"Swallow Your Losses"
Previous Post: "And Away We Go" by Julian
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Stardate: 60320.1633
Setting: TANGIERS ORBITAL
Enaii sat at a video slot machine displaying curious pictures of green martians and flying saucers. It was absolutely absurd looking, and to think that humans had once believed in such creatures seemed almost incomprehensible. This was not what she felt like playing, yet Talia had displayed an interest in learning Blackjack and when the dealer offered to teach her, the child had insisted she was big enough to stay on her own. This particular slot machine, though incredibly boring to the Intel Operative, happened to be the best place for the mother to sit in order to keep a watchful eye on her child without the girl knowing.
Her identification card that named her as a VIP preferred customer was firmly lodged into the slot at the top of the machine, a twisty red cord attached it to her belt so that it could not be forgotten or stolen, though in this place the latter was almost unheard of. Spin after spin, she pressed the button labelled 'max bet', barely watching as the computerized images flashed along the screen. She was pretty sure she was losing money, but it really didn't matter to her much at this moment.
From the looks of things, her daughter was doing pretty well in her lessons. The Operative actually found it odd that the girl had chosen a game of math over one of the more flashy options like Roulette or Dabo. She made a mental note to increase the frequency of her child's Science and Math tutoring with Maya upon their return to the ANUBIS.
Turning briefly to see the amount of credits lost thus far, Enaii was stunned to realise she had only lost 400 up until now, for as long as she had been playing she must have won a few small pots along the way that she hadn't noticed. Looking back to her child in time to see the girl give her own VIP customer card to the dealer and he in turn pushed a small pile of chips across the table to her. The woman's curiosity peaked, she watched intently as her child placed a conservative bet on the table and waited for the cards to be dealt.
Hand after hand, for almost a half an hour, Enaii watched from a distance as Talia won and lost her hands, the girl seemed to require no further tutelage from the dealer and the rest of her table had slowly filled out. To her own relief, Talia had not needed another infusion of chips after the first set she had bought and was still working on the bunch she had purchased in the beginning. Slowly, the girl's pile diminished, until only two chips remained. Hopping off her stool, the girl frugally pocketed one of the disks while handing the other across the low velvet cord as a tip for the dealer. Standing still, the girl waited patiently for her mother to return to her side.
After only seconds, Enaii arrived at her daughter's location and took the girl's hand in her own. "Did you win?"
Talia shook her head, all the while smiling at the dealer who still watched the child affectionately. "No, but I have fun."
The Operative grinned at her child. "Fun is good Talia, but next time try to win."
The small child looked crookedly at her mother as if trying to decipher some hidden meaning. Finally the girl spoke, "Next time I win," she announced before adding, "Next time I buy food."
The mother actually smiled briefly, something that at least one member of the crew was surprised to see her do publicly, and replied, "Was that a hint? Are you hungry?"
Talia rubbed her stomach and licked her lips. "I is little ungry."
Enaii shook her head, "After all the food you ate on the way here…"
"Hey!" The girl argued as she strongly tugged her mother's hand and headed toward a nearby snack table, "I… is… growing!"
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Writing the hopes, dreams and future of:
Lieutenant Commander Enaii - Intelligence Liaison Officer
And if you see no reason for giving thanks, rest assured that the fault is in yourself. 2005 post #160
Lisa Mac Isaac {lisa_mac_isaac@hotmail.com}
USS ANUBIS
~~Chief Tecumseh 1813
