Open Lucas the Fake Fortune Teller

[Lucas Arias]

Fall 5, 512 AV

Lucas arrived at the marketplace shortly after dawn, a large backpack on his back and his tent tucked under an arm. He stood in front of Anselm’s tent for a moment, smiling, before he moved on. He remembered the meeting with the seer who he still thought was a male Konti in disguise fondly. The man (?) had given him a most interesting book. He actually felt bad about what he was about to do – for all of a second – before he began setting up shop on the other side of the marketplace. Surely Anselm didn’t expect him to keep the things he had learned to himself and only tell his own fortune?

It was much more fun if you had a few victims to play with.

While Anselm’s tent looked fairly boring, Lucas‘ tent was red, poison green, blue and nearly neon pink, with golden tassels, like some kind of circus tent on drugs. Inside he had placed a small folding table, with a nice, black silk cloth on top to hide the fact that it was just a folding table. On the table were a bowl with some bones he had persuaded a butcher to give to him (Anselm had had bones) and some cards he had just painted himself.

There were pictures on the inside walls of the tent as well, more of Lucas‘ artistic masterpieces: a large, blue, muscular (and naked!) woman that looked like a female Akalak, only that she had three breasts and one eye. A guy with a square head, smoking a pipe, a creature with a fish head and rather shapely legs and a cat that was very obviously in love with a mouse.

Lucas himself looked rather interesting as well. Still in his teens, he was short and pale with lots of freckles and bright red hair. His clothes were somewhat mismatched. He wore a cloak because it seemed like a prerequisite for fortune tellers from what he knew, but the hood was down because he couldn’t breathe under it.

In front of the tent stood a wooden sign that said:

FORTUNE TELLING! FREE! (although you can pay if you like what I say – the more, the better) ONLY THIS FALL! I GIVE YOU GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS AND NEWS THAT MAKE YOU WANT TO COMMIT SUICIDE RIGHT NOW!

Secret :

tent – 10 gm
table, average – 1 gm
10 pieces of paper (for Lucas‘ pictures) – 4 gm
paints, common – 1 gm
cloak – 5 sm
2 chairs, poor - 6 sm

[Matthaus]

Matthaus couldn’t deny he was frustrated. He may have technically started the misunderstanding and general bad feelings in the old man’s tent but to completely ignore him. It irked him in a way he couldn’t explain. His lips thinned to near invisible means as he walked stiffly across the way, in his mind replaying the conversation and knowing it was his fault. He’d been too forward too quickly, childish curiosity overriding his good sense. By now you’d think he’d have learned! He heaved a sigh. Well, he would keep good his mental promise then. A disguise and he would go back, at least he knew what areas to avoid. A curious customer was bad (or he lacked tact) so he would be a very good little taker of advice next time. And then he would learn the trade and make a fake stand just like that one. Wait… Someone had stolen his idea! Or read his mind. There was no way a fortune teller would be free. Not a chance. It had to be a fake. Or maybe this was a real one and he could learn from this one. Smirk sliding into place he strode over to the tent, eyeing the sign with distaste, obviously this man didn’t actually want customers. Entering slowly he looked around the tent and nearly laughed aloud. The day was not yet ruined, it was turning out to be a lot of fun! Looking to the ‘fortune teller’ he was sure even a blind person could tell it fraud written all over it. The boy looked hardly older than himself (or so he thought). That or he was a very new fortune teller. Either one worked in Matthaus’ favor. “A free fortune telling, correct? Do you have a moment to spare and give me one?”

[Lucas Arias]

By the time that Matthaus stepped into his tent, Lucas had already begun to worry that nobody would ever visit him. He had contemplated playing the lute or dancing a bit or trying to send some stuff into the void, anything to attract potential customers/victims, but unfortunately he sucked even worse at lute playing than he did at fortune telling, so it would probably have had the opposite effect.

So he smiled all over his face as the boy stood in front of him, even though he looked rather weird. There was something about him that reminded him of that girl he had met in the bath house in Syliras or that girly boy in the music store, something about his eyes and his limbs that seemed slightly too long, but he decided that asking him if his mother had been a spider and whether he could poison people was probably the wrong way to start a fortune telling.

He’d save that bit for later.

So he simply gestured for Matthaus to come closer and confirmed, in what he hoped was a sufficiently mysterious tone of voice, „A free fortune telling, unless you want to pay of course. In that case I won’t keep you from it because I’m a nice person and aim to please. I have more than enough time. What do you want to know? And which method would you prefer? I can ask the cards, throw bones, read your palm or check that book.“

He pointed at the book in question.

„It mostly contains overly mysterious stuff about biting people or biting through them or something like that and cauldrons and water though.“

„It’s interesting, but I’m still trying to figure out whether any of the information in it is actually helpful.“

He shrugged his shoulders.

„Oh, and what’s your name. Interpreting the oracle is easier if I actually know something about you.“

[Matthaus]

Matthaus narrowed his eyes at the fortune teller. He was chatty and happy and nothing at all like the old man. He wasn’t sure if it was just an over eager seller tactic or if the man-boy had no idea what he was doing. When compared they seemed nothing alike and even if he wanted to kick the old man in the shin he had seemed more reliable than this one. “My name is Connor and I want you to read the bones, and what is your name, sir?” He was sure that is what the old man had been doing. But he had more questions, taking a few steps farther into the tent he spoke skeptically, “I’ve never done this before, so forgive me for being curious but what are your…limitations?” While he waited for the other to get ready Matthaus breathed in and out deeply before pulling from deep inside, he could feel the slow and steady trickle pulsing, threading through his veins and spilling into his mind. Flicking his gaze up he stared at the other intensely, as if he could see through his skin but that wasn’t the case. Rather he could see what surrounded him, faintly, images that flared to life in front of his eyes. Shapes that weaved and dance. They taunted him, skirting around the edge of his vision, making him break his gaze to stare at something else. Losing precisely what he was trying to gather. He really didn’t know why this was so difficult. Focus. Casually pulling off his hood he halted the flow of djed and waited until he could clear his thoughts, just stare at him, it wasn’t hard. Look for what he wanted to find. A particular feeling or was it some sort of purpose? Yes, he wanted the purpose. What was this persons purpose? His jaw clenched but he could see it, faintly, shapes that told him what he needed, instinctively decoding them in his mind. But it was like holding water to your hands, it trickled through, giving him only a brief glimpse. His intent…it was fun? Matthaus released his hold on the aura, tearing himself with some effort away from the images and blinking rapidly. His fingers twitched and he tried to quell the flow of djed from within him, a slow push back, relaxing minutely as he was done. It was not as bad as he had been before, just a mild heaviness on his body. As if he had been walking all day and wished to take a seat. “Tell me, how long have you been in business?”

[Lucas Arias]

„I’m not a ‚sir‘“, Lucas informed Matthaus and made a face as if he had just been offended. “’Sir’ is for old people and knights. I’m only eighteen, and I gave up the opportunity to become a knight when I left Syliras. ‘Lucas’ is fine. That’s my name in case you don’t know, Connor. As for my limitations …” He furrowed his brow because he didn’t know what to say to that. Limitations? Were fortune tellers supposed to have limitations? Anselm had clearly been limited – he had been all mysterious, but few of the things he had said had been useful, but he wasn’t sure if imitating him in that regard was a good idea.

He wanted to be a different, more fun kind of fortune teller!

“Well …” he murmurred, and then his eyes lit up. He had had an idea! “I obviously can’t read your mind. I’m not some kind of Konti mutant, unlike a certain person I know. I also can’t hypnotize you. And I can’t tell you which of your parents was a spider – if that’s what you are interested in. I could however tell you who you are most likely going to marry and give you some really great advice for the future.”

He was so busy talking that he had no idea at all that Matthaus was using magic on him. Lucas was a good target for all kinds of magic because it was an area he was largely unfamiliar with.

“I’ve started fortune telling last season. Now that probably seems like a short time, but I learned from the best!” That was of course not true. Anselm had mastered the ‘mysterious’ part, but Lucas was still in doubt about his other skills. It sounded better if he pretended to have had a good teacher though. “Oh, and do you want to sit down? You look rather tired all of a sudden.” Without waiting for Matthaus’ answer he took the chair that was standing in a corner (he realized he hadn’t finished unpacking yet) and put it down in front of his guest.

[Matthaus]

“It is a pleasure to meet you then, Lucas.” But it wasn’t a pleasure Matthaus and the boy grit his teeth at the spider comment and took the offered chair. Why was it people knew about his lineage? It was not that obvious. It always irked that other people knew more about him than he did at times, Rikki had never seen fit to elaborate on his heritage and yet everyone else knew why he couldn’t eat a solid meal. “I am tired. I’ve been walking all day looking for a fortune teller.” The concept of knowing the future had given him a vague idea. He racked his brain for his ‘life story’ and all he could remember was old. But what about old? He frowned, “I had an important question about my…parents!” “I moved here but they were not doing the best and I would like to know how they are.” He smirked, pleased with himself. It would allow him to see how this ‘reading’ stuff was done and tell him whether the boy was really a fortune teller or not. Matthaus folded his hands on his lap and waited for the other, his eyes falling half mast so he could laze for a moment, however brief. “I have no doubt in your skills…although it does seem an odd profession for one so young.”

[Lucas Arias]

„Oh“, Lucas made as Matthaus informed him that he had been looking for a fortune teller all day long. “It shouldn’t have taken you that long. There is at least one other fortune teller at the market, and his teacher is probably somewhere in Zeltiva as well, so that makes at least three. I’m glad that you didn’t find them though and ended up in my tent instead.”

He grinned, but the grin disappeared again quickly as Matthaus told him that he had a question about his parents. “Didn’t I just say that I can’t tell you which of your parents was a spi … Symenestra? I’m pretty sure I can tell you a few other interesting things about them though.” That was not true, but he wanted Matthaus to be happy, so he decided to just make something up.

“And yes, it’s an odd profession for somebody my age. That’s exactly why I chose it.”

With that he fell silent and emptied the bowl of bones onto the table, and then he began to mutter, “Solid, solid, broken, solid, solid, solid, wind, earth, fire and rain, without pain there is gain …” Here he suddenly switched to Arumenic for that added sense of mystery and leafed through Anselm’s oracle book (but closed it again because the resulting oracle sounded like a lot of nonsense). Then he rolled his eyes and made a face as if he were about to have an epileptic fit before he looked completely calm and very friendly.

“Your parents are still alive”, he proclaimed. “And they are thinking about you. And you probably have a half brother or cousin or somehting like that that you haven’t met yet. He looks like a girl and has been named after a number. He has a sister as well who lives in a bath house. You should visit her. She’s really hot.”

In Lucas’ mind all spiders were related, and the two he had just mentioned were the only ones he had met before Matthaus had stepped into his tent. And of course he had completely forgotten that he had decided not to talk to Matthaus about his family right away.

“She’s also venomous. Are you venomous?”

[Matthaus]

Matthaus kept his face blank and his answer short but a barrage of emotions tickled beneath his stomach. His face twisting into a mixture of horrified fascination and disgust. “That is a lie. My parents are dead and if I had a half anything it too would be dead.” Anything else he shoved back, they were not necessary thoughts and childish at best. It was not as if he actually care about what did or did not happen to them. Of course, in the instance of his vicious response he had given away a piece of information and ruined his cover story. No matter, he would never see Lucas again after this. Well maybe but he doubted his past would be an interesting topic for anyone. Waving his hand to tear himself free from his thoughts he narrowed his eyes at the other. “You keep saying that word. I’m not a Symenstra” pure denial on his part, “anymore than you are a real fortune teller. And I’m not venomous.” He was tired of questions about himself, they made him uneasy as did the fact that the this person seemed to know more of himself than he did. Instead he cut straight to the point. This was a worthy scam and something he had wanted to try as well and the deeper child in him wished for nothing more than to spit the stubborn old man in the other tent. “You know my secret and I know yours but I think we have a similar goal in mind. You arrived at this idea first and obviously know more.” he stood and wandered closer to Lucas, “We can make this a much larger and steady business. Especially if your fortune’s did something like come true.” It was a sudden thought but doable. He had disguises and he could try them on for size and be a ‘witness’ to the truth of Lucas’ words. They would get quite a crowd if they played their cards right and if things went south…well, he was still young and he doubted anyone would believe he cooked up the entire thing himself or at all.

[Lucas Arias]

That ‚Connor‘ accused him of being a liar, didn’t concern Lucas especially. He just shrugged his shoulders and suggested, „Maybe they’ll come back from the dead? It’s been done before. Besides, how can you know that there isn’t somebody that is related to you somewhere?“

„As for the fact that you aren’t a Symenestra and I’m not a real fortune teller, I learned from somebody that claimed to be a real fortune teller. So I’m half a real fortune teller at least. Which means that you could theoretically be half a Symenestra.“

„As for your claim that you aren’t venomous …“ He glanced at his hand, considering something. „I’d ask you to bite me, but …“ He quickly hid his hand because he was worried what would happen if they boy turned out to be venomous despite his assurance that he wasn’t.

As the boy proceeded to claim that he knew his secret, Lucas arched an eyebrow. „Which secret? That your parents are dead or that you have Symenestra blood? That doesn’t seem like a particularly important secret. Lots of people have dead parents, and I’ve already met a few with Symenestra blood. As for your suggestion that we work together …“

He smiled all over his face. That wasn’t what he had expected when the boy had started talking – he’d expected him to start crying or try to hit him – but he liked the idea. A business partner might be just what he needed!

„What do you propose? And how can I make something come true? I only have that stupid book …“

He looked at Anselm’s book and made a face.

[Matthaus]

He tensed at Lucas’ words, he hit closer to home than Matthaus could appreciate and he really wanted to get up and kick him in the shin. But rather than act on this notion he gave a curt, bobbly nod to most of his statements, not trusting himself to simply tell him to shut up. They could work together, of this he was sure but the others self-assured and mark on answers annoyed him. Shoving away the feeling he focused on the task at hand, “Bite you? That wouldn’t be pleasant for either of us.” he smirked, his tone saying in volumes how foolish he thought that sounded before shrugging easily, for him it was a secret but Lucas wasn’t much older. He likely had never had a reason to hide his heritage or he had never been to Ravok. But he did file it away for later, people gave away everything so easily, it was strange and frustrating and very much a problem at times. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad though, not having to hide what he was would solve a lot of problems and so far no one had done anything about it. The book could come in handy, predictions or pretty words and people will believe anything,” he looked at the other thoughtfully, “your sign says something about horrible things but we should stick to simple horror. Perhaps you predicted my little sisters untimely death or predicted where I found a sack of money. All we would need is a sack and a few coins at the top.” Profit or not he would get a bit of practice and gain information on the city in the meantime. Information on its people as well and especially the young man in front of him. He seemed so…careless. “Anything would work really, nothing too elaborate but enough for people to come in.” Matthaus stood finally and looked around the little tent and to the unsuspecting people just outside of it with a little smirk. Next time he could try this on his own and ask for something in return. “So, what do you think?”