Completed The Empress and the Hanged Man

[Leda]

12th Day of Spring 513 Late Afternoon The Rearing Stallion Leda just couldn't grow accustomed to the high walls of the city of Syliras. After living most of her life at sea, it had been a bit of a shock to find herself lodged in a small room with no windows deep into the ruddy bowels of a castle... not to mention that she was certain that there was rot in her chambers, indicated by a very oddly shaped furry patch on her ceiling. Earlier that day, she had stood on her one chair in order to reach it and get a better look at it, but the smell repulsed her entirely and she lost her balance, falling backwards off the chair, injuring herself (thankfully not very much) in the process and breaking one of the legs of the chair off. It had been a dismal start to the day on the whole and it did not get any better for, at first hobbling, through the streets of Syliras, she came to the conclusion that it was not a city with much call for many fortune tellers and that with her only skill thus useless, she should really look for a different sort of job. Unfortunately, she was not sure she was any good at much else. Dejected, having eaten nothing since the night before and her legs tired, she came to the Rearing Stallion, indicated by a red and white post hanging lazily over the door to the establishment. Although having heard a little of it, Leda had never entered before or, indeed, thought of entering before, but she had heard that it was, on the whole, a safe place, so she thought it could do no harm to enter and buy a little food and ale. If she was going to run out of money soon, she might as well do it sooner rather than later and actually eat tasty morsels, or something almost tasty. As she entered the tavern, poorly lit as it was, and slowly sat down in an available seat thankfully near the fire (even in Spring, in her light clothing, she could not help but always feel more than a little colder than she would wish) she wondered what would happen when she did run out of money and was faced with the prospect of starvation. Smiling cynically at the thought, she knew prostitution would then be her best option and if that didn't work... "A gallon of ale please. Anything, I am not really fussy. I'll also have a meal. Again, anything." Leda ordered quickly. If that didn't work, she'd come back here or to another dining establishment for she had heard that the White Swan Inn served good food, eat and eat and eat and eat all that she wanted and drink all the best wine that the establishment had to offer and, when the time came to pay, she would meet her punishment with open arms for she wouldn't be hungry anymore. She did not know what would happen in this case, but a desire to be a figure of tragedy sub-consciously hoped that it would be a very tragic and horrifying affair. Physically shaking these less than satisfying thoughts out of her head, straightening she turned to looking around at the other patrons occupying the seats in the tavern with a light, enigmatic smile, her chin resting on the palm of her hand, her elbow on the table.

[Kisetukai]

The young boy had been shocked for a while in these past few days, he was a squire, a young man on the road to become a squire. How did he feel? This was a question unexplainable. He felt everything yet he felt nothing. Shock, awe, amazed how he ended up here. The fact that one day he could be be a knight in shining armor, protecting the town. It took him a while to grasp it, but he finally calmed down. The boy chose to not be cramped up in the dorms today, for it was a beautiful day, why not get outside? He was instantly proved wrong as he entered the rearing stallion. He wasn't here for drinks and food, but more for just a simple time to think.

He sat at a table near the fireplace but not nearly as close as other people. A young boy, sitting alone by himself, could've easily attracted everyones attention. But nobody worried about him, but that's how he wanted it. He sat down quietly, looking unnatural as his scythe scraped the floor still attached to his back black harness. His newly acquired Tamo daggers hidden in his elegant black cloak, waiting to be unsealed and plunged into an offender. But for now...He would relax and think about what he was doing. He sighed as he pulled off his black leather gloves, following taking off his black silk scarf, and placing the items on the table. "Water please..." He whispered to a waiter that passed him. He was sure she had heard him.

Why was he here? That question was also unanswerable. He sighed once more as he placed his head on the table. Looking into the fire, admiring it's perseverance. "I wonder..." He smiled softly as he began to think about his future. The waiter quickly came back with the water, perhaps water was easier to get than the other drinks. He was more than lonely as he raised his head up and looked into the boring water, softly looking at his reflection. "Nice..." He stirred it with one finger in boredom. "Just nice..." For the seventeen year old was in a predicament. Hopefully...He would find some answers soon.

[Leda]

While she turned to her ale with a light smile, she noted a man - a young man - walk into the tavern and sit not far from her. She didn't say anything but rather turned back go her table, pulled her tarot cards out of her pocket and started shuffling them. Love, Wealth and Desire. She could never have believed in that sort of thing as a child but, as she'd aged, she'd almost become more whimsical and spiritual. Competent Fortune Teller that she was, maybe she desired to feel there was a magical element to her life so much that it negated her natural cynicism of such a practise. She took the pile and shuffled it lightly again, this time for love. Then withdrew the three top cards, turning them over one at a time. The Empress, the Fool and the Moon. Whatever anyone said, she did keep getting the moon. Illusion, Fear, Confusion, Deception, Doubt... Psychological Conflict. She could not deny it worried her, and it was always in conjunction with Love. The moon and love. And this time there was the Fool - The mystical cleverness bereft of reason within us, the childlike ability to tune into the inner workings of the world and animal desires. Finally, the Empress. Straight-forward enough really. She sighed for this sort of hand had been a common occurrence over the last few weeks. It seemed she was heading for something dangerous, a dangerous romance, and she wouldn't realise it until it was too late. With a light smile, she placed the cards back in. Wealth. Impatiently, she shuffled this one a great deal less before turning over the cards. The wheel of fortune, the Star, and Temperance. Thank goodness. All of that could only be good but she could not help but realise that if the wheel of fortune came before the two others then any good fortune due to come her way would be preceded by a sudden change of destiny or a choice to be made. And then there was the fact that the last card, temperance, was upside down and though temperance was usually an indication of good health, harmony and well-being, and it often made no difference, it did sometimes indicate a loss of these things: good health, harmony and well-being, especially if all things which one usually had. Finally, she proceeded to do as she had done before for Desire and pulled out three cards. The Hanged Man, Judgement and the Fool. Ha. Again. Always the fool. So, the hanged man, and in an interesting position, symbolising sacrifice, giving up and acceptance. That sort of thing. Then judgement - Rebirth, absolution. Finally, the fool and that depressed her because otherwise it could merely mean giving up on some desire that was never going to work out and experiencing a rebirth, a much-needed rebirth, but the fool seemed to indicate that it'd be madness and though there was always a divine wisdom to the fool's madness (which didn't help her make sense of it) it could be foreboding. Cross and more than a little frustrated, she stacked her cards brusquely together. She took an elegant sip of ale then put her cards back into her pocket. Her meal still had not arrived and she leant back in her seat, pulling her knee up against her chest to rest her chin nonchalantly on it, like she used to do as a child when she sulked. .

[Kisetukai]

Here was the boy...Sipping his dull water occasionally, glancing at all of the people. He had chose this place because, although crowded, he thought better when around people and noise. As he glanced around, one thing had caught his attention. A fortune teller?! A palm reader?! She could tell things, and that's all that mattered. 

He watched as the girl had been playing with her cards, shuffling and reading. She had shuffled quite graciously, showing that this wasn't here first time, but her reaction had shocked him. She had a sad disappointed look on her face. She was in distress all most as she tried again. And again.

And again.

She had looked so sad, perhaps this was not her day, perhaps her fortune had been awful. Kise containing such a nice nature, immediately sensed her sorrow. As he quickly got up, he had an idea. Why not get his fortune told? Why not? What could go wrong?

As he walked over to her table, he dragged his chair behind him from his old table, for he hated a cold chair and since his was warmed up it was perfect. Sitting at her table, he noticed her sitting in an odd position, having her knee up....It was cute. He blushed a bit at the thought before finally speaking up. "Hello." He smiled as looked at the girls sad like face. "I am squire Kisetukai Yamehaka, of Ser Corben." 

"I noticed that you could read palms?... Or fortunes?" He smiled as he didn't know much on the idea or topic. "Well either way...I would like mine read. Or told..." The boy let out a slight giggle from excitement as looked at the girl. Hopefully he wasn't coming on to strong but he was truly excited. "How much would it cost me? Are you hungry are thirsty?" The boy was helping himself to entertainment and fortune perhaps. And feeding the girl, keeping her satisfied was a primary goal. Hopefully she was as nice as Kise. He looked into her calm eyes, her sorrow was something that just hurt his soul. 

 

[Leda]

Leda looked up at the sound of the unknown voice with a light smile. The screeching of the chair as it was pulled across the floor momentarily caused her to frown for it was a sound that was more than a little unpleasant to her, but she smiled again as soon as it settled, happy to see that she had company. "Kisetukai..." It was a mouthful but on the whole she decided a rather pleasant-sounding name, "I am Leda." He sat down opposite her and she said nothing more, allowing him to ask all the questions he wished before answering. She looked at him with her usual unabashed stare. She had always been used to being told that it was rude and she knew that it could make people uncomfortable - her bright blue, unblinking eyes - but she almost felt as if this were her way of analysing a character and if anyone had something to hide. "I read palms and tarot cards. Of course, I also read tea leaves and rune stones but I have neither of those on me so I hope you'll be content with a merely the first two. Anyway, they are often considered the more conventional and traditional way of telling fortunes." At the mention of payment, her eyes flickered away from observing him and his actions for the first time. She smiled lightly and pushed her hair back behind her ear. She could not deny that the idea of payment was a very pleasant one and that she needed payment quite badly so it was welcome news at this particular time. How much though? It was a matter Leda knew she should give thought to for did she not intend to make a career out of her skill? Up until now though, she had not needed to and she saw full well that if she were to have a viable business as a clairvoyant in Syliras, she could not start out by offering her services for free. Three or Four silver mizas seemed to her to be an acceptable price. Five silver mizas to read both his palm and the tarot cards for him. Then again, she did not wish to anger him for though he did not look wholly a thuggish brute, you could never be too certain and money was a touchy subject for many people. "Four silver mizas." she said after quickly pondering the question with a smile, "And I will both read your palm and the tarot cards." It was partly a question, asking for his approval, but she did so without sounding too uncertain for then he would sense her hesitation too greatly and perhaps try to beat her down and god knows she needed the money. "As for food and drink, I have already ordered." she indicated the ale near her and almost instantaneously, a waitress came over with her meal. She ran her finger to try the sauce then pushed it to the side until later. Pulling out her cards and laying them in front of her, she shifted slightly, moving to sit on her legs then, remembering that she had once been told that it was easier to tell fortunes with both feet on the ground - on the earth - she moved into a more traditional seating position. Shuffling the cards, she asked, "Is there anything in particular you would like to know?"

[Kisetukai]

Four silver mizas? The price was so...Low. This woman was under-charging herself and her services? Without any hesitation Kise instantly slung a golden miza on the table, as it wobbled and spun until resting right in front of her. He looked at Leda with a smile. "Anything I would like to know huh?..." He began to think softly to himself. "I want to know more about..My brother named K." He began to think about the cool guy personality and soul that inhabited the body he was in. "I want to know anything you can get from your cards about him...Anything will help. Anything." 

Kise was definitely scared of Shin, for he was reckless and bad control to come out into the world at will. He smiled at her to reconfirm his request. Hopefully...Hopefully she could tell him something.

 

[Leda]

Leda did not immediately grab the gold coin, rather she wished to, but decided to wait until it had stopped spinning and settled, then she took it calmly with a light smile and dropped it into the pocket of her cloak, which she then folded and put to the side, out of the way. "Thank you." she didn't say how useful such a thing would be to her but contented herself with a smile of gratitude. She let his words about wanting to find out about his brother hang in the air and didn't ask for any clarification, though she did find it an odd sort of request. However, she realised well that in order to analyse a whole person, a whole personality, with any even minor accuracy she might need to do more than one reading. A set of three felt like it might be the easiest way to go. "Alright." she started shuffling the cards, "The best thing to do would be to discover the overall feeling of past, present and future then proceed from there... if you wish to of course." She spread the cards, face down, across the table. "We will do this process once for each area of interest and each time, you will take three and lay them out face down in front of you."

[Kisetukai]

 "Alright." she started shuffling the cards, "The best thing to do would be to discover the overall feeling of past, present and future then proceed from there... if you wish to of course."

She spread the cards, face down, across the table.

"We will do this process once for each area of interest and each time, you will take three and lay them out face down in front of you."

"Alright he said as he grabbed the easiest combo he saw, the three right in the middle. Sliding the cards up a bit closer to him to show her. "Simple enough." He sighed. "I just want to know what the cards think about K. I want to know...What do they say." He knew this request probably wasn't common. After all he was only saying a name. But hey what did it matter, she was a fortune teller. He looked at her excitedly what do the cards say?
 
oocHey sorry I had to keep it short and simple. Lets just keep it going. Btw idk if you noticed but I switched the name to K, i checked and it shouldn't mess up the story. Just keep going. Thanks. I was busy and I guess I made a mistake. Thank you.

 

[Leda]

Leda watched as he chose three cards and laid them out in front of him. The rest of the cards, she collected together and put to the side. Then she turned back to the cards in front of him. The first, from the left, she turned over. The Empress. "The Empress can be both positive and negative, mostly positive. Beauty, Health, Fertility and Abundance, even Nature, but due to it's slightly capricious nature, it's aura of power and desire - sexuality - when paired with certain other cards, it means excessive hedonism and even hunger for power." With this, she flipped over the second card and bit her lip to retain a smile. The Devil. "When paired with that card, the devil, for example... you have an overwhelming image of stagnation, temptation and vice. Primarily of a sexual nature but also it terms of mentality. Possibly indicating a materialistic, narrow-minded and ignorant nature." Bref, she thought but preferring not to say, a gigolo at the very least. She flipped over the final of the three cards and this one was a great deal more of a surprise. The Hierophant, sometimes known as the Priest. "If we take this at face value, it may not seem to go together. It is generally a symbol of education, knowledge, maturity... even discipline and conservatism but, I hate to say it, in company with these other two, there is another face to it and that is highlighted by the fact that it's upside down. Whereas it often means respect for tradition and formality. Upside down, it is almost believed to be the opposite. In short, a lack of respect. In fact, when even up the right way, this card can indicate deception and duality... someone who is two-faced or conflicted." She gathered the three cards together. "The overall image I get of this man's past is one of lechery and a distaste for social convention. The element of sex in the empress is heightened by the presence of the devil. The Hierophant adds a more interesting element though since that usually indicates respect for social convention and a desire to maintain the status quo," she tried not to ramble, adding quietly, "But it is upside down and there is always the room for deception in it." She looked up and looked straight at Kise. "I think you know about the hedonism, or at least have suspected it, and it may not have seemed that harmful, but the Hierophant is worrying in this context. There is a chance it could mean that the man in question is making a change for the better but until we see what the cards hold for the 'Present', I doubt it. I'd watch your back if I were you." She took the three cards back and put them back into the pack, which she started shuffling. "Did you have any questions before we proceed?" she asked, spreading the cards in front of him again as before.

[Kisetukai]

 Not only was this fun but it was true! Everything she had said about K was true, some discomforting him, but overall fortune telling was real! It was true! It was here. He smiled at the girl, as if extremely pleased. "No, no more please. Thank you so much!" He said as he excused himself and scooted his chair from the table. He had gotten what he wanted, a fortune, that was completely correct and he didn't want to risk changing it. That was until he twitched a bit, Kise sighed as he found himself in absence of control over the body. "Well...What was that girls name again? Lena? Leda?" K said with a smirk to Kise as he turned around and sat back at the table. He grew more confident, sitting up straight, feeling as if he had already won. 

"Actually I would like to keep going but first let me ask you some stuff..." He leaned in a bit prolong his head on his right palm. "So...How long have you been in town and how come I haven't seen you around?" He smiled to the girl, gazing into her watery eyes. "Also...Are you single?" He leaned back as he tried to act like the question was a joke. "I don't want to have to beat up any boyfriends haha." He put his hands on the table softly, preparing to pick the same cards Kise picked, hopefully to hear something he didn't know about himself. "He looked into her eyes with a devilish grin on his face. "You know...You could make a lot more money doing other things..." He said slyly with a grin.

Picking the exact same three in the middle again he sighed. "Suprise me please...Tell me something I don't know ok?"