"You know my name, so tell me yours," Red was completely caught off guard by the encounter.

"Not this time, Red. Maybe soon, if Carlyle will introduce us." The woman put a hand on Carlyle's head, causing her to faint. As her consciousness faded, the attributes of the mindscape faded as well.

"Carlyle is such a fun girl, don't you think? So excited, so ready to go on an adventure." The woman asked.

"So, that's your domain then?" Red answered with a question.

"Something like that. Here, let me show you my ideal environment." The woman raised her arms and spun around.

The mindscape turned into the lobby of a building. From the decor, Red guessed it was a casino or gambling hall, but had never been in one and from where they stood could not see gambling tables. Carlyle came to, reacting as if she had woken up in a nightmare.

"Red, where the hell is this?" she asked.

"The tall lady's domain. She's the one that's been possessing you," Red explained.

"Yeah, I kind of figured that out," Carlyle got to her feet. "So, tall lady, why are you doing this? Why'd you take us here? Why do you keep possessing me? I deserve answers!"

"The game is simple, Carlyle: you take risks and you get rewarded for them. I was attracted to your fun-loving nature. You're not afraid to risk it all! And I love that about you." The woman smiled at her.

"So you're in love with me because I'm fun to be around? That's creepy as hell. I don't need any god's charity!" Carlyle responded.

"While I admit, I am a bit enamored with you, that's not what I meant in the slightest. It's your eager courage in the face of unlikely odds that excites me most! Carlyle, you know how to live!" The woman levitated off the ground and pointed towards a set of double doors.

"Through that door is the exit, if you can make it. I've got a lot riding on you making it there in a bet with my sister, so you better win!" The tall woman disappeared in a blinding flash.

Red sat down and tried to will themselves out of the mindscape. Usually, one could come and go as they pleased, but occasionally a strong entity would be able to chain your consciousness to it temporarily. Red had learned to perform the technique themself, but only for a minute at most. Stories of Jhikae monks from the Galactic War told of users who could perform it for hours, more than enough time to interrogate enemy leaders for intelligence. However, when Red had asked about more advanced versions, their master suggested that they were purposefully forgotten in order to protect future generations.

Red wondered if knowing how it worked would have helped them get out faster.

"We're stuck here. We have to play along." Red told Carlyle, pushing aside their uncertainty.

Carlyle sighed. "That figures... But that's fine. Let's go!" Carlyle pulled Red to their feet, tugging too hard on their left arm and causing them to yelp in pain.

"Oh, sorry," Carlyle helped them up with their other arm.

Carlyle led the way through the doors and into a huge casino floor filled with people. The room had every game one could imagine, including rows upon rows of slot machines of various styles, aesthetics, and languages, some of which were even xenomorphic. Red pointed across the room to a door labeled EXIT. Carlyle nodded and the pair walked across the room.

The exit door opened and they stepped through it. "Where's the fun in that?" Carlyle asked.

The hallway they were in was painted a simple gray. It had multiple doors on either side labeled things like OFFICE or MANAGEMENT or SECURITY, but Red's attention immediately focused on the EXIT door in front of them.

They led Carlyle through the beige double doors into a smoky room. The tall woman sat at a table with four rugged looking soldiers of various shapes and species. "Oh, Red, Carlyle, how nice of you to join us back here!" she exclaimed, motioning for them to join her at the table.

Two chairs appeared. Carlyle sat down while Red refused. "Just let us go!" Red tried to reason with her.

"But you haven't even played a game yet. Wouldn't you like to spend some more time on the casino floor? You didn't even pick up my gift to you at the front desk! One thousand credits for each of you! And here I thought I was being generous..."

"I don't like to gamble," Red admitted evasively.

The woman sighed. "Okay, okay. Fine. Here's the compromise I'm willing to make: you and I play a round of this game," she motioned at the table, "The winner gets to leave. From my understanding, that's a pretty normal arrangement for the Jhikae Order, yeah? In other words, it's a gamble you're willing to take."

Red nodded. "Yes. What is the game?"

The woman produced an eight inch knife from behind her back. "It's called five finger fillet. Only, we'll be playing a bit differently. You can do telekinesis, right?"

The woman put her hand down on the table. She threw the knife up into the air, causing it to spin. It fell point down, causing Carlyle to wince and look away right before it pierced the woman's hand. Instead, its point floated just above her skin. "Ta-da! Now let me show you how it's done."

The woman pulled out a second knife, threw it into the air, and then caused it to come down hard between her index and thumb. "You better keep track!" she commanded the man sitting next to her, who nodded.

She began the first round. The two knives started on opposite ends of her hand, artfully avoiding each other. After she completed the first set, she sped up. Red watched carefully, trying to map out the exact pattern. After the third set, they realized that they were completely outmatched unless they did something to stop her.

Red stood up and walked away. "You're a fucking cheater."

The woman was clearly taken aback. "What the hell did you just say?"

"You're cheating. I can see it in your eyes." Red responded as firmly as they could.

The woman burst out laughing. "Okay, okay! You got me! Neither of these knives are real! Watch!"

She threw one at Carlyle and one at Red. Both of them passed right through their bodies, the chairs, and eventually the wall. "How did you know?"

"I didn't."

The woman shook her head. "You've got quite the poker face. You're absolutely invited to my next soiree!"

"So, do we win?" Carlyle asked, obviously confused.

"Sure, sure! Of course you win! In fact, I'll tell you just what you've won!" The woman snapped her fingers.

Carlyle's eyes glowed bright green. She looked at Red. "I can feel it. I know where it is! Red, follow me!"

Carlyle stood and ran out of the double doors that they entered from. Red chased after her. The woman laughed behind them. Carlyle led Red out of the of the casino floor and back to the lobby. The entrance to the building was a set of ornately carved doors with stained glass gambling designs. Carlyle pulled the door open and stepped outside.

She had finally stopped running when they had exited the building. The pair found themselves back in the wilderness of Carlyle's mindscape creation. "Whew. What a stupid game," Red said, catching their breath.

Carlyle turned to look at them. Her eyes still glowed green. "Carlyle... Are you with us?" Red asked.

"Carlyle isn't here right now. I thought I'd hang out with you a bit, get to know you better. I didn't expect your move, though I should have seen right through it. You're very interesting. Maybe even more interesting than Carlyle. But that thing in your skull keeps you from letting me in, so I'll have to make due with this one's perspective for a while. It's okay Red, just pretend I'm not here."

The green in Carlyle's eyes receded. "...How'd we get out here?"

"Lady luck brought us here. She was impressed with my bluff, so she let us go... but she possessed you to lead the way out." Red considered telling her that she was still possessed, but decided not to.

Carlyle sat down on a stump. "Lady Luck, huh? Is that her name?"

"I dunno. Just a nickname I came up with. That's definitely her domain, though. What do you think?" Red answered half-heartedly.

"Yeah, that's got a nice ring to it. So, how the hell do we go about finding Lady Luck?" Carlyle scratched her head.

"We have some leads. The glowing green eyes, the luck motif, and her physical appearance. All that being said, we might be dealing with something pretty big here. If that's the case, I'm not sure if I alone will be able to take it on. I might have to call for backup," Red tried to center themselves on their task.

"How long would that take?" she asked.

"Could be a while. Depends on if there are other wanderers available. In the meantime, we'll just have to be careful."

"But how am I supposed to protect myself against her? I'm not a trained monk like you!" Carlyle became visibly scared as the mindscape around her turned dark.

Red stomped on the head of a snake with their boot as it tried to strike them. "Let's get out of here for now."

They exited the mindscape. Carlyle and Red were still seated on the floor across from each other. Carlyle took a deep breath and tried to hold it in. She failed and started to hyperventilate. Red looked at her inquisitively. "What's wrong?"

Carlyle burst into tears. She immediately fell forward, her head resting in Red's lap. Red wasn't sure what to do and just kept sitting there, looking at Carlyle. After a couple minutes of crying, Carlyle seemed like she had calmed down, and Red put a hand on her head.

Carlyle cried harder. Red removed their hand.

An hour later, Carlyle had managed to crawl into bed. She stifled her cries as Red leaned against the bed-frame, facing away from her. Carlyle reached out and poked Red in the implant. "Sorry I fell apart like that. I'm sure you're not used to working with someone so weak."

Red turned around. "I don't think you're weak. This stress could have broken anyone. Even me. If it weren't for the implant, we probably wouldn't have gotten out of there alive."

"But I can't get an implant, can I?"

"No. But we might be able to make up for it somehow. A little bit of training can go a long way. You're in danger, and it's my job to help you."

"I just hope it's enough..."

Red looked Carlyle in the eye, catching a flash of green. "I think it will be."

Carlyle smiled, finally calming down. "Thanks for your help, Red."