Her laugh roamed through that empty hall, surprising everyone but the croupier as she kept the cards, collected, back to the place in the deck of the lay center of the table
Of course, it startled Zera and Hatim, though, their reactions were complete opposites, Zera when stunned had wide eyes open and closing synchronized, gazing at what it is the reason the Empress of the Red Line laughed violently as if nothing halts her anymore to which the young lad, Warrior, just a few step further he stands, mayhaps, stunned, knows when that of a tale of life reaches its conclusion. Even though he, yet stood far from that destination of his, he saw enough folks, to comprehend that lifting weight which he may never experience himself, Hatim merely stood at nothing on his face. As minutes passed by, Rose felt thankful to them, of course, this past hour for her was as if raspberry on her lips. Yet as the smile wry curled when her heavenly eyes finally spun to that middle deck of cards laying in between her and The Man Beneath Black Cloak, yes, she was thankful for having ever met the Gladiator lad and young child who wore clothes cultures in southern Melidiona, the southern of this country. Indeed she was thankful yet nonetheless, the reason greater than herself exists, the loyalty she knows lad carries within his roots, a true Warrior who will never go back on his words, never will he ever betray, she perhaps knows that as well as the foe before her, and losing it would most probably ruin little yet insane strength to their assets. The game continued, card after card they drew, although Rose wasn't only stringing mere Green Cards but fairly whatever laid beneath this time around. Zera intimated, unknown, and forth she looked to Athena's victory since this was the fair game, that she longed for the past hour. She gazes over to the gate, hoping to see Ark but finds a few mere shadows far beside the gate, as further suddenly her gaze roamed in every corner of the hall, and realized they were shadows, guards across all the points her eyes could wander, now, made her even more nervous. In the flaming fire, large candles within the chandelier above them sent waves of heat when the gust of wind halted suddenly, as of course the skeptical weather continues in the City of Marina. After all, felt it hot in just mere minutes whereas it was cold winds moments ago, it was as if even the essence of the sky whispered something that remained unheard. Meanwhile, Zera's snake-ish gapes leaped to Rose and Athena in sync, one after another when they picked the card every single time, again after again, it leaped, hoped, feared, it leaped unknown yet confident. Until merely two cards remained, finally the conclusion was forth, whether they win and proceed or lose it all here and now, nothing more, nothing less, and she understood this is the turning point of her life amongst walking on her journey to find her father, that yet remains far from reach. For ample moments maybe or maybe not, everything froze or that was their halt. Rose and Athena didn't move a muscle but stared at each other, Empress of Red Line watched what was hidden so terrifying that her gaze couldn't penetrate it while the Lady of Olympia as if knows what resides beneath the next card, she gaze over to that croupier, that commoner who just exist to do these ludicrous little games to feed what little family remains of her, but there was an intuition she acquires, it was a mere hunch and the possibility to win the game of Rose. And so, the hand of Athena glided through the air, as the fingers touched it.
"Red Card…" Zera's lips spelt terror when flipped the card in the palm of Lady of Olympia and moved on with Rose taking the final card which of course, was the Black, Joker Card. A sudden hush occurs, quiet as even despite the chandelier above head, with the fires sparking within that echoing faint, heavy breaths could be heard. In the silence of agony, with each passing second, Zera loses hope with heavy steps as if falling to a cliff in the abyss of eternal despair. Her eyes merge with a nightmare, nothing beyond, losing to burning images of everything she ever has, Mother, Cleo, Hatim even and will long, that mysterious silhouette of her father, for merely seconds and were yet eternity it occurs when none uttered a word. Never she knew the true despair would be as such she didn't even hear the phrases until it was spoken trice, awakening amidst.
"I'd love to continue," Rose spoke once after twice. Yanked those words her eyes back to Rose, the Empress of the Red Line. Despair yet remains in such an innocent gaze that may carry that tint of black, as the snake has. "Haha, look at you! Just for that fear, I will love to continue to the third match, please." Spun the lavender bliss that one calls eyes to that black hood, cloak mayhaps, and saw nothing but slight shimmering something green within.
She Blinks.
Her emerald eyes glow and sang prosperity as if
As if Athena knows her strategy, after all, worked, yet despite the opponent standing on what she called the pinnacle, exists as nothing but a mere human with limitless desire, yet lost as a soul, broken into the mist of unfortunate, that at the end of graceful nights, never arose as victors. Beneath that cloak she rolled her emerald eyes, to a certain someone beside her, behind her, before gazing that to foe sat before. Rose mayhaps called her own doom, in sheer sobriety of power she has, or perhaps, she genuinely thought of an idea to feel such emotions for a few more seconds, not that it was foolish to her but the confidence in her luck. "I would accept your generous offer, Empress of the Red Line." Athena beneath the hood spoke, emitting somewhat that little confidence when reached the lad's ears, it felt appalled. Hope arose in the depth agony whelmed eyes, she, the young innocent one looked back at the game, the white and grandiose palm of Athena as it glides back to the middle deck before the croupier took it and set anew, just then warmth sneaked into their sitting air, mayhaps, the chandelier was burning the atmosphere more than they realized but who could have thought it resides the ultimate truth.
The croupier spun her gaze over to the troupe of three, unusual they occur. The three, appear as if from different worlds, the values they emit, carry different notions as individual souls that may perhaps never be aligned with each other, and yet they stand alongside. Countless days have passed when she wonders the world of out must be different, as them, filled with wonders never could be imagined. These bounds sure suffocate when the acceptance is she never going to step out of the bounds of this tiny town crippled through the chains of Mighty Red Line. But at the end of the day, even if the wonders exist, only her eyes could witness them. As she thinks, her rough carved hands had set the final deck and as she sways them to the middle of that brown polished liquor table, the cool windy gales barge in yet, not swaying a single card, as if they are perfectly set resonating her years of experience, it tingles, mayhaps every journey does, even the insignificant ones.
The third match begins.
"So…young one. Hows days are there in Melidiona?" Without a hint of desperation, Rose, of Red Line spoke aloud, ringing in each and everyone's ears except one. As her lavender eyes pointed like needles at Zera asking about the origin of her clothes. "You know I am from Melidiona…? How?" Lived through the agony of losing it all, just when her eyes finally were not viewing the world in the blank, Rose of bliss, surprised her. She blinks a few times, wondering if the child is genuinely innocent or perhaps she put on a show, although the first one made more sense. "I know everything." Those magnificent gazes drool fake yet it occurs wonderous to the little one. Not that it scared her but only curious it arose in her black like those of snake stares that for a moment she forgets about the current. "Dara…still rules over it," Rose, not one bit fascinated, swirls her lavender blissful eyes and darts at the middle deck of the cards, of course, she was drawing first. "Fortis. Such a stupid idea… it must be nice for you people…" She takes pause just when her hand finally reaches the card, which was Green, she leans back to her luxurious throne of jewels and gold. "To have a figure as great as him, the Redhead, burgundy I mean…" Good? Good, she calls. Zera once again found herself in anger just when overcoming that agony, yet, it didn't overtake her composure. "Fortis. Those people make Meliodona suffocating, unbearable and hard to live in, torturing anyone going against them. Forcing people to work. You call it Good…?" With those lips as if whispering, spokes, Rose halts, blinks, and smiles faintly. "Kid…at least you have a guardian." Her solemn smile had some meaning if none. "Well, let me tell you something that I have never told anyone. Just Between the four of us." Rose energetically raised her voice when her eyes of lavender gleamed faintly as if a lost sparkle shone at last–once again–after countless days and so she uttered with the unveiling of one secret of her life. "I and Dara were childhood friends."