A Game of Cat and Bird? (Ren)

[Rue]

Time Stamp: 11th of Summer, A.V. 511 Rues hands shuffled the stack of worn cards aimlessly as she sat on the knotted root of a snow blanketed tree. Pip and Micah were playing together, pawing lightly at the other and chasing tails but Rue remained in her own trance. She stared blankly as a few people walked by, her lips lightly parted. She had been in Avanthal for a mere three days and the city never ceased to amaze her. The sunsets were always colorful and had a soft glow of magic painted in the last rays before beautiful silver light took up the space. The city was gleaming at all times of the day, people were friendly, and the rent at the inn wasn’t so bad either. So far she was enjoying herself. That was, until Pip decided to play with her instead of Micah. The painted dog barked thrice before taking hold of Rue’s skirt and pulling her away from the root. She yelped in surprise as she landed in the cold snow and was continually dragged out. Struggling against the dogs pull she had just enough time to place the deck of cards on the dry bark before a loud ripping sound reached her ears. The dog had torn the under part of her dress, nothing to fuss over as it didn’t affect the look of the dress, but now Pips attention turned to the cards. Scooping them up in his mouth the dog began teasing the girl with them. He was crouched low, in the typical play position and was jumping quickly from side to side. Micah began barking loudly whilst wagging his tail. A dirty look from Rue did nothing to help the situation. Pip began turning around quickly, the cards still dangling in his mouth. Huffing loudly Rue sat down in the snow crossing her arms over her chest and refusing to look at the animals. Slowly the beasts began quieting down and the faint sound of crunching snow reached her ears as the cards were placed in her lap. Rue peeked out of her right eye at Pip. He was laying down in front of her, paws outstretched, and brown eyes glistening. Whining softly he scooted closer to his master and gave her hand a soft lick. Rue smiled brightly at the dog and began scratching the beast all over, cooing him and laughing when he licked her face. Pip sat by her happily as she examined the cards. No noticeable damage was seen which made Rue, all the more happier. Carefully looking at the cards the Kelvic wondered if and when she would begin reading the cards for the citizens of Avanthal.

[Renaria]

It had been two seasons since Renaria had first entered Avanthal as a very young Kelvic. The woman walking the city streets now was vastly different; she had seemingly aged by nearly 7 years. Her hair was still the same; long and pale-gold, reaching to her waist, but everything else about her had changed. She stopped in her tracks as her sharp eyes caught motion right at the end of the street. A dog appeared to be jumping on a young girl, dragging her from where she was sat. Renaria frowned and increased her pace, hoping to catch the dog before it harmed her. However, as she drew nearer the girl's skirt ripped and the dog stopped tugging her along. She could now see that the dog actually belonged to the young girl, along with a second nearby. Relief washed over the Kelvic, and she stopped a little way from the trio. As the dog resumed a play position before the girl, a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, purely due to the scowl of the girl's face. She watched until the dog returned whatever it was he had taken, and her eyes zoned in on the pack as it was handed over. Were they playing cards? Naturally, curiosity got the better of her and she decided to move closer. As she neared, she could see that yes, they were cards, but not playing cards. Intrigued, she stopped just before the young girl. She bent forwards slightly, which caused her necklace to swing out. She grabbed the pendant before the dog got any ideas, and looked at the girl. "Those are strange cards. What exactly are they for?"

[Rue]

Naturally Rue was startled to see that someone had approached her, and then immediately embarrassed at the foolish display her dog had set her up for. A light blush painted her cheeks as she looked over the stranger. She was older than Rue, but still quite young, and pretty. Rue had only seen only a handful of people with such light hair before and self consciously brought her fingers to twirl a lock of her own fawn tresses. Pip barked loudly and wagged his tail at the woman, looking as if his mischief might continue with this stranger; Rue hastily placed her arm around the dog’s neck. Turning her attention back to the woman she studied her more carefully. She was pale yet softly tan, and much taller than Rue. Towering over Rue though wasn’t a feat as she was only four feet tall. The most intense feature on her was her eyes. The pupils were big and round, dilated…much like a cat. Rue had the sudden urge to get away from the stranger, but she held her ground. She hadn’t approached her in a threatening way so there should be no cause for alarm. Looking back at the cards and then to the woman again she wondered how the citizens of Avanthal took to Fortune Telling. Clearing her throat she replied, “They’re Tarot Cards, if you’d like, I um could give you a quick reading.”

[Renaria]

The Kelvic looked to the dog as it barked at her. Renaria was surprised since canines, well pets at least, were often wary of her. She knew that animals had a sixth sense when it came to the true natures of another. Perhaps these dogs were trained not to worry? In any case, she decided not to reach out to it, for fear or pushing her luck. As the younger girl looked over her, she did the same. She was sitting down, but Renaria could see that she was small all the same. Her face was scattered with freckles, which she thought were quite cute - the people of Avanthal rarely possessed those features. However it was the girl's eyes that caught her. There was something... different about them. She pondered them for a moment, before noticing that the girl seemed to show a sudden sense of fear. Renaria held back her frown, and then realization. The girl had to be a Kelvic. And some sort of prey species at that. No other person would have eyes like hers, and no other person would usually become fearful just by looking at her eyes. She smiled when the girl blinked away her apparent fear, wanting to put her at ease. "Tarot Cards?" The Kelvic had never heard of such a thing before. Naturally, she became even more curious. "Reading?" She paused for a moment as her mind pieced things together. "Oh! A fortune teller!" She smiled again and nodded before seating herself cross-legged before the girl. "Ooh yes, if you can!" She looked back down at the cards before remembering her manners and meeting the girls gaze. "Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Renaria. I should have introduced myself before asking you a question."

[Rue]

"That's alright. I'm Rue." Renaria. Perfect, a name was all she needed before she set to work. Smiling softly to herself she shuffled the cards once, cut the deck and fanned them out in her lap. A novice at the trade would have to make a deeper connection with the person they were working with, asking their name, having them touch and pick out the cards, but she was more experienced. A name to connect to a face and all she needed to do was focus deeply on that person and she would be able to draw the right cards. Concentration was something she desperately needed to work on, having the most random dog in all of Mizahar did not help on that aspect. Closing her eyes she called to mind all that she could remember about Renaria. Her golden hair, pale skin, the eyes…eyes of a predator, the way her voice sounded, and her movements, everything she could recall activated her mind’s eye as she played through the last few minutes of her meeting. She could see Renaria walking towards her, asking her of the cards and what they were for. The initial studying of each other that passed between all strangers upon first meeting. Her excited look as she agreed. Opening her eyes Rue plucked three cards, one from the very center, the others close to the left and placed them in the order she picked. She turned them over carefully, always dreading she might one day flip over an unlucky death card she became weary when it was time to reveal. Sighing softly she looked over the cards, piecing together the future story that they would tell. The Three of Cups, The Fool, and The Seven of Wands. Three women holding cups were celebrating, one man with a dog was traveling nearing a cliff, one man was defending himself against six others. “The Three of Cups starts your story, with the maids toasting in each other’s company. This could mean a celebration but I believe this time it’s referring to being in the company of loved ones through the journey as your next card is the Fool. Traveling or a journey is in store but not without trouble. The cliff signals hardship in your travels but it can be avoided if you listen to the watchdog.” She said pointing to the small drawing of a black dog next to the man. “The last is the Seven of Wands, which leads me to think that you’re going to ignore the watchdog and continue on the dangerous path as the Seven of Wands leaves you with advice. The card indicates that if you say strong you’ll pull through.” Rue was quiet for a moment, Renaria’s future was up for change depending on her choices. If she was strong she would have a happy ending.

[Renaria]

Renaria leaned forwards a little, placing her elbows on her knees and leaning her weight through her arms. Her eyes continued to flick from the girls close ones to the pack of cards and back. Anticipation was building inside of her, and she was suddenly anxious about what this young Teller might reveal. She held her breath when the girls eyes opened, and her gaze become fixed upon the three cards she had pulled out. A light frown creased her brow. They didn't seem to be terrible - Renaria could see nothing that would link with death - although the final card looked a little foreboding. She looked back up at the teller's face when she started to speak. A celebration was not something that Renaria could see in her future so to speak, but the time with a loved one? Most definitely. She had rarely left Atyvn's side since they bonded a season ago. Which would mean accompanying each other on a journey would be very plausible. She recalled a vague memory of Atyvn mentioning Alvadas, so perhaps the cards were trying to tell her it would happen? As for troubles, the kelvic knew that a journey would always have them. Avoiding them sounded very inviting though, and she puzzled for a moment over what this watchdog could be. The final card however gained another furrowed brow as she tried to decipher what the girl had meant. She looked down to the card, taking in the image of the attacking men. "You mean, somebody might get hurt?" Concern was evident in her eyes. It was unusual for such emotion to show in the eyes of a predator, but the kelvic was worrying about her bondmate.

[Rue]

Rue frowned slightly. This needed further explaining as most readings did. Picking up The Fool card she placed it in front of Renaria and thought about what she would say. When explaining the Fool card to most people they became paranoid about their own faults or were extremely offended. Sifting slightly Rue let out a puff of air and set the rest of the cards down. Tapping the Fool lightly she spoke, “The Fool is you,” and paused slightly. “The Fool is blinded by his own pride and excitement that he is unaware of the danger around him. So the Fool represents a future you for a brief amount of time on your travels, though it’s not only pride that blinds you, I find that usually who ever has this card become extremely comfortable in a situation and let their guard down and that is why they do not see the danger.” “The watch dog could be a number of things. It could be your traveling partners, your instincts, a Teller, anyone or anything really. The cliff is the danger. It’s possible that it could signal injury to you, or a thief along the road, weather, physical obstacles, again anything. The Fool card is by far the most vague and difficult to read. So yes if it is referring to injury then it is an injury to you.” Rue sat back, leaning against Pip slightly as he wagged his tail violently against her side. The dog whined slightly and began inching towards Renaria. Rues face scrunched up in curiosity.

[Renaria]

Renaria looked down at the card as the teller placed it on the ground. She carefully studied the picture - the man on the edge of the cliff, the watchdog. She feared this was going to make her a little paranoid, but she would try her best not to let that happen. She continued to gaze at the card while the girl gave her explanation, almost as if she were willing the painted dog to tell her what she needed to watch for. She almost hissed when the teller named her the fool, but she restrained herself. Renaria had asked for the reading, and the girl was only telling her what the image signified. She could see how it might apply to her though. She was incredibly comfortable around Atyvn, she trusted him with her very being after all. The watch dog was even more vague, so she supposed that there would be no point in trying to work out who - or what - it could be. At least if someone were to get hurt it would be herself and not her bondmate. A whine from the dog drew the kelvic's attention and she met his eyes with her own. She was suddenly curious about the creature, for domestic dogs never seemed to like her all that much. She slowly extended her hand to it, wondering what it might do, ready to pull back at a moments notice.

[Rue]

Rue watched the odd dog scoot closer to Renaria. The other Kelvic – and by this point it was safe to assume that she was another Kelvic – stuck her hand out for the dog to smell. Pips tail began wagging so viciously that Rue pushed him lightly away from her, escaping the beating. Pip gave her a swift lick to the face before focusing on Renaria once more. Pressing his wet nose to the woman’s hand he gave a soft bark and began sniffing all over. The dog was incredibly bold, or perhaps dense. He began crawling on Renaria’s lap to smell her face, hair and neck. Once satisfied with her sent he looked her in the eyes for a few tense moments. At this point Rue wasn’t sure what he would do. He was never an aggressive dog, unless he was protecting Rue and was usually harmless in his idiotic acts but Rue had yet to introduce him to another Kelvic. Finally after several moments the dog barked softly and licked her face in one long fluid motion. Jumping off he began bounding around her in circles. Stupid dog, stupid, stupid dog, Rue thought as she buried her hands in her face.

[Renaria]

Renaria raised a single eyebrow as the dog moved closer still. She couldn't stop the surprise showing on her face when it practically clambered into her lap. No domestic animal had ever approached her in such a way, and she wasn't quite sure how to react. She caught the dogs gaze for a long moment. The eyes of one hunter meeting another. If he were wild, then it was most certainly a challenge, and the Kelvic had to restrain herself from throwing him off of her. She almost growled when it outright licked her face, the sound trembling in her throat. Catching herself yet again, she refused to let it surface, and watched the dog racing round her. Renaria flicked her gaze over to the teller who appeared to be mortified. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Your dog is either very silly, or very brave." She looked at the second dog, sitting calmly to the side of the girl. "Is he usually like this?"