The thimble clattered onto Boardwalk as Regulus slid it across the board, landing with a decisive click.
"Rent," he said, grinning. "That'll be eighteen hundred valis."
Nyx's eye twitched. Her fingers curled around her remaining stack of fake money like a starving wolf guarding its last scrap of meat. "Again?"
Borin—the ship's burly cook, now introduced by name after a particularly aggressive property trade—leaned back with a satisfied grunt, his one good eye glinting. "Shoulda bought up the railroads when ya had the chance, lass."
Cordelia, ever the picture of composure, smoothed her gloved hands over her dwindling pile of cash. "A sound strategy," she said, though the corner of her mouth tightened just slightly.
Regulus watched them all with amusement. Borin, of all people, had somehow become a ruthless real estate tycoon. Nyx, the terrifying Shadow Queen, was now reduced to mortgaging her last property. And Cordelia—well, she was still an enigma, but even her perfect merchant's facade had begun to fray at the edges.
A hand flickered at the edge of the board.
Nyx's fingers twitched.
Regulus caught the movement just in time. "No."
Nyx blinked at him, all innocence. "No what?"
"You were about to cheat."
"Preposterous." She sniffed. "I was merely adjusting my token."
"Behind the gaze of everyone here?"
Borin let out a wheezing laugh. "Caught red-handed, eh?"
Nyx scowled. "This game is rigged."
Regulus rolled his eyes. "Says the one who tried to forge money five turns ago."
Cordelia's lips pursed—almost imperceptibly—before she schooled her expression back into polite interest. "Perhaps we should focus on the game," she suggested, her voice smooth as silk.
A murmur of agreement rippled through the growing crowd.
Because they had drawn a crowd.
Passengers and crew alike had begun to gather, peering over shoulders, whispering bets (despite Regulus' earlier protests), and marveling at the strange, magic-born game. A young deckhand gasped as Borin placed a tiny hotel on Park Place. A pair of merchants muttered about "market manipulation." Even the ship's first mate, a grizzled old salt with a peg leg, had taken an interest, stroking his beard as he watched the game unfold.
Regulus seized the opportunity.
"You there," he called to a wide-eyed cabin boy. "Ever played before?"
The boy shook his head.
Regulus grinned. "Next round, you're in."
Nyx groaned. "Another peasant?"
Borin chuckled. "Careful, shadow-lass. The lad might just outplay ya too."
Nyx's shadow bristled.
Regulus ignored her, instead turning his attention back to Cordelia. She was watching the exchange with that same polished smile, but her fingers tapped restlessly against the edge of the board.
Interesting.
He leaned forward, feigning nonchalance as he moved his token. "You're good at this," he remarked casually. "Play often?"
Cordelia's gaze flickered to him—just for a fraction of a second—before she laughed lightly. "Oh, I've dabbled in games of strategy. The guild teaches you to think ahead."
"Which guild was that again?"
"The Rosewind Mercantile," she said, fingers brushing the embroidered rose on her cloak. "Though I confess, I'm more used to ledgers than board games."
Nyx, who had been sulking over her dwindling funds, perked up. "Ledgers, hm? Must be fascinating work."
Cordelia's smile didn't waver. "It has its moments."
Regulus hummed, rolling the dice absently in his palm. "And what brings you to Babelonia? Business, or pleasure?"
"Both, ideally." She moved her token—a tiny silver rose—onto Income Tax without flinching. "The city is a hub of opportunity."
Borin snorted. "Aye, and swindlers."
Cordelia's laugh was light, practiced. "A fair warning. But I like to think I can spot a swindler when I see one."
Her eyes lingered on Nyx just a beat too long.
Nyx's grin turned razor-sharp. "Oh?"
Regulus cleared his throat before the shadows could get any ideas. "Your turn, Borin."
The cook grunted, seizing the dice with flour-dusted fingers.
The game continued, but beneath the surface, the real play had already begun.
And Regulus was watching every move.
-----
The game had ended with Borin's landslide victory, Nyx's dramatic (and slightly violent) resignation, and Cordelia's quiet but unmistakable frustration as she tallied her losses. The crowd, however, was still buzzing—passengers clamoring to try the strange new game for themselves, crewmates arguing over strategies, and even the ship's captain peering at the board with grudging interest.
Regulus stood, stretching his arms with an exaggerated sigh. "Well, that was fun." He glanced at Cordelia, then raised his voice just enough for the onlookers to hear. "Consider this a sample of the Rosewind Mercantile Guild's latest offerings. A little preview before we hit Babelonia's markets."
Cordelia's fingers froze mid-motion, her polished smile slipping for half a second before she caught herself.
Nyx, leaning against the railing with her arms crossed, let out a slow, delighted chuckle.
The crowd murmured in excitement.
"Aye, where can we get one?" a sailor called out.
"How much'll it cost?" another asked.
Regulus waved a hand. "You'll have to ask Lady Cordelia here for the details." He shot her a grin that was all innocence. "After all, it's her guild's product."
Cordelia's gloved hands clenched ever so slightly at her sides. But she was good—very good. Her laugh was light, effortless. "Ah, you flatter us! Though, of course, final production is still pending guild approval…"
Nyx's grin widened. "Oh? Pending approval?" she echoed, voice dripping with mock concern. "How unfortunate for all these eager customers."
Cordelia's eye twitched.
Borin, oblivious to the undercurrents, clapped his hands. "Well, I call dibs on the first proper set! Ain't no one beating me twice."
The crowd laughed, already dispersing with excited chatter about the game.
Regulus leaned in slightly toward Cordelia, voice low. "Hope you don't mind the free publicity."
Her smile remained, but her voice was silk wrapped around steel. "How… generous of you."
Nyx sidled up beside them, her shadow coiling playfully at Cordelia's feet. "Oh, don't be modest, Lady Merchant. You should be thrilled—now you've got a whole ship expecting your 'guild' to deliver."
Cordelia exhaled through her nose, then turned to Regulus with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You're quite the businessman."
He shrugged. "Just helping a fellow traveler out."
Nyx cackled.
Cordelia's fingers tightened around her cloak.
Somewhere on the deck, a passenger already had the makeshift board set up again, coins and tokens scattered across it as a new game began.
Regulus smiled.
This voyage just got a lot more interesting.
-----
Two days later. The ship had become a floating arcade.
Regulus had spent the past two days conjuring game after game from his memories—chess with enchanted pieces that moved on their own, a deck of cards that shuffled themselves, even a crude but functional version of Dungeons & Dragons that had the crew rolling makeshift dice and arguing over imaginary loot.
And every single one, he had cheerfully credited to the Rosewind Mercantile Guild.
Cordelia's carefully constructed facade had begun to crack.
At first, she had played along, smiling through gritted teeth as passengers and crew praised her "guild's" ingenuity. But by the second day, Regulus had caught her slipping below deck, whispering urgently into a small, silver-chased communication artifact.
Nyx, of course, had been listening.
That evening, she stormed into their shared cabin, shadows writhing around her like agitated serpents.
"Mad's disciple," she hissed, slamming the door behind her.
Regulus looked up from the grimoire he'd been flipping through. "Huh?"
Nyx paced, her boots silent but her fury palpable. "That merchant bitch is one of Athena's!" She whirled on him. "And now, thanks to your little game, she's actually making the damn guild real!"
Regulus blinked. "Wait, what?"
"Her people—Athena Familia or Altena, whatever—are setting up shop in Babelonia!" Nyx snarled. "They're mass-producing your stupid games!"
Regulus sat back, processing that. Then, slowly, he grinned.
Nyx looked like she was about to stab him.
"Okay, hear me out," he said, holding up his hands. "This is good."
"Good?!"
"Yeah! Think about it." He leaned forward. "We assaulted their people. Stole their pillows, blankets, and a grimoire. And now, instead of hunting us down, they're making money off us." He spread his hands. "That's basically reparations!"
Nyx stared at him. Then, with a sound halfway between a growl and a scream, she flopped onto the bedroll, arms crossed. "I wanted that money."
Regulus chuckled, nudging her with his foot. "We'll get our cut. But more importantly—we just turned an enemy into a business partner."
Nyx muttered something obscene into the blankets.
Regulus smirked, leaning back against the wall. Outside, the sound of dice rolling and laughter echoed across the deck.
Cordelia was probably somewhere, fuming.
And the Rosewind Mercantile Guild—now very, very real—was about to make a fortune.
All thanks to them.
Nyx lifted her head just enough to glare. "You're insufferable."
"Yeah," Regulus agreed, grinning. "But you love it."
She threw a pillow at his face.
He caught it, laughing.
The ship sailed on.