Different Kind of Cards (Blythe)

[Nathan Longstride]

Sorry for such a short post. Once you jump in, I'll have more to write.

34th day of Fall, 511 AV For the second time since arriving in Mura, Nathan didn't have anything to do. It wasn't that he wanted to be bored. He just didn't know what their was to do. Today Nathan wore his brown doublet over a white linen shirt and brown breeches. His cloak was tied to his neck, blowing in the slight breeze. But Nathan wasn't worried as he wandered the streets of Mura. He was sure he would find something to do. And even if he didn't, Kelwyn would be sure to give him something to do.

[Blythe]

Blythe was sitting in the center of town, on one of the grassy patches. She was enjoying the feel of the wind as it swept her blonde hair off her shoulders; the feel of the sun's rays upon her pale flesh, as it caused the scales that lined her forehead to shimmer a pale pink.

Blythe had curled herself into the lotus position as she rested, waiting for someone to come along and ask her what she was doing. Ask her to teach them of the cards, or perhaps, give a reading. For the card's box rested in her lap, upon a fold of her simple white, V-neck dress. The cards themselves, rested mainly in a stack, a few inches above her right knee. Only a single card sat away from them, directly in front of her. It was face down.

Blythe wished she could have guessed what it could be, without flipping it over.

OOCIt's alright, there isn't much we can do until our pcs cross paths.

[Nathan Longstride]

Nathan had seen weird things, funny things, nasty things, and just normal things. In one day, Konti deemed him the one with a silver tongue. He's seen a god in person. But that didn't mean new things didn't catch his eye like a child hearing the stories told by bards. Nathan still chuckles whenever he sees Master Eldytia. Who had ever heard of a blue person anyway? Nathan still enjoyed looking at the scenes on his new dagger even though he grew up on the beaches of Zeltiva. And seeing this woman in the middle of a patch of grass in some odd seating position drew Nathan's attention to the point of walking over to her. As Nathan drew closer to her, Nathan noticed several details he had missed before. The woman's bosom visible in the neck of her dress held Nathan's eyes for only moments; he had seen dozens more just like her while here and had gotten somewhat used to it. Instead he noticed the wooden box resting in her lap, along with a stack of cards on her knee. One card rested facedown in front of the woman, so when the teenager sat, he was sure not to sit on the woman's card. What a bad first impression that would be if he sat on her card without saying a word to her. But did she already know about him? If other Konti women had heard about what he'd did two days earlier, had she too? This just was one of the many moments where Nathan wished women weren't so complicated. A group is difficult enough, but the noose is already tied around you when you're on an island full of them. "Name the game, miss, and I can play with you. Card games are difficult without an opponent." Nathan didn't really understand a Konti's gift with fortune telling. He hadn't been here long enough to understand much about anything these women could do. Gift and calling still floated over his head as something normal, and it was with these blond women. Plus he never cared much about fortune telling. What was the future to him when he could just change it with a little willpower and the juggler on his forearm?

[Blythe]

Blythe looked up from her unnamed card as Nathan took a seat in front of her. She was surprised to find that he was not one of her Konti sisters, that he seemed little older than she, in appearance. In reality, she was more than likely old enough to be the boy's mother. She took in the sight of his dirty blonde hair, his delicate eye brows, and nose, blue eyes. The boy seemed only marginally taller than her, and perhaps, not all that much heavier.

After drinking the sight of Nathan in, Blythe cast her gaze back down to the single card that sat between them. She scooped it up, and placed it in the pile with all the others. "You don't play games with these cards stranger," Blythe explained. "Instead, you use them to help divine the future. Predict what sort of path your life will take... you use them to answer a burning question, to help provide insight on a certain matter. A new way of looking at things." The Konti paused for a moment, allowing her words to sink in. For the boy's spirits to falter, for him to move on, something.

"Haven't you ever heard of tarot cards..."

Blythe's voice trailed off. Nathan still needed to introduce himself to her, after all, after which time, she could always do the same.

[Nathan Longstride]

Nathan felt the woman's eyes examining him like a butcher checking the meat someone was trying to sell him. It seemed like she was trying to remember every detail on his face, from which way his bangs were resting to the freckle on his bottom lip. Had she ever seen a man before? The teenager wouldn't have been surprised if she hadn't. On an island full of women, some might've never seen a woman. But if this was how they looked at their first man, Nathan didn't want to meet any others would hadn't glimpsed a chunk of man. But the woman looked back down at the card in front of him. Nathan had a strong urge to pick it up and see what it said, his curiosity burning. But before he could reach his hand out to glimpse it, the woman grabbed it, and returned it to the deck. Was this how the game began? But as Nathan explained what she did to the teeanger, Nathan felt like one of the Colden's from across the street back in Zeltiva. How ignorant could Nathan be, not knowing about fortune telling? Except for the fact that Nathan never cared about stuff like that. A sailor didn't learn to ride horses, and Nathan didn't learn how to read cards to predict the future. But it did make Nathan look rather stupid of something so simple. What woman gambled plays cards anyhow? The woman then asked him if he had ever heard of tarot cards, but she trailed off. Nathan had no clue what tarot cards were, except with the assumption that those were the cards she held. But Nathan assumed she trailed off because she didn't know how to address him. If was polite he assumed that she didn't just call him boy. Although it wouldn't have the worst he had ever been called. "You may call me Nathan, miss. Nathan Longstride." Nathan dipped his head down with respect, his current position preventing him from performing his usual bow. "Since I already disturbed you, I guess I could only see what future you predict for me. May I see a barrel full of gold miza, but that isn't for me to decide." Nathan truly was curious about what this woman had to say about his future. Would he strike it rich in what he wanted to do? Would he fail and live a life of poverty? Would beautiful women always haunt him? Many questions, and no answers until it was given to him.

[Blythe]

"Blythe," the Konti said, introducing herself. "It's lovely to make your acquaintance Nathan." She paused for a moment, taking the time to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "And you have not bothered me. It's unlikely I would have correctly guessed whatever that card had been," she commented.

Blythe swallowed the clump of saliva that had gathered in her throat, before continuing. "Anyway, if it's a reading you'd like, than you will need to ask a question of the cards. It can be just about anything. That one question you have always wanted answered, but simply could not find the answer to, or could not find the courage to ask. Or perhaps, you simply did not come into contact with the proper person to ask, until now."

Blythe's eyes sparkled. "It can be about finances, your job, love, your friends... anything, the more specific, typically, the better," she added. "Once you have asked, we can figure out which spread would be the most useful, and begin your reading from there."

Blythe smiled weakly. Whenever Nathan was ready, she would be too.

[Nathan Longstride]

Nathan listened intently to the woman reply, believing whatever this fortune telling was would be beginning. Whenever she spoke from now on, he wished to appear as if he knew what she was talking about. But instead of some lecture on how this "telling" would unfold, she instead introduced herself as Blythe. Nathan nearly tipped over onto his side, his face shocked. Not only had he showed his ignorance about this woman's hobby, he looked like a philosopher intent on some intellectual breakthrough when she was only introducing herself. How stupid could woman make a man? And he wasn't even in love with any of them. Pushing that horrible thought aside while Blythe pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, Nathan returned his facial features to a somewhat normal mask. At least with her next words Nathan was relieved to learn that he hadn't intruded in whatever she was doing. It would've been bad if he had come in at a wrong moment. But what enjoyment came from guessing the face down card? With each day on this island, Nathan was learning just how weird the world was. And how odd the women were. But Nathan nodded his head as if her understood what she was doing. So Blythe finally explained what was required of him. He must ask a question that he had always wanted answered. When the woman finished, Nathan sat there thinking about it. The tough part was deciding on a question. Many times Nathan asked questions that he wanted answered. Would he strike it rich? What would he see in his adventures? Where did babies come from? Questions like this Nathan wasn't sure he wanted to learn the answer to. What if Blythe told him his future predicted many kids for him? How could he ever live knowing all those beautiful women he met in the future would have to bear kids that looked like him while he was off adventuring? But with a little thought, he figured out a good question. "What will I face in the future as I travel to Denval, and while I'm there? I left my home in Zeltiva on a ship, and I'm traveling across the world to a city I never knew exsisted. While I travel, I'll stop in Mura and Avanthal. And after what I've already experienced here, I'd like to know exactly what he might be facing." Nathan had a good point in desiring on what the future held for him. His first day here provided him with a life and death situation. Would anything else like this happen on this trip? Or could Blythe even predict what Nathan had in store? She was only up against the twins who could change many things. A very uneven battle for this woman.

[Blythe]

"An excellent question," Blythe whispered, as she picked up her cards, and began to shuffle them. "Perhaps the twisting paths spread, would be of use in this situation, for it tends to shed light upon the path that rests in front of you, and the decisions you must make in order to continue traveling safely upon it." Blythe paused for a moment, as she shuffled the deck one last time, and then began to lay them out on the ground in front of each of them. "No significator, or a card that represents you for the purposes of this reading, shall be utilized."

Blythe gestured towards the row of upside-down cards on the grass before them. "You are to pick five cards from this deck, and then hand them to me," Blythe instructed. "Take your time choosing the cards that call to you," she went on. "Choose slowly if you have to, by running your left hand over each, and stopping at the ones that seem to reel you in." She smiled weakly, waiting for Nathan to do as he had been told.

[Nathan Longstride]

Nathan hated to be made confused, clueless, or ignorant of anything, but the teenager truly knew nothing about whatever this woman was talking about. Sure this Twisted Path was some type of fortune telling technique, but what did it actually mean? Better yet, how could five cards predict his future? This truly was odd, and Nathan wondered what he got himself into. But Nathan did as he was told. Five cards at random from the deck in front of him. Reaching out with his right hand Nathan picked up the deck, looking at the back of the top card. How would he do this? Should he slide the cards out like he would hold them in a card game and pick five at random? Or should he just pick the top five? The choices were abundant, but one stood out in Nathan's mind the most. The teenager let the cards fall to the ground and scatter. Nathan ignored any that might've flipped over when he dropped them on the ground. He also ignored those in groups, as he would then have to pick from a group. Instead he picked up individual cards that were seperated from the groups. One, two, three, four cards were the only ones not still grouped together, so Nathan had to make the choice. Looking around, he noticed two cards rested side-by-side in their own little group. Nathan reached out, and picked up the left card. This wasn't some random decision. It was just Nathan's belief that the left is the best. Nathan handed Blythe the cards, and while she looked them over, Nathan picked up all of the unused cards, putting them back in their orginial form before he just dropped them on the ground. He hoped she didn't mind. This was just how men worked. And if she didn't like it? Well, it wasn't like there were many men to put up with in the first place.

[Blythe]

Blythe took the cards from Nathan, and placed them on her right knee, before taking the stack he had placed between them, and returning them to their box. From there, she arranged the cards in her lap in the following fashion: one card was placed in the middle, to the northeast of the first card, so that their tips touched, Blythe placed another card. To the southwest of the first card, Blythe placed another one, so that their tips touched. Together, the three cards formed a diagonal line, which ran upwards from her left knee, towards the right side of her body. The next card, Blythe placed diagonally, and to the right of the middle card, and the final card, diagonally and to the left of the third card she had placed.

"Now that everything is in place, we may begin," Blythe commented, as she flipped over the first card, the one in the lower left. It flashed a grey background, with a stone pillar at the forefront. Resting atop his toes, on top of this pillar was a winged man, from whose head sprouted horns. A glowing orb rotated between the palms of each of this man's hands. "The card in this position represents the first decision you must make," Blythe explained. "You have drawn the magician. The magician is associated with creativity, skill, will-power, and self-confidence. It is about taking the intangible, and making it tangible," Blythe went on.

"For the earliest stage in your reading, it would seem as though the magician suggests your wanting to leave in the first place because you feel confident in your ability, your will, to go out on your own and see more of what the world has to offer. Because you believe that perhaps, although you have the skill, you may acquire more on your journey, and more yet, once you have reached your destination." Blythe paused. "It seems as though, perhaps, traveling may have been out of reach for you, in the past, perhaps because of funds, your skills, or your age, but now, you have a chance. Now you may be able to prove yourself. Perhaps, at first, you may be frightened by this, but your confidence, in yourself, will help to overcome this."

Blythe paused again. "With the initial stage of your journey then, there doesn't seem to be much of a problem... it's just actually... setting out, if nothing else." The Konti cleared her throat. "Do you have any questions on the card, or should we go on?" Blythe asked.

OOCSame as always cachet, the facade tarot site was used as a reference. Also, there is a shadowscapes tarot website with pictures and descriptions of the cards, should you need that.

Also, Nathan, I may be slowing down since I am not using this pc for Nano.