Error and Trial and Error

The ball sped around the track, finally stopping on a number and color combination. Neither the number, nor the color, were the ones Kathirra had bet on; she had lost again. Everything she was trying seemed to be contributing nothing to her odds of winning. She was actually losing slightly more than she should be, though that could probably be chalked up to the casino manipulating the odds here and there. They were cheating, but that was to be expected. She picked up her meager stack and walked over to a different table.
 
She had tried concentrating on her bet before she placed it, picking the first number and color that popped into her head, even randomly throwing her chips on the board. Nothing had resulted in any measurable change in her chances of winning. Maybe this isn’t something I can use on random chance? Maybe I can only use it to predict and perceive cause and effect? Seemed like a good enough hypothesis for the next round of tests so she trotted over to the card tables.
 
By the time Kathirra walked out of the casino the sun was rising. Failure after failure had not discouraged her and overall she had decided that the last 14 hours had been a success. She hadn’t established a system or routine to tap into her abilities yet, but there had been several moments of… something. Something that had nudged her hand one way or the other. Something that had whispered in her ear to raise or fold. She was almost certain she could replicate her state of mind in those moments with practice. Complete focus was certainly part of it, but also a calmness that didn’t come easily to her.
 
She headed back towards the spaceport and her bunk waiting on the Sunset, she needed to get some sleep before the big race. If Mevlo won they’d be handed what they had come here for. If he lost it would probably be up to her to sneak into Rascol’s office to try and steal the coin they were after. Celebration parties and burglaries both required some beauty rest.
 
She emptied the wallet she had picked yesterday of it’s last few credits and tossed it into the trash. I wonder what they do for breakfast in Canto Bight? An empty stomach was also not something you wanted at a party. Or a burglary.