Desert Wings

Roll The Dice

"Chance?" I say, turning to face the tall man behind me,"So you are the universe's variable, or something like that?"
Chance brushed his honey colored hair from his eyes and bows mockingly,"The one and only."
I roll my eyes,"So what have we done to earn the honor to be graced by your presence oh variable one?"
Chance grins dangerously,"To play a game my dear. Why else would I come?"
"Oh, I don't know, interest in one of our lives, not trying to kill, bribe, threaten, capture, torture, or blackmail."
Chance shrugs,"Sure, that too."
"Which one?"
"Any." The danger returns to his eyes,"Fate has taken an interest in you Kara, that doesn't happen often."
"Yeah well I forced her to pay attention to me. I've survived, I will keep surviving. I have killed people, not just the outsiders either, I have killed Malum, I just killed Polaris this week. If I needed to I could add your name to that list." As I speak I draw my sword, and lazily contemplate the murderous blade,"What do you think?"
"I think I know why sister dear has taken an interest in you." Chance grins nonchalantly,"You see Kara, at my hands thousands have fallen, for I am immprobality in one of its purest forms. I can alter the probability of you suffocating right now from rather low, to something a little higher," Chance lifts his hand casually, less air enters my lungs,"Or even higher." He closes his hand in a fist, as darkness threatens to consume my vision he releases his hand and air returns to my body. I lay on the ground gasping,"You see Kara? I beat you. I can beat almost anyone."
"Almost?"
"We don't talk about them."
"Okay, so. You said you where here to play a game?"
"Oh, yes! Thank you my dear I had almost forgotten! I think that you shall enjoy this one! I need to determine probability statistics for some... rather important events in some lives and you are going to help me."
"I am?"
"You are. Oh, Hestia you might enjoy this I think you helped write some of these."
I sat beside Chance on the ground, Hestia settling beside me,"This should be interesting."
"Oh it will be to say the least." Chance pulled a sheaf of paper from his jacket and some dice from a pocket,"Let us begin."

"So here is what will happen, Kara, you can roll the dice, Hestia will tell me the numbers and I will take care of the rest."
"Okay." I scoop up the dice and begin, for a long time the only sound is the clatter of the dice on the wooden floors and Hestia rattling off the unending stream of numbers. The numbers were random and hapazard, much as they should be for random numbers. Then the numbers stopped being so sporadic, near silence descended as tension built itself into our once comfortable silence.
"Oh, my."
More numbers, the sound of the dice hitting the floor echoed like a sword upon a stone. More numbers, more statistics, more lives. Decisions pass unknowingly through my hands, voices whisper in minds, nagging thoughts, the hardest to forget. Plant a seed, reap the results, be they good or bad. Hours pass in a matter of minutes, seconds take years, and a moment becomes a decade as some magic unfolds over our trio sitting upon the floor, deciding lives.
The magic fades, the dice roll less decisively, lingering upon an edge longer, almost coming to rest upon a corner,"Done." I glance up, dice in hand ready to throw them again. They clatter to the floor, Chance's face goes white, Hestia picks up on what ever disturbed him and appears to be afraid, something I had rarely seen.
"What is it? Is something wrong?"
"Those numbers."
"What about them?"
"Nothing..."
"Liar. What is wrong with them?"
"That isn't important right now."
"Chance." I growl lowly at him.
"Kara. Not. Now. Later."
I lift my hands,"Okay, okay. Just wanted to make sure I didn't need to worry about them."
Chance gave a short bark of laughter,"Worry about them? Oh, Kara, oh foolish Kara. No I am afraid that I can't tell you that much yet, soon though. Soon. Your life will be interesting though, don't worry about that. Fate has really put some thought into things."
"Let me see that." Hestia snatched a page from Chance's hand, her face going white as the page she now held,"I wrote this..."
"What?"
"Kara, I wrote this, and this is your life."
"You wrote my fate?"
"Only part, a very small portion, Fate appeared to like the idea behind it though..."
"Well then good luck Kara." Chance snatched the paper back from Hestia and reclaimed the dice from me before spinning on his heel and marching out the door.
"Well that was odd."
Hestia shrugs,"You get used to it here."
"Yeah, I guess you do."