Black Fifteen
#7 of Writing Prompt
Another of my writing group's weekly prompts. This was last week's, and it was "Where do we go from here?" I suspect most people went a completely different route, and I don't blame them, but I decided to go with something more light-hearted!
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Lewis burped loudly, patting his almost-too-full stomach with a colorfully-striped paw. The prices had been outrageous, but that was to be expected with any restaurant awarded three Michelin Stars. There had been no less than twelve courses in the meal, each with its own wine pairing. Each course, though small, combined over three hours to make a surprisingly filling meal. The food was as much a pleasure for the sight, and smell as the taste, and only the best chefs could have pulled off the masterpiece that each plate was.
Brioche served as cloud of foam atop an egg custard, paired with onions and capers prepared as an aspic; delicate bites of abalone wrapped with green almond served in oyster shells with kombu crackers sprinkled on top; lobster curry tempered with dots of coconut, pearls of grapefruit, and a candied cauliflower. These were just some of the extravagantly prepared, and presented in ways previously unimaginable to the couple. The tiger's favorite had to have been the whipped concotion of cream, sugar, and blueberry that had been made to look like a translucent cream on a bed of duck liver and cheese.
Seamus, who normally would have jokingly chided the tiger for such manners in public, just grunted and leaned against his partner's arm. "I don't think I'm going to eat for a week."
Lewis held onto his mate's arm, guiding them both down the steps towards the exit. "It was certainly money well spent, that's for sure. We'll have to go again if we ever come back."
The doors on this side of the restaurant opened into the main atrium of the casino that was attached to their hotel room. A lot of the finer hotels and dining establishments along this strip were paired with the casinos in none-too-subtle attempt to draw people towards the tables and machines to spend more money.
"Definitely. I'd rather spend a few hundred on an unfortgetable meal than waste it all on slots or something," the bear mumbled in that post-meal, tired haze.
"Oh, psh. I mean, I agree, but I still enjoy playing cards or something with friends," Lewis said.
Seamus snorted, lips turning up at the corners. "That's cause you win all the time. Besides, gambling at a casino and playing with friends are two entirely separate things. At a casino you're basically just throwing it away for nothing. And it's usually all luck, and no skill! Just seems so wasteful."
The bigger tiger chuckled and put an arm around his bear. "So, you just don't like the amount of luck involved."
"Cards are one thing, but like... roulette, right?" the bear pointed off towards one of the roulette tables as they walked, shaking his head. "That's just pure luck. Sure, you can increase your odds, but you have no control over the outcome whatsoever."
Lewis pursed his lips, eying the tables as they passed. "Maybe, but it can be fun. And my luck has always been good. Let's get it a shot, eh? Just one."
"What? You're joking, right?" Seamus protested as the tiger took his paw and started pulling him towards the table. "I don't even have any cash on me."
"Don't worry, I've got a twenty."
"A twenty?! Oh come on." Seamus sighed as he watched the tiger step up to the table and fish out his wallet.
Lewis flashed the bear a grin as he handed the bill over to the croupier. He was given four bronze chips with the number 5 stamped on them. "Alright hon. Give me a spot to pick."
Seamus' eyes widened and he looked down at the mat with its myriad of choices. "Uh, I don't even have the faintest idea what to pick. You've got the luck, anyway, not me."
"Fine, fine. Red or black?" Lewis asked.
"Black," the bear said, puffing his chest out pridefully at his own dark fur.
Lewis stacked the four chips together, leaned over, and put them on Black 15.
"All of it?! Not just one? You could do four tries!" Seamus protested.
Lewis laughed and put an paw on Seamus' cheek, giving it a gentle pat. "Nah. It's fine. Don't worry."
"Hmph."
The rest of the people at the table got their chips out before the croupier released the small, metal ball into the roulette wheel.
Neither the tiger nor bear had ever actually been to a roulette table, and both were surprised at how long that ball spun around the outside edge. As the wheel began to slow down, the ball descended the outer wall until it came in contact with one of the ridges along the base where the numbers were. It dinked and doinked off of each metal spacer, and the couple held their breath, waiting for it to finally come to rest.
With one final bounce the metal ball slid down into the slot marked with Black 15 and both Lewis and Seamus leapt into the air and threw their arms around each other, laughing hysterically at their luck.
Lewis held his head high as he walked away from the table holding seven hundred dollars in chips, his mate at his side with a rather smug grin as well. "That was amazing. Doesn't pay for the trip, but certainly takes a big chunk out of it."
Seamus nodded and gave his tiger's rump a conspicuous squeeze. "Definitely does. I can see why some people keep doing it."
"Mhm. So," Lewis paused and looked around the casino with a devious grin on his face. "Where do we go from here?"
The bear narrowed his eyes and then tugged on Lewis' arm. "To cash that in and go back to the room. Don't push your luck, buster."