Gallows of Transgression (ON HIATUS)

s e v e n

A/N: before you start reading . . . please take a moment to look at this beautiful fan-art of Remi and Killure, drawn by @ponoccio ! It is absolutely breathtaking and I love the art style so much! They posted this on Deviantart and you should really go check out their other art on there. In the comments on this 'paragraph,' I'm going to post the link so that you can click on it(:

With a grand sweep of his thick, hairy arm, Shaam pulled open and held the left heavy—and very dented—metal door so Remi and Killure could walk in ahead of him.

Immediately, Remi was blinded by the bright lights and lavish interior. Spread out before them was a beautiful carpet floor. It was deep ruby red in colour, aside from the strange but beautiful burnt orange pattern, resembling headless snakes, that spiraled on top in a chaotic harmony.

The entire main floor of the casino was big and spacious, complimented by gleaming, dark wooden pillars, which were lit by torches that cast an orange glow down the pillars' sides and across the carpeted floor. On the ceiling, there were many neon blue lights in gently flowing, wave-like patterns. Remi stared at them in wonder; they weren't flickering torches, but something else entirely. Her uncle must have got those from the Dome.

Shaam guided them past the rows of tall and bulky slot machines made with gleaming, intricately-designed steel and polished wooden bases. Each machine had five revolving mechanical reels, displaying either a cartoon-like severed Clawl head, a red headless horse, the blue tail of a mermaid, or a golden bell. Remi squinted as she double-checked to see if she saw them right—she did. There were men here and there standing in front of the machines, gambling away their money in hopes to get even more in return.

Around the edges of the casino were half-circle shaped tables. Their surfaces were painted bright red and were rimmed by polished oak wood. There were small symbols and shapes on the tables Remi didn't understand, probably related to the games one could play on them. Some of the tables were occupied by players, a dealer, and a deck of cards. They didn't seem the least bit shaken up by heavy pounding that had been going on not long ago, but that was probably because the inside was filled with the sounds of beer sloshing, glasses clinking together, drunk laughter, the flipping of cards, and last but not least, the loud and dramatic playing of a grand piano that seemed to overpower all other noises.

Remi only got a glimpse of the shiny, pitch-black piano with its row of ivory keys, and a blur of the person playing it ever so beautifully, but she already knew who was sat upon the plush piano bench.

Remi caught up to her uncle. "I'd heard that Georgia could play the piano like a dream, but hearing it now, with my own ears, it's even more beautiful than I imagined." Georgia was the young wife of her uncle—though not the mother of his son, as they'd married only a few years ago. Remi had yet to meet the remarkable woman.

"Sounds like racket to me," Killure added helpfully.

Remi lightly jabbed him in the side for that comment with an elbow, eliciting from him a devilishly handsome grin. Instead of doing anything remotely remorseful, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his side as they walked. Her cheeks burned at the gesture.

Shaam stopped suddenly. "Georgia!" he called, his loud and booming voice carrying over her music.

The lively tempo that was effortlessly filling the air with its exciting, fast-paced rhythm began to slow, and with a few final chords that flowed around each and every person in the casino like a soothing wave, the music faded out of existence. Heads turned involuntarily when the music stopped. They looked confused, as if they felt like they were missing something but didn't know what. Clearly, Georgia's music continued to soar in the hearts of those who listened even after she stopped playing.