm happy. The guy who lost had 2:1 odds. Meaning I would win 200 Gold, if I bet 100. The guy who won had odds 4:1, that is how I won 200 Gold". I asked "Is that even allowed? I could place a bet of 10,000 Gold Coins on both guys, and still win 20,000 Gold Coins? This is broken".

She shook her head, and replied "Of course not stupid. Do you think they are idiots. I already placed the highest bet I could. 100 Gold Coins, was the highest bet. I couldn't place any more than that. Otherwise, people would just become rich overnight". I then heard the announcer shouting out the names of the next fighters. I didn't pay attention to that. When both of them entered the stage, Fox became all excited again.

I asked "Not again?". She nodded, and said "Of course again! I bet on these guys too. I hope the guy in red armour wins. He had 8:1, my winnings would be much bigger". I asked "What about the other guy? What were his odds of winning?". She replied "Oh! That guy? 1.5:1". I was lost at this stage, and said "Isn't it obvious, he is going to win? I mean, the previous guys were rather closely matched, and their odds were closer as well. This guy has about six times less chances to win". She laughed a bit, and said "Just watch! I have a good feeling about it". I gave up, and watched the battle.