Gray looked around the Cosmic Casino, quite uncomfortable and annoyed. They were already not a fan of large, public spaces like this... But especially not an establishment designed specifically to trick people out of their hard earned money. They groaned. Why had they even agreed to accompany their sisters here in the first place? Well, mostly to stop them from squandering their inheritance... Not that they could do that when the two of them slipped away the second Gray got distracted. Sighing, they turned to go. They were leaving for Indima soon anyway, so really whatever their sisters did wasn't their problem anymore. Just before they left  however, a musical voice sounded from behind them. "Welcome to the Cosmic Casino! My name is Paloma, and I'm here to help and answer any questions you have! Would you like me to help you find something to enjoy?" 

Gray looked back, seeing a beautiful woman wearing a smooth white suit. "Uh... No, sorry, I'm leaving... I... Uh... Not a fan of gambling, sorry..." Paloma smiled reassuringly. "Oh, don't worry! We have plenty of ways to enjoy yourself that don't require gambling!" Her voice was very pleasant to listen to... But Gray really didn't want to stay. "I, uh, sorry, uh, I... I need to go, I, uh..." Paloma walked closer, smiling gently. "Don't worry, we have such fun things to do here~ Just stay here for a bit~ I'll tell you all about what we have~" Paloma's voice washed over Gray like a soft, refreshing breeze. A gentle feeling of pleasant warmth spread throughout their body, and their body relaxed. What were they thinking about again...? "Come on, follow me~ I promise you'll enjoy what the Cosmic Casino has to offer~!" Ah, yes, of course... They wanted to stay for a bit... They wanted to follow Paloma... They wanted to listen to Paloma's lovely voice...

-

Paloma smiled to herself as she led their new customer through the Casino. She was very good at ensuring reluctant customers had fun, and the customers that  were already having fun stayed to have even more fun! Mistress Lucia was so right that her Enchanting voice was far better suited to working here than adventuring! Just a few soft words, and any thoughts of leaving the Casino fluttered away like little birds! She loved working for the Casino with Luck and the others! She couldn't even remember why she wouldn't have wanted to in the first place...

---

Sky walked around the Casino, keeping her expression and demeanor casual while keeping an eye out for any easy money to make. A big, fancy casino like this was probably good at picking up any fallen gold coins, but no casino could keep an eye on everyone's sticky fingers at once... In fact, being big and fancy might be worse for them in this case... She casually stepped up to the Slot Machines. These ones were a lot fancier than some of the others she'd seen, but she doubted they were immune to her favorite tricks. Grabbing her lucky coin, she stuck it in the slot and pulled the lever. Just before it could eat her coin, she pulled on the string, expertly yanking it back out. And surprise surprise, the machine thought she'd paid! The animation was way flashier than the ones she was used to, but it was clearly spinning her symbols. Aaannd... She didn't win anything. Oh well, it's not like she only had the one play. She could do this as long as she wanted. Stealing another play, she watched the symbols, trying to tell what the jackpot would be, when a massive metallic hand clamped down on her shoulder.

Sky yelped and whirled around, seeing a towering... Something standing over her. It was hard to tell what it was, but it was big and scary and had the Cosmic Casino's logo stamped over its heart. "Uh, hello, uh, what is it? Just having fun playing these slot machines!" They didn't answer. They just stared down at Sky. Or was it staring? Their face was just a glowing light. Or, a glowing light inside their face. It was a very beautiful light, whatever it was... It made her feel warm... Safe... Good... not something she usually felt, especially in casinos... But something about the shining golden light made her feel like she was a good person... Like she should be a better person... A soft, silky voice came from the pretty light. "Trying to steal from the casino~? Naughty, Naughty~..." Sky would usually lie... But the voice was so pretty... And the light made her such a good person... "yes... I'm sorry..." The light gave a warm pulse that made Sky feel blank and happy. "Thank you for admitting your crimes~ As penance, wouldn't you like to work for us to pay off your debt~?" Sky nodded blissfully, her mind warm and virtuous. "yes ma'am... work for you..." The light pulsed again. "Wonderful~ Follow me, and we shall get you outfitted~" The glowing lady released her and began to walk away, and Sky followed. Why wouldn't she? She was a good girl now...

-

Esiar led the thief to the backroom. Esiar liked catching thieves. Esiar was very good at it now. Mistress Lucia had helped them. She had told Esiar how to use their light to make them feel good. She had given Esiar a new body to fit into the Cosmic Casino. She had given Esiar her voice to tell the thieves what to do. Esiar could not speak. But Esiar could use Mistress Lucia's voice now. Mistress Lucia told them what voice to use and when. And the thieves obeyed. Esiar liked making thieves obey. Esiar liked catching thieves. It was their duty now. It was their purpose.

---

Aiys glanced around the table at her opponents. This was nothing but easy money. Sure, the cards she was dealt sucked, but that didn't mean her hand did! Slipping an Ace from her sleeve into her hand was muscle memory to her now, and when bets ended, she handily won with a nice Flush. She suppressed a smirk. Rubes, the lot of them. Everyone was always too focused on 'strategy' and 'playing fair' when they should have been focusing on 'winning'! And she was the best at winning. She noticed the dealer glance at her, but she wasn't worried at all. Some people might win too much and be caught for being too obvious, but not her. She knew exactly when to let herself lose and when to win big. And she'd long since stopped worrying about anyone noticing her swapping cards. Nobody was that observant, no matter what they claimed. 

The dealer dealt out the cards, and Aiys looked at hers. But... The cards didn't look normal. There was a strange, shimmering design overlaid on them, and the art was so ornate... She didn't even think these were normal suits! It was like... Clocks and Carrots? And a pretty rabbit woman? Whatever it was, it didn't look like a winning hand, so she swapped it out with her emergency hand. It wasn't a big win, but at least she didn't lose everything. The dealer gave her a small grin as she collected the bets. She... nah, she couldn't have noticed. Those cards... must have been from another game! Yeah, the dealer obviously didn't know she had those specific cards... So there was nothing to worry about!

The dealer dealt out another hand, and Aiys got normal cards. Bad, but normal. Although, she was just a 4 away from a straight actually... And she had one stored away! She bet big, and was about to swap in her 4 when she remembered she'd used it in her emergency hand. Right, it'd slipped her mind because of the weird cards... There was a 4 there, right? Yeah! She swapped it in... And noticed just how out of place it looked in her hand. Shimmering and shining, the clock seeming to swing before her eyes... She was beginning to get very worried. She couldn't play this! Everyone would think she was cheating! Cheating POORLY! As she tried to keep her expression straight, she noticed the dealer smirking at her slightly. She... No, no, the dealer couldn't have done this on purpose... It was just a mistake! No, no, no... Oh no, the betting was up to her now! Panicking, she folded, ensuring the weird card was covered up by the others so nobody would think she was cheating... Everyone was looking at her now... She grinned nervously and took a swig from her canteen. "Just, ah... Just thirsty!" As she tried to calm down, she noticed another employee coming towards the table. Did they spot her?! Oh, no, okay, they were just switching out the dealer... Good... Without that dealer there, she was safe... She could play on... She took a deep breath and relaxed... Suddenly, a shimmering light shone before her eyes... And something clicked. She casually stood up from the table, her face perfectly calm, and followed the dealer to the backroom, compelled by the hidden messages on the cards she'd never consciously noticed...

-

Namei grinned at the entranced cheater following her, stowing her own card back in her pocket. She'd never pictured herself working on the other side of the deck, but it was remarkably entertaining. She got to win just as much money, got to cause just as many upsets, and most of all, got to finally punish people for blatantly cheating. There was no skill or talent in swapping out cards, and this girl was nowhere near as subtle as she clearly thought she was. And Mistress Lucia's cards were a great way to force them to ruin their own cheating. She'd almost lost count of how many cheaters she'd tricked into becoming hypnotized. But she hadn't, of course. She never lost the count.

---

Lucia elegantly bowed, reveling in the applause. Her hypnotized subjects returned to their compatriots, dazed but happy. She smiled. She'd placed a few extra suggestions in their heads that were sure to come in handy. Nothing major for most of them, simply suggestions to stay longer, gamble a bit more, not worry about the Casino's intentions, the usual. But to one specific lady, she'd given the command to meet her later tonight. A mousy, timid little thing who happened to have the ear of one of the largest trade magnates in the city. With such an influential person under Lucia's thrall, her velvet grip over the city would grow ever tighter. Soon enough, she might control it all, and after that? Well, she could hardly wait~ But she must. For now, she was content to retire to her backroom and rest.

Lucia walked past many of her hypnotized thralls, their bodies still and minds blank. She got such a rush from having all these formerly powerful people under her complete and total control. But, there was one pet that she loved more than most... "There you are, Maideen~" Maideen trilled happily and bounced over, her faux-bunny ears flopping adorably. Lucia giggled happily as she stroked her adorable pet, listening to their blissful, mindless chatter. It was just what she needed after a long day~

-

Maideen happily loafed on the ground before her Owner, Mistress Lucia. She couldn't even remember a life before this. She was nothing more than a cute little bunny rabbit for Mistress Lucia... With her cute floppy ears, and cute cottonball tail, and cute fluffy coat, she was so wonderfully, blissfully adorable. She could have used her magic to transform into a real rabbit, of course, but that wouldn't do. Mistress Lucia needed to make it clear to everyone that She Owned her. And so Maideen sat happily on the floor like a rabbit, her cloven hooves wearing soft slippers and her horns covered up by a fluffy hat. And that is how she remained... A blissful, mindless bunny rabbit Owned by the lovely Mistress Lucia...