Open A Meal for the Day

[Edden Threader]

29th of winter, 516

Edden was not entirely sure why he had deemed it necessary to eat in the city, considering that he had food at home, and his father would need to be feed as well, but it was hard to argue the point to himself as he felt his stomach roar in protest at waiting even longer for dinner. It was with that thought in mind that he found himself at the Withering Rose, slightly unsure of what to do with himself. He had never really eaten at a restaurant since he had never been out past sunset in town.

He decided eventually that sitting was preferable to standing and sat down at the nearest table that was available. There were a surprising amount of people in the city today, and he was unused to the people. It unnerved him, and he was sure it showed as he waited for the waitress.

[Arisia]

Arisia was seated at a table nearby, awaiting food that she had previously ordered. It wasn't very often that she ate at restaurants, as she could just as easily go and hunt. As well as the lack of money to spend on expensive things. She had been in a great mood that day, as she was most days, she attempted to stay happy, and not to let herself act angrily or recklessly, as her catlike nature would have her do. She had left The Wolf's Cave, her fortune telling set with her, to see what would happen that day. She had discovered that if she embraced the cities ways, instead of getting frustrated with the ever changing illusions, she found herself where she needed to be. As she had found herself wondering around Alvadas, letting the illusions take her wherever they would, she had ended up at The Withering Rose. A place that looked like it had nice food, and it seemed a pleasant atmosphere. She had entered, ordering some chicken and taking a seat by herself, happy to be around people. She busied herself with looking over her tarot cards, which were spread across her table in front of her, she muttered under her breath as she did, though people sitting near her might be able to hear. Repeating the meanings of the different cards and attempting to recall them quicker, it would make her job easier after all. Arisia hoped the food would come soon, as she suddenly realised she hadn't eaten yet today, and had been too distracted to remember to.

[Edden Threader]

Edden eventually waved down a waitress and ordered some beef, the option he ate the least of normally. He never really bought meat for home so it would probably do him some good. As he waited for his meal, he glanced around The Withering Rose, and wondered how many stories he could learn here. Not to say he would go asking of course, far be it from him to talk to a total stranger.

Or that would have been what he was thinking. But after overhearing the woman at the table nearest him mutter over a pack of cards, (one that he remembered) he finally decided to speak up.

"You. The one with the cards. What does that mean?" He pointed to one which he recognized from a client of his a while back. The man had given him a sketch of it and asked that it be embroidered onto a cloak. Edden had agreed of course but it was a strange request, one that sparked his curiosity enough to forego his usual silence.

[Arisia]

The kelvic paused from looking over her cards at this point, and turned to the man who had spoken. He looked more like a boy though, older than Arisia of course, but young for some of the other races. The human-seeming person who had spoke to her was shockingly thin and unwell looking. Perhaps he was not well, but it wasn't her place to say anything at all, she had oddities about her after all. Her eyes being different colour, one a bright blue and the other warm brown. In Alvadas most thought it to be an illusion, though some asked of her eyes. The man had spoke to her, asking of her cards. Specifically the one she was looking over currently. It said luck at the bottom in cursive writing, and a pair of dice was drawn in black on the card, a detailed illustration of the symbol of Ovek. He had spoken rather abruptly and rudely, but she was always happy to tell anyone who would listen about fortune telling, and she chose to believe that he hadn't intended to be rude. "It symbolises good luck when upright, and bad luck when reversed." She smiled at the stranger, looking at him with her oddly coloured eyes.

[Edden Threader]

"I see." He processes this for a while, staring at the woman who had explained the card. She was pale and thin, like himself, but didn't seem to be unhealthy. Her eyes intrigued him however, and he made a note of them. It was a habit of his to note unusual things and incorporate them into his designs (Which happened quite a lot in the city of illusions). It didn't surprise him, really; merely interested. His attention was drawn again towards the card, Luck. He vaguely recalled what the card might be used for, from a book he had once read and a from a glance at few stalls in the city.

"Are you a fortune teller?" She appeared to be human, though something told him otherwise. He ignored it, since he often ran into other races through trade. Almost as a side note, he added, "The designs are intricate. Replicating them is a challenge that I enjoy."

He was aware of his sharp tone, but did not do anything to soften it. It was not his problem if a stranger was offended.

[Arisia]

He stared at her for a while after she spoke, and she began to wonder if something was wrong with her, but it wasn't important to her what others thought, so she busied herself with stacking the tarot cards into a neat stack. She nodded at the stranger, continuing to tidy the cards as she did. The cards were slightly worn, as they were a gift from the woman who she had worked for, and been taught by. "I work as a fortune teller, I get to meet all sorts of people through it." Her tone was friendly and calm, and a smile had spread across her lips as she talked about her job. The man mentioned something about replicating designs and she looked at him with curiosity. "Are you an artist, or something else? I wish I could do the designs that are on the cards, they are so interesting. I've never had the chance to try though." Her cards were now stacks into a neat pile, the card 'Death' currently on the top of them, and she absentmindedly shuffled them as she talked to the other, her hands clearly used to doing that.

[Edden Threader]

"I am a tailor. I specialize in embroidery, though. My family's work and pride." Edden sounded less harsh as he explained his work, prideful almost. He gestured to his cloth bag, which has an elaborate design of flowers and birds. His third independent work. He was rather happy with the way this bag turned out, and had opted to keep it and use it for bringing his wares to market. It currently held some smaller bits of fabric in it with complex designs. Stuff he knew wouldn't have sold, pretty but far too small for practical use. Oh well, perhaps he could use them for something at home.

"You seem well practiced. Knowing how to use art can be more useful than making it at times." Edden noted, watching her shuffle the deck. He was rather skeptical towards these kinds of things (a trait his father instilled in him, and rather necessary in this city), but was interested nonetheless. He hadn't read anything about fortune telling since he was a child, and perhaps the experience could further his knowledge. At the very least the designs on the cards would be pretty.

"Would you care for a trade? A peice of my work for my fortune?"

[Arisia]

Arisia looked at the bag he gestured to it, pretty designs of flowers and birds coverings it. The bag was clearly not made by an expert of the craft, but it looked nice and as if it took time and effort to make. She nodded as he mentioned that she seemed well practiced, a gentle smile on her face as she placed the cards down on the table in front of her. "I have been doing fortune telling my whole life, so it's one of the only things I know how to do well." Not that her life had been very long, but it was true, she did love fortune telling. The man offered her a trade, a fortune telling for a piece of his work. Arisia pondered this for a moment, though her thoughts weren't much deeper than 'the designs are pretty'. She had always been fond of things that looked nice, though she didn't own much that did because of a lack of money, so she didn't consider it much before grinning and picking her cards back up in her hand. "Okay!" Her voice was enthusiastic, a smile rested on her face. "What would you like to know? You can ask anything." It was rare that she got anything other than a few mizas out of her tarot cards, so she was excited to do this. People didn't usually trade goods for a fortune telling, as it was mostly a novelty rather than something taken seriously, though some took it too seriously.

[Edden Threader]

Edden considered. There wasn't much that he really did want to find out in particular. Perhaps he should ask about his father. He had been getting on in his age and was in bed most of the time now, and though Edden was not looking forward to it, knowing when he was going to pass would be useful. But he didn't really wish to know that, so perhaps how his garden would grow this coming year? Money was always short and food could be expensive. But he dismissed that idea too, figuring it too mundane for a fortune. His mind wandered to the books he read, wondering if he could ask what exactly would happen if he left Alvadas, though he doubted he ever would. Hm, he was coming to an impasse.

This was a great opportunity. He couldn't afford to waste money on this kind of luxury, despite wanting to know so many things. Trading some of his art would be a wonderful opportunity. The small pieces in his bag had taken up about a week of his time, using whatever small bits of thread he had that couldn't be used for the larger projects he did on commission. His father believed it was a waste of time and energy but Edden wanted to improve his skills that still left something to be desired compared to his ancestor's work. If he would be able to use them in place of money, nothing would make him happier.

Ah, right. He made a mental note to not tell his father about this. Knowing him he would scold Edden for foolishly dawdling on his errand by stopping for food and even more so for chatting with a stranger whose name he had yet to learn, and didn't think to ask for. Really it was kind of funny. People thought he was unsociable, but Father outshone him in that aspect as well as his skill.

"What sort of things do people usually ask about?" he inquired. If this woman was truthful, she was experienced in this and had helped others before. His voice at this point had lost most of its edge and had morphed into child-like wonder. Any knowledge he could gain was valuable and books only provided so much, especially the ones that he could afford to buy.

[Arisia]

What do people usually ask? It wasn't a rare thing for people to question her at their first reading, but there had been all sorts of questions from many different people, and it just depended on who they were and where they came from. Arisia had met all sorts of people through the years, and she had learnt secrets from clients, the deepest things that they ever wanted to know. Secrets she would never tell a soul. It was her job to be trusted with them after all. Of course, there were also mundane questions that she didn't care much for, however they payed for her to live, and they allowed her to practice her craft, and see what the cards had to say. The resteraunt had grown busier by then, and Arisia stopped to wonder where her food was for a moment, but she didn't mind waiting. She was sure that she would get it eventually. "Most people ask about similar things, life, love and work. There are more unusual questions specific to people though, but it just depends on what the person wants to know."