Sister Floriana

The Gambler

Gambling is a complex art of deception. A battle of wits, skill, and luck between players. No matter whether it's poker, blackjack, dice, or duck/frog/ostrich racing, a good gambler requires all of these things: tenacity, focus, timing, wisdom, guts, and a quick mind. 

And the good knowledge of not betting on the frog. Luckily, Pacifica had also taken a large bet on Savannah, so it mostly balanced out.

Floriana held Cristobal, the luckiest duck close by to her. She had Pacifica behind her holding the chair she'd gotten her head stuck into. In her other hand, she held the game winning hand- a two-pair! 

Floriana was not a good gambler. 

Eulalia smirked at Flori's shocked expression, seeing her royal straight flush. Behind her, Sister Pacifica carefully folded up the notes she'd been writing and threw them away. Flori sadly forked over the last of her cookies, Eulalia adding it to her massive pile.

"Well. Wanna go get more and try again?"

"That was all I had."

Eulalia grinned. "Cleaned you out, eh?"

Flori turned to Pacifica. 

"Can I see this for a second?"

Pacifica let go of the chair, and Floriana finally wiggled out of it, setting it down. Then she just flopped her head down on the table, feeling like an idiot. She didn't say anything for a while.

Finally, Eula spoke, "so why'd you wear the chair on your head?"

"I thought it'd be good luck," Flori mumbled into the table. 

Eula looked at Pacifica, who just shrugged.

At that moment, they were interrupted by Sister Diana suddenly entering the room. Seeing the playing cards and the cookies she immediately looked scandalized.

"Sister Floriana and Sister Eulalia! Were you gambling?"

"Well duh," said Eula.

"You know full well doing so is a sin!"

"No it's not," said Eulalia. "As long as we're not using real money, or being greedy."

"I've taught you about Saint Augustine didn't I? He said that the devil invented gambling."

Cristobal turned around and quacked angrily at her. Then he hopped off the table and walked out the door. Floriana weakly reached out her hand to him as he went.

"Aw, my lucky ducky!"

Diana stepped aside to let him pass before giving Flori and incredulous look.

"Are you kidding me?"

"Yeah, he didn't really help at all," said Sister Eulalia.

Flori and Diana spoke at the same time: "Yes he did!"/"That's not the point!"

"The point is," said Sister Diana, "Mother Superior banned all gambling in the monastery. It isn't right."

"Gambling over cookies? Really?" said Sister Eulalia.

"The cookies potentially have monetary value, so yes!" said Sister Diana.

"What if we played with little scraps of paper?" said Sister Floriana. 

"I don't know," she said, exasperated. "You could take it up with Mother Superior herself if you want to. My guess is no. Now give me those winnings, or you'll be on extra cleaning duty for a week."

"An entire week?" said Eulalia surprised. She looked down at the cookies, trying to judge if they were worth that much. Five days at the most, but an entire week? 

She sighed, pushing them across the table and letting Diana gather them up.

"Think harder about your actions next time," she said, closing the door behind her. 

Outside in the little wooded area she ran over to meet Sister Isabel, who'd watched the whole thing from the window. They gleefully laid out the cookies and began splitting them between them.

"I see that it worked!"

"Yep! You were right- Sister Eulalia hates cleaning detail. She didn't call my bluff!"

"Well, a bet's a bet. And Mother Superior said it's okay, right?"

"I specifically remember her saying a bet is different from a gamble because it doesn't involve any games. So you won fair and square."

"Alright!"

Isabel triumphantly herded her half of the cookies into her bag and set off with them. Diana watched her leave, before gathering up her own winnings.

Sister Diana was not a good gambler... she was a great gambler!