Lady Luck

     "She is here, Father Fortune."
     "Let her enter."
     The great doors opened silently, permitting the lone figure to enter. She strolled in, a whimsical bounce to her step. Despite the hard floor, her hooves did not clatter or clop, but almost silently sung as they touched the jade floor. The girl was humanoid, other than the hooves. Even amongst her kind she was considered a great beauty, and to mortal men she was irresistible. She had brilliant golden hair that hung to her shoulders. Seven braids of different colors swung in her locks, one cut from each of her six sisters, and the seventh being her own. She had a pixie face, with bright eyes that sparkled with unpredictable mischief.
     With jaunty smugness she walked toward her father, who stood with regal surety at the front of the room. His great albatross sat on his shoulder, wings periodically unfurling to their full length, displaying his majestic pinions. Her father had eight braids, one from each of his brothers plus his own. She and he were much alike: the oldest and the last born, but he was from an age more ancient than she.
     Arriving before him, the girl curtsied, then twirled with a vibrant laugh, hair and short skirt splaying out in splendid vividness. Her voice rang out "Oh Father! I am so gad you called me. I have missed you."
     The tall lord raised an eyebrow and responded dubiously, though not unkindly, "While I appreciate the sentiment, daughter, I am sure you have been keeping yourself busy with your countless suitors."
     Her features maintained an impish smirk. "Well, can I not both miss you and enjoy my time away?"
     "Certainly you insist that you do, so it is not a question of whether you can."
     "Especially witty today, are we?"
     "I thought I was witty every day."
     "Normally, your brother takes that role. I think, though, that discussing witticism was not the reason you called me."
     "Usually you prefer the playful banter. Especially rushed today? Alas, you are correct. Daughter, I have summoned you for a very specific reason. Recently there have been some...complaints, more than usual. Complaints in regards to your dealings with your suitors."
     "And what do these reports say?"
     "They speak of abandonment, of false hope, and broken dreams. Apparently, it has become quite a gamble to court you." His finger tapped absently against his bamboo scepter, scepter that was adorned with an acorn at the top.
     Her left hand idly fingered the rainbow lasso hooked to her belt. "You don't hold me accountable for this, do you Father? After all, I rarely choose my suitors. They choose me. They come calling, begging my attentions and graces. Am I to be blamed for their actions?"
     "I do not blame you for this, no. But can you deny your betrayal and the effects it has? You eventually leave every man. Men have gone mad, trying to find you again, taking great risks and chances, staking everything, ruining their lives with obsessed passion. They seek my blessing through you, daughter. And you deny it them."
     Fire flashed in her eyes, but it was quickly covered by her fickle playfulness. "Again, their actions at work. I do not force them to pursue me. They choose to seek me and try to find me. I cannot stop them from doing this."
     "Nor do you dissuade them."
     "Certainly their initial loss of luck is enough to discourage them."
     "No. That only fuels their desire to recapture your favor and affections."
     "Men are fools," she said with strained frivolity. They think that just because they find my shoes, or encounter my lasso that they have found my good graces. I cannot court and favor every man at once. If all were lucky, no one would be."
     "Why not send them a sign, then? Tell them you no longer will stay with them. Send one of your sister's cats. These men need to be sobered. Your influence is as intoxicating as it is addictive."
     "They don't deserve as much!" All playfulness was gone now, and the fire in her eyes roared with jaded fury. While vehement, she did not shout. "They use me as much as I use them. They want nothing but my wealth. They don't love me. They love the potential I represent. Nor do I love them as anything more than admirers of and believers in my powers. I share in their triumph, knowing it is me who brings their success, reveling in their experiences. And they have the audacity's to take credit for themselves. They think they no longer need me, that they have done it. So, I let them taste of life as it is without me. In a way, Father, I do them a favor. I teach them to be grateful for what they have." By the end, some of her normally smug tone had returned, though her eyes still smoldered.
     "Oh my daughter. Neither you, nor these men, deserve such treatment. Can you think of no way to reconcile these differences?"
     For a moment a pain seemed to crawl across her visage. "Father, you ask me to cease to be me. You seek a change in my unchangeable nature, something impossible. To change my methods would be to defy my very name and nature."
     A paternal tenderness descended on Father Fortune's features. "I do not ask you to cease to be you. I know you can't stay with every man forever, nor do I want you to be used. But do not hurl them from you like broken mirrors. Give them a sign, any sign, of your intentions. If they heed it not, so be it, but at least you will have tried."
     Raising her head slightly, the maiden considered for a moment. Her reply, when given, came softly, tersely, yet still reflecting her roguish self.
     "I will give a sign to some...if they are lucky."
     Father Fortune sighed, shaking his head resignedly. He could expect little more from his daughter. "Very well. I cannot compel you. You may leave me now."
     Lady luck turned to leave and began walking toward the doors, posture stiff and unyielding.  Unexpectedly, her father called out once more.
     "Oh and one more thing. I nearly forgot."
     "Yes?"
     "What started this ordeal with the rabbit feet?"
     A look of genuine bewilderment broke her fickle face. "Honestly, Father, I have no idea. I haven't been able to figure it out."
     "Well get them to stop. I am getting tired of seeing one-legged rabbits hopping about in circles."