Closed Words Worth a Fortune

[Dev'Ania]

Words Worth A Fortune
3rd of Summer, 519 AV

“How beautiful.” Dev’Ania stood, Ember at her feet and a box in her arms, admiring her new shop. For the past couple of days, the Konti had been coming to set up the shop before the new season was to arrive, and now, here she was. A shop of her own. All of the work she had put in had finally paid off. No longer would she need to sit on the hard pavement of the plaza while giving readings to people.

She took a good, long at the small building, marveling the structure before entering through its wooden door. The old wooden door made a slight squeaking noise as it opened. Closing the door behind her, Dev bent down and unleashed Ember, letting her roam around at her own will. “This is our shop now, Emmy. Go ‘head and look around.” As if she understood the Konti, the little black kitten went off and explored the shop, sniffing around. A smile spread across her face watching the short-legged kitten skip to each corner of the room to observe the new environment.

The building was old. Dust and cobwebs filled the room. The room was empty apart from a counter covered with cloth, a small round table, and two chairs. She set the heavy box on the floor, gently to avoid breaking anything. The box contained almost all of the decoration she had purchased for the shop: teacups, small plates, candles, a tea kettle, a couple of boxes of tea leaves, and a glass ball. These were the things she knew she would need once her shop was up and running.

Dev’Ania approached the counter and yanked off the white cloth. A cloud of dust formed around the Konti. A series of coughs and sneezes came as Dev tried to wave away the dust. “Geez, how long has this stuff been sitting here. I think a good, thorough cleaning is long overdue.” This was one of the most affordable buildings she had an option to choose from. Of course, she also had the option to have a new building built, but she was on a budget. She had to work with what she had, but she loved what she had. With a little bit of work and dedication, her shop was going to look fantastic. For now, it was as simple and small as it could be, but in the future, there is always room for it to expand.

Dev took the cloth and began shaking out all the dirt and dust, making sure she turned her face away from it. Once she felt almost all of the dust was out of it, she folded it neatly and placed it with the rest of the decorations. Why waste something still nice enough to be used.

For a tick, she stood the middle of the room, thinking to herself. There was quite a bit for her to do and she wanted to complete it all today. “Shyke!” the Konti let out the swear, realizing she had forgotten a broom to sweep with.

WC: 511

[Dev'Ania]

Surprised by her rare outburst of a swear word, Dev’Ania slapped her palms to her lips with a look of pure shock on her face. She would never swear as she did just then. She dropped her hands back to her sides and turned around, spotting a door to the back. She opened the door leading to a small storage room. Ember scurried through her legs into the room, once again sniffing around. The room was empty except for a couple of shelves. And much to the Konti’s surprise, sitting on one of the shelves, a small duster.

“Well thank, Avalis! I can at least dust some of the dirt off everything!” She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes to thank the goddess. Before exiting the room, Dev grabbed the duster.

“Come on, Ember. Let us get to work.” She closed the door behind her and walked over to the table and chairs. She dusting them down, moving the dirt onto the wooden floor. After getting all the dust off the table and chairs, the room began to feel a little cleaner than it was.

To make cleaning more enjoyable, Dev’Ania danced around singing to herself.

“The joy of cleaning
Of having fun!
Here in this room.
Between these great, stone walls
I sing a joyful song!”

Her pitch changed with each note and made the song sound energetic and uplifting. If only the sound of the lute in her head was real, then the song would be even more perfect.

Using a chair to reach the top, Dev dusted the cobwebs and dirt off the walls and windows. With them dusted off, the windows allowed the bright sun to shine through, giving the room light. It was a good thing she brought candles to light because the sun would not always be there. The Konti placed candles on the table and around the room to have as lighting in the evenings or if she was ever there at night.

Dev’Ania dusted off the shelves on the wall next to the table and neatly placed the plates, cups, kettle, and box of tea leaves on it. The only thing left for her to do was sweep the floor and place the rug under the table and chairs and hang up a tapestry she purchased. Right now, she did not have anything to hang the tapestry up, so she laid it over the counter. She took a break from cleaning to admire the beautiful picture woven on the tapestry - a picture of the goddess, Avalis surrounded by a night sky full of stars. She remembered how the tapestry caught her eye in the market one day as she passed through, like Avalis herself sent it as a gift.

After a few bells, Dev was finally finished cleaning, apart from sweeping, which she would need to get a broom for. Ember had gotten tired and was now napping in one of the chairs, curled into a ball. Dev took a seat in the other chair and let out a deep breath as she scanned the room. “Everything is falling into place.”

WC: 521

[Dev'Ania]

Just as Dev’Ania was beginning to drift off to sleep, something caught her eye through the window. Her head popped up and her eyes squinted as she stared into the brightness of the setting sun outside. A shadow of what seemed like a person was cast through the window. Was someone outside?

Then, startling the Konti and waking the kitten, a light knock fell upon the front door. It was a person! But why would someone be visiting the shop? How did they know Dev would be there today? Dev jumped to her feet and dusted off her dress. Who could it possibly be? Maybe it was someone from the tavern. She did tell a couple of people that she would have the shop open in the new season.

“Uhm...Coming!” She began to walk toward the door, but stopped in her tracks and ran over to the counter. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out her deck of cards and newly purchased pouch of runestones. She placed the items on the table and took the resting cat into her arms. The blonde woman stood in front of the door and took a deep breath before opening it. Standing across from her was a brown-haired woman with a look of confusion on her face.

“Why, hello there. Welcome to The Nine Lives. My name is Dev’Ania. Why don't you come on inside!” A smile spread across Dev’s face.

“Okay.” replied the woman as she walked in. “I was just passing by and I saw the sign. I just felt pulled toward the place I suppose.” The woman spoke very softly. Her clothes were a bit ragged and spotted with stains. Dev guessed she was on the poorer side of society or was just a hard worker.

Dev’Ania closed the door behind her and walked over to sit at the table. “That sounds like a message from the gods to me. What can I do for you this evening, dear?”

“I’m not really sure,” the woman responded. “Whatever you feel is best will work for me.”

Ember jumped out of Dev’s lap and walked around the room.“Well then. In that case, I suppose a simple rune and card reading will do. Have a seat. Make yourself comfortable and try to relax a bit. You seem a bit tense. Oh, and don’t mind the kitten. She is really friendly, so if you feel something furry touching you, it is Ember.” Dev’Ania chuckled as she shuffled the ornate cards in her hand. “Before we begin, know that the future is not set in stone and the slightest action can alter the path of the future. I may not know everything, but I will do my best to guide you to what you need to know. Okay.”

“Oh dear, I don’t believe I caught your name?”

The woman replied softly, “Oh, I am Matelea.”

“What a pleasure to meet you, Matelea. Shall we begin?” The woman sat across from her and nodded her head in agreement. Dev shuffled the cards once more before placing them in the middle of the table in a single stack. “I can already feel a strong energy coming from the cards.”

WC: 533

[Dev'Ania]

“The first thing I am going to have you do is to just hold your hands around the stack of cards. This is going to help you connect with the cards and transfer your energy to them, making the reading more accurate.”

Dev’Ania watched as the woman reluctantly did as she was instructed. It seemed like she was scared. But scared of what? Dev’Ania closely observed the woman for more information.

“Good. Good. Now, I am going to divide the stack into three different piles. The first for the past, then the present, and then a possible future.”

With the stacks each made, Dev flipped over three cards from each pile and laid them across the table. “Okay. For your past, the cards show the Three of Wands, Five of Pentacles, and Eight of Swords. From this, I am getting that you moved here to Lhavit from far across the sea due to poor circumstances. You had negative thoughts about migrating, but in the end, it is what you decided on. Does this seem right?”

The woman’s eyes were wide with curiosity. “Y-yes, it is true. I had a child and wanted to provide a better life for her. Where I was before wasn’t somewhere a child should be raised.”

“I understand. I myself came to Lhavit for a new, better life. Now your present cards tell me that you are very disorganized. You try to do the best you can for your child, but don’t know a direction to go in. You work as hard as you can, but get little rewards,” Matelea’s eyes began to fill with tears, “Don’t be upset, Matelea. What matters most is that you are trying your best. You may feel like you are not a good parent for your daughter, but know that you are and things take time to grow and flourish.”

Dev couldn’t help but feel a little pity for Matelea. WHere was her child’s father? How did she work so much and have little time with her daughter? It all must have been so difficult. Dev’Ania couldn’t imagine. It was Dev’s dream to have children and the last thing she wanted to do was feel like a bad mother.

“As for your future, we have the Six of Pentacles, Strength, and Chariot cards. The cards predict that you will achieve your goals. You will have enough kina to give charity to the poor as a way to spread thankfulness. Though you will be in a great place in your life, there will still be times of self-doubt and lack of direction. You will need to work through these times by yourself to be the best for your family.”

Matelea’s face brightened. “Do you really think so? I mean, can the cards really be true?” She sniffled and wiped her face clear of tears. Ember meowed from beneath the table and rubbed her body against Matelea’s legs. The woman let out a giggle and looked down at Ember. “Hey there, girly.”

“I told you she was friendly,” Dev laughed along with the woman. “You can pet her if you’d like.”

WC: 518

[Dev'Ania]

Dev’Ania felt accomplished to have done her first reading in her new shop. It was officially open for business and she couldn’t have been any more excited. From here, the possibilities were endless.

Her first customer was happy, which made Dev’Ania happy. “I have faith in the cards. I believe they are more than just ornate cards. I believe they are gifts from Avalis herself. You must trust the cards in what they say, whether good or bad.” That was what Dev was taught by Cala. ‘Have faith in the cards, child.’ the old woman would say. If only she could see her now, with her own shop. Knowing the crone, she probably already knew.

Dev planned to do a rune-casting for the woman, but they became distracted from chatting. From talking about their childhoods to talking about the woman’s child.

So, what is your daughter’s name? Where are you from? How are you enjoying the city so far? These were some of the questions exchanged between the two women. Ember now sat in Matelea’s lap, curled up like usual as was pet by the woman.

“You must have been doing readings for quite some time now, right? How did you learn how to tell fortunes? I see you have a gnosis mark on your shoulder, too. Is it related to fortunetelling?” Matelea had become very interested in Dev’s work.

“I have been doing this for only a couple of seasons. When I first moved to Lhavit, I was an apprentice to the Alheas Crone. She taught me all that I know today or, at least, all that I have learned. There is still so much for me to learn. And I guess my gnosis mark somewhat is related to fortune-telling. I have the mark of Divination from Avalis. I was gifted it at birth just like much of my kind.”

“That is so fascinating! I wouldn’t mind learning a few things to show Blossom. I’m sure she would love it.”

“Actually, I can show you a bit of palm reading. Let me see your hand.” Dev’Ania took the woman’s hand with her palm facing up. “This line here is the heart line. It generally gives information on relationships based on how it looks. Yours is split, telling me you have experienced heartbreak. It is very easy to make interpretations on the look of the lines on someone’s palm.”

By the time they were finished, a few bells had past and the sun had completely set below the horizon. Matelea paid even though Dev insisted she didn’t need to. Once she left, Dev’Ania cleaned up the table, blew out all the candles, put Embers leash on, locked up the shop, and headed home. The entire walk home, all she could do was think about Matelea and then about Zach, and her wish for them to have a family together.

Today was a long, but very successful day. All she wanted to do now was sleep peacefully in her bed.

WC: 501 Total WC: 2584

[Madeira Dusk]

Grades Awarded!

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Dev'ania

Skills

• Planning: 2xp
• Observation: 5xp
• Cleaning: 2xp
• Singing: 1xp
• Organization: 1xp
• Logic: 1xp
• Socialization: 2xp
• Fortune Telling: 2xp
• Acting: 1xp
• Teaching: 2xp

Lores

• Nine Lives: needs some work
• Lore of the trials of house hunting
• Lore of homemaking
• Singing: motivational cleaning song
• Organization: house decorating
• Business: the first customer
• Socialization: professional greeting
• Acting: theatrics of fortunetelling
• Teaching: the basics of palm reading

Awards & Retribution


Notes
This was so wholesome! You cant help but cheer on this earnest young character as she squares up and dives in to this new stage of her life. What a lovely read.

PS: don't forget to add a date to your thread!