C Support

Joshua: Hey, you’re Prince Innes, aren’t you? I’m Joshua. Nice to meet you.
Innes: I’m sure.
Joshua: Well, now that we know each other… What say we play a quick game of chance, hm?
Innes: Hm? What are you planning on doing with that coin?
Joshua: We’re gonna have a little wager. What else? If I’m going to fight alongside someone, I want to know him. And there’s no better way to get to know someone than a friendly wager! So… What do you say to a starter bet of…1,000?
Innes: Betting? Here? You can’t be serious.
Joshua: Hey now. I always take gambling seriously. Always. Whether you live or die on the field often comes down to luck. Every fight, you’re putting your life in someone else’s hands. You should be glad to meet up with such a lucky guy.
Innes: You may rely on luck, but I prefer raw skill. However, we might as well. Put your money where your mouth is.
Joshua: Now you’re talking! Right, here we go! Heads or tails? What’s your call?
Innes: Tails.
Joshua: Let’s see what we’ve got… Oh, well. It’s heads. Too bad, Your Highness. You lost.
Innes: What? That’s impossible. I saw–
Joshua: C’est la vie. Look closely. See? It’s heads.
Innes: That’s strange… My eyes never fail me, but I could have sworn– Hm. There seems to be more to betting than meets the eye.
Joshua: Figure that out already? You’re a quick study.
Innes: Yeah. Let’s try that again. I’ll get it this time…

B Support

Innes: Tails.
Joshua: …Heads again. That’s ten losses in a row.
Innes: I don’t care. Next bet. Double or nothing. Tails.
Joshua: Shouldn’t you stop soon? Maybe you’ve got the cash back home, but you’re on the road. And I’m willing to bet you’re not carrying that much on you.
Innes: No, keep going. I don’t feel like quitting on a bad streak.
Joshua: Fine, fine… But then can we call it quits? You’ve let me win enough, and I don’t want to bleed you dry.
Innes: No. I won’t let you leave, not while you’re still ahead. Hurry up. We don’t have the luxury of time here.
Joshua: What’s that saying? The cooler the head, the hotter he bets? Something like that. And you seem pretty cool most of the time. I guess the old saying is true.

A Support

Innes: Thanks for waiting. Let’s get started.
Joshua: You can’t be serious. You want to keep going?
Innes: Just flip the coin.
Joshua: …Oh, brother. Your Highness, I have a little admission to make here. You have no chance of winning. The whole thing is rigged.
Innes: Rigged…
Joshua: Yeah. You flip the coin …like this. Then catch it in the hand. I’m the one holding the coin. I can turn it over any way I choose just by moving my palm a bit. Like this.
Innes: Hmm… That’s how you did it… I knew you were up to something. It was straining my disbelief that you could keep winning like that. Strange that I couldn’t catch on to your little trick, though.
Joshua: That’s nice of you to say, but I’m sure you must have suspected. There’s a guy who hangs out near a pub in Jehanna. He’s real smooth. His secret is to mix in just enough losses to make it look plausible. If you ever go there, you’ll know the guy I’m talking about right away.
Innes: Interesting. I’ve never had any experience with this sort of thing. One only has so much time when he’s groomed to become the king, you know.
Joshua: I can imagine. But a king must have a wide range of knowledge, don’t you think? When I was a journeyman, I lost a lot of money to scams like this. I started learning these tricks so they couldn’t be used on me anymore! It’s all rubbish, innit? But it’s not a bad thing to add to your experience.
Innes: I must hand it to you, you have a point. Some things, you can only learn firsthand, on the field.
Joshua: Well, I’ve given away enough of my secrets for one day. I’ll give you back all the money I took you for, so go easy on me…
Innes: Wait.
Joshua: Hm?
Innes: There’s no need to give it back. That I failed to see your trick was my own failing.
Joshua: You serious? All right. Good deal. You’re a good man. Let’s just call this your tuition fee, eh?
Innes: …Wait.
Joshua: Now what? What is it this time?
Innes: We’re still in the middle of the bet. We’ll pick up where we left off.
Joshua: Are you saying… you want to keep going?
Innes: Naturally. You’ve revealed your secrets to me. My luck is bound to change. I feel a winning streak coming on.
Joshua: …Oh, brother. Well, you’re persistent, I’ll give you that much. Call it in the air.
Innes: …Tails.