Muffled by the Casino's enchantment, Paloma and Luck could talk as long and loud as they wanted. It was always nice to find someone fun to talk to, especially in such a large place. Luck wasn't quite as talkative as Paloma, but then again, nobody was. She was an excellent listener though, and sat there happily as Paloma regaled her with tale after tale of adventures past. To be fair, most people were very good at listening to Paloma's sweet, pleasant voice, but Luck had quite a lot of interesting input on many topics, even a few very obscure ones Paloma wasn't used to anyone even knowing of!

As they finished conversing about the diamond leaves of the rare Indimer trees, Paloma smiled at her. "You know, I've never spoken with someone as well-traveled as myself! Even the other adventurers I team up with aren't as knowledgeable!" Luck blushed. "Aww, thanks. But it's not travel, I just... speak with a lot of patrons here! But none of them are quite as fun to listen to as you~" Paloma giggled. "I try to be~! Though, the other patrons must be very descriptive for you to remember so much!" She smirked teasingly. "Are you sure you haven't traveled to Indima recently~?" Luck pondered for a while, her smile growing slightly blank as she tried to recall. "...I believe I have... Yes... It must have been on a vacation recently. I do like to travel when the Casino allows me enough time off! Which isn't often, but it's always fun!" Paloma smiled. "At least the Casino is a fun place to work!" Luck enthusiastically nodded. "It is indeed! You know, I think you'd really enjoy it too! The Cosmic Casino could always use friendly people like you!" Paloma smiled sweetly but shook her head. "Thanks for the offer, but I prefer to remain adventuring! It's far more exciting!" Luck closed her eyes. "I... see where you're coming from! But maybe consider it anyway! It's a lot more exciting than you'd think!" Paloma grinned. "I'll keep it in mind!" Luck gave a small smile at this.

Paloma yawned. "Ahh, it's getting a bit late. I think I'm going to go check on my teammates!" Luck smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure they're doing fine, don't worry." Paloma smiled. "Even so, I'd rather not leave them alone too long. Esiar and Maideen might be a bit stressed in all the crowds, and Namei... Well, I need to make sure she hasn't lost all her money again!" Luck laughed. "That's fair! I can help you look for them!" Paloma shook her head. "No, I can find them myself. Besides, I feel bad for taking up all of your time! And it's not like it'll take that long anyway, we can get back to talking more soon!" Luck looked a bit disappointed, but she nodded. "Alright. Well, I wish you Luck then~!" Paloma giggled. "Thanks~! Means a lot coming from you~" Luck smiled and bounded off to continue working, and Paloma began looking around. She'd look for Esiar first, they should be easy to spot...

A few minutes later, Paloma was getting a little worried. She didn't see Esiar anywhere, and it was usually kind of difficult not to! The enchantment that muffled the sound of the Casino also seemed to blur the reaches of her vision a bit, but even still she should have noticed Esiar already. They were bright gold, glowing, and towered above most other people... Hiding was never something they could do, so they never tried. She started asking around to see if anyone else had seen them, figuring such an interesting being as Esiar must have stuck in their minds a bit. And while they had- One cyclops ended up giving her quite an earful about his experience with them- it all ended up leading to a dead end. Most people mentioned seeing them standing around the 'Slot Machines', but she couldn't find them there at all. And with how loud and flashy the machines were, she couldn't picture Esiar staying there for very long anyway. Perhaps she'd go find Namei instead. She was very observant, maybe she'd seen them around! ...If she'd managed to tear her eyes away from the cards, at least...

Worryingly, Paloma couldn't seem to find Namei either. She'd assumed it'd be very easy to find her, given that she always loved playing cards, but she wasn't at any of the tables! Not being at a poker table this late in the day made sense given her tendency to drive her opponents mad due to her skill in bluffing, but not at the Blackjack table either? Namei loved Blackjack! Paloma considered asking the dealer about her during a lull in the game, but thought better of it. Luck had said that the Casino wasn't too harsh on 'unconventional strategies', but... Namei had been kicked out of plenty of places thanks to counting cards, and Paloma had learned not to draw a direct association with her when she did that. She certainly hoped Namei hadn't gotten kicked out! It'd be almost impossible to find her then! As she looked around worriedly, she felt a tap on her shoulder. "Huh? Oh, Maideen, there you are!"

Maideen smiled calmly. "Sorry for startling you, I was just looking for you." Paloma grinned. "Nah, you didn't startle me, don't worry! I was looking for you too! And, uh," Her smile dropped a bit. "Have you seen Esiar and Namei around? I can't find them anywhere!" Maideen thought for a bit. "Well, I saw them earlier at least. Namei was... heading to the Blackjack table, and Esiar... I think Esiar was interested in the 'Slot Machines'... Have you checked there?" Paloma nodded frantically. "Yes! They aren't there anymore! Oh, I really hope they didn't get kicked out... I heard Esiar got into a scuffle with someone, and Namei... Well..." Maideen patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Yeah, I get it. I don't think they've been kicked out though, don't worry. I... was hanging around the entrance for a while and I didn't see Namei getting hauled out or anything. So I don't think we have that to worry about." Paloma smiled, still worried but feeling a bit better. "Well, that's good at least... But where are they then?! Do you have any ideas?" Maideen closed her eyes, pondering for a minute. "Hmmm... I did see... Yeah, I think I do have an idea of where to check... Follow me." She began walking deeper into the Casino, and Paloma excitedly followed her. It was a good thing she had Maideen to help figure stuff like this out! She'd be lost without her guidance!

Paloma wondered where exactly Maideen was leading her, but she trusted that she knew where she was going. Walking past the dice tables, she led Paloma towards two pillars on the wall. As they approached, Paloma realized there was an opening there she'd never noticed, and she followed Maideen through into another large room, full of even more games! She looked around in confused wonder and Maideen smiled. "I noticed this room a while ago. It's pretty out of the way, but Namei and Esiar might have found it as well." Paloma smiled at her. "Thanks! I'm not sure I would have found this! I wonder why they have this room hidden away like this? Surely they want people to play these games, right?" Maideen shrugged. "No idea. Let's start looking for the others. Look at the games, I imagine they'll be hanging out around one of them." Paloma nodded. "Right! I'll check around here, you look over there!" Maideen nodded, smiling. That seemed agreeable to her.

Paloma started looking around for any sign of Namei or Esiar. They didn't seem to be in this immediate area, but the room was quite large. Maideen had suggested she check the games, although Paloma wasn't sure these ones would interest Namei as much. They were mostly Roulette, which Namei often scoffed at as too luck-based. She could hear the rolling and spinning of balls and wheels all around her as she looked around, which was annoying at first but soon became rather soothing. A constant rumbling hum that accompanied her as she looked around the room, far more pleasant than the muffled conversation. It made her feel quite relaxed, even...

Paloma yawned. She was starting to feel awfully tired after all that talking and searching. The dim lights of the Casino weren't helping either. She just wanted to rest for a bit... Well, she could rest all she wanted back in the room once she found Namei and... Esiar?! A glint of gold nearby caught her eye. Had she found them?! She quickly ran over, and... No, nevermind... Just a trick of the light... She gave a sigh that turned into a large yawn... Luckily there was a nice, comfy chair nearby she could sit in. She relaxed into the soft, plush chair, cooing happily to herself. She hadn't realized she was so tired... Oh, this felt so nice... Nice to just relax, relax and- "Are you interested in playing~?"

A sweet, pleasant voice interrupted Paloma's reverie. "Hmm?" The voice chuckled. "You're sitting at my Roulette table~ Do you want to play~?" Paloma looked up. Oh, she was at a Roulette table... She had been too distracted to notice. "Uh... I'm not sure... Busy looking for someone..." The voice chuckled again, a silky, syrupy sound. "Surely you have time for a bet~ Whoever you're looking for won't leave in just a few minutes~" The voice was very pleasant to listen to. Oddly familiar though... But Paloma was too tired to place it... "Go on, just one spin~" Paloma found herself agreeing with the voice. "Alright... One spin might be fun..." The voice chuckled. "Then make a bet~"

Paloma glanced at the wheel. For some reason it was already spinning slightly, making it difficult to focus on the numbers and colors. What did you bet on in Roulette again? You could bet on colors, right? "Uh, white..." She placed a few coins in what she assumed was the betting area. "White it is then~" Paloma looked up, trying to see who was speaking, but the light was so dim... All she could really see were a pair of piercing blue eyes... "Watch the wheel now~" Paloma's eye flicked back down to the wheel, and it started to spin.

A soft whirring noise emanated from the wheel as it spun, soon joined by a gentle grinding as the ball was released. Paloma tried to watch for white, but the colors blended together as the wheel spun and spun. It was disorienting, trying to look at any specific number... But oddly pleasant... The soft noises and the constant motion were very relaxing to Paloma's stressed, confused mind... Watching it spin felt therapeutic, in a way... Suddenly a clattering brought her back, and the wheel stopped spinning. A smooth hand picked up the ball. "White 4~ You win~" Paloma smiled happily. She won! But... Wasn't she looking for someone? She needed to- "Another spin, dearie~?" Another spin... that sounded nice... the looking could wait...

Paloma put more money on the betting area. "White again..." The wheel started spinning again, and her eyes were drawn to the movement. As she watched it spin around and around, she noticed a strange pattern on the wheel. A spiral spinning, pulling her eyes to the center... But not the exact center... The spiral seemed to move as it spun, not staying in one spot but moving, back and forth, back and forth... As she looked closer, she noticed symbols on it... Smaller numbers around the outside... 1... 2... "Blue 3~ A loss~" Paloma blinked rapidly. Right, she was playing Roulette... And she'd just lost... "Another spin~?" She really needed to get back to looking for... Something... But it'd feel bad to leave on a loss... So she put more money on White... And the wheel started again...

Paloma tried to watch the ball this time to see where it would land. But it was going the opposite direction of the wheel, and the spiral, and it felt so disorienting. The more she watched the ball, the dizzier and dizzier she got... It just felt so uncomfortable... Like it was wrong to watch the ball... So she let her eyes lose the ball, and they locked onto the spiral again. And immediately, she felt so much better... Following the spiral made her feel so relaxed... Made everything feel right... She sighed happily as she watched it spin, around and around, back and forth... "White 2~ Another win~" She didn't even need to watch the ball... She won anyway... Everything was right... Everything was... No, wait... It wasn't right... She still had no idea where the others were... "Another spin~?" Yes... Another spin sounded- No, no, she needed to focus on finding the others! "Uh, s-sorry... Need to go... I'll spin later..." She attempted to leave the soft, comfy chair, no matter how wonderful it felt to just melt down and relax on it... But just as she stood up, a gentle hand on her shoulder pushed her back down. Maideen's hand. "We have enough time for another spin, Paloma. Go on. We bet on White." The voice chuckled darkly, and the wheel began spinning again...

Paloma felt her mind settle on the groove of watching the spiral as it spun around and around, back and forth... Though, while she was lucid enough to still think, she noticed the golden rim around the edge... It wasn't a spiral... It was a pocketwatch... Like... The Hypnotist, Lucia had used. And suddenly, she remembered where she had heard the voice before. "W-wait... n-no..." Maideen gently touched her shoulder, speaking in a soft, reassuring voice. "What is it, Paloma?" Paloma tried to gather her thoughts enough to escape the spiral... To warn Maideen... "I... She... Lucia... Hypnotizing me..." Maideen giggled happily. "Yes. She is. Doesn't it feel wonderful, Paloma?" Paloma's head felt so warm and syrupy. "Feels wonderful... Wait, no... N-Not you too... get away... resist... please..." Maideen giggled again, sounding so happy and blissful. "Don't resist. There's no point. It feels so wonderful to submit to her, Paloma. Just watch the spiral, and submit. Submit~..." She whispered the last word in Paloma's ear, sending a blissful shudder throughout the bard's mind and body. It sounded so wonderful... Just submit... Just follow the spiral, and everything would be right... N-No... Don't Submit... Don't Follow the Spiral... Have to resist... Resist... Resist... "Blue 1~ You lose~" Resistance is pointless... she lost... she lost... and it felt so good to lose...

Lucia smiled down at the hypnotized bard. She giggled mischievously to herself. The power she wielded over minds was... Intoxicating. Within a day, an entire band of seasoned adventurers had bowed to her will. Even such a skilled practitioner of Enchantment magic eventually fell to her hypnosis... And now she had 4 more adventurers to turn into her wonderful employees. She giggled. Luck had been so resistant to obeying at first, but she was truly far more suited to her role in the Casino than she would ever be adventuring out in the world. It was thanks to her excellent acumen that Lucia knew to hypnotize Maideen first. She was the perfect target. The only one who would be smart enough to figure out what the Casino was doing, but so easy to trick into attending her show. And once she fell, it was hardly any more work to lure in the rest of her teammates... Lucia gently rubbed the druid's head, enjoying their blissfully mindless squeak. She was really quite adorable. In fact, perhaps she'd receive her own, special role in the casino... But Lucia would figure that out later. First, she needed to outfit the others for their new roles, as employees of the Cosmic Casino...