Pern Reads Your Fortune

[Urahra 5777]

Toby blinks as Lancels fate is read off, being right beside him "Right then... What will happen to my wife and daughter in the years to come?"

 

"Ah, asking about your family? You are an unselfish person. I like you. Very well. Let us see what the cards have to say about your family."

 

Pern lays out six cards at random, just as before, arranging them in a the shape of a crude cross. The first card goes in the center and the next six are laid out around it. She flips the first card, resting her finger on top of it. "This card tells me the general basis of the situation - the future of your wife and daughter." She looks down at the card with a curious smile. "It is an interesting card, I am sure you will agree. It tells me of a smooth balance in power between mother and daughter. It speaks of teamwork, good communication, and collaborative success. A very positive card, I think."

 

She moves to the second card and flips it with a smooth movement of her wrist. "This card tells me the challenges they will face. Aha, it tells me of injustice. An act of aggression against them. Or perhaps...between them? Their relationship as mother and daughter might be threatened either from without or within."

 

She moves to the third card. "And this card is about you, my friend. It tells me your feelings. You are afraid. You are afraid that your enemies might act against your loved ones. A natural worry, I think. We all fear that the people we hate will harm our families."

 

"This fourth card tells me of the past. You - or your loved ones - have made mistakes that put them in danger. Someone - perhaps you, perhaps others - made a rash choice that now haunts you."

 

"The fifth card tells me what this caused you to feel. You want to act with clarity, with purpose, and make sure that your family is safe."

 

"And the sixth...well...it tells me what will occur in the future. It tells me of power and fulfillment. Even though your family is threatened, they will overcome and reach a time where they can drink deep from the cup of life and live in happiness."

 

Pern sweeps up the cards and shuffles them back into her deck. "Next customer, please?"

 

((Note: You can cut in line if the person ahead of you isn't posting. Pern will allow it.))

[tnoy23 202]

Toby nods as the cards are read off "Thank you for your time, miss."

He turns, walking out of the tavern.

[WuHanXianShi14 0]

Art Camoryn slides into a seat, drumming his fingers restlessly on the table, looking up and about as if expecting an ambush, as he waits his turn.

 

When it comes:

"Malin preserve."

He whispers to himself, before he looks up at the fortune teller.

"My greatest mistake. If it has yet to be made. How will it happen, what will it be?"

Artimec drums his fingers, trying to hide his restless nature as he waits for his turn.

[CommunistSpy 441]

Aislinn steps forward, folding his hands on the table. He tries not to give the woman a critical look, and he appears immensely curious. After a few moments of silence, he speaks up..

 

"What is in store for me regarding battles and conflict?"

[Urahra 5777]

Mythras blinks. "Am I going to die from White Rose veterans?"

 

Pern looks to the man who boldly blurted out his question before reaching the front of the line. She smiles pleasantly at him. "Since you're so impatient, I think I will go ahead and skip to you." She shuffles the deck idly as she speaks to him, rearranging the placement of the cards. Once she is satisfied with the mixture, she lays six random cards just as she has done for all the other readings before. "My cards are not so good with specific predictions like that, but I can give you a general sense of what is to come. Let's start, shall we?"

 

She picks up the flip card and turns it over with a flick of her wrist. "The general situation is revealed. Here is what this card says. It is telling me of clumsiness and carelessness. A fatal flaw, my friend. You must be cautious in the future. It seems that carelessness will be your undoing. Do not let your guard down."

 

"The second card reveals to me the challenges you will face. It speaks to me of...hm, wealth. If you are not wealthy now, you will become wealthy. It will be a time of plenty for you - a time of good fortune and opulence. But wealth and opulence can be dangerous, my friend. Many rich men fancy themselves untouchable, invincible, shielded by their funds. As I said, you must not let yourself become...careless."

 

"And this card reveals to me your true feelings. You are cautiously optimistic. After all, we know the age of the White Rose is long over. What threat could these veterans pose to you?"

 

"The fourth card speaks to me of your past. A rivalry, it seems. You were a thorn in the side of the Roses." Pern pauses to quietly chuckle at her own pun. "And now you fear they'll hunt you, even after their group has fallen..."

 

"The fifth card tells me that you fancy yourself a masterful strategist. You think you can outwit them, if it comes to violence."

 

"And the final card, well...why, this card is rather optimistic, it seems. It tells me of a bad situation improving. It seems you will escape from the Roses after all."

 

Pern gathers up her cards and shuffles them back into the deck. "A positive prediction over all. It seems you'll become wealthy and avoid your enemies. What an enviable future to have..."

[WuHanXianShi14 0]

Artimec begins drawing a finger through the air, eventually creating an eel-shaped glow of green light. Slithering about in the air, directed by his hand. He glances at Pern occasionally, expecting to be called on, until then, he continues to puppet his spectral fish.

[Urahra 5777]

Aislinn steps forward, folding his hands on the table. He tries not to give the woman a critical look, and he appears immensely curious. After a few moments of silence, he speaks up..

 

"What is in store for me regarding battles and conflict?"

 

Pern then looks to the man originally in line. She smiles apologetically. "Pardon for skipping you. I will get to you now. You wish to know about battle, eh? The cards should have an answer for you. Your question is just broad enough to yield a very interesting prediction. Let's waste no more time." Pern deals out the cards, arranging them in her usual cross. She gestures to the first card. "Here is what my cards have to say about your future on the battlefield, my friend."

 

She pinches the first card between her index finger and ring finger. She twists her wrist and exposes the image printed on the card. "This card tells me of supreme devotion. You are devoted to your fellow soldiers, devoted to your country, your cause. It is something you feel passionate about, something you would risk your life for. As you should. No man should die for a cause he does not believe in."

 

She flips the second card and lays it atop the first. "Your challenge appears. It is your naivety, my friend. You are perhaps too foolhardy, too much in love with your cause. An easy trap to fall into, I think. You must not let your passion for your cause overrule your good sense."

 

"This third card reveals your inner feelings. You wish to reach a final confrontation - a final battle which will decide your fate and the fate of the people you fight for. You want a decisive battle, a battle to end all battles."

 

"The fourth card - your past. In the past, you have stood up against injustice. The fight against your opponents kept you alive, inflamed, inspired."

 

"The fifth card tells me of your desires." Pern laughs a little at the card. "Success in battle. Obvious."

 

She flips the sixth card with a smile. "Finally, the ultimate future, after all obstacles have been overcome. It says that if you act with your heart, you will find resolution. You will act with your gut, not with your head. But this is not a bad thing. It will lead to your ultimate success."

 

 

 

Artimec begins drawing a finger through the air, eventually creating an eel-shaped glow of green light. Slithering about in the air, directed by his hand. He glances at Pern occasionally, expecting to be called on, until then, he continues to puppet his spectral fish.

 

Pern looks to the man with the spectral fish. "Very impressive magic, my friend. Perhaps you would like to go next?"

[Bat Druid 140]

Oropher tilts his head at the crowd, plodding up to the group. He peers at everyone as he quietly watches Pern, unkowing of what is going on. He brushes his hair out of the way of his eyes, before quietly asking a question to noone in particular. "Hm...what is going on?"

[ski_king3 0]

Percival would wait patiently for those head of him to ask their questions. If it seemed that those ahead of him no longer had any questions, he'd tap them on the shoulder and ask them if they minded if he step in front of them before coming forward to the woman. Whenever this would happen, he'd smile at the woman before speaking. "Hello, madame fortune teller. I come to you today, to ask if I shall ever achieve half of what my mentor and idol has achieved before me?"

 

The young man would then take a step back, adjusting his robe as he looks downward in a brief moment of hesitance as he awaits the woman's response.

[Urahra 5777]

Oropher tilts his head at the crowd, plodding up to the group. He peers at everyone as he quietly watches Pern, unkowing of what is going on. He brushes his hair out of the way of his eyes, before quietly asking a question to noone in particular. "Hm...what is going on?"

 

Pern smiles at the new arrival while she prepares the mage's spread. "Card reading, good man," she says, laying the mage's six cards out one by one. "They say these cards can provide a window into the future. I learned to read them from a young age, so I whittle away my hours reading fortunes for strangers. It is all in good fun, of course, and free." She arranges the cards into her usual cross formation, with the first card sitting at the center. She gestures for the new arrival to come closer and observe. "Come, look. This spread is for my next customer." She nods to the mage. "Let us begin. You want to know your greatest mistake? My cards will give you a glimpse."

 

Pern edge of the first card between her thumb and forefinger. With a slow tun of her wrist, she uncovers it. "A decision," she says. "A hard decision. You will stand at a crossroads between two choices, each alike in weight, each alike in consequence. You must treat this choice very carefully, as one path could lead to ruin and the other to success."

 

Pern's hand moves to the second card. "But what makes this choice so hard?" she asks as she turns the card over. "Let me see...a debt. You will owe something to someone. The choice will lie between fulfilling your debt and pursuing a new path. The specifics are unclear to me, but already it strikes me as a sticky situation."

 

Her fingers flick to the third card. She overturns it, revealing its message. "This card is your card, my friend. The card that tells me your feelings. You will approach this choice with your heart instead of your head. You will rely on intuition instead of logic. Your feelings will pull you toward one choice, even if your mind pulls you to another."

 

"The fourth card looks into your past. You are a man of principle, a man who acts on law rather than feeling. You have always been responsible, mature. Your practices are well thought out. I wonder, then...what will drive you away from your usual method? Why will you decide to think with your heart, instead of your head?"

 

"The fifth card tells me of your present - your feelings now. You want to rely on what you've done in the past. You hold to your old principles. Don't fix what isn't broken, hm?"

 

"Your sixth card, your future." Pern pauses over this card for a few moments, stroking her chin. "How odd. This card has an interesting message. It tells me of beauty and perfection. That's strange, isn't it? So even though you make a mistake, you reach happiness because of it. Or...perhaps, it is beauty that causes you to make an error in the first place? Time will tell, won't it?"

[Aislin 4354]

Stanislavistan begins to cry loudly, demanding his question be answered next.

 

[DragoonCrow 346]

Sariant Crowley raises his hand "Can you just simply read my future, or do you need a solid question?" He empties the flagon of ale, somehow through his helmet, and orders another one.

[Bat Druid 140]

Oropher frowns at Stanilavistan's crying as he looks to Pern. "When you are done with the others, I have a question. Will I ever be truly safe?" He says, brushing his hand against the scars on his face.

[Urahra 5777]

Percival would wait patiently for those head of him to ask their questions. If it seemed that those ahead of him no longer had any questions, he'd tap them on the shoulder and ask them if they minded if he step in front of them before coming forward to the woman. Whenever this would happen, he'd smile at the woman before speaking. "Hello, madame fortune teller. I come to you today, to ask if I shall ever achieve half of what my mentor and idol has achieved before me?"

 

The young man would then take a step back, adjusting his robe as he looks downward in a brief moment of hesitance as he awaits the woman's response.

 

Pern cannot help but grin at the young man's respectful tone. "No need to call me 'madame,'" she laughs. "I am just an elf dealing cards in a bar. Not a prophetess." She shuffles the cards together, layering them one on top of the other. She splits the deck, then folds them back together. Once the cards are mixed to her satisfaction, she begins to carefully lay them out in the usual pattern. The first card goes in the center. The second card lies on top of the first, perpendicular to it. She slides the third, fourth, fifth, and six cards in place around the first pair. The spread resembles one of the human's religious icons, the cross. Placing her finger on the first card, she prepares to flip it. "You want to know if you'll ever surpass your mentor. Maybe I can provide you with an answer to that question."

 

She flips the first card. After pondering its message for a moment or two, she speaks. "The cards are not being very kind to you, my friend. This card speaks of arrogance. A lack of empathy," she says. "I find that a little strange. You speak to me with such humility. But the cards are not always right. And this card might not be about you at all. But it is still worth thinking about. Are your actions arrogant? Have you callously injured anyone in your path to emulate your master? Or...perhaps...will you?"

 

Pern's hand travels to the second card. She flips it. "This card will represent your obstacle. - the challenge blocking your path." She studies the card carefully, brow furrowed. "How strange. This card represents dedication. Perhaps...the reason you cannot overcome your mentor is because you are too dedicated to his teachings. In order to surpass him, you must find your own path. You will never be him, after all. The only way to become equal is to find your own way."

 

"This third card is for you. It gives me a window into your true self." Pern puzzles over the card. "I see...power. Thoughts of power, desire for power. Why is it that you want to surpass your mentor, my friend? Do you desire to pay tribute to him? Or do you desire the power he wielded?"

 

"The fourth card tells me your past. In it, I see selfless assistance. Your mentor was a good and knowledgeable soul. He bestowed his gifts upon you selflessly. He knew, perhaps, that one day you would be just as strong as him."

 

"The fifth card is your present. It speaks to me of excess. Are you pushing yourself to hard in pursuit of your master's power? You are doing too much, it says. You are straining yourself."

 

Pern's hand hovers over the final card. "The future lies in this card," she says. Slowly, she turns it over. Her eyes flicker over the images depicted there, then back at him. "Disaster. Your current path will lead you to ruin. If you wish to avoid this fate, you must change your ways. Forge your own path, as I suggested, instead of following in your master's shadow."

[ski_king3 0]

As the woman concludes the reading, Percival looks down, his lips parted slightly. He stands there for a moment, watching the elf before nodding his head. "Thank you for your reading, Miss. I will consider the warning you bestow."

 

He nods his head curtly once more before turning, exiting the tavern with some haste.