“… Paige. You can call me Paige.”

“Wow, an ordinary name and not some sobriquet or dog-like alias like Tad, for example” - My attempt to joke was welcomed with a restrained smile. Apparently, there was a story behind this name - the kind of story you don’t share with a regular bystander.

“What do you want to do with the slot machine?” To break the uncomfortable silence, I’ve decided to switch focus to something else.

“I don’t know now. You’ve already used it - there isn’t much I can do without coins.”

I looked at her with such a stupid expression on my face she decided to be merciful and explained the basics to me.

“Fruit machines have promotions after long lime without usage - you can play on them for free till the first win - it doesn’t matter, small or big. All machines have their own waiting period - the older machine, the longer period, the biggest possible win. You can play on young machines almost non-stop, but usually, you will get only papers out of it. Some machines only produce paper during their whole lifespan. To win coins, you need to find an old machine, which was not played on for a long time, and hope for the best. On Big Berthas like this, along with paper and coins, you can win talents, skills, and items receipts. From time to time, the Author enlists new personages to his Book - Big Bertha’s is where they are Initiated. There are legends about Jolly Rogers - slots that can make you the richest of the rich and give you back some part of your memory. By the wa… Hm…”

My brain was hardly able to process this information. All these counterintuitive truths of this world were so illogical my head started to ache. Not to trigger unpleasant feelings, I’ve decided to ask iteratively with an interval between questions just enough to process each answer and calm down afterward.

“Where are slot machines come from? Is there some factory that builds them?”. Paige looked a bit distracted clicking some slot machine buttons, but she answered anyway.

“What? Uh yes. Statistically, this question is the first one every newbie asks. The answer is simple - they grow like flowers. There are even farmers who grow slots on their farms.” - After this answer, I won’t be asking questions for a while. I needed to accommodate it comfortably in my world picture. It was ironic, though - fruit machines grew in the gardens. “ It doesn’t matter, really… Look - you were right, the promotion is still active on this Big Bertha. Where were you initiated then? Are you still not telling me something? A lot of things...”

I’ve wilted a bit. I guess it won’t hurt if I will tell her a little more.

“I cannot explain this, but to accept the deal, I used another slot machine in some warehouse somewhere else. When I refused to choose the talent, I appeared here and met you.” Changes to the curse and blessing conditions, shady businessmen, and dangerous women were something I would rather keep to myself for now. At least my newly developed sense suggested me to do so.

A heartrending sound from the torn speakers of the slots informed me about the successful ending of the experiment, Paige concluded on the fruit machine. “Yes! It is a good win, Tad. Very good.” Seven coins fall to the ground near the Big Bertha slot machine.

“Seven coins.. Is it a lot?” - The memory of ten million coins shuddered in my head with the sound or polyfoam makes when rubbed to the glass surface.

“I could live for half a year in, not even the cheapest tavern, for these coins. It is not their primary purpose, though - the paper is enough to get by. Paper slots are much more common in the wilderness.” She carefully picked up all the coins and gave me two of them. I didn’t think I deserve even one but accepted the gift nevertheless. Somehow I knew that having money was crucial in my native world, and this world seemed different only in details. There was some clever saying about the details in my world, but I could not recall it.

“What is their purpose?” - I asked - “Do they power all the mechanisms in this world and can be consumed instead of food?”

“Remember I said that you act like you were born here?” - She looked at me with a weird stare.

“Yes”

“I was wrong. I have never heard a stupider thing ever in my life.” - Limiting her explanation to this insult, Paige found a flask in her bag and carefully watered the slots machine. I decided not to focus on currently unimportant things and focused instead on important ones - the pungent odor of strong spiritus tickled my nostrils.

“You water Big Bertha with alcohol?”

“Not just any alcohol - whiskey! I plan to revisit her sometime in the future - slots need to be nourished. This one was neglected for too long. What’d you think we water stots with actual water?” - Her sonant laughter sounded somewhat alien in this entourage, but the tension my mind was in, since I got here, retreated and hidden in the dark corners of my soul. It will come back, but I will be more prepared. I hope.

Paige patted Big Bertha friendly, gathered her belongings, and set sail downwards, sipping from a flask. “Are you going, Tad? I’ve decided to help you, and it would be good if you would help me with this idea.”

Having no other things to do and frankly frightened to stay here alone, I caught up with her and adjusted to her step. After the next sip, she offered a flask to me. Somehow my palms were trembling while I was taking it from her. After the first, second, and after that, the third sip from it, I understood that I hate this world a little bit more. It tasted to me like alcohol-flavored water without any actual effect, and it was hideous. Fucking snail and my impossibility to do any serious harm to my body without it. As I was giving her flask back, Paige looked very surprised. I assume she hoped for another reaction.

We were walking silently for some time. I was deep in my thoughts. Trying to remember something personal from my previous life appeared to be next to impossible - every time I tried to do so, the impassible wall raised on my way.

“Do you know your tattoo has changed once more?” - Asked Paige out of the blue.

“No. What number does it have now?” - I thought that I knew the answer to this question, but I wanted to make sure.

“Three. I think you have already known it. You are a bizarre guy, Tad.”

“I can say the same about you, tender girl, who wields her tremendous gun with one hand.” I stuttered. “Why do you help... why do you trust me?”

This time silence was too long. We walked and walked towards sunrise without any interaction. The landscape around was monotonous and somehow neglected. Everything around looked pretty standard: hills, trees, the old cobblestone road we walked on with grass already covering most of its surface - generation or two and only too plain to be natural surface will indicate about the road’s leftovers here. Hasty spring to the left of the road, toads and tiny silver fish completed the otherwordly entourage with a soft accent. Why it appeared neglected? Because everything around looked like the author of the book got bored describing the environment and just copypasted some piece from another book, changing it just enough for it to pass for local. Frankly, this whole world looked like a compilation of different unconnected parts of multiple origins brought together by the author’s imagination, laziness, and lack of creativity. I started to understand why do they talk about the Book and Author so much here.

“This world is much more honest than my previous one. At least I feel it like that. Here everything evil is evil, and everything good is good. I don’t know the reason for it - maybe it is these new foresight feelings I am sure you are also feeling or just the rules of this world. Either way, I don’t feel evil in you. Secret, power, depth, but not evil. Nor do I feel good in you, which is unusual and a bit scary, to be honest. I think you are like a libra - you are balanced now, and each event in this world will add either to the good part of you or to the bad part. I don’t want to be the one who tipped the scales into the abyss. That is why I want to help you. Does it.. does it make some sense?”

I stopped simultaneously with Paige. I turned towards her and looked into her beautiful green eyes. At that moment, I felt the scales being tipped. Not in the abyss of evil, though.

“This is the most logical thing I have heard or seen since I got here, maybe even ever. Thank you for that.”

Further, we walked joking and talking and laughing. I finally asked Paige the question that was bugging me for a long time already.

“What the hell is that Commercial break I experienced after you shot me the first time?”.

She laughed enthusiastically.

“Which one have you seen?”

“About some Coocoo cola. Completely wild stuff..”

“Yeah. So prepare for an exciting story...”