They are a good lucker, but a scoundrel. True they could be quite kind, benevolent even, but they loved breaking the rules and getting into mischief. They'd been kicked out of more casinos than they cared to count, and had been escorted from stations more than a few times for bilking people for their time via gambling. After all, it's hard to catch a lucker at such antics if you don't know they're a lucker!
Then they met a bad lucker whose bad luck was almost the exact polar opposite of their good. The two, oddly enough, became fast friends. The good luck began to struggle, but the bad luck didn't get into so much trouble, either. -- Lucky
Nice does not always mean good. Good does therefore not always mean nice. Consider the paradox of sailing through life with minimal consequences. Any gamble comes out as a win, any chance is not really that chancy. It's really easy for those without consequences to become... well... horrible. When life treats you and your actions as gold, there is therefore nothing wrong with anything you do.
It's easy to be worse than a scoundrel when one is a Good Lucker working the assorted casinos and gambling dens of the Edge Territories. Elin knew this and she kept to a strict set of rules: Leave when unwelcome, never break the bank, be generous, and be kind to those who have less luck. It wasn't as if she couldn't afford it. One of her lesser-known rules was, Always target the assholes, because those folks were in desperate need of a kharmic realignment.
She had a yacht, which contained all the possible luxuries that didn't oppress anyone else, enough Time to keep herself comfortable for more than one lifetime. She had any number of bedmates to entertain, an enviable lifestyle, and a will that would help out all the bad-luckers whose only company would ever be their cats. Those poor sods needed all the help they could get. And, in a way, they were her people. There but for the grace of the Powers...
She never for a moment thought that those selfsame gambling establishments would also hire Luckers. In this case, those who were bad luck for those in their immediate aura. If one person was making too many lucky wins, then the Bad Lucker would become their new best friend.
Dar literally fell into Elin's arms. They had a charming smile and an easy banter and it took four days at that casino to realise what was up. She had usually cleaned out as much as she wanted by then. Sure, she was still making a living, but not enough to match her previous pattern. Every time her luck faltered, Dar was nearby.
On the fourth day, Dar was looking more than a little fearful. They met Elin on her yacht and changed into some of Elin's spare clothes. Then they spoke in hushed tones. "You have to leave," Dar urged. "They're going to fire me or worse if you don't get out of here."
These were Edge Territories, and in an area that had its reasons to minimise the presence of people like Dar. "Worse" could cover a lot of acreage. "Why would they want to fire you? You're doing great at keeping me distracted..."
"No. Uhm. There's..." a hurried mumble, "there's something going wrong with my bad luck..."
"You're a lucker too?"
"Ssh! If they hear me confess it, I could get bur-- Wait."
"Let me help you escape," offered Elin. "There's plenty of room in my yacht and I get the feeling that they won't exactly miss you if you vanish. I can send you anywhere you want to go."
Dar said, "What if I want to stay with you?"
Elin thought about it, but she didn't have to think about it for very long. "That's an option, too."
Elin could continue with her general scam plans, but the options for bed-mates was gleefully limited. Dar was happier with less bad luck happening to them whenever Elin was around. In the meantime, while Elin was seeing to their financial security, they had a nice soft room to chill out in. Elin 'worked' less, returning to her yacht to make sure Dar didn't come to harm by eating or drinking anything.
Not that they ever had before, but love has a way of making fools of us all.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / BEEANDGLOW]
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