REFLECTIONS - aventurine

001 - reconciliation

In life, you are dealt a predetermined hand, but the flow of the game is fated by how you play your cards. Most play safe and go with the flow, but you've come to learn that the biggest gamble in life is not taking the gamble.

The ambient music from the speakers washed away the low hums of distant conversations surrounding you. You sat on one of the poker tables, abandoned by your previous opponent, and the one before him, and the one before that one, and... You can't recall how many times a player has left your table out of frustration, pockets empty and you... left with your unnerving thoughts.

"Up for a game?" a man spoke with eyes that could make sparks fly. He was a ripple in the calm waters that filled your mind. You don't look up, opting to go off of the reflection of the glass rimming the poker table. But even from the dark tint, his eyes, those beautiful ones, bore into yours. Immediately, you feel a pull towards him. Like an invisible string had wrapped around you and him, manifesting into a longing you never knew you had in you.

His question lingered in the air for a moment, awaiting your response in the shared solitude.

"Sure." you find yourself saying, lost within those eyes. You still can't pinpoint why you feel this way.

"Aventurine," he brought out a hand. "by the way."

"Take a seat," you shook his hand before taking yours then graced him with a soft smile, "Aventurine."

The man, now known as Aventurine, took up the role of the dealer, you opted to not question it. You kept quiet, watching closely his nimble fingers as they shuffle the deck with grace, even pulling off a few tricks at that and making a few of the cards vanish before your eyes then dealing them, hinting at years of experience.

You pick up the cards and that familiar thrill courses through your veins. A Jack of Spades and a Queen of Hearts, a promising start. But again, the fate of the game relies not on the hand you are dealt, but the way it is played out.

You meet his gaze in an attempt to foretell his next move. It's unreadable, as expected and he holds the eye contact briefly before focusing back on his cards. The dance with fate was about to begin.

Bets were placed, Aventurine throwing silent challenges your away as if to say, Do you have what it takes? You do in fact, have what it takes and you take the gamble, you raise and you call whenever the opportunity shows itself.

The turn is revealed, a King of Clubs. Your mind raised, the only sound being the distant murmuring from the other tables. You briefly analyze his expression once again, desperate for anything at this point. The way the lighting played across his features, his blond hair casting a glow around him that imitated the form of an angel, and the almost imperceptible smirk that pulled at the corners of his lips, brought a wave of nostalgia over you. You couldn't pinpoint why.

As the game progressed, the conversation began to weave itself around the pauses and plays, his questions and comments sparking a dialogue that ventured beyond the confines of the game. "Life is much like poker, don't you think?" he mused after a particularly daring bluff on your part. "Full of risks and opportunities, each decision a bet on the future."

His words resonated a little too well with you, echoing the sentiments that had often haunted your quieter moments. "Yes," you replied, folding a hand you had no hope of winning. "But sometimes, it's the bets we don't take that haunt us the most."

Ironic, isn't it?

A knowing smile flickered across his face, as if your admission had confirmed a suspicion he'd harbored. "Indeed," he agreed, collecting the chips from the center of the table. "The fear of loss, of making the wrong choice, can be paralyzing. But the greatest victories, the most profound moments of clarity, often come from taking that courageous leap into the unknown."

Before you knew it, it was the last round. You played your cards carefully, thinking hard at every little move. Aventurine raised, it was another one of his challenges. You stopped to think, recalling the lessons you've been taught throughout your time playing, back until your first game. You push your chips forward, accepting his invitation.

The biggest gamble is not taking the gamble, after all.

Aventurine laid down his hand with a mischievious glint in his eyes, briefly meeting yours and you realize you may have made a mistake. You look down at his cards. A full house. Not many could have anticipated that, but you did. You knew before accepting his challenge that there was a possibility he did have a winning hand, but you were accepting the risk, playing for the thrill. Afterall, this was a high risk, high reward kind of game.

But it was the way he had kept one if his hands below the table for the entire duration of the game up until revealing his cards that struck something deep within you. That simple gesture, one you had seen countless times in a time that felt both a lifetime ago and just yesterday, unlocked a floodgate of memories. And it wasn't just the gesture, but the look in his eyes when he did it—a mix of anticipation and a deep, unspoken understanding—that made your heart skip a beat. In that moment, the game, the room, and everyone in it faded away, leaving only the echo of a past you thought you had long left behind.

-

"Remember," Kakavasha said, his eyes not on the cards but on you, "the most important lesson every game has taught us—the ability to read not just the game, but the world around you. Life is much like poker in that aspect."

You nodded, heart heavy with the knowledge that this game would be your last time together. "And like in gambling, we must know when to hold on and when to let go," you added, voice soft and steady despite the turmoil of emotions pulling at your heartstrings.

"Yes," Kakavasha agreed, a sad smile touching his lips. "We've been dealt a good hand, Y/N. We've survived."

As you played your final hand, Kakavasha laid his cards down. "In life, there's always a gamble," he said quietly. "We took ours when we trusted those from planet ???, and now we're taking another by attempting an escape. But remember, the biggest gamble is not taking one at all. I'm betting on you, Y/N."

You looked at the cards, then up at Kakavasha, memorizing his features, knowing this may just be your last moments chained down as a slave. "And I on you, Kakavasha."

"If all else goes wrong... promise me you'll find me in our next life." you reach for his hand that was hidden below the wooden table and intertwine your finger with his, feeling the light tremor of his hand within your grasp.

"I promise."

-

"Kakavasha," you whispered, the name slipping out unconsciously, a name you hadn't uttered in years, not since...

Not since our bodies were as close as physically possible and your breath brushed against my lips as our last farewell.

The room went silent around you, or perhaps it was just the sound of your own racing heartbeat drowning out everything else. The recognition in his gaze was unmistakable, a silent acknowledgement of a shared past, of a bond forged in the crucible of experiences both wondrous and harrowing. An unmistakable smile faintly tugged at the corners of his mouth, or maybe it was your hallucinations but his next words proved it wasn't your imagination playing tricks on you.

I had mourned you all these years, the thought that you were taken by the inexorable hands of death plaguing my mind. But alas, our paths cross once more, Kakavasha, not by mere chance, but by the will of the Aeons. For better or worse? Not even they can tell.

"Well played, Y/N."