For some reason, Fiona remembers a street fair they visited, quite a while back, before things got so complicated. There was a bright-colored tent, covered in images of cats in blue, purple, and gold. In front of the tent was an actual cat, with short black hair and bright green eyes. The cat stared at her, then yawned and turned to head into the tent.
Fiona found herself following the cat into the tent. When she got past the flapping door hangings, there was no cat, just a slender, dark-haired woman with green eyes that glowed in the darkness. She was seated behind a table, which was covered with a rich dark purple cloth, the color so deep that in the shadows it was nearly black. On the table, in a nest of sheer golden fabric was a deck of Tarot cards. “Welcome. You’ve come here for a reason, I think. Would you like a reading?”
Fiona considered, trying to tell if the woman was actually magical or not. It wouldn’t be hard to buy a cat with eyes that matched your own, not in a city as full of cats as that one.
“You can pay what you think it’s worth, or accept the reading as a gift, this once.”
The people of this world took gifts and hospitality seriously. If she accepted a gift, there would be no hidden magical or legal entanglements. “A gift then, freely given and accepted.” Fiona could always offer a gift later, of course, but this way she was free to just enjoy the reading, without worrying whether she would even still be in the city later.
The woman gestured, and Fiona took the other chair. “Should I shuffle the cards?”
“If you want.”
Fiona picked up the cards and looked at them. The backs were a dark blue with a lovely knotwork triskele centered on the card. She shuffled until the cards felt right in her hands, and handed them to the woman.
The woman held them, for a moment, then nodded. Swiftly, she laid out three cards.
“Your first car is Rejection, the five of the water element, titled Rejection. This is the foundation, so to speak, for the situation that leads your feet here.” The picture shows a cliff made of unhappy faces. A stormy ocean crashes against the rocks below, and a gold-tone octopus has been driven onto the rocks, or perhaps is clinging there for safety. Out in the water, under thick clouds, is a shadowy cloaked figure. “I wonder if you are the octopus, or that person, out there? And who has done the rejecting? Of course, that part could easily be mutual. But that’s likely the part of this that you know.”
She moves her hand to point to the next card, and Fiona realizes her fingernails are painted with tiny galaxies. “The next card, the problem to be solved, is the Seeker of Air.” The image is another cloaked figure, though now the cloak is feathered, and has glints of all the colors of the rainbow. The person in the cloak is young, and has dark hair. Behind this figure is a pale bird-woman, perhaps whispering messages in the young one’s ear, or perhaps standing guard while the younger person quests. Above, the night sky is full of stars. “Odd that this is the problem card. Is the person here your opponent? Maybe, but that doesn't feel right to me. Perhaps the person here isn’t the problem, but the problem-solver? Or they could be, anyway, if they start to find what they’re seeking.”
”Finally, the resources you can bring to bear, the key, if you will.” She moves her finger. “The seer.” The image is an older person, most likely male. He is blond, half griffin and half human, and holds a glowing gem in his human hand. The trees behind him are serene, with big green leaves shining in diffuse sunlight. His eyes are focused on the gem, as if he can see something inside, some insight or information that is needed, or perhaps he is just viewing a scene remotely. “Your problems and solutions are all people. Hmm…”
The woman and Fiona stared at the cards for a bit. “this could be read as a coming-of-age story—see? The rejected person here,” she points at the gray figure in the first card, “grows and learns and starts to glow with power under the care of a guardian, then learns to control the power and steps out confidently alone. I like that interpretation, it’s nice and neat. If you were a normal querent, I’d say that was the message and be sure I had a happy customer.”
She looked up and smiled. “But your life is more messy than any simple fable like that. Look well at the cards. I think they will tell you different stories amet different times in the future. But I do see hope in the storm leading to darkness and then day.”
Fiona looked down at the cards, trying to memorize the images. When she looked up again, the woman was gone. The black cat was curled in the chair, sleeping. She looked back at the cards, but they were now all back in their neat stack, the gold cloth wrapped securely around them.
Fiona felt kindly dismissed, and got up to leave, not waking the cat. She had wanted to bring some catnip as a gift, but when she went back the tent was gone. At the time, the encounter had been a pleasant reminder that chance-met people could be friendly and magic could bring a little light into the world.
Rejection / Seeker of Air / The Seer
Fiona found herself following the cat into the tent. When she got past the flapping door hangings, there was no cat, just a slender, dark-haired woman with green eyes that glowed in the darkness. She was seated behind a table, which was covered with a rich dark purple cloth, the color so deep that in the shadows it was nearly black. On the table, in a nest of sheer golden fabric was a deck of Tarot cards. “Welcome. You’ve come here for a reason, I think. Would you like a reading?”
Fiona considered, trying to tell if the woman was actually magical or not. It wouldn’t be hard to buy a cat with eyes that matched your own, not in a city as full of cats as that one.
“You can pay what you think it’s worth, or accept the reading as a gift, this once.”
The people of this world took gifts and hospitality seriously. If she accepted a gift, there would be no hidden magical or legal entanglements. “A gift then, freely given and accepted.” Fiona could always offer a gift later, of course, but this way she was free to just enjoy the reading, without worrying whether she would even still be in the city later.
The woman gestured, and Fiona took the other chair. “Should I shuffle the cards?”
“If you want.”
Fiona picked up the cards and looked at them. The backs were a dark blue with a lovely knotwork triskele centered on the card. She shuffled until the cards felt right in her hands, and handed them to the woman.
The woman held them, for a moment, then nodded. Swiftly, she laid out three cards.
“Your first car is Rejection, the five of the water element, titled Rejection. This is the foundation, so to speak, for the situation that leads your feet here.” The picture shows a cliff made of unhappy faces. A stormy ocean crashes against the rocks below, and a gold-tone octopus has been driven onto the rocks, or perhaps is clinging there for safety. Out in the water, under thick clouds, is a shadowy cloaked figure. “I wonder if you are the octopus, or that person, out there? And who has done the rejecting? Of course, that part could easily be mutual. But that’s likely the part of this that you know.”
She moves her hand to point to the next card, and Fiona realizes her fingernails are painted with tiny galaxies. “The next card, the problem to be solved, is the Seeker of Air.” The image is another cloaked figure, though now the cloak is feathered, and has glints of all the colors of the rainbow. The person in the cloak is young, and has dark hair. Behind this figure is a pale bird-woman, perhaps whispering messages in the young one’s ear, or perhaps standing guard while the younger person quests. Above, the night sky is full of stars. “Odd that this is the problem card. Is the person here your opponent? Maybe, but that doesn't feel right to me. Perhaps the person here isn’t the problem, but the problem-solver? Or they could be, anyway, if they start to find what they’re seeking.”
”Finally, the resources you can bring to bear, the key, if you will.” She moves her finger. “The seer.” The image is an older person, most likely male. He is blond, half griffin and half human, and holds a glowing gem in his human hand. The trees behind him are serene, with big green leaves shining in diffuse sunlight. His eyes are focused on the gem, as if he can see something inside, some insight or information that is needed, or perhaps he is just viewing a scene remotely. “Your problems and solutions are all people. Hmm…”
The woman and Fiona stared at the cards for a bit. “this could be read as a coming-of-age story—see? The rejected person here,” she points at the gray figure in the first card, “grows and learns and starts to glow with power under the care of a guardian, then learns to control the power and steps out confidently alone. I like that interpretation, it’s nice and neat. If you were a normal querent, I’d say that was the message and be sure I had a happy customer.”
She looked up and smiled. “But your life is more messy than any simple fable like that. Look well at the cards. I think they will tell you different stories amet different times in the future. But I do see hope in the storm leading to darkness and then day.”
Fiona looked down at the cards, trying to memorize the images. When she looked up again, the woman was gone. The black cat was curled in the chair, sleeping. She looked back at the cards, but they were now all back in their neat stack, the gold cloth wrapped securely around them.
Fiona felt kindly dismissed, and got up to leave, not waking the cat. She had wanted to bring some catnip as a gift, but when she went back the tent was gone. At the time, the encounter had been a pleasant reminder that chance-met people could be friendly and magic could bring a little light into the world.
But why was she remembering that odd meeting now?