Counting a Win

Posted on Fri 24th Aug, 2018 @ 2:03pm by Elizabeth Anderson M.D.

735 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Oblivion
Location: Hunt's Casino, Deck 1553
Timeline: MD 13 2250

"Sounds like somebody won," Damion said as a muffled cheer went up beyond the control room door. He scanned the lightboard.

"Hm. There's a temperature spike and--yep--light output degradation. Output's down to 50% and should be at least 70%. Let me see what's up with the temperature." He recalibrated his scanner. "Looks like a bad string. You would think, since these things all come out of an industrial replicator, that they'd have better consistency."

Damion opened a supply cabinet and took a strand of orange lights from it. He checked the strand to make sure that it was made to standard and nodded his satisfaction after a moment. "Best to replace this before it completely goes out." He called for the custodian to bring a ladder to the wall nearest the rear rank of slot machines. "Thanks for the heads-up, Mr. Pra'shekun."

Upon exiting the control room, Damion went to the section of wall where the LEDs were obviously flickering. He arrived just as someone brought a ladder and soon began to take down the dysfunctional lighting string, replacing it with the new one.

Damion was climbing down from the ladder when he happened to notice a particular woman with light-brown hair moving toward him. He pretended not to see her, however, and instead closed the ladder and leaned it against a wall. He spoke into his wrist-com to alert the custodian that he was finished using the ladder and surveyed his work. Damion made a note to himself to add the LED lighting to his list of things at the casino needing to be regularly checked.

Elizabeth stopped behind the baccarat table, a game she hadn't monitored yet. While ostensibly observing the use of what her database told her was called a shoe, she was able to see Damion, as well. He was obviously working this evening, and she wouldn't speak unless he spoke to her first, but she could enjoy watching him work. It would be the rare human who could discern that her attention was not completely on the game in front of her.

Damion took a casual course toward the half-circle-shaped table. He had no idea what sort of game was played there, save that it involved cards rather than dice. Maybe that meant it required more in the way of intelligence to play.

"Hello, Ma'am," Damion said in his Corin accent, which was purely Turkanan, as he passed. "Enjoying the casino?"

While seeming absorbed in the game, Elizabeth had been aware of every move Damion made, with a flutter of happiness as she realized he was drawing nearer. Casually, she glanced at him. "I am," she said. "It's something completely new to my experience, and rather exciting.
I suppose you have to be working, but maybe you'll have a chance to enjoy it at another time."

"I hope I'll have someone as lovely as yourself to enjoy it with," Damion replied, breaking into a smile. And then he whispered under his breath, "I'm off in half an hour."

Elizabeth smiled back. Her hearing was excellent, and even in the crowd, she picked up his words. Her heart dared to hope that he meant he'd be coming to see her, so she let him know her plans. "Thank you for that compliment. I'm actually working, but I'll be going home shortly. I hope the rest of your shift goes well."

Anyone listening would think it an ordinary conversation between strangers, but she didn't detect any listening devices near enough to overhear them. Still, she probably wasn't the only one with excellent hearing.

"Interesting place to work," Damion said. "You'll meet all kinds here. Enjoy your evening, Ma'am." He walked away humming under his breath as he looked forward to what the evening promised.

Elizabeth brought her attention back to the punto banco baccarat game in time to see the shoe pass to the highest winning bettor, and one player move his chair back, thank the other players, and leave the table. Smart man Elizabeth thought, quickly totalling his losses, and mildly surprised to discover he'd actually walked away with a few more slips of latinum than he started.

This game would require more of her attention ... next time. For now, she was ready to leave herself, having neither won nor lost anything during the evening ... unless one counted the win of spending time with Damion shortly. And she did.

 

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