what, i can't have layers?

She let go of Behrad to elbow her way in close to the table. There, she could hear more of the conversation.

"Bet you he won't even last fifteen seconds-"

"Why even bet on a different death? They all get blown up anyways-"

"So no one wants to even try to bet on him making it? Come on, maybe he'll be the one-"

"They're never the one, Kimmy-"

Astra cleared her throat loudly. The conversation slowed as two of the time travelers turned to them.

"What are the odds?" she asked them.

One of them, a woman who looked right out of a bad 80s sci-fi, said, "Currently, best odds are on him making it 30 seconds out there. The guy's got potential, but not too much."

Her companion, a man who looked like he'd eaten a lemon and was dressed the same color as one, added, "Better get in soon, it's about to be his turn."

"We should probably play it safe this first run, just to see how it turns out," Behrad said to her, keeping his voice low.

"I thought you'd be more up for risks now," Astra joked.

"Yeah, but owing money to a bunch of time travelers might not be great."

If she knew she’d been coming here, she would have made a detour to her vault and grabbed some of her better ones. But she plucked out her Caligula coin and placed it in the yellow man’s hand.

He held it, trying to scrutinize it in the dim lighting. "A genuine soul coin. I haven't seen one of these in ages! How did you get your hands on one of these?"

"I have my ways," she said. She could imagine not a lot of people from Hell made their way to this kind of place.

The 'Now Serving' sign flipped from 70 to 71 and The Fixed Point started to gather around the footage displayed on the wall. Astra felt Behrad grip her arm as they looked up towards the screen, watching the attempt.

"Are you counting the seconds?" she asked him.

"I was," Behrad told her. "But it's been less than thirty."

"Damnit."

They both winced as the guy ate shit and blew up. The yellow man stood up with a notepad. "For everyone who bet on 30 seconds, come get your prize."

"Yes!" Astra said. "You really do make a good lucky charm."

Behrad tried to play it cool as he said, "I think you can thank the odds for that," but she could still see him grinning.

All the money that had been put in was split, but she got back her Caligula coin. She scooped up the assorted bills and coins that had been slid her way - not much, but it was more that she'd come in with.

Astra tucked a bill that looked like an old fashioned franc into Behrad's blazer and patted it. "That's your cut."

"I'd kinda been hoping for more," he said, plucking the bill out.

"When we win more, I'll hand it over." She looked over at Nate and Sara. "Do you think she'll be mad if I bet on her attempt?"

"Mm, probably," Behrad said. He gestured over to the table, where people were already starting to put in their bets again. "But I bet you can collect all of this with our insider information."

With a grin, Astra lowered her voice. "'Cause they don't know the captain is grenade-proof."

"Exactly."