A/N: Gee whiz, my first Cuphead story. Honestly, this idea just came out of nowhere for me. Usually story ideas take time for me to develop, and even more time for me to feel ready to write it. Sometimes though I have ideas like this that just sneak into my head out of nowhere and demand to be written on the spot. Of course, most of these kinds of stories usually only have one or two chapters, and I don't have any idea how long this story is going to end up being, so...well, it'll be an adventure.

Anyways, since this story starts before King Dice begins working for the Devil, I figured that I should come up with a name to use for him. I'll only be using it in the first chapter though, so if you don't like it you'll only have to bare with it for a little bit. Anyways, for some reason the name Caleb just stuck to me. It's similar to Cabell, or Cab, as in Cab Calloway, the guy that King Dice was based off of. Also, I personally find it hilariously ironic that the name Caleb is often thought to mean or symbolize 'devotion to God'...oh, yeah, Dice is super devoted to God. He's practically a saint.

Caleb Dice had been introduced to gambling as a child. All of the children used to sneak into the alleyways and play craps in the streets when the adults weren't looking. Ever since the first time Caleb had rolled a pair of dice and beat all of the other boys out of their coins, he had known that he had found his calling. Of course, Caleb didn't play too many crap games. The other boys seemed to think that his confidence in the game, his winning streak, and the fact that his head just so happened to be shaped like a die were all related.

They weren't. Caleb just had lady luck on his side.

Still, since it didn't take long before the other kids started to refuse to play craps with him, Caleb needed to find a new game to play. He found such a game when the town drunk had caught them playing betting on dice, and he had decided to teach them how to bet with cards instead. Caleb caught on to the rules of Blackjack quicker than any of the other boys did. He had even been able to beat the drunk in a number of deals, and that was how Caleb had won his first deck of cards.

Caleb honed his skills with a deck, and he learned not only how to play Blackjack, among other games, but how to be the dealer as well. Once again, this got the other boys to start complaining about how he was manipulating the game to his favor, but Caleb didn't listen to their complaints because by that time he was through gambling with them.

Caleb saw gambling, whether it be through craps, cards, or a simple conversation, as an artform. Why should he waste his time squatting around the streets and dirty bars to play the exact same games that were being played in the casino that was just on the other side of the island?

So Caleb left the low risk, low payoff games behind him and finally made his way to the Devil's Casino. The place wasn't by any means what he would call high class, but it was certainly better than the dirty streets, that was for sure.

Caleb had never been to a casino before, but it felt instantly familiar to him. He could recognize the different games being played on sight, and it didn't take him long for him to decide where he wanted to begin. Caleb walked right past the craps tables and headed straight for blackjack. All of the tables were filled, so he lingered around a table and just watched the game until somebody cut their losses and a seat became available.

As Caleb watched the game, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. He coined it up to just being different from the street version of the game. After watching a couple more hands though, Caleb noticed a pattern, and he knew that something fishy was going on in this game.

One of the players, some sort of serpent fellow, was winning more often than was normal. This wasn't all that uncommon, sometimes people just got lucky. Or he could just be using some kind of card counting to beat the system, but something told Caleb that that wasn't what was going on. If the man was card counting, then shouldn't the dealer have noticed it by now? Or, at the very least, be watching the man who was having a winning streak more carefully?

The dealer didn't pay any extra attention to the snake though. In fact, he didn't pay any attention to the player at all. It was almost as though the dealer was making a point to not pay attention to the snake, and there were very, very few reasons that Caleb could think of as to why he would do such a thing.

The first possible explanation was that the serpent was one of the casino's employees. That he was just putting up the act of being a paying customer to keep the other gamblers from winning too much and beating out the house, as well as to motivate the patrons to continue playing for just one more hand, just one more drink, because if this fellow could get a lucky streak then why couldn't they?

Caleb supposed that this explanation was possible, but he didn't think it was very plausible. If the snake was working for the house, then wouldn't it be a better strategy to have him lose every once and awhile? Let the other players take a hand and cause them to think that their luck was just starting to turn. It would keep players at the table longer, and it wouldn't lead them to get frustrated with their losses and leave while they still had a fair bit of money in their pocket.

This was what Caleb would have done. He may not be an expert in the ways of a casino, but he knew his way around gambling. He knew how to tell when somebody was on the edge about leaving or staying, and he knew how to pull them back into playing another hand or two. It was all a matter of giving the people what they wanted, without letting it be of any real consequence to you.

That wasn't what this gentleman was doing though. He was far too boastful and arrogant to be working for the house. It was as though he truly thought that he couldn't lose. And after Caleb caught a few subtle glances between the serpent and the dealer, he figured out where all the confidence was coming from. The snake wasn't the one who was counting cards, the dealer was. Whatever scheme was going on, they were both involved, and Caleb was disgusted. It was the dealer's job to keep the odds in the house's favor, not in the favor of a random customer who had likely paid him off.

"Better luck next time." The dealer said sympathetically as a young couple of fork fellows left the table, grumbling about their bad luck the entire time. The dealer looked to Caleb. "Wanna join in this next hand?"

"No, I'd rather not, thank you." Caleb said curtly. "I may have come here knowing full well that I would likely lose money, but that doesn't mean that I want to play with a pair of flimflamming swindlers." All of the chatter at and around the table ceased immediately as everybody went silent. It was a bold accusation, to accuse someone that you haven't even played with of cheating. And the way that Caleb was glaring coldly at the dealer and the snake, everybody knew exactly who he was accusing.

It didn't take long for the shock to die down, and the moment that it did accusations began to fly. Most of them were directed towards the snake, though a few outraged customers were now complaining about the dealer as well. Caleb hadn't expected such a reaction, though he probably should have. Even at the bars and on the streets, people gambled until they had nothing left to lose, so they always got rather testy whenever they felt cheated out of their money.

Caleb just hadn't realized just how easily gamblers could be persuaded of something when they were feeling desperate. It was an interesting observation, to say the very least.

Caleb was finding this casino more and more interesting with every passing second. Of course, if he was going to be coming here on a regular basis, and that was certainly the plan, then first he needed to do something about the filth.

"I want to speak to the one in charge." Caleb stated firmly. His declaration didn't get him the reaction he had hoped for, which just annoyed him. The snake, as well as a few other patrons, laughed at his request. Most of the people within hearing distance looked alarmed at his words and suddenly seemed extremely nervous. A handful of people even left the area all together.

"I'm the manager of this establishment." The dealer leaned against the table smugly. "But if you have any complaints-" The man was just teasing him at this point, and Caleb wasn't going to stand for it.

"Then I'll take them up with the owner," Caleb gave the dealer an unimpressed look. "Right after I inform him just what kind of greaseballs he's been employing."

The dealer looked absolutely infuriated, and he was likely mere seconds away from throwing Caleb right back out into the streets. The man moved, probably to do just that, but froze suddenly in place, almost as though he was being held back by some invisible force. At that precise moment Caleb felt a chill go down his spine, and he figured that he wasn't the only one that felt it.

The entire room fell into a hush. Nobody dared to even breath. The only movement anybody made was to shuffle out of the way of a tall, dark, horned creature who had seemed to appear out of nowhere. Even somebody who hadn't seen this creature even once in their life would recognize who he was. It was the big man of the casino himself, the Devil.

Caleb was in complete awe as he watched the Devil slowly approach their table. The demon lord was practically radiating with power, both of the influential kind, and the magical sort that everybody on the isles were fascinated with, though few had access to. Caleb watched as the crowds parted for this creature, and he couldn't help but wonder if they were getting out of his way because he was forcing them to do so with his magic, or if they were doing it of their own free will because the Devil had that strong of an influence of them all without even trying.

Whatever the case, Caleb was impressed, and slightly envious. The Devil had power, more than Caleb could ever dream of having. If living a life of sin and deceit could get one this kind of respect, then maybe there really was something to the whole 'selling-your-soul-to-the-Devil' thing that Caleb had been hearing a lot about lately.

As the Devil came to their table, Caleb bowed his head slightly in respect to the demon lord. Feeling bold, Caleb dared to meet the Devil's eyes, and when he saw the dark creature smirking at him in slight amusement, Caleb couldn't help but smirk back. Maybe he looked like a bit of a fool, bowing his head for the king of sin, but Caleb wasn't embarrassed. The way that he saw it, anybody who had so much power was a man that was to be expected.

After a long moment of looking at Caleb, the Devil turned back towards his employee and the serpent, who were the only ones left at the table (everybody else had scurried off). "I heard there was a commotion going on out here. Care to explain?" The Devil eyed the dealer dangerously, and it was definitely not the kind of glare that Caleb would want to be caught under.

"I-it's nothing, boss." The dealer cleared his throat and stood up straighter. "This gent's just bumping his gums. Do ya want me to have the boys take him out back?" The grifter sounded much too eager to do just that. Normally Caleb would be insulted or angered by something like this, but he was much too amused by the man's disappointed expression when the Devil ignored his suggestion and turned back towards Caleb.

"What's your name, kid?" The Devil's voice was low, calculated. He spoke in such a way that made it seem like he believed he already knew everything, and Caleb wouldn't be quick to disagree with him.

"Caleb Dice, sir." Daleb inclined his head slightly again.

"So, Dice, you mind telling me what you think is going on here?" The Devil asked, though it was more of an order. Caleb was only too happy to answer him. He told the Devil what he saw, exactly what he saw. He explained his suspicions and the conclusions he had made. Every once and awhile the snake or the dealer would try to interrupt him in an attempt to give the Devil their own twist on what had been going on. The Devil silenced their interruptions with a simple flick of his claw. Caleb had the floor.

During the middle of Caleb's explanation the Devil gestured for one of his minions, a walking cigar, to come and get a cigar for him. Even with this small distraction going on, Caleb knew that the Devil was all ears. The Devil began his smoking just as Caleb was finishing up with his story. Once Caleb had shared all he had intended to the Devil took a slow drag from his cigar and then blew a ring of smoke right into Caleb's face. The dice man didn't even flinch. The smell was horrendous, but it wasn't anything that he wasn't used to.

"You certainly sound like you know what you're talking about, Dice." The Devil said smoothly. "You come to the casino often?"

I gamble often, sir." Caleb corrected him. "This would be my first time at an actual casino."

"W-what?" The dealer looked outraged, and desperate. "Boss, ya can't actually be listening ta some random Joe that walked in from the streets. He's not-" The dealer suddenly paled and quite literally choked on his words as though he was incapable of speaking any further. Caleb moved his gaze from the dealer to the Devil, and the creature's annoyed expression towards his employee told him all he needed to know. The Devil was using his powers over the man to keep him from speaking out of turn. It was...absolutely incredible.

"You think you're good at gambling?" The Devil turned back towards Caleb and raised an eyebrow at him. "Why don't you show me what you've got?" The Devil snapped his clawed fingers and a small, black hole opened up in the middle of the table. The whole room suddenly felt both hot as hell and cold as ice at the same time. The uncomfortable feeling went away in an instant when the shadowy hole closed up, leaving behind a strange deck of cards that Caleb was certain hadn't been there before.

The Devil picked up the deck and offered them to Caleb, who accepted them without hesitation. "You know how to deal?"

"I've been dealing since the moment I learned the game.." Caleb said, and that was the honest truth. The Devil chuckled at his boast.

"Well then, I figure it's time to put those skills to the test." The Devil nodded towards the serpent, who shrank beneath his gaze, all signs of his earlier cockiness were nowhere to be seen. "The two of you will play a game, winner leaves, and the loser, well, I'll deal with him." The way that the Devil said this made Caleb feel as though neither option was going to be very pleasant, and he actually wasn't sure which one would be better outcome.

Despite his concerns, Caleb agreed to the game. He may be wary about the deal, but not enough so that he would back down. The snake didn't seem all that concerned about the game either, his confidence returning in an instant. After all, he had won so many previous games. What would make this one so much different?

Caleb supposed that the serpent hadn't realized the significance behind the Devil handing the deck of cards to him as opposed to the regular dealer.

"Do we got a deal?" The Devil outstretched his two hands, one towards Caleb, and one towards the serpent. The snake quickly shook his hand without hesitation, and Caleb found himself drawn to do the same, despite the quiet voice in his head telling him that he should be cautious. The Devil smirked widely as he shook their hands, and Caleb could feel the power radiating off of him again. Whatever was going on, this was more than just a simple handshake before a friendly card game.

The Devil shoved away his dealer and took a seat at the spot at the table usually reserved for the one dealing the game. Caleb reluctantly took a seat as well. He habitually began to shuffle the strange cards that had come from the darkness. It was at this instant that the snake and the dealer realized what Caleb had known since the Devil had handed him the cards in the first place.

"H-he's dealing?" The serpent objected.

"Yes, he is." The Devil leveled the snake with a withered glare. "Unless you have a problem with it." The Devil's tone made it clear that any further complaint was pointless. This was the Devil's casino, and if he wanted Caleb to be dealing, then that was exactly what was going to happen. Nobody went against the Devil's wishes. Not if they valued their lives, or their souls.

Once Caleb had finished shuffling the deck he deal out the cards for a game of blackjack. Caleb and the snake each got two cards, one face down, and one face up for everybody to see. If this were a normal game they would have put in their bets before even beginning, but the bets were already set. The winner leaves, and loser is dealt with by the Devil. That was the deal.

Caleb's face up card was a 9. The snake's was a king, which had a value of 10. As Caleb was the dealer, the cheating snake had the first turn. He looked at his face down card, scowled, and said "Hit." Caleb dealt him another card. The snake raised an eyebrow when he saw his new card, and he looked quite pleased with himself. (It was a wonder how this guy had ever gotten anywhere as a gambler. His poker face was non-existent.)

The snake said "Stand." with his three cards, so it was Caleb's turn. He flipped over his second card, which turned out to be an ace, which, in this instance, would have the value of an 11. His points were brought up to 20, and he had no choice but to stand. The snake smirked smugly and revealed his two other cards. A 5, and a 6. Those numbers, along with his 10, brought his total to 21, which was the highest score one could get in this game. And, unfortunately, was better than Caleb's score of 20.

Caleb had lost the bet. He hated it when that happened.

The Devil's expression about the outcome was completely unreadable. Caleb had no idea if he was pleased, amused, disappointed, or just indifferent to the whole thing. The Devil just stood up and let out another puff of smoke from his cigar.

"Well, that's that." The Devil approached Caleb and put a clawed hand on his shoulder. "You and me are going to have a talk in my office. And as for you two," The Devil turned towards the snake and the dealer. "Make tracks. I don't want to see you in my casino when I come out." The dealer and the snake both looked somewhat outraged, and incredibly nervous. The Devil had made it sound like they were being banned from the casino, which wasn't exactly the reward that one would hope for after they won a bet. The dealer looked confused as to why he was being involved in this outcome as well, even though he hadn't been involved in the actual game itself. Still he didn't, or, perhaps, really couldn't, argue against his boss. The dealer just led the snake out of the casino, and Caleb couldn't shake the feeling that neither of them would be back.

He wasn't going to waste his time thinking about those two though. Not when the Devil was dragging him to the back to have a 'talk' with him.

The Devil's office looked much more average than Caleb had expected. It was almost disappointing. Caleb had been expecting the office from Hell, with torture devices and flames high up towards the ceiling, not...an every day office.

The Devil pushed Caleb towards the desk, and then he took a seat on his char on the other side of the desk. Caleb kept his hands behind his back and nervously shuffled the deck of cards that the Devil had handed him just a few minutes before.

"So," The Devil looked at him with a fixed glare that still was unreadable. Caleb had no idea what he was thinking or what he had planned. "You cost me my manager and a great dealer. How do you plan on making that up to me?"

"I...what?" Caleb was at a loss for words, which very rarely happened. "I don't owe you anything."

"Yes, you do." The Devil insisted, and his unreadable mask slipped just enough that Caleb thought he saw a hint of amusement on his face. He just didn't know if he found the situation in general funny, or if the Devil was just looking forward to punishing him in some horrible, hellish way. Honestly, Caleb thought that either was pretty plausible.

"How is that?" Caleb asked, because if he was going to be punished by the Devil, then he at least deserved to know why.

The Devil chuckled lowly and took a slow drag of his cigar. Once again, he puffed the smoke out towards Caleb. "You accused my dealer of cheating, Dice, in front of the whole casino."

"He was cheating." Caleb scowled.

The Devil waved off his words. "Doesn't matter. I'll give him and the snake the kiss off later." Caleb had known that he wouldn't be safe even if he had won the bet. "The point is, I would have done that if you have just told me what had been going on in private. Instead, you made a scene, and now I have a mess on my hands. No one will want to come here when word gets out that the manager was helping a customer cheat."

The Devil definitely had a point there, Caleb would grant him that much. Still. "What do you want me to do about it?"

"I want you to clean up the mess that you've put me in." The Devil grabbed a scroll of paper from apparently nowhere. He pushed it towards Caleb, who paled at the implication. He wasn't a fool. Caleb understood what it meant when somebody signed one of the Devil's contracts.

The Devil looked even more amused at Caleb's uneasiness. "Don't worry so much, Dice. This isn't as bad as you think it is." The Devil pointed his claw at the contract, drawing Caleb's attention to the writing. "All ya gotta do is work for me for a bit." A closer look showed that 'a bit' actually meant 'for an indefinite amount of time until the Devil thinks you've done enough.' Not quite as bad as selling ones soul, but it was definitely up there.

Caleb wanted to complain about how this wasn't fair, but he held his tongue. Of course it wasn't fair, he was at the Devil's Casino, and nothing there was fair, because it wasn't meant to be. Caleb had known that upon entering, and he had known that there would be consequences for accepting a deal arranged by the Devil, but he had agreed to it anyways. He had given up all of his reasons to complain, because he had just brought this all upon himself.

Still, he had to say something, because as much as he knew he shouldn't complain about the situation, Caleb still wasn't happy about it. "And what if I don't agree to work for you?"

The Devil's eyes flashed irritably, and Caleb felt a shiver run down his spine. He had gotten the Devil barely annoyed with him, and he still felt as though it was the worst thing he had ever done in his life. Caleb didn't even want to think about what it would feel like to have the Devil actually be angry with him. Clearly, the Devil wasn't the kind of man that you wanted to upset.

"You made a bet, Dice." The Devil said in a low, dangerous tone. "The bet was that I would deal with the loser of the game. You lost, and this is how I'm choosing to deal with you. Unless you think you want to try to break your end of the bargain-"

"Of course not, sir." Caleb lowered his eyes to the desk and bowed his head apologetically. He would be a fool to back out of this deal. He really didn't have much of a choice. "When do I begin?"

Caleb wasn't looking at the Devil, but he could feel his content smirk. The Devil pushed the contract and a pen directly in front of Caleb's vision. He took the pen and, after quickly but carefully reading through the contract just to make sure it wasn't any shadier than he knew it was, he signed the dotted line. The very instant that he was done it felt like a weight was lifted off of his shoulders.

"Very good, Dice." The Devil sounded very pleased. "You'll be shown the ropes tomorrow." Which meant that Caleb had the whole night to think about and fret over what he had just gotten himself into.

Something told him that it was going to be a long night.

"Until then," The Devil smirked wickedly and, almost as though he had summoned him (he probably did) the cigar minion walked through the door. "Mr. Wheezy will show you where you'll be staying."

"Wait...Staying?!" Caleb hadn't remembered seeing anything like that on the contract. Before he could try to get a second look, or ask for clarification, or even just wonder what the hell had just happened, Mr. Wheezy had already started to lead him out of the room.

The last thing that Caleb heard before he he was dragged out of the office was the Devil's sly, teasing voice. "Good luck, Dice." Only the Devil could say good luck in such a way that it sounded like a death sentence.

Mr. Wheezy kept silent until he knew that they were out of earshot of the Devil's office, and that's when he began to run his mouth. "So, Dice, I guess you're the kid who was gumming the works on the floor."

Caleb frowned slightly. It was becoming clear to him that he was just going to be going by the name 'Dice' during his time at the casino. He didn't necessarily have a problem with it, 'Dice' was still his name, after all. He was just annoyed that he hadn't had any say in it, and he knew that objecting about it would achieve absolutely nothing. He would just have to get used to being known by just his last name.

"I would have kept my mouth shut if I had been aware of the consequences." Caleb muttered, though he knew that wasn't entirely true. He had never been able to tolerate cheaters.

Mr. Wheezy just laughed at his words. "You have no idea how many times I've heard that, Dice." Mr. Wheezy shook his head in amusement. "Don't worry so much though. The boss likes you, so it could always be worse."

Caleb was tempted to ask how Mr. Wheezy knew that the boss liked him, but then he realized that he would probably know if the Devil didn't like him. And the beast had just seemed much too amused about Caleb apparently owing him. No, what Caleb really wanted to know was why the people at this casino seemed to think that 'it could be worse' was a reassuring statement. It really wasn't. It wouldn't do Caleb any good to hear about how bad it wasn't. He needed to know how bad it was.

"So, what's this about me staying?" Caleb asked in a clipped voice.

"Oh, everybody who works here lives here too." Mr. Wheezy said as though it was completely obvious and normal, even though it really wasn't. "The boss likes to have us around whenever he needs us, and he doesn't want to risk his debtors running away from him, so none of us can walk past the front door."

Why was the cigar saying all of this so casually? If the Devil had to worry about his employees running away, then that really wasn't a good sign as to what he had waiting for him. Of course, it didn't help that Caleb didn't exactly know what he would be doing for the Devil.

"So, what's your specialty?" Mr. Wheezy asked. Caleb assumed that he was asking what he would be doing as work at the Casino. Caleb was fairly certain that the cigar had a better idea of what his job description meant than he did.

"My contract just said that I would do the Devil's bidding." Caleb said. Mr. Wheezy's eyes widened and he looked fairly impressed.

"You serious?" Mr. Wheezy whistled lowly. "So the boss really likes you. I was wondering when he would be getting a new favorite."

Caleb faltered a bit in his steps. He had no idea if what Mr. Wheezy said was true or not, that he somehow was the Devil's new favorite. Caleb hadn't even known that the Devil had favorites. And if he did, and he was, then Caleb had no idea how he was supposed to feel about it. It was either something extremely good, because he would be treated fairly well, or extremely bad, because he would end up being the guy that the Devil punished whenever he got bored or something like that.

Caleb didn't have a clue which situation was more likely, and they both actually made him feel incredibly nervous. Still, Mr. Wheezy said it like it was a respectable, but not envied, position, to be the Devil's favorite. If Caleb played his cards right, he could go somewhere with this. He would just have to wait for a bit and learn just what it meant first. He could do that. He could be patient.

Caleb didn't know his way around the casino, which was actually a lot bigger than it looked from the outside (and it looked pretty huge from outside), but he was pretty sure that the Devil's employees didn't sleep near the bar, which was exactly where Mr. Wheezy was leading him.

"You look like you could use a stiff one." Mr. Wheezy all but shoved Caleb into a stool at the bar. He wasn't happy about being man-handled, but he didn't think he could argue against having a drink. It was a little earlier than Caleb would usually drink, but it had been a strange day. A change in habit was called for.

Mr. Wheezy continued to talk at him, even as they received their drinks from the beings working the bar, who simply introduced themselves as the Tipsy Troop. Caleb wondered just how many colorful characters the Devil had working under him. Was it just a coincidence that his employees that Caleb knew about so far all seemed to be related to some kind of vice or sin? Or was that what had caught the Devil's interest about them in the first place? Caleb hadn't even started working at the casino yet, and he already had so many questions. And as much as Mr. Wheezy was talking about what it was like to work there, Caleb could tell that he was saying little to nothing of value. He was just bumping his gums.

After awhile Mr. Wheezy grudgingly said that he had to get back to work. He vaguely indicated where the back rooms were and then left Caleb to his own devices as he returned to whatever job he had at the casino. Caleb was glad to see him go. There was nothing wrong with socializing, but there was being civil, and there was wasting everybody's time.

Caleb headed towards the back where there was a hallway with a dozen or so rooms down it. These must be the employees personal rooms. Each of the doors had a name carved in the wood to indicate who it belonged to. Caleb was surprised to see that even his name, (well, Dice,) was on one of the doors. The Devil must have worked his magic to do this.

Caleb entered his room and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was practically identical to his old room back home, except everything was nicer. There was his chest of winnings from the street and bar bets that he had made (most everything in the chest wasn't cash, and was actually of little value to Caleb, but he liked the reminder of all he had won). All of his different decks of cards, as well as playing dice and battered betting chips were sitting on the desk next to his bed, right where he always left them.

Caleb sat down on his bed and immediately began to shuffle and play with the Devil's deck of cards. The cards were stiff and didn't twist and bend as easily as a deck of cards should. He needed to break them in. It didn't matter how nice, expensive, or magical a deck of cards was, if they didn't feel right and easy to use, then Caleb just didn't use them. It was as simple as that.

Breaking in the Devil's deck gave Caleb something to focus one. The familiar, practiced motions put Caleb into an almost meditative state in which he could think about his new situation without worrying about unknown and the risks. Caleb could handle thinking about stressful things, just not while he wasn't doing anything to ground himself. It was when Caleb was bored that he really started to panic, and he couldn't allow himself to do that now.

He was already in Hell. There was no point in torturing himself even further by worrying about things that he had no control over.

Caleb hadn't planned on getting any sleep that night. He had thought that, with everything that had happened, that it would be nothing short of a miracle if he slept a wink that night, and miracles definitely weren't something that one would find in the Devil's casino. As unbelievable as it seemed though, Caleb must have fallen asleep at one point in the night, because he woke up a few hours later.

Caleb felt stiff (he had fallen asleep in an awkward position), dirty (he hated to sleep in the clothes that he had spent all day in) and nervous (for obvious reasons). Despite how uncomfortable it would be, Caleb knew that the fastest way to relieve the tension in his muscles caused by a bad sleeping position was by getting up and moving. And regardless of who his boss was, Caleb wouldn't feel nearly as nervous and wary once he actually starting working.

As for his little problem with the clothes he was wearing...well, the Devil (he could only assume that the demon was responsible) had thought about that too.

"Well, lookee here." Caleb raised an eyebrow, impressed. There were two different outfits hung up, just waiting for him to choose from. The first was a simple but nice pair of trousers and a button down shirt, along with some suspenders. It was an identical outfit to the one that he was wearing, but looked brand spankin' new. It was incredibly average. Not too flashy, and not too plain. It was the kind of thing that one could do work in, but still allowed them to look presentable.

The other outfit was what really caught Caleb's eye though. It was a real fancy get-up. Spotless white gloves. Shiny new shoes. A purple tuxedo that would go well with Caleb's natural coloring, and a matching bow tie. Caleb had rarely ever worn something as nice as this, and yet he knew straight away that it would be his preference. Caleb had always wanted to be respected by other people, and a quick way to make that happen was by presenting himself as something who deserved to be respected, whether he was or not.

Besides, as the Devil had pointed out the night before, he had an image to uphold. The casino may not be the most refined place in the world, but it was still a nice establishment, and Caleb wasn't going to be the one responsible for lowering its reputation by dressing like an everyday Joe.

Caleb put on the new outfit and went out to the casino. The place wasn't as lively as it had been the night before, but there were still plenty of people around. Most of the people who were at the bars, roulette tables and the such looked like they had been there all night. The casino was a busy place. It looked like there was just no rest for the Devil.

"Well, well, well," A low voice that seemed to reach all the way to Caleb's soul said from just behind him. The man turned and wasn't surprised to see his new boss there, looking much too pleased with himself. "Ain't you a pip. You clean up nice, Dice."

"You say that as though you weren't the one who laid this outfit out for me in the first place." Caleb said with a knowing smirk. This just made the Devil chuckle. "Do you like having all of your employees togged to the bricks, or am I just lucky?"

"You'll just have to see, won't you?" The Devil straightened Caleb's bow tie. He then put an arm around his shoulder and began to show him around the casino. Out of the corner of his eye Caleb saw Mr. Wheezy, and he looked really smug. He probably thought that he had been right about Caleb being the boss' new favorite. And, based on everybody else's reactions as the Devil led him through the casino, Caleb thought that he probably agreed.

Most people tried to be subtle about it, but they were all gawking at them. Caleb had heard that it was rare that the Devil himself was seen in his own casino, and even more rare to see him accompanying somebody else. Caleb could pick apart the people who worked at the casino, because they all looked less shocked and more relieved. Caleb didn't know what the relief was for, and he didn't think that he wanted to know.

Besides, he couldn't focus his attention on interpreting the employees expressions. Not when the Devil was talking to him.

"So, Dice, let's see if you got what it takes to make it big here." The Devil stopped near a roulette table and gestured to the players. The table was full of a number of different people. "If you were in charge of this table and had to pick just one person to focus on, who would it be?"

No, that was an interesting question. Even from just watching them for a few moments Caleb could get a basic handle on the different players. There was a young couple, probably newly-weds. The used their chips easily, but not carelessly. There was a fairly rich young man, based on how many chips he had and how well he was dressed, who was betting a fair amount of chips, though, when compared to his total, not very much.

There also seemed to be a family of four, a mother, father, son, and daughter, who were likely there on vacation and were just trying their luck for a bit of fun. Then there was a bum who looked like he had walked in from the streets. He didn't have very many chips, and he seemed desperate to win.

Caleb didn't know what the purpose of this little test was, but he immediately knew what his response would be. "Him." Caleb pointed to the street bum. The Devil looked intrigued. "He's got the most to lose." Maybe he didn't have much money, but that was exactly what made him the perfect victim. People who are broke are more desperate to get cash, and they'll be more likely to bet something more personal and valuable.

Caleb had never cared much about the money when it came to gambling. He did it for the thrill, and the power play of having somebody owe you long after a game was over because they bet something that they shouldn't have given up.

The Devil ducked his head slightly and chuckled deeply at his response. "I knew there was something I liked about you." The Devil tightened his grip around Caleb's shoulder. The man could feel the creature's claws dig into his skin, not enough to pierce through his skin, or even his suit, but enough for it to be noticeable and ever so slightly painful. "Something tells me you'll fit right in here, Dice."

Caleb looked around the casino and smirked slightly. It was certainly a place that he wouldn't mind getting used to. "I can't wait to get started, Boss."

A/N: Midway through writing this chapter I realized that every interaction that I had between King Dice and the Devil is in an almost flirtatious way. Apparently that's just the natural way that I write them, so I figured why fight against it? I don't yet know if I'll actually have them be an official thing in the story, but it'll definitely be implied plenty, so be aware of that for future chapters.