PM to join Never second-guess your Public! (Orion)

[Leda]

36th of Spring Early Afternoon Leda felt that she had finally learnt her way around the great bazaar and knew the ropes of her now business a week after setting up her stall, the little light turquoise tent which reminded her of the sea with it's silver sequins around the entrance, in one of the more subordinate locations in the bazaar, where people went less than anywhere else. The inside was dark enough but cosy with a candle and there was a little table on which she had left the tools of her trade (tea leaves, tarot cards, rune stones and a spare candle just in case) and a couple of chairs for her and her client. Of course, there had been a little trepidation with her first customers for though she had been taught to read fortunes, then was an element of acting and performance in it that she had been underprepared for... but now she felt as though she were really settling into it. Some people, of course, unaccustomed to the presence in the market of a soi-disant clairvoyant able to read palms, tarot cards, rune stones and tea leaves, came to see her for the sake of a new experience and she was only too happy to oblige those who would not take her words too seriously, for then she knew to be less careful about expressing exactly what dark future the cards indicated for them. Now, it was just after one o'clock and she had not had a customer for at least a couple of hours. Not that she minded for she had brought a book about a city - a series of caves and tunnels built beneath a ruined castle - bought the day before and she was quite happy to sit cross-legged outside her tent reading it, dressed as she was with a golden coloured headband covering her hair, low-cut yellow silk tunic and a red scarf tied around her waist. After a few minutes, habit defeated her and she drew her knee to her chest in order to rest her chin on it. It wasn't so noisy around here and the she was well-able to concentrate on her reading without getting too terribly distracted by passers-by who seemed little interested in her, though she heartily wished that the market was outside instead of indoors. After all, though she had never been overly attached to the sea, she had been brought up a Svefra and open outdoor spaces were more her style than dungeon-like interiors. Then again, she supposed that one advantage was that the overall pleasant smells of spices, perfumes and fine foods didn't float away with the smallest wind, not that that was always a positive thing on reflection if the smells were of a less pleasant kind. Maybe she'd buy some incense...

[Orion Michaels]

Orion wandered the endless stalls of the Great Bazaar. Anyone who fancied themselves a merchant would try and peddle their wares and services here, and it was but a nominal fee for one to do so. Everything you could think of was available, from inks, papers, books, to smithing tools, raw metals, and, well, anything one could desire. With a rare day off, Orion was off to the bazaar to browse, but he'd really wanted to find some pleasant smelling herbs and incense to make the dormitories smell a little better. He'd learned about the history of the knights, he'd learned how to swing a blade and carry a shield. He could even mount a horse without falling on his rear. But the lesson that stuck out to him more than anything, the one thing that over powered everything else was this:

Squires stink. Badly.

Orion knew the city didn't smell well as a whole. The majority of the population didn't care for themselves like he did. Working at a bathhouse had done wonders for his personal hygiene, but also made him quite aware of the stench of others. He could ignore it for the most part. But teenage boys and girls running around, going through changes, and generally being filthy? Gods was it horrible. He'd be willing to cover his room in flowers if he could actual stand to breathe when he entered the building of a million youth.

After asking around, following his nose, and guessing wrong, he found himself near some stands which sold some rather lovely smelling incense, but before he could approach, something else caught his eye. A little tent stood there, one he'd never seen before. Most people would want to put their goods on display, not hide them in a tent, but one could count Orion intrigued. Before heading off to see what he could do to deal with the stench, the former doctor made his way over to the tent and peeked in. Call him curious.

"Hello?" Crystalline blue eyes slowly adjusted to a candlelit area, and there was a lot in here which was unfamiliar to him. A young, brunette lady, sat, lost in a book, and that brought a smile to the squire's face. "Sorry to bother you, but...," he paused, grinning sheepishly. "What is it you do here?"

[Leda]

`

Leda did not look up immediately at the sound of the voice. Rather, she finished reading the couple of lines left in her paragraph before raising her eyes, her chin still resting indolently on her knee, to look at the stranger. She observed him with a light smile and her usual unabashed stare then closed her book, put it to the side and straightened slightly in her position, putting her knee down and tucking a dark strand of hair back behind her ear. "Hello." He had very blue eyes of a piercing, penetrating nature and, though his face was not exactly of a kindly nature, it was rather interesting and she felt no shame with cocking her head to the side in order to better view it from a different angle. He also seemed cleaner than the average inhabitant of Syliras, something she noted with a smile of approval for hygiene had always been important to her. "In response to your question, I read fortunes. I can read your palm, the tarot cards, the rune stones or tea leaves." Leda waited for his reaction. Many people immediately scoffed at such an idea and she understood well that they might for it was not exactly a precise science and she herself would have been, a year before, a terrible cynic of such a practise. Then there were those who tried to act calmly but secretly couldn't wait to hand over their money to see what the cards held in store for them... unfortunately, though they were the more generous, people of that type were also the sort to be more upset and angry by what she told them. Finally, there was a large group of people who would take it in gest, smile in amusement and feel that it was a feasible way to draw some entertainment from the day. "For four silver mizas, I can read your palm and the tarot cards. Or, if you want the whole package, I can also read the rune stones and the tea leaves for one gold miza." Of course, he hadn't expressed any interest in paying for her services, but she was certain that the best way to go about any business was to offer straight up what one had and try to sell it.

[Fubuki Kouri]

Fubuki Kouri Hmmm~ Ooooh~ That looks interesting~ aaah, that looks pretty~ ehehehe~ Kouri was floating through the great bazaar. She made sure she was unmaterialized so she can walk 'pass' through people and no one would be terrified because they felt a sudden chilling sensation if they touched her. Some passerby who noticed her semi-transparent figure gave her a strange look, some didn't care, and some are terrified. Hmmm? Awww, are you scared? Ehehehe~ Kouri mentally giggled to herself as she saw a little street urchin ran away terrified after he tried to pick-pocket her only to found out that his hand passed through her as if she's not there. Hmmm? What's that? After some wandering, Kouri arrived at the not-so-crowded area of the bazaar and spotted a rather particular tent, it was light turquoise in color and had silver sequins around the entrance. Kouri tilted her head as she approached the tent to observe it, then she spotted a man with short black hair entered the tent. Hmmm? What's inside it? Her curiosity took the better of her as she floated to tent, as she went nearer she could hear 2 people talking to each other though it was not clear yet, finally she arrived at the entrance and phased her head through the fabric. "In response to your question, I read fortunes. I can read your palm, the tarot cards, the rune stones or tea leaves." Ooooooh, a fortune teller? I wonder if she can tell my fortune... Hmmm... she looked busy right now, perhaps I should wait... Kouri thought as she retracted her head and sat in front of the tent, waiting until the fortune teller was done with her current customer. OOCI will postpone my turn until Orion has finished his session with Leda.

[Orion Michaels]

He waited patiently for the woman to look up, as she seemed lost in her book. Orion himself wasn't one for reading. His father had required so much medical reading out of him, that he couldn't find any desire to do so. Books were full of medical technique, not something to sit down at study for one's pleasure. At least that's what it had become for Orion.

He raised an eyebrow as she said what her stand was for. Fortune telling? That was something completely alien to him. He couldn't recall ever come across one who practiced such a thing. He'd traveled some, known many people, but not a one had offered any knowledge related to predicting the future. He'd heard of the type, but never even seen any of it in practice.

"That's..interesting," he remarked, moving to take a seat. "I can't say that I really know what to think of this, but color me interested. I'll take the whole package, if you don't mind. How long do you think this will take?"

Was he really doing this? Spending coin on something that was likely more entertainment than substance? Well, it wasn't like he didn't have the coin to spare, and she was a lovely young woman. What could it hurt to have such a lady read his palms and tell him of his future. Maybe it held a dark haired beauty in it.

[Leda]

Leda smiled as he sat down and made sure to close the entrance to the tent properly (it made the outside world less disruptive) and adjusted the lighting. "I can't say how long it will take and only suggest that it is not a good idea if you have to be somewhere." She smiled lightly and sat down, "It also depends on how quickly you drink tea." She straightened the table slightly and started shuffling the cards before explaining the process in brief detail, never once taking her eyes off the man in front of her, close to unblinkingly. In general, she realised that it made it less uncomfortable to people when they knew it came from a fortune teller, and it allowed her to really get a good look at a person though, of course, there were some she enjoyed gazing at more than others. And, with this man, it was far from unpleasant... after all, he had such lovely, bright blue eyes. There was something deliciously unsettling about such eyes. "The Tarot cards are always a good place to start, and how I usually start. I can do purely future, but then I will not be able to judge it relative to your past so I usually suggest a brief foray into past, present and future. I will shuffle the cards three times for each area and each time, you take three cards and place them face down in front of you. Like so," she demonstrated, "It is better if you see them one at a time because the order, as much as whether the card is upside down or not, can say a lot." Leda paused and looked away for a moment, tucking a loose strand of hair back behind her ear only for it to fall back. She decided to ignore it and proceeded as though he had given his accord to past, present and future. Indeed, everyone usually did. "After that, I usually move on to the rune stones then palmistry and finally tea leaves, but you can request any particular element to go prior to the others and the order may depend on what I see in the Tarot cards if I think anything needs highlighting. At any time, feel free to ask any questions and I will try to elaborate on anything I say, though I cannot promise it will always be crystal clear. Quite the opposite." She finished shuffling with a smile and spread the cards across the table, face down. "Take three."

[Orion Michaels]

Orion fell silent as he listened to her explanation. Surely she had done this hundreds upon hundreds of times when the uninformed would wander in and ask of something they simply couldn't understand. She studied him with almost unnerving detail, her eyes rarely leaving his. Normally he would say something to lighten the situation, something flirtatious, but he, and this was a rare thing, found himself at a loss for words. He didn't have a clue what he was getting himself into, and perhaps he would never understand something so foreign.

It all sounded so ....mystical. A journey into his past, present, and future? It was, well, scary to think about. His past was marked with everything under Syna. Happiness, sadness, anger, and despicable, despicable things. Would turning over a card let her know? Would she see the monster he once was? The horrible human he'd been. Would she be able to see the darkness that surely lay within him? Could a simple card sing of joys past, of a fair skinned beauty who brought him to the highest of highs before she was ripped from him and he fell into desolation and depression? Did a deck of cards have the power to show this woman who Orion was? Who he had been? Who he would be?

There was really only one way to find out, wasn't there?

Hand trembling, Orion took a deep breath and reached out, slender fingers sliding three cards from the deck. One from the far right, one near the center, and one from the far left. Spaced out. Distance. A symbol of the extreme changes he'd experienced.

"And now?" An inquiring voice spoke out, uncertainty in it's tone. What would be revealed before them both?

[Leda]

He looked nervous and it did not seem to suit the way he had seemed upon hearing about what she did. He had seem a little cynical and now he appeared almost worried about what the cards would indicate for him. She realised then that she hadn't even asked him name, and now it seemed like the wrong moment. Leda smiled gently before reaching out and flipping over the first card. The Devil. That wasn't going to help with the nerves, especially for one who knew nothing of what the tarot cards meant. After all, when she had first learnt to read the cards, she had taken the devil at face value and, at face value, it meant evil. However, now she knew better, she knew it only meant evil if appearing in present, past and future - and even then, it depended on which cards accompanied it. "Well, the devil is usually a sign of self-bondage, which can of course encompass other things. When I say self-bondage, I mean being held back by something - usually a belief - but it can be more physical. When accompanied by other cards, it can represent Stagnation, Lust, Hedonism, Sexuality and Vice. It is quite a lascivious card really and could indicate all those things, but it is difficult to tell without knowing what the second card indicates." Leda looked up. "If there is anything which does not sound right, tell me at once and I will try and see if the cards can be interpreted differently. If you have questions, ask them." She flipped over the second card with a smile. The Lovers. "It's rare to see the lovers and the devil together, but they are intrinsically a connected pair." She pointed out the man and woman in the bottom two corners, "The Lovers of course represent love, romance, everything one might associate with them. They can also encourage Doubt, but rarely and not in my experience of the cards. Therefore, I would suggest that what this is indicating so far, especially with the position of the devil as preceding the lovers rather than following them, is that you were released from some sort of self-bondage, inhibitions or a life of violence perhaps, by the influence of love." Finally, Leda flipped over the last card. The Tower. It all seemed to make sense now and she realised she might have to be gentle. "The Tower indicates a downfall. A loss. It can be an ego blow, disillusionment or a transformation, but is often more physically damaging than that. In line with the other cards, I'd suggest that, in the past, you were almost 'saved' to phrase it that way by love, and that you suffered from a loss of that love, that being the downfall. In some cases, we believe that the first card can be a continuation of the third too. That would suggest, if we take the lecherous meaning, that you responded to this loss of love by become violent, distant, emotionally unstable and lascivious, egotistical and maybe philandering." That was what the cards indicated, but it could be difficult to tell and, as she looked up to observe him, she wondered if her interpretation had been just. It had been a rotten hand. Not the worst she'd seen, but far from great. After a minute, she took the cards back in and began shuffling them again before spreading them out in front of the man again, with a smile. "At the risk of being repetitive, take three."

[Orion Michaels]

Orion sat, not moving an inch, while she began her divination or seeing or whatever it was called. Orion didn’t know. He’d never even seen a deck of cards like this, forget someone telling him of himself by how they were drawn and what order they came in. It was all so insane, but he found himself naturally drawn to it. She spoke with such surety of her craft, and he was he to doubt her. When the first card was flipped, his breathing stopped as eyes widened. Not what he expected to see, that was sure enough.

The Devil.

Her explanation was simple enough. And with a little creative viewing, could describe Orion to the very point. Sexuality, desires of the flesh, wasn’t that all he did? Chasing tail and losing his self between the sheets with dozens of strangers. Usually not at the same time. His life was one of carnal pleasures, though they were just a shield, no, a wall, from a past he wanted to forget. He couldn’t disagree with the first card at all, and he leaned forward slightly in anticipation as the next card came.

The Lovers.

This one, he thought it would fit. He thought it would explain so much, but it felt so very wrong. Almost … opposite. He was released from nothing. No, he bore a burden as a result of his love. If he could have stayed emotionally distant, if he could have detached from her, perhaps it would have been correct. If after Lyla died, he had just forgotten about her and moved on, perhaps that would have been a way for him be freed by love. The devil coming in and slaying his love, breaking the chains that bound him to her. Instead, he was nothing without her, nothing without love.

He didn’t care for the stranger to know this. He remained silent, and nodded, encouraging her to display the final card.

The Tower.

And her detailing cut him to the bone. Everything that he’d thought about the previous card was ripped to shreds in the wake of the tower. His face turned pale and he gulped loudly, losing his composure somewhat. It was too real. It was too accurate. If it knew his past so perfectly, then what could it know of the now? What could it know of his future?

Without speaking, he reached forward and picked three additional cards. If these were accurate as well…

[Leda]

He looked troubled, and his face had gone white. Leda looked up and frowned lightly. Although she heartily wished to improve, she had always had a hard time reading people's facial expressions - at least to some extent. She could understand people, empathise with them, but without knowledge of what she had to empathise with, she often found herself at loss as to how to react. At first, she was not sure if the man was maybe a little angry, but on reflection, he appeared a little frightened. Leda bit her lip gently as he pulled out three more cards. If he really was worried about what she'd told him, she'd suggest that he see another fortune teller - one with more experience. After all, although she generally understood the tarot cards, better than any of the other fortune telling items she practised, sometimes they were a little capricious and there were tics about them that would not have occurred for one more experienced than herself. She knew that, though the cards generally had the same meaning, as time passed, one could usually govern to what extent a particular set of cards was true to the general mode. Also, her card set only included the major arcana, missing the minor arcana and she knew, that that had the potential to blur a reading. With a silent sigh and resisting the urge to ask him the cause of his ailment, even resisting the notion that she might reach out and take his hand, just to make sure he was alright... after all, she knew many people who might object to such a gesture from a practical stranger and Leda did like to avoid causing offense, especially in a commercial environment. Resisting all that, Leda flipped over the first of the three cards. The Empress. Well, it was a relatively good start and would probably hail a better hand than the first. "The Empress is, on the whole, a positive card but, depending on what one considers moral and immoral, it has negative connotations... and I think that is how we should read it in this case bearing in mind the card is upside down. It is, of course, the mother card and a symbol of fertility. However, it is also a card that can herald Pleasure, desire and again sexuality. Not on the same plan as before where the lovers were linked with the devil but still present. However, this is not all a repetition. It is a card that can indicate beauty, health, sensuality and power. Especially power if linked with the emperor and the Magician - they're the power trio. It's not something I recall ever seeing, but I might be a little worried if I did." Leda turned back to flip over the second card. The Hermit. "That's a very strange combination." she said after a moment, in which she slowly traced the grey figure on the card thoughtfully, with the tip of her finger, "Not something I haven't seen, but decidedly odd. One has to consider that the Empress holds great emphasis on Power and Pleasure. It is therefore quite a social card. The Hermit, on the other hand, is the ultimate symbol of seclusion. I would therefore suggest that the Hermit, in this case, indicates a mental or emotional seclusion rather than a physical one and that you may be compensating for this mental and emotional seclusion by acting in quite a libertine way." She paused, not sure if she was making sense, "It is also the card of reflection and solitude. I think therefore that you have created an emotional solitude based on your memories which, as I could see from your past, seem to be quite dark and this is preventing you from growing." She flipped over the last of the three cards. Fortitude. "This is very good. Fortitude, also known as strength is, on the whole, a very positive card. It heralds Self-control, Compassion and Composure. I give you liberty to judge to which point you find this correct but I believe that it shows a maturing personality, which is showing proof of more comprehension, discipline and inner strength. Either you are on a positive track to dealing with your demons or you have learnt to accept them and have drawn something from it. Then again, more obviously, it could simply be saying that you are a strong and disciplined person and it's a reflection of your personality more than anything else." Leda smiled and looked up. Did he look any less pale? It was hard to tell, for the light wasn't brilliant, but she fancied so. Of course, it could just have been wishful thinking. She shuffled. "If the cards are anything to go by, you must be awfully good at petching." she said, looking up pensively but almost as a joke to lighten his mood before spreading the cards as before. "This is, of course, what many people find the most interesting. The Future. So, if you want to know more, take three."