Solo Dust to Dust

[Amelia Cross]

[45th day of spring 513.a.v.]
[Noble District]
[Near the Nitrozian Estates]
[Early morning]

The morning was unusual from the very beginning. Amelia had rarely heard of rain here in Ravok, not to mention seen it. But here she was, wondering around the noble district of the city with the warm rain occasionally sweeping over her face, threatening to wash away her make up with every drop. She was worried about it, after all, she was a woman in Ravok. She believed the city was full of beauty, and the woman here were the biggest of all. None the less, it didn’t worry her enough to make the girl stay in. Back in Silyras, you could experience rain quite often and often would Amelia complain to her mother of how Ravok was so much better than Silyras. After All, Ravok was always warm, but now when she was in the city, she more and more found herself missing the simple pleasures of life…like rain.

The time seemed to flow by slowly, slow enough for Amelia not to even notice it move at all. The city seemed to have dulled; everyone was hidden in the security and warmth of their homes. She was sure that people here were frightened of the weather, frightened that it was Rhysol who was showing them his disapproval of something. But the idea was obscure to Amelia, someone who found gods to be always for the look of the best for the people, in their own twisted ways. The thought brought up a small smile upon her lips and a light warmth to her gnosis, or so she was sure of, actually, she was just making herself believe that Rhaus was near in the city of silence and intrigue.

Another step, then another and one more after, nobody was really out for Amelia to work with. Of course, there were slaves of work and a few unlucky people who had no choice but to be out in this weather, but none of them were really material for the girl to work with. So she kept on strolling, what seemed the hundredth circle around the city center until she found herself by the Nitrozian estates once more. She lifted her black eyes up from underneath her black hood and couldn’t help but wonder to herself, maybe she should move to something as lovely as these? Of course, nothing could really compare to them, but she could still find a good place in the city. She knows for sure, she isn’t leaving anytime soon and staying where she is now, is not the best place she could think of.

But before she finished the thought, she heard a voice that came off soft and welcoming. Not something unusual, but clearly unexpected ”hello there child, what on earth are you doing out on the streets at this weather?” Amelia turned around, only to see a pleasant smile of an old woman coming from below a thick, grey hood. Amelia couldn’t help herself but smile back at the scene ”I’m enjoying this, it’s nothing but out father washing away our sins” why had she said something like this? Had Amelia suddenly turned into a believer of Rhysol? Not really, she just knew that old people of the city were the most loving believers of Rhysol and the Voice.

”But my dear, you’ll catch a cold’”I won’t, thank you” The old woman just chuckled as the rain continue to fall onto the basket she was carrying ”and might I ask, why do you really chose to stay out?” ”I’m a fortune teller, and since I don’t find my customers in taverns, I have to wonder streets” a lie, but telling a lie was no good. However she was sure that the woman became more thoughtful as the work range of Amelia was mentioned. ”can you read the past?” suddenly the woman asked, her voice clearly not as uplifting as before.

[Amelia Cross]

The question surprised Amelia, but she nodded in confirmation ”Yes, not deep, but I can cover the past season or two…” the woman seemed to brighten up instantly and came an offer ”Come in, I need to know something, please…come in” she stated, as she toke Amelia by the hand and gently tucked her closer, almost leading her to her house. Amelia was confused, she hadn’t faced anyone who was this eager to have their future read, none the less the past. Or was it that she wanted to know something not so common?

One way or the other, Amelia followed, taking the woman’s bags, the heaviest, in her own hands, not really liking to see an old woman carrying such heavy things all by herself. They didn’t really exchange any words in between the last sentence and the moment Amelia entered the house the woman owned. It wasn’t actually a house though; it was a nice, cozy cubicle. A quite fancy one actually, it appeared like it might have actually been 3 cubicles united. But the location of the place was quite nice, and she even had a balcony.

The woman toke off her light coat and big hat, Amelia placed the big bags down and toke off her cloak. ”Where should I put these?” ”just take them to the dining room, there” the woman pointed towards the door to the left of where they entered. Amelia picked the bags up once more, they were quite heavy, what made her wonder how did such a woman carry them on her own? One way or the other, she carried them to the named location and put them down.

”Would you like some tea child?” the woman asked, and Amelia just nodded. She saw the woman take a teapot and was about to go somewhere to boil the water. Amelia somehow didn’t really want to see the old woman do it, and so, she toke the pot from the woman ”I can do that, don’t worry, I know this type of constructions, the kitchen is somewhere in the first floor” the woman approved and said to get the teacup ready.

Amelia toke a glove, and went down. She poured water into the pot and hung it above the firepit. She toke the flint and steel that was placed not far from the few pots left for usage and using hitting the two together to get a spark, lit the fire under the teapot. It was a good moment, but when the teapot began whistling, she knew the water was ready. Amelia toke the thick cooking glove and placed the teapot on a table, next to the wall. She looked around to see how to take the fire out, her mother used a lid, and that was what she found. A thick, black lid to close the firepot, she placed it above the fire and soon enough there was light smoke coming from under it. She toke it away, and placed it where it was before. Amelia didn’t understand why it was so heavy, but she didn’t give much thought to it, before she toke the teapot and walked up to the woman’s cubicles.

”Come here, pour the water into the cups” the woman said, Amelia followed the order and filled the small, elegant teacups with water. The woman had already prepared everything. After she filled the cups with water, she toke it away to the so called dinning are and left it there, along with the thick glove.

Amelia walked back to the living area, where the woman sat in a delicately carved armchair, that at least appeared to be fancy. Amelia sat down in front of her, and toke a sip of her tea, no sugar, no milk, despite the woman offering it. She never really enjoyed sweet tea, preferring bitter, but rich in flavor. ”this is lovely, what is this tea?””That’s a tea made from The Nootka Rose, it’s a plant that is exclusive to the white isle, the Konti isle. My son is a medic, and he travels there quite often bringing me all sorts of interesting teas. Did you know this tea actually makes you happy? And it is also good for your health” the woman smiled and put her cup down on the coffee table between them.

”Could you please, help me? I want to know, how my husband died…can you do that?” This was a bit of a surprise, as she had rarely read about other people, she knew that some used the belongings of others to read of them, but Amelia didn’t know how this practice worked exactly. So she was left with little knowledge how to help the woman. ”I can try, but I do not promise you a solid result, reading the past of a dead is hard” Amelia explained, as she set her own teacup down and toke her deck of tarot. She handed it to the woman and told her to shuffle it, while thinking of her husband, remembering every bit of him she could, the more vivid the image the better. Amelia could see it cause pain to the woman, as she began blinking away tears, but it was needed.

The woman handed Ameia back the cards and she toke the 3 card from the top. All 3 were instantly flipped around, to reveal the image and the message they held. ”the king of cups, it’s a good sign of who your husband was, he was a kind man of law and order, with an appreciation of art” The woman smiled and Amelia saw it ”yes, Dmitry loved art, he was a merchant, selling and buying art…but he was a skilled painter himself, a kind man who helped the needy” Amelia just nodded in understanding and turned to the next card , the Knight of wands.

”The knight of wands, is a tricky card, and it is reversed, It says your husband was attacked, attacked and absorbed in lies, and he was devastated by it. As a complimentary card to the one before, I could say that there were trouble with his work, that leaned to the next” she saw the woman subconsciously waving her head, so Amelia knew she was on the right track. ”this card, Eight of cups, it’s a card that represent change of a journey and different path that made him change and caused a lot of pain” Amelia couldn’t really see that was the meaning behind this, but the woman, she had a slight frown up on her face, making Amelia worry.
She toke 2 cards from the bottom of the deck, bout flipped instantly, they were cards to explain the last card, the eight of cups, what Amelia saw, saw something she didn’t expect ”I’m sorry, I must be wrong, this can’t be” she said, but the woman protested ”No! Please, tell me what you see” and Amelia was left with explaining. ”These cards, they mean, he questioned religion, he turned away from what was the ‘he’ he was born, and turned to the…sun and the moon…”

”but, that is correct, for the past 5 to 6 years, my husband began questioning the Voice, Rhysol and our Black sun…he turned to other gods, Sun and the Moon, Syna and Leth, the goddess of the Sun, Sight, energy and joy, he believed she was to guide him though the darkness of Ravok and the sins he had committed…” she toke a sip of the tea, ”Mood, Leth, the god of the moon, changes and thoughts…he was sure he would teach him the truth…” the woman sobbed ever so slightly and Amelia just sat there, unsure how to react to someone who spoke of other gods in Ravok. She knew some were tolerated, but Rhysol was everyone’s father. ”You must be wondering, why I’m telling you this, but you see…I’m and old woman who has been a follower of Rhysol and have never questioned him or my faith, I have nothing to be afraid of.” Amelia nodded in understanding, and moved on.

She pulled out two more cards from under the deck, flipped them over and saw death…she saw death, betrayal and punishment ”Your husband, he died of betrayal…for the sin of betrayal. I might be wrong, but the cards are telling me that he was betrayed by someone he trusted, someone he trusted was the cause of his death, a woman who loved home and wished good” ”enough…please, I’ve heard enough…” The woman began sobbing, no she was crying rivers. Amelia had a guess why, but she didn’t wish to speak.

”I….I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but I need to take it off my chest at this age, my husband…I told on him not being a devoted follower of Rhysol…he, he…I thought that I would help, but at the end…a season ago, he was found dead on the lakeshore…” she was crying as she spoke and her language was trembling. Amelia got up and handed the tea to the woman, guessing she needed a drink ”you did…what you thought was right…” ”never think with your head, when a loved one is under question, think only with your hearth child…I ignored it and got my husband killed”

The woman told Amelia to leave, she wished to obey, but the faint voice of the woman coming from the living are said ”I’m sorry, I don’t have the strength to pay you, please, at the dinning are, there is a paper bag, small, filled with tealeaves, the bag is decorated with pink petals, this is this tea, the Nootka rose, it’s not a lot…but…please, take at least that”

Usually Amelia wouldn’t agree to such a deal, but the tea was good and she didn’t want to ask for money from a woman who she had just caused to cry. The bag was half empty, but it would be a good thing to have when she gets back home, or visits her father, he liked tea.

oochalf a bag of that tea would probably be fitted for 4-5 serves?

[Verilian]

. . Thread Award . . Amelia Cross +1 Cooking +1 Fortune Telling You Question My Logic? : Any questions, feel free to PM. Lores: Rain in Ravok, How to Boil Water, Lore of The Nootka Rose, Syna: Goddess of the Sun, Sight, Energy and Joy, Leth: God of the Moon, Change and Thoughts Loot: Nookta Rose Leaves*Enough for 5 servings Notes: Good thread, and enjoy your tea. Also, keep writing! Notice As per the request of the Founders, threads cannot be graded unless your CS is up to date. This means you need to add threads to your thread list when you make new threads, keep your skills up to date, ledger, living expenses, ect. If you aren't up to date, you'll get a PM from me before i grade your thread. If you are up to date, disregard this notice.