Anika blinked at him, her lips parting.
"W–work? What do you an by work?" She stamred, completely thrown off by the question.
Leonard didn’t answer. Instead, he leaned forward on the table, rolling the dice between his fingers with that familiar mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Are you guys ready?" He asked out loud.
The crowd erupted all at once.
"Yeah!"
"Roll it, Leonard!"
"We’re ready!"
"Co on, let’s go!"
"Woohh! I’m excited!"
"Let win three days in a row!"
Their voices rose like a wave. So clapped their hands, stomped their feet on the ground, and so even pounded on the nearest stalls in pure excitent.
Leonard chuckled. He was deeply satisfied with their energy. He placed the dice down into a wooden cup, covered the top with his hand, and gave it a firm shake. The rattling sound of the dice could be heard inside the cup.
"I’ll bet 1 silver coin first!" The first player, a man in his forties with a red scarf, leaned forward. His coins were already stacked neatly in front of him.
"What’s your choice?"
"Low!" The man answered out loud.
Leonard smirked. He shook the cup a few tis more. It made the crowd lean in further, their eyes shining with anticipation to wait for the result of the first round.
And then, suddenly, he lifted the cup and revealed the dice.
It’s a 6.
"It’s high!"
The man groaned, slapping his forehead while the people behind him laughed and jeered. Leonard calmly took out a coin from the pile and placed it into his own.
The clinking sound was like music to his ears.
"Next!" he announced, resetting the dice into the cup.
" next!" Another man raised his hand in a hurry. He was the next in line. He smiled widely and placed 2 silver coins on the table. "I bet low too!"
"The man here is so courageous, isn’t he?" Leonard turned to the crowd to gain a reaction from them.
"Haha! That’s our man!"
"Don’t worry, you’ll lose!"
"Go fast!"
In just two days of doing this, Leonard had realized sothing.
His work wasn’t just about the dice. It was about entertaining the crowd in front of him. Waiting in line was frustrating. But making it fun for them, giving them the thrill, and interacting with them helps make it bearable.
The more suspense he gave, the harder they bit the hook. The harder they got excited for their turns to arrive. The feeling of thrill and excitent was what made people addicted.
He had to slowly learn to pause just long enough, to shake the cup a little longer, to let the noise stretch out the excitent, and to even ask questions sotis before revealing the dice.
"Whoa..." From the side, Anika could only stare. Her jaw was on the ground, and her body was completely frozen.
She had expected Leonard to maybe beg or find so small errand to do.
But this?
This was sothing else entirely. This was such a new thing for her!
Her eyes darted to the piles of coins building up on Leonard’s side of the table as the ga continued to play. Silver coins were stacking up right before her eyes.
’Shouldn’t they stop after losing?"
She couldn’t understand it. The more people lost, the more eager they beca to win it back, and the line never seed to shorten.
’He...he’s making buckets of money out of this,’ she thought, utterly flabbergasted at the sight she was seeing.
"This is his work?" Anika’s hand ca up to cover her mouth.
"This could be considered a business. A new business!" she whispered under her breath, still amused at it.
From where she stood, it looked less like a ga and more like a performance. Leonard was the head of it all. He was the entertainer, and the crowd seed to love him for it.
"Unbelievable..." she whispered to herself, her eyes glued to the scene.
"Pft- Hahaha!" Leonard burst out laughing along with the crowd when one lucky man jumped up in the air after the dice landed in his favor.
"Yes! Yes! Three silver coins!" the man shouted, clutching his winnings tightly like a child hugging a toy.
"Woah!"
"I want to win like that, too!"
"I’ll beat that and win 5 coins!"
"What a lucky fella!"
"I am jealous!"
The crowd went wild as if they had all won together. They clapped his back, raised his arm like a champion, and even stomped on the ground to celebrate the big win.
Leonard grinned, shaking his head in amusent.
"Hah! Look at this lucky guy!" he called out, his voice booming over the noise. His laughter mixed with theirs. They were light and contagious, making the whole place feel like a festival.
As the noise died down, his eyes slid to the side where Anika was standing silently. She looked amused and entertained at what she was seeing. Leonard tilted his head slightly and smiled at her.
"Co here," he mouthed at her.
Anika’s steps were hesitant at first, but the mont she walked up beside Leonard, the crowd erupted again.
"Wooooh!"
"Who’s this beauty?"
"Is it Leonard’s lover?"
"What a lucky man!"
"More like what a lucky woman!"
"She’s lucky for sure!"
"To celebrate our man’s new woman, let us bet more!"
"Let bet double now!"
Their cheers made Anika’s face flush deep red. She wanted to step back, but Leonard leaned closer and lowered his voice, speaking directly into her ear.
"Guard the coins," he whispered with a mischievous grin. "And while you’re at it, smile at them and make them want to bet more."
Her eyes widened, "M–?!" she whispered back, pointing at herself.
Leonard only chuckled and nodded. He patted her back as if saying that she could do it, and that he was just beside her. It was as if reassuring her that nothing would go wrong as long as he was there.
"I know you can do it." That was the only thing he said to her before he turned his attention back to the dice.
"Alright, who’s next? Step up and let’s see if your luck can beat the previous one!" he shouted, then turned to Anika as if encouraging her to speak up too.
"R-right!" She was hesitant at first. But with Leonard on her side, she swallowed and faced the crowd.
"Bet more and make your wives happy with your earnings!"
Because of it, the crowd roared again.
"Woahhh!"
"Let’s spend more coins!"
"It’s to win!"
"Let us win everyone!"
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