En route to the river

Serika sighed as she sat with the others in the back of a covered wagon. Feeling like the cruise was where the others might be heading, the group had decided to catch a wagon ride to the waterfront. Of course, this meant the chances were high that it would mean everyone would need to gamble, including Yuni, which was something Serika was not looking forward to. 

"And it's pouring on the road too. They say the river's far from here, but if it keeps raining like this, the river will expand to here," Serika grumbled. 

"I find the rain quite peaceful, actually," Astrid smirked. 

"Of course you do, miss monk."

As for Carol and Yuni, the two were busy playing casino games on their phones. 

"Carol, how much experience do you have with real-life gambling? Yuni asked. 

"Not much. I've played poker and blackjack live, but never at a casino. My gambling credentials are all entirely coming from video gambling, though I usually just play the ones with no real money on the line."

"What about pachinko?" 

"Tried that a few times, but the flyer suggests this'll likely be a typical casino, so closest you'll probably get to pachinko are the slots." 

"The most rigged in the house." 

"So what's with your fascination for casinos?" Astrid asked. 

"Well, I like to challenge my mind, and what better place than a casino. Psychology and awareness are everything," Yuni smiled. 

"Disillusion. I had the same thoughts, but when sensei took me to a casino, I quickly came back to reality. They are rigged to high hell, and will psychologically torment you to the point where you throw away all your money," Serika glared. 

"I bet you're just upset you lost all your money. Given your personality, I'm guessing it took just one close loss to get you agitated and foolishly betting your money to try and get that winner's high." 

"It's easy to fall into that trap! And before you start smirking again, I figure you would do well your first go around."

"Oh, you've gotten smarter."

"You realize WHY you'd do well, right? When a fresh face comes in, them having a good first outing will make them more likely to come back to repeat their success. That's where "beginner's luck" comes from." 

"How'd sensei do?"

"Kicked her out for winning too much."

"And that's why I'm saying it's like a code. You crack it, you're in. Hmm, wonder how good Madoka would be at it." 

Serika let out a groan and laid back, staring out at the sky. "If the others are there, I hope Emeri's at least smarter than me and can win there."