Roman Roulette - Countryhumans America x China

Smoke

Ah, this is life. I was currently sitting on a plush chair, eating breakfast, and soaking in the scenic panorama that unfolds around the city. As the thick glass and walls keep sound from penetrating through, and if some do, the carpet muffles stray noises. There was a hum in my ears from the absence of sound and the brain had to make up for it.

My ample complimentary breakfast consisted of three trays including sliced roasted ham, pork sausages with ketchup, scrambled eggs, three pastries filled with cheese and cherries, a danish basket, toast, half a grilled tomato, slices of cantaloupe, pieces of pineapple, and blueberries. Add a cup of dark coffee and a tall glass of apple juice, and my perfect platter was all set. You'd better believe it all fit in my stomach. I learned that the organ can be stretched and shrunk in times of need or want. If practised, naturally.

I was alone for now since Mexico only agreed to accompany me, not to superglue himself to my shadow and follow me around. I understood that he too would like to explore the area at his own pace, and we acknowledged this during our dinner two evenings ago. He disappeared early this morning, as I could hear the racket he made as he noisily came out of the suite to eat out alone. Or whatever else he was doing.

I had drawn up a few plans to make the most of my time, making sure to edit and revise it before I headed out west. As I had been here before, I didn't necessarily want to see the main tourist attractions, instead opting for picturesque views that the wild areas satisfied my newly formed obsession with dramatic nature photography. But that would have to wait till tomorrow since today would be dedicated to different things. Before setting out, I made sure to publish all the pictures I had already taken onto my social media account. After all, who am I without my internet publicity?

I picked out an outfit befitting my activities today, taking out a light pink summer dress with flowers on it. I paired it with a pretty, white sombrero type hat with a wide brim and cork heeled shoes. With this style, I would easily fit into the types of people I would be mingling with during the day. I planned to hover around the general area of the casinos today, not that I was interested in gambling. Probably.

I made my way down to the crowded lobby, where it seemed that it was always dark, and out into the main street, which was always light. The city looked a little more deflated, with many residents and guests still asleep from the previous night's festivities that seem to happen every night, but especially so, when it was widely known that the owners of Krasna-Giorno were taking up residence on the topmost floor of their hotel. I thought of walking around a park nearby before actually going inside the casino building, so I carefully avoided the occasional stragglers who hadn't quite made it home yet and found a spot next to a koi pond to sit.

The park was centred around fountains, all splashing merrily about in the empty park. The stone walkways were arranged around the masterpieces of art with water spilling around them. The one nearest to me was in the shape of cubes with the currents flowing over the flat surfaces. Next came a hand with the water spilling off it. A fish trio. A rose. Even two arrows with liquid streaming from the tips in a graceful arc that viewers passed through. Not a single drop fell, but the sunlight reflected off it beautifully. The last piece near the circular exit was a sad one compared to the spectacular ones before it. A large bronze coloured eye, with a light trickle coming from the corners as if it was slowly shedding tears. The constant quiet dripping into the wide and shallow base was soothing compared to the rippling noise of the others. I decided to leave the gardens at noontime to see if the population had come off its hangover state.

It seems that my prediction was correct because the city was sluggishly coming to. People were hungrily roaming around restaurants, looking for one that was still open for breakfast, or in defeat, lunch. My heels clicked against the concrete as I made my way down the street away from the restaurant road and down the entertainment alley where plays, shows, galleries, exhibits, and racing arenas bloomed like daffodils around every corner. But I was blind to the glittery ads, big discount rate tickets, and even staffers pulling a potential, sometimes unwilling, customer to their services. My feet steered me faithfully through the crowded areas, automatically stopping at crosswalks before my upper body even responded. After a few awkward falls and reassurances that I was fine later, I arrived at where I really wanted to be all these years; Krasna-Giorno Palm Casino. True to the name, the gold paved path was bordered on either side by majestic sweeping palm trees. Excited, I bounced quite unlady-like up to the building made of pure glass.