His own eyebrow arched in response, the curve of his mouth turning downright coy. "With skill and a bit of luck," he said. "I don't tend to lose— maybe I've got a guardian angel." He could practically hear Jean's eyes rolling from— well, from however far away Karthain was from this fucking place. A guardian angel in the form of the lightest fingers this side of Shades' Hill, his friend's phantom voice chided him.

It dampened his mood slightly, thinking of Jean. But whatever had happened to Locke— and he wasn't certain, still, that this wasn't a wine-soaked dream he'd wake from as soon as it got interesting— he made as seldom a habit of being daunted by circumstance as he did of losing at cards.

Besides, he'd just made a new friend— it'd be rude to get all maudlin on him before they'd gotten properly soused off of other people's money. "Come watch the magic happen," he intoned, clapping his new companion on the shoulder. "And tell me your name, while we're at it. I'm Lucano."