Tony stands with his weight always balanced on the balls of his feet, as if the floor might suddenly become a dance step or an escape route. His ears flare through a dense cap of curls, and his smile arrives a fraction before the rest of his face. His hands are broad-knuckled and permanently polished by years of spinning chips; their fingertips bear tiny pale calluses, and he drums them in roulette rhythms on any surface. He moves in quick, compact pivots rather than a straight walk, leaving the impression of a man who is already halfway through his next sentence. Unexpectedly, he keeps a tiny, meticulously mended bird's nest tucked inside his coat, protecting it with the tenderness of a shrine.

Tony is generous when no one is keeping score and mercilessly competitive when they are. He loves an audience but distrusts applause, and his breezy patter can turn into blunt honesty when someone is being cornered. In a good mood he makes strangers feel like old friends; when ashamed, he becomes louder and busier, trying to smother the moment with jokes.

Tony learned odds at his aunt's traveling fair, where a painted wheel and a fast mouth paid for supper. He became a skilled operator, then a cheat, then a man who told himself the distinction depended on whether the mark could afford the loss. Years ago, during a winter famine, he rigged a game against a miller who had been hoarding grain. The crowd won the grain, but the miller's young daughter was caught in the crush and badly hurt. Tony used his winnings to pay for her care, yet the memory ended his belief that a clever trick could always be made harmless. He now travels tavern to tavern with Pixey, a fae who trades curses for betting chips. Their arrangement began when Tony tried to cheat Pixey and accidentally wagered his own shadow; Pixey returned it for a promise that Tony would carry her bargains to mortals. He is still trying to find a way to dissolve that promise without betraying the people who have already taken Pixey's offers. His sister, a fairground cook, writes to him regularly and insists he come home before his luck runs out.