Luca spotted one of Riley's friends, a young centaur named Verra who had just collected her winnings and was cradling a bulging coin pouch against her chest.
"Verra! Come here a moment, would you?"
Verra trotted over, her expression bright and eager.
"Hero! What can I do for you? Do you need more help at the grill? Because I was thinking—"
"Actually." Luca said, gesturing toward Sigrid. "The Commander here wants you to stop gambling right now. And she'd like you to hand over all your coins."
Verra's face went pale. Her hands clamped around her pouch like she was shielding it from a predator.
"What? But I—I just won these! I put an impossible bet on Mella and she actually won and—"
She looked at Sigrid with something approaching betrayal.
"Commander, you can't be serious! I earned these fair and square!"
"Sigrid insists." Luca said, his voice dripping with false sympathy. "She wants to put a stop to all of this. You wouldn't disobey your Commander, would you?"
