Open Lucas, the Fortune Teller

[Lucas Arias]

Summer 48, 513 AV

After his arrival in Riverfall Lucas decided to check out the city a bit before he began with his preparations for the expedition. It was great, but the people, the people he could do without. Everywhere were Akalak in various shades of blue, red, purple or green that towered over him and did their best to make him feel inferior.

Lucas had never felt so out of place before. At barely 5‘6“, skinny and with bright red hair like an Inarta (people always claimed he was an Inarta bastard, but he just knew that Loren Dyres was his real father!) he looked like some really weird little boy next to them.

There were no women to flirt with either. When they had a choice between strong, manly and muscular and short, skinny and weird, women usually preferred the first option (unless they were insane, maybe). And he wasn’t sure if he wanted to go to a bar and get drunk when there would be the possiblity of a bar fight with somebody twice his size. The former squire loved a good fight, but he wasn’t ready to die yet. He really wanted to take part in the expedition.

So he went back to where the other wannabe adventurers (and future corpses) were staying and decided to do something fun and mildly useful and get to know them better instead. He handed everybody that passed him by a piece of paper that said (all in capitals, which some people might find a little annoying):

FREE FORTUNE TELLING! ARE YOU TAKING PART IN THE SYKA EXPEDITION? DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT? DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHETHER THE EXPEDITION WILL BE SUCCESSFUL? ARE YOU AFRAID YOU’LL DIE? OR DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHETHER YOU’LL FIND LOVE IN SYKA? I CAN HELP YOU. I LEARNED MY TRADE FROM MASTER ANSELM IN ZELTIVA. VISIT ME IN MY ROOM. LUCAS.

[Grant Reynolds]

OOCHope this is alright. I didn't know where the thread was taking place, so I let it be really ambiguous. He looked down at the piece of paper that had just been handed to him, and back to the red haired youth. Grant had been minding his own business until this stranger had, rather enthusiastically, gave him the advertisement. A few people it seemed had just tossed them back on the ground. But for him, it was a hard message to ignore. All capital letters, and the words free and Zeltiva practically jumped out at him. He held up the little piece of paper and waved it gently between his fingers. "I don't know anything about this Syka expedition, but would you still be willing to give me a reading?" Grant had always been a practical man of science. He wasn't sure how he felt about tarot, fortunes, and divine insight. Magic was definitely real, but fortune telling? How often would the opportunity arise for him to see if this was just a hoax? Lucy, his dog, was sniffing experimentally at the boy's shoes, testing them with the tip of her tongue. Her tail wagged slowly, a sign she wasn't too suspicious. A good enough indication of the boy if there was any. He was a short lad, almost half a foot under Grant. His coppery hair was a little wild, and he looked particularly young. Sure didn't look like any fortune teller he'd ever seen. Weren't they usually old, mysterious women with filmy eyes, with shoulders and fingers weighed down by jewelry?

[Jack Benefort]

Walking through the city that day, Jack began to really come to grips with how big this expedition thing was. Apparently a bunch of people had signed on to some mission to go found a town somewhere. A BUNCH of people. As bustling as Riverfall was before, it seemed twice as much now, though he did not mind it. He found what they were doing to be absolutely remarkable. If he did not intend to be in Riverfall for a good deal longer, he would probably inquire about joining them, but that was not the case. It certainly didn't stop him from enjoying the company of these new folks, though. He had met quite a few interesting characters in the last few days, most of them men and women of their trade, coming along to provide services in this new town. He quite looked forward to traveling there someday. Perhaps his teaching skills would be of use once he refined them a bit more.

While the presence of the expeditionary force provided much entertainment and opportunity for fellowship with strangers, it also provided a slight homesickness. All these people leaving home for a mission bigger than themselves. Truly, he saw a little of himself in many of them. Giving up all that you've got to go and see something great happen. It made him feel lonely, and made him long for Zeltiva. He never thought he would experience it, but he finally found himself craving a kelp beer, just like he had been told he would by several sailors when he left.

Consumed in thought and quite lonely feeling, Jack stopped walking and stepped to the side of the busy walkway, looking out at the sea and wondering how things were back home. As he stood there, a sudden gust of wind picked up and blew a piece of paper right into his face. Shocked, he stood for a couple of seconds wondering what had happened, before coming to his senses and yanking the paper off of his eyes.

|||||||
FREE FORTUNE TELLING!

ARE YOU TAKING PART IN THE SYKA EXPEDITION? DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT? DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHETHER THE EXPEDITION WILL BE SUCCESSFUL? ARE YOU AFRAID YOU’LL DIE? OR DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHETHER YOU’LL FIND LOVE IN SYKA?

I CAN HELP YOU. I LEARNED MY TRADE FROM MASTER ANSELM IN ZELTIVA. VISIT ME IN MY ROOM.

LUCAS.
|||||||||

Jack was so excited he did not think to himself but started talking loudly. "Master Anselm?! Zeltiva?!" He had heard a little bit about Anselm from his father. Though Athanasius didn't have a lot of respect for fortune-tellers, he spoke well enough of Anselm, and said that "If anyone in that rotten trade can be trusted to get something right, it's Anselm." Though Jack didn't particularly care about the credibility of Anselm or this 'Lucas' at the moment. He was so excited to meet someone from home that he completely disregarded the fact that it was advertising to the expeditionary force. He was set on talking about home at this point, and if he had to pretend to be on some expedition and get his fortune told to do it, then so be it.

He immediately started working his way from person to person in the street, until a local recognized the advertisement and pointed him in the direction to go to find the man who was handing them out.

[Lucas Arias]

The people that take part in the expedition stay at Atri’s Place. So that’s also where Lucas is.

Grant, here is the thread for your fortune telling.

Jack, we will continue here.

[Eleret]

Eleret had been bemused by the young human who had all but accosted her in the hall, letting her by only after she'd accepted his scrap of paper. By the time she'd actually read the text on the page, he had moved on to other targets. Shaking her head in some amusement, the Konti stuffed the note into her pocket and went on to her room -- thinking on the proposition all the while. It piqued her curiosity, she finally decided; Eleret had no idea who this Master Anselm might be, but a human fortune-teller was something of a novelty in her experience. It would be interesting, she thought, to see what he did differently in telling a fortune. That curiosity sent Eleret back out some time later, in search of the boy's room as bidden in the note. Finding it, she rapped her knuckles politely against the door. "Lucas?" she prompted. "I would like to take your offer, if it is still open."

[Delilah]

As Delilah had been.... well..... around the party, she began to feel a little out of place. She did not recognize many of these people, nor was she sure she would be fond of many of them. As her gaze wandered around, she noticed a note on the floor. It was relatively near her, and discarded by it's previous holder, though something told her she should pick it up, if nothing else for the sake of throwing it away. As she navigated her way to the paper, she picked up the note and read: "FREE FORTUNE TELLING! ARE YOU TAKING PART IN THE SYKA EXPEDITION? DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT? DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHETHER THE EXPEDITION WILL BE SUCCESSFUL? ARE YOU AFRAID YOU’LL DIE? OR DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHETHER YOU’LL FIND LOVE IN SYKA? I CAN HELP YOU. I LEARNED MY TRADE FROM MASTER ANSELM IN ZELTIVA. VISIT ME IN MY ROOM. LUCAS." Having nothing much to do, she left to seek out this 'Lucas' figure. Naturally assuming he would be part of the quest, her first instinct was to ask the Akalak brothers at the desk of Atri's Place. With this note in hand, Delilah left the crowd to seek out the 'Lucas'.

[Brodon Windriver]

He realized what it was now, though he wasn't sure why a note to have a reading had triggered it. He saw others from the party at Atri's of course, but not all gathering around a single room. It had to be the room belonging to...yes...Lucas Arias.

It fit. These people, strangers all, gathering for an expedition. They probably all sought clarity on one issue or another. Brodon looked again at the note and its references to 'wanting to know what to expect...will the expedition be successful?...will you die?...find love?' These were not really the questions he had. They would occur in their time, regardless of hints given by this Lucas fellow.

Brodon simply did not believe in knowing fate. The very thing you think you have to avoid, may be brought down on you by the very effort you made to hold it off. How many stories had someone dying at the hands of a prophesied individual, simply because they attacked that person in an effort to forestall their fate, and that person, in self-defense, slew their attacker.

'So why come at all?' he asked himself. He had not been immediately sure. He had been satisfied with his account of himself before the others. Other than his poorly spoken common, that is. He was supposed to have had a tutor in Yahebah, but the man's common had been as bad as his.

Nor was he concerned that supplies had been overlooked. The few items he'd added as afterthoughts were just that. No, the one thing he'd left unspoken that most of the others had made clear was 'Why'. Why did he feel he must go? Or rather, why did Yahal direct him to go? He had no connection to the place, or Matthias Syka. At least none he knew of. Yet every seemingly random occurrence in the last year and a half had brought him to this spot, this time, this mission.

He waited until the little room was clear of other visitors. He walked in and looked around, checking for signs of power and mystery, but there were none. It looked as though the young man had some devices of the trade sitting beside him, however. He didn't look any older than Brodon's own seventeen years, but you never knew.

"Sir?...Mr. Arias?...You are doing of readings for us...expedition...ers?...If the many others are not being for making you tired, I would too like for a reading." He handed the red-headed young man the note.

[Lucas Arias]

Eleret, your thread is here.

Delilah, your thread is here.

Brodon, your thread is here.

[Levissa Certier]

Having just arrived in Atri's Place, Levissa was quite exhausted, yet she was far too giddy to actually get some rest. She was still wearing her traveling clothes, a pair of dark breeches, thin sleeveless shirt and her hair pulled back in a single braid. She would need to workout some her nervous jitters before getting herself to relax. After a while, she couldn't help noticing the papers some people were carrying. Curious, she sneaked a quick peek of it. It was actually quite easy, considering the fact that it was written in all capitals.

Being a Spiritist, Levi was a person who believed in fortune-telling and all that kinds of stuff and she found this rather interesting. Plus, it was free. She didn't see why not. After all, it was also a chance to know one of her future journey companions.

After some asking around, Levi found herself standing in front of the said Lucas. A part of her did wonder how accurate it would be but she didn't care that much anyway. "Hello? Is this the room of Lucas? I'm interested in your fortune-telling."