FFVI Short Story: "The Moment's Gamble: A Fateful Spin"

[R_3000]

At certain late hours of the evening there is a well-known establishment in the summits of the Northern Climes where men and women of all ages and walks of life assemble together for one common pursuit. Past the large gilded doors of its magnificent entryway, the bustle and clamor of the gambling house resound loudly into the night.

It was especially busy on one particularly darksome night.

Throughout its extravagant halls the tables of the gambling house were filled everywhere with the glitter of expectation and chance. The wishful eyes of the players roamed eagerly around the room, seeing everywhere in it riches of the brightest colors: ruby and jasmine and azure tokens arranged together in tall stacks—lying at some distance from where they were, but not seeming entirely out of reach—and curving in sleek, slender shapes that seduced their glance. Some gentlemen thought themselves lucky, having made a winning hand or rolled a winning pair of dice, and their sureness at this moment of standing in Fortune’s favor radiated unquestionably from their faces; and when they stopped their betting for a round or two to give themselves a chance to reflect upon this happy fact, looking away from the action at the table and around at the other sights in the room, they sometimes thought that they were being visited by another unexpected stroke of luck… some enchanting lady with eyes like daggers would suddenly look at them—and then she would look away. Sitting quietly at their tables, dressed in beautiful silk garments that draped lightly over their skin, the ladies minded their interests, searching the room for only that which they found exceptional, yet never bothering themselves with any one thing for too long. Between the men, the money, and the women, there were the tables, and it was here—atop their rich, tantalizing surfaces—that all the action of that enormous hall came to pass. And between the tables, there were the games.

Amid the lively commotion of the hall the gambler walked. His long white hair trailed behind him, gleaming over his shoulders like a stream of pearls, the dark black coat running long and swaying beneath it, reaching down to the curve of his ankles. He walked ahead slowly, knowing exactly what he wanted at that moment, and paid no attention to the amusements taking place elsewhere. Ahead, at the far corner of the gambling hall, stood the Royal Circle.

Marble floor turned to red carpet, and in its center, ringed by the card and dice tables, where ladies and gentlemen of all varieties of elegance and stature were playing, was the roulette table. At this table sat the men of impulse and decision, illustrious gentlemen of society who in their more conventional hours refused traffic with the common world. Finely polished, dark-suited, grim-faced, they solemnly surrounded the table, occasionally exchanging remarks about some minor point or occurrence, never at any considerable length and always with an air of indifference, their manners dignified and imposing, mindful not to waste any opportunity of demonstrating before others the magnitude of their distinction… and among them, inexplicably present, and gleaming in a luxurious red gown, one fair maiden quietly sat, like a lone rose.

The little roulette ball suddenly skipped, then bounced, then rattled into its pocket. The croupier paid out the few amounts to the winners, and then pulled in the rest. Next to the woman in the red gown a dark gentleman rose, the space before him empty on the table. He turned, making his way towards the entrance of the hall, his seat still drawn back from the table. No one stirred. The croupier finished clearing the table and began the next round, spinning the wheel and calling for bets from the players. The gambler walked over to the table.

The players debated a little, deciding on where to place their bets, hands flitting back and forth across the table’s surface, the roulette wheel quietly spinning round, as the gambler, watching, approached, turning the corner, catching the woman’s sudden, fleeting glance as he passed behind her towards the empty seat at her side, and sat down...

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