Casinos

A Lambdadelta and Ikuko Hachijo oneshot

Casinos weren't always her thing, but Ikuko did happen to run one.

It was her annual visit to her casino, and as usual, she blinked nonchalantly at the sight of fat, rich men and badly dressed women laughing with joy at the smallest victory that their luck could get them. Ikuko sighed at the sounds of the slot machines blaring across the place, clicked her tongue at the sight of a person who had recently lost his house and bit her lip in sheer ignorance at the smell of money in the air. Her father had passed on the business to her, but all Ikuko wanted was a roof over her head, food in the fridge, a toilet, a bathroom, a bedroom, high-speed internet and a laptop. She did, after all, wish for a simple life, and this was considered a small price to pay for her freedom.

But really, who knew that she was the owner of such a morbid place?

The dim yellow lights illuminated the place, and strangely enough, the casino had attracted many from far and wide, rich and poor. Ikuko could catch the scent of champagne and beer mixed together, and well, of course, that was a weird concoction from a drunk woman beside her. No one ever knew Ikuko; she only dropped by at the casino once a year, after all.

She really should be back home writing the last chapter of her latest novel. And maybe eat some of those instant noodles that she had bought three years back-

Oh. They must have expired by now.

Ikuko heaved her umpteenth sigh.

Russian Roulette. Slots. Poker. Blackjack. They're everywhere. The scent of money, drunk people, rich people, poor people; every person from all levels of society were trying their luck in Hachijo Ikuko's little casino. There were smokers, drinkers, and Ikuko wrinkled her nose in an attempt to get away as smoothly as she can until...

Ikuko saw her.

A girl with red ribbons on her short, blonde hair was trying her luck in a poker game.

She did look rather small. Young, even. Too young to even be playing, too young to even be here. And there the girl was in all her glory, her confident red eyes gazing nicely upon her cards, that black feather boa resting at her elbows like a shawl, and her poker face was just perfect. Her opponents were mainly men in their 40s, and instantly, Ikuko knew that they couldn't stand a chance against her.

And wait...Was that a black garter at her right leg?

Way too young, but very tasteful in clothes, Ikuko thought.

Ikuko watched her for a while, and the girl truly was an expert. In a few minutes, she sent them crying, banging their hands on the table as she walked away with a smile. To Ikuko, she truly shone in the casino, and after she was away from the table, she sighed, giggled to herself and headed for the bar.

Then, Ikuko found herself walking towards the girl, smiling at her and opening her mouth to speak to her.

"Would you like a drink, miss?" Ikuko asked with her signature charming smile, but the girl gave her a different reaction than what she expected. Ikuko thought that she might agree with a nice smirk on her face, but she found herself being dragged by the girl hurriedly.

"Mmhm!~ I'm in a good mood today, so since you've brought it up, I should thank you, yes?~ Drinks are on me!~ What do you want to drink?" Expertly, the blonde-haired wonder propped herself on the stool, leaned against the counter and slurred, "One margarita, Battler! And don't mess it up!"

Ah.

Apparently, it sounds that she's a regular.

"Geez, relax, Lambda," the spiky redheaded young adult behind the counter sighed as he proceeded to make her one. "I've been making margaritas for you for two years, and you think that I'm actually gonna mess it up?"

Lambda, as she was called, pointed at his hair with a straight face. "You messed up your hair. I think there's a high possibility that you can mess up my drink, no?"

"Lambdadelta, if you keep this up, I'm really gonna spike your drink," Battler thwacked her forehead.

"O-Ow! What was that for? Fine, you incompetent fool, I'll tell Beato on you! I'll tell her that you've been hanging out with Berune last Thursday, and that you've been hanging out with Asune last-"

Battler's hand clamped on her mouth. "DON'T! Lambda, please, don't!"

Lambda took his hand from her mouth, wrinkling up her nose in the process. "Hmm...maybe if you bow down and beg me, then I might consider not telling~ But for the meantime, make my friend her a drink, mm?~"

Ikuko smiled up at Battler. "I'll have a Bloody Mary."

Battler saluted. "Alright, ladies. I'll have them whipped up for you in no time."

As Battler left, Ikuko then turned to Lambda, extending her hand for her to shake. "I'm Hachijo Ikuko. Owner of this casino. Pleasant to meet you, Miss Lambdadelta."

At that, Lambdadelta smirked. "Takano Lambdadelta. Heiress to the Takano Group. I'm sure you know about it."

The Takano Group...That was indeed impressive. It was a group which owned gas stations all around the country, and Ikuko had concluded that this heiress had class. Wit. Charm.

The perfect girl.

"I've seen you play," Ikuko spoke with a velvet-like smile. "You were very impressive."

"This casino is one of my pleasures in life," Lambdadelta nodded. Battler served their drinks, and Lambdadelta took a small, elegant sip of her margarita. "So I would like to thank you further, Miss Hachijo~ For creating such a beautiful casino~ I mean," to which, Lambdadelta licked her lips oh-so-slowly, "without it, I would be rotting in boredom. And your books, ah, your books! They were just heavenly to read!"

Boredom. Ah.

Apparently, she shared her own views on life. And read her books.

"Thank you very much, but I believe that I am not worthy of such praise. So you oppose boredom as well," Ikuko smiled, drinking her Bloody Mary.

"Mmhm~" Lambdadelta smiled confidently. "I love the attention on me. I live to win. I love it when their faces contort in horror at the fact that I keep winning~ Don't you like it too, Miss Ha~chi~jo?~"

Oh my. She's terribly coy.

Ikuko decided that she liked it.

"Well then, Miss Lambdadelta," Ikuko smiled, leaning closer to Lambdadelta's ear to whisper her intentions, "I can make all that boredom go away. And I can give you more attention than you've ever imagined. How about it?~"

Lambdadelta took her glass, and as Ikuko went away from her ear, she clinked her glass with Ikuko's with a smirk on her face.

"Russian Roulette before bed?~"

Ikuko's smile couldn't get any wider than that.

A/N: A little oneshot~ FFFFF I SHOULD BE WORKING ON MY PORTFOLIOS NOW HAHAHA MAGU WHY

-Densetsu-no-Maguro.