[ti]solo[/ti]Blackest Jack

Buzzster wound his way back to the front of the casino. True to its name, the city of Tidefall moved in lines and waves and sudden drops. Getting anywhere required thick shoes, a fistful of luck, and a glass-sharp sense of the slow but certain curve of the city's streets.

Buzzster traded his hat for a pouch of refrosted mush which he ate crouched in a gap between waterlogged walls. He crawled under a low-watt laser grid, and climbed three sets of back stairs before he reached the sagging lip of an overhanging neon walkway. From there he could see the casino: Syzygy.

The casino was in the shape of a giant eye, the outside formed from a dome of time-treated glass that showed those inside on their luckiest runs. Buzzster watched as a pearl-skinned gambler pulled in armfuls of chips with his jiggling tentacles. Nearby a jackpot exploded with joyous klaxons as it sprayed chunky beryllium coins into the waiting trough. Across the floor, a group of seven mismatched friends walked away from the vault with briefcases stuffed full of fake bills.

The legendary casino was built midway through a Doortal, with each side offering unique tax benefits and climate control. The arid air on the far side of the Doortal heaved against the warm coastal spray from the Tidefall settlement, forming a stormy, barometric nightmare right above the high roller tables.

Buzzster couldn't wait to be back in there.

He dropped down through a tsunami escape and strolled over to the casino doors where he was met by a pair of insectoid bouncers wearing neoprene suits. They clicked at the air with sensory mandibles, tasting the brushed steel on his breath and the cheap ozone still clinging to his skin.

"Howzit going fellas," Buzzster said, giving them a welcome nod. "I'm back for another round."

The air hummed as the pair of bouncers passed thoughts. "We do not know your scent," they hummed discordantly.

"I like to keep it fresh. Check with your friends, I was here just a few hours ago at the Vantajack tables!"

The air fizzed with suspicion as the insects traded thoughts and knowledge with the other members of their kind who were stationed around the casino floor. The harsh hum in the air harmonized for a moment. "We known your face."

"Damn right! Hard to forget," he said with a wink. "Now let me get back in there to take another run at those cards."

Again the hum changed, souring in the air. Something was wrong.

"So a handsome mug isn't enough?" he put up his hands in understanding. "That's fair. Can't be too careful with those face-snatchers running around these days." Buzzster patted his pockets. His wallet was still missing. "Shit. Listen. I'm temporarily cardless, but I'm already in your system. I borrowed some chips before and I'll be taking out another line of credit once I get in."

At the word 'credit' the hum of the bugs ticked up a few notes. There was excitement in the air now, like a wave pool tinged with blood.

"I'm sure you can check my details. My name's-" Buzzster's throat seized. He tried again. "It's-" He coughed and forced his mouth to make the sounds. "It's B-" Buzzster clutched his throat as he broke into a coughing fit.

"We Do Not Know You," the bug bouncers said together, and Buzzster felt pressure building behind his eyes.

"Yeah you do, I'm-" his throat seized, gripped by a phantom fist with fingers of iron. The pressure in his head blossomed into a lump of thudding pain, and Buzzster staggered away from the casino entrance. He slumped against a wall slick with seawater and massaged his throat with one hand, gradually drawing deeper breaths until the thunder is his head had faded and he could breath again. "Well that's just bloody great," Buzzster growled. "Some bastard stole my name!"