Snippet Saturday: Games

Snippet Saturday is the brainchild of author Lauren Dane, wherein a group of authors selects thematic excerpts from their work and shares them on Saturday mornings. This Saturday the theme is games. Last week I went with the magic show from Survival of the Fairest, and this week I think I'm going with SOTF, too, since it's set in Vegas, which probably has more games per square mile than anywhere outside Hasbro's warehouse. Here's the scene when our heroine, who's never been to humanspace, first wanders through a Vegas casino:

The downstairs boutique had a limited selection of clothing, so Tali settled on one outfit plus an extra T-shirt for sleeping. Her Realm undergarments would suffice. Fairy magic didn’t encompass the creation of physical objects, though it did allow the enchantment of them. Clothing of the Realm was hand sewn by low-level fairies and more plebian than what humans wore. Easier to stitch that way.

Tali donned a blue T-shirt with “Las Vegas” painted on the front and jeans. She knew jeans from HumanWatch Monthly. But HumanWatch never mentioned humans like Jake existed, humans who made you tingle. He didn’t seem malevolent, but was he a fairy? And his show—was he practicing magic in humanspace? If so, how?

Tali found a full-length mirror and turned this way and that, inspecting her attire. “These garments aren’t very fetching,” she commented to the attendant. “I heard the clothing in this country was more attractive.”

The woman tilted her head to the side. “You look so pretty in blue. I love your red hair. Miss Clairol?”

“No, Miss Smith.” Tali eyed the attendant suspiciously.

The woman offered to charge the clothing to the room, and Tali signed the bill with a flourish. She shoved her old clothing into a rustling white bag and set off to find a meal.

When she asked about restaurants, the man at the front desk directed her through the noisy, flashing casino with its many machines and acrid smell of tobacco. Several humans glanced up from their cards, dice or loud machines and gaped at her as she passed. Tali had no idea why, for she blended in well in her new jeans and T-shirt. She’d even left her snood in the room and tied her hair back with a cotton string.

The first restaurant she saw was a brightly lit dining hall called The Long Table. It swarmed with patrons, many of them aged, and a huge, fluttering sign reading “All You Can Eat Shrimp $6.99”.

Probably not her best choice. She wound through the rows of ringing machines and gambling humans. It was a maze of whistles and smoke, flashing lights and mirrors. Scantily clad women in white, their legs bare and fake wings strapped to their backs, balanced trays and plied the guests with drinks. Tali’s head swiveled, admiring the humans in all their variety.

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Have a great Saturday! Check out my website for buy links if you're interested in SOTF or my other work.

Jody W.
www.jodywallace.com  * www.meankitty.com

More fun and games and excerpts at these authors' sites:

Mari Carr
McKenna Jeffries
Taige Crenshaw
Lacey Savage
Leah Braemel
Lauren Dane