Crimes in Caster

Interlude: Gambling at Minty's, Part 1

    Tevin was finally moved into Teddy’s apartment. He opened his arms to make a grand gesture, releasing the pile of clothing his arms held hostage. His grand gesture so wide, so immaculate, it may or may not have elbowed one of Teddy’s stolen articles right off its pedestal. The loud crashing noise that followed echoed throughout the small apartment. Tevin held his breath. “Tevin, what did you break!?” Shouted Teddy’s voice from another room.

    He quickly and awkwardly kicked the scattered glass shards under a nearby coffee table. Swiveling his heel around itself, he did the best he could to avoid the shards damaging his shoe. “N-Nothing! Don’t worry about it!” She could always just steal another one, that was what he justified to himself. 

    Teddy pulled herself from around the doorframe of her bedroom. Her eyebrow raised as her eyes scanned the room for any broken objects. Tevin must’ve done a decent enough job hiding it away, because a content Teddy pulled herself back into her bedroom. “Once you’re settled, I need to talk to you about something.”

    A halt of momentary confusion on Tevin’s end. How fortunate of him, for her not to notice. He shrugged, like nothing ever happened. He took the time to fold his clothes and stock them away neatly. He saved the task of the air mattress for later, the clothing being the only important task for him at that moment. He wasn’t just going to lazily plop them about; he was Teddy’s guest after all. Plus, he’d have to show her the ways of cleanliness. If he didn’t, he shuttered to think how messy she’d stay.

    He may have only been thinking about her, but as if her ears were burning, Teddy stepped out into the living room. “You all good?” Earlier she’d been wearing her work uniform, now she adorned herself in that red coat of hers.

    “Yes, all settled. May I ask what the Vulpes getup is for?”

    “This is what I wanted to talk to you about.” She pulled Tevin over to the couch. He scrunched up his nose at the repeated invasion of his personal space. Like Barry, Teddy had no cares in the world. Tevin’s annoyance at the matter even squeezed a laugh out of her. “So—after the whole ‘lying to me about you being an RHU member’ thing,” she threw her hands around to accentuate her point. “And me letting you stay here, you kinda owe me.”

    Tevin scratched the back of his neck. Now that his hands were free of those white gloves, he could finally get a good itch in. “Wasn’t me staying here because you owed me?”

    “Shhhh,” she pressed her finger against his lips. Tevin knew his objections would continue to fall on deaf ears, so he just gave her an unamused stare. “Not important. Plus, you still lied to me about the RHU member thing, so my point stands.” Teddy resituated herself to get more comfortable, doing that thing where girls sit in strange positions. Tevin wondered; did she not lose feeling in her legs by sitting like that? “You’re gonna help me steal a little somethin’ somethin’ from Minty’s Casino.”

    “What!?” Tevin’s visceral reaction had him almost falling off the couch. Teddy grabbed his hand to pull him back up. The gesture itself felt more like she was pulling Tevin in. She was pulling him into this heist whether he liked it or not, and there was no escape. “Isn’t a casino a bit cliché?”

    “That’s a la point? The Casino owner, Minty, has this super cool family heirloom on display. It’s like this statue of poker cards thingy,” Teddy kept at the absurd hand gestures. It was a sad attempt to help Tevin visualize it. He did still appreciate the efforts. “I need something to replace that artifact you broke, too.”

    He tensed, “I thought you didn’t notice that…” Maybe he did owe her now.

    “I notice everything,” she winked. “Race ya there!” Teddy grinned and vaulted over the couch. Her feet on the ground, she dashed up to her balcony, opening the doors with the force. She then vaulted over the side, vanishing into the night. A normal person would take the stairs. Tevin’s deduction was that Teddy was not a normal person. He fancied himself as one. Adorning himself in that tuxedo attire of his, he patiently exited the room for the stairs.