Gambling, as far as Levi Jones has seen, is for the very rich and the very poor. He happens to fall into the latter category (just barely, though-- he actually makes enough to get by). He doesn't really have the money to spare for poker and roulette, but there's always that tiny voice in his head telling him he'll win big eventually.

And god, he wants to win big. One spin of the roulette wheel, one well-chosen number, and he could quit his little fast-food job, get out of his dingy apartment, and maybe start living the life he's wanted for years. But so far he isn't having any luck. You have to bet big to win big, and Levi honestly can't afford it.

He's trying, anyway. Levi is poised next to a roulette table, a single ten-dollar chip on his lucky number twenty-four. That's maybe and hour and a half of work, about to go spiraling down the drain. He's entranced by the little ball clacking around the roulette wheel-- slowing-- slowing-- and finally landing on sixteen. Scowling, he takes a step back from the table. Gotta know when to walk away if you're a gambler. When the next call for bets comes, he stays a good distance away. No, he does not need to risk more hard-earned money.

Still, there's another tenner burning a hole in his pocket. One more bet can't hurt...

He resists the temptation, but lingers by the table to watch the next spin of the wheel. Clack-clack-clack... The ball stops on twenty-four.

...Hell no. He spins on his heel and heads for the exit, and heaven help anyone who gets in his way.

Niyati likes coming here. The rush of Want is almost overpowering, heady and somewhat addicitive. Of course, she's selective. Not everyone will get lucky tonight because of her. She'll stay away from addicts, that would be simply unproductive. Niyati can grant luck, and whatever is acheived with that luck while it lasts is permanent. Although luck is tricky and never lasts for more then two hours, so her timing must be good.

This time, it had been awful. The luck had been bestowed just as the man had decided to leave the table.

She leans forward to watch the roulette ball stop on twenty four with a wince, because she knows this time her gift will only be a knife in the man's side. Niyati feels bad. The fact is, she often makes small blunders like this.

The dress she wears is a soft, cornflower blue, tucking under her bust and flowing out from there, curving with her hips and falling to her knees. Her dark hair is twisted up and held in place by an unseen plethora of hairpins. The bangles that decorate each arm are all silver, some softly engraved and twisted, some thick, some thin. Like always, as she moves to step into Levi's path, they make a sweet, low tinkling sound, like little bells in the distance.

"I saw that." Her voice holds that same musical-bell quality to it too, as does her laughter. "Let me buy you a drink to make up for it." She's truly trying to apologize, although he can't know that, or understand. He might construe it as her hitting on him, but Niyati doesn't paticularly care.

He scowls at Niyati and stops in his tracks. The plan is to get out of the casino without hurting anything-- but the plan quickly changes when he encounters someone unexpected. Now he's forcing an insincere smile onto his lips.

"Just my luck," he tells her with a shrug. "I'm almost used to it by now." He shoves his hands in his pockets to stop himself from fidgeting the way he normally does when faced with a girl offering to buy him a drink. "If you really want to waste money on me, I'm not going to argue-- but you don't have to."

Levi is puzzled, to be honest. For maybe half a second he'd wondered if she was hitting on him, but that idea was discarded. He doesn't think any sane girl with decent eyesight would be attracted to him. (But then, his self esteem is practically in the negative numbers.) Maybe it really is just his bad luck attracting attention.

Niyati winces slightly, if only because she knows she is partly to blame for his bad temper.

"Luck is a tricky thing." Wouldn't she know?

"Not wasted at all." Even if it is only for the selfish reason of soothing her own conscience. She can atleast convince herself she is also doing it for his sake. Maybe she is.

It's hard to seperate what you'll do for your conscience for what your doing to just be nice. Although Niyati supposed she had to have something to feel guilty about. Which, she supposed she did. Through all this reasoning she supposed this was somewhat self involved.

But it was that secret self involved that only she could know about really.

Niyati led them to the bar, slipping onto one of the fashionably high stools. It had taken some pratice thanks to her height, but she managed it now without looking like a five year old.

Although her feet didn't quite touch the ground unless she perched on the edge. "Niyati." She offered, "What do you drink?"

"I don't think lady luck likes me, "Levi says with a shrug. "Maybe I should send her flowers or something."

He follows her to the bar and slides onto one of the barstools, careful to keep his elbows tucked close where they can't hit anyone. Levi looks out of place, like he doesn't normally hang around bars. Honestly, he doesn't-- gambling is his vice, not alcohol.

"Niyati?" He tests the unfamiliar name out. "That's unique. I'm Levi-- you know, like the jeans." Even as a baby he was unlucky-- how else would he wind up with such a lame name? "Coke's fine. Pepsi. Whatever."

Well, she can't deny that she doesn't visit her fair share of clubs. She also can't deny that all she ever orders is water. Not that she doesn't enjoy her wine once in a while, but public drinking scenes aren't her thing. She likes to keep her wits about her when drunk men start making racial slurrs. Niyati orders the water and pepsi and turns her attention back onto Levi.

"Thanks. Flowers never hurt." She grinned, imagining what it'd be like, just for a moment, if she started selling luck, or revealed herself as some Godess of Luck.

As Lady Luck herself.

Well, she might incurr the wrath of some of the higher-ups, and she would probably acquire a whole club of creeper stalkers. Fifteen minutes of fame and then the governemtn would come after her, wanting to run some tests.

She shakes her head slightly to dispell the thought and picks up the water upon its delivery, holding it aloft in the hand whose elbow rests on the bar.

"If you keep loosing, why do you keep coming back? Addicted?" Alright, maybe she's being a tad blunt, but Niyati was never one to be incredibly coy.

Levi would just laugh if she said she was lady luck. After all, Niyati is far too nice to be the person who tortures him with his number coming up the instant he steps away. Besides, he doesn't really believe in gods or whatever-- if there was a higher power, he hoped it would treat him better.

"The laws of probability say I'll win eventually," he says lamely. It's his nice solid excuse for whenever people get too nosy. He's not addicted addicted-- he wouldn't sell a kidney for gambling money (well, maybe if he got really desperate...)-- but he spends more than he ought to in the casino.

He sips at his pepsi, not wanting to look ungrateful. "Twenty-four has to come up sometime. As long as I keep my money on it, I'll win sometimes."