The next day, Tamako Blackjack was bored while training her guards, and her mind wandered off to think about her encounter with Jen. “Why do those idiots always have to try and kill me when I’m on my day off!” Tamako fumed inwardly. “Of course, if he had not tried to kill me, I might not have met that kind and lovely young lady who thought she saved my life.” Tamako smiled to herself.

She had noticed the idiot following her, and his incompetence was interfering with her shopping, so she had intentionally turned her back to give the idiot the perfect opportunity to stab her. That was when she witnessed a rare event in the Decks: someone out of the goodness of their heart, and at their own risk, helping a stranger.

“I thought I was losing my touch and missed his accomplice,” she thought to herself. “If I had figured it out just a split-second sooner, I would not have killed that idiot. She would have saved me, and we could have escaped his grasp together.”

Tamako laughed at her own ridiculous thoughts as she casually stepped to the side, and used the side of the training sword to knock one of the guards she was sparring with on his back.

Tamako Blackjack was the fifth in a line of Blackjacks to serve as Captain of the Guard and Protector of the Casino City Lords. Her family’s name was given to them after serving the city’s lords for over 400 years.

The current Casino City Lord, Julius Caesar, the X, wasn’t the best City Lord, but he wasn’t the worst either. In fact, he really only cared about the nobility fan club that followed him around advising him of his greatness. Tamako just didn’t understand how he could be so blind to their true intentions, but more likely, he just didn’t care.

Tamako then looked up to see Lord Caesar enter the palace training grounds, followed by his groupy fan club. There were 5 young women and one young man. The women were all young, pretty, and draped in the latest fashions. The man, by contrast, had on a fine purple robe adorned with fancy stitching.

“Guards, to order!” Tamako barked out the command for all the guards to stand to attention.

Tamako was not expecting Lord Caesar, and she couldn’t remember the last time he had visited the palace training grounds. The eyes of the guards escorting Lord Caesar were pleading forgiveness from Tamako for failing to somehow give her notice the Lord was coming.

“Lord Caesar is so powerful. I heard you train the best guards yourself!” a woman said to him in a flattering voice.

“I only train the best of the guards when necessary for the safety of the city, otherwise I do not lower myself to such simple tasks. I prefer to spend my time making Casino City the grandest Deck-City in the First Deck.” Lord Caesar said, not giving anyone the opportunity to ask him to show his skills by actually trying to train the guards, to Tamako’s sighed relief.

“You must be tired from always having everyone ask you for help, Lord Caesar. I have a few private massage skills that would help you relax,” another one of the women flirted.

“Massages? I have a skill that allows me to cook you the most delightful breakfast in the morning, that would help you recover from an exciting night out,” another whispered in his ear.

“Well, the great and wise Lord Caesar appointed me to be the head of trade negotiations for the City,” said Lee Zhang, the short fat cousin of Lord Caesar. Lord Caesar and all his groupies snickered and rolled their eyes at Lee Zhang’s attempt to impress the women.

As Lord Caesar continued to make his way through and then out of the training grounds, Tamako could see the fury and embarrassment in Lee Zhang’s eyes from the laughter of Lord Caesar and his entourage.