Glimpses Of What's To Come (Dresden)

[Kelski]

Timestamp: 60th of Winter, 517 AV.

Darvin had taken Kelski dozens of times now into the Tent City when he was doing his business. For one, he often used her as pack animal just to see the little Kelvic struggle under whatever burden he could invent for her to pack in or pack out of the low brow area. But he also did it because somewhere deep in his dark heart he knew the Kelvic needed to get out, and often walking her through the brisk air cleared her head, especially when he'd been ill using her the night before.

And the night before she had gotten sick... violently sick. He hadn't meant to do it, but sometimes the drug batches were timed badly or he was experimenting with a new component and needed it tested. Last night it was a new ingredient meant to make the latest batch of Darvin's Delight be more potent and last longer. He'd given her the tiniest of doses the night before and had watched her all but instantly get sick. She'd vomited and then promptly shit herself until the Kelvic was all but unapproachable with the foulness that surrounded her. He'd kept her in his philtering lab, so at least he was able to dump her in a half keg to keep the mess contained until the illness had ran its course. It had taken bells of the Kelvic shaking, vomiting, and loosing bodily control before he hauled her - half keg and all - down to where he could douse her with bucket after bucket of water and then dump her in a bath to clean her up before delivering her home.

Jaren had looked at him questionably when he'd brought the man's jeweler home, but she was back on her feet - albeit stumbling - before he'd dropped her off. He'd powdered her face enough that she just looked paler than usual rather than half dead because the deep dark circles under her eyes had made her look more like an empty skull's sockets than a living creatures face.

Her Master probably thought the Dragoon was using her for sex. If he knew the actual truth, that he was teaching the Kelvic to fight in exchange for her saying nothing about him testing his drugs on her, the Warmaster's only son would be furious. Any one of Darvin's petched up doses could kill Kelski at any moment. And even if they didn't, she was slowly getting addicted to the drugs, craving them and longing for Darvin to ask her to test them rather than being indifferent about the whole thing.

Darvin knew this too. He liked the power it gave him when he didn't have to force a dose down the Kelvic's throat, but instead she looked at him longingly and he gave her one that she immediately gulped down. In a way, he was becoming more her master than Jaren ever could be. It stoked something in him, to own so many people because of what he could give them and now he could make them feel. Kelski was just another ring in a huge interwoven blanket of ringmail the Dragoon had woven over Sunberth. It gave him a high to know soon enough the Kelvic would do anything he asked the moment he asked it if it meant getting a hit of the poison he brewed.

So, still exhausted and wracked with the sickness he'd given her the night before, Darvin dropped Kelski off at Mosa's little pallet house in the Tent City. Two rows over there was a pretty thing that would drop down on her knees and latch onto Big Darvin like a calf sucking from its mother's teat for a simple dose of what he had in his pocket.

And he had a hankering for that particular whore's doe eyes first thing in the morning. Mosa would like the company and Kelski could relax in the chilled air for a few bells in Mosa's care while more of his drug worked its way out of her system.

Mosa was home, and Darvin handed her a few coins for bread before he left Kelski. The Kelvic smiled, glad that she'd met the woman and helped her build her house out of pallets. The woman was talkative, bustling around the tiny space, and happy to have company.

"Darvin wants me to keep you here for a few bells! That's plenty of time to teach you about tarot cards, Kelski. Or even palmistry. Fortune Telling is a good gift to have... anyone can do it. You just have to learn to read the cards or the hands. Sit sit... I'll get my deck." She said softly, moving with the speed of the very ancient as she pulled a battered velvet sack from one of her bags and waddled over to where Kelski was.

"I'm expecting another student... someone you'll like, Kelski. He strikes me as young too. Once he gets here, we'll get started. But first... some tea for you. Darvin did something to you last night if I know that shytehead. Did he pass you around the gang?" She asked, peering at the jeweler carefully.

Kelski shook her head. "No, its not like that. He makes me test his things. Last night what I tested was bad. He didn't mind though because today hes selling it as non-fatal poison after he visits a woman he likes to lay with near here." She said bluntly. Darvin didn't use her, not like that, because he had so much of that all around him. It wasn't special. For him, having her test his drugs worked out so much better.

"What exactly is Fortune Telling?" She asked, knowing it should be self-explanatory but wanting the old woman to explain to her in the woman's own words.

Mosa laughed. "It's just a way of telling the future of a specific person. That's all." Kelski nodded, knowing Mosa got money from somewhere and that tis was likely the main source of her income.

"Now... where is that boy?!?" The old woman asked, futzing around and looking out of her glass-less window. "I don't want to get too much ahead of things until he gets here." Mosa explained.

[Dresden Muireach]

Dresden had made a habit of visiting the tent city after his initial ventures into the place, he was rather young the first time he stumbled upon it. He'd gotten lost one day after going for a walk to pass the time and spent a while there until he eventually found his way back when it had started to get dark. He started to visit again rather recently seeing as he had the urge to wander and the tent city not only seemed slightly safer than the majority of the places he could go to but it wasn't too far off from the Sunset Quarters, meaning he could get there relatively quickly and without too much hassle as long as he picked out a good route.

On one of his previous trips he had a chance encounter with a rather approachable old woman by the name of Mosa. Dresden had decided to visit her one day wondering what she did after hearing she did something called fortune telling. He'd never really seen fortune telling before and was instantly drawn towards it his curiosity tended to flair up whenever something foreign to him popped up, and whether it was a person or an act of some sorts it tended to lead him to only become even more drawn into whatever he had become interested in. Dresden had been offered to be a pupil of sorts by the elderly woman after he'd shown such a large interest in her work. He was rather surprised by the offer and he gladly accepted the offer. He had a lesson in fact, which he was rather eager to get to.

He started making his way to the tent city a couple bells ago casually jogging through bustling streets and silent alleyways to make his way there as fast as he could. Overtime he slowly increased his pace into a run a small smile faintly visible on his face as he streaked past beggars and other fellow street denizens like him who gave him little to no attention besides maybe a shrug or a glance. Dresden started to slow his pace once he made it to the outskirts of the city, he didn't want to completely tire himself out before he even arrived after all a knackered student wouldn't be a good one. Even he had his limits.

It took a couple more bells than he thought it would but he had managed to get to the tent city in relatively good time. The air out here had a... cleaner feel to it, it wasn't over powered by the smell of dirty, unwashed people or of the filth ridden slums he normally resided in. He had his hands complacently held at his side as he wandered around looking for Mosa's delightfully simple pallet house, unknowingly he had passed it at least twice due to his partial blindness, strolling around for yet another bell he finally found her when he noticed Mosa staring out of her window most likely looking for him. After quickly making his way over to her home Dresden slowly strode into the house with a playful smile and a cheery chuckle "Hey Mosa! sorry if i'm a little late, i um... well i jogged instead of running so that'll be my excuse."

Dresden had noticed someone else inside the tent when he entered. He couldn't say he'd seen this person before but she certainly gave off a unique vibe of her that he wasn't able to say he found with anyone else. He didn't want to be rude but he couldn't help but stare at her for a moment, he didn't look scared or repelled by her appearance but what he did look was slightly naive and certainly youthful, innocent even, or vulnerable depending on who you asked. Her features were too different just to ignore, he wouldn't have been able to name a single person who looked resembled her. He found her hair particularly interesting with its fading white that contrasted with the deep black also found in her hair, he made a mental note to ask the stranger about it later "You never mentioned someone else would be here." He said looking over at Mosa, leaning his back against the wall gently a few rips in his over sized clothing exposing his rather small frame.

[Kelski]

Kelski was curious as well about who the boy was and why he was here. She studied the old woman, narrowing her eyes. “Why did you want me to learn with this boy? The one that’s coming?” Kelski said, curious and suspicious all at once. Mosa might look old and befuddled but she was stronger than she looked and still sharp in the brain. The old woman hedged, moving around her quarters that looked in a lot better shape than Kelski had seen them last. Mosa’s home was a tent, in truth, but it was virtually empty and there was no furniture other than her bedroll and a small brazier that she cooked over. There was a battered chest that had an old rusted lock on it, and a few scraps of what looked like old rug guests could sit on. Two lanterns lit the inside, both with cracked glass. Kelski frowned and wondered if she should bring the woman an extra blanket next time she came. Her tent wasn’t leaking and the walls were strong thanks to the Kelvic. Kelski had helped Mosa take apart wooden pallets they’d saved from a ruined part of the city and re-nailed together to form wood walls to keep cutpurses from ripping the side of Mosa’s tent and getting in. Hence some of the canvas tarp wall was reinforced with wood that made the place actually warmer than it should have been. Despite the wood walls that were reinforced against her neighbor’s walls, there were still patched up cuts where thugs and gang members had slit the side of the tent to prowl around inside.

Kelski was convinced Mosa had nothing because that way when folks came in to visit, there was nothing to steal. There were two things the woman held dear. One was her violin which lay buried in her bedroll and the other were her cards. It was through these two means that Mosa kept food in her belly. Kelski had first met her busking at the edge of The Tent City, playing so beautifully the Kelvic had wanted to cry. Then the woman had offered to tell her of her fortune, and that had intrigued her even more. For a few more coins – coins that Darvin had already paid her – she would teach Kelski how to tell her own fortune. And that’s why the Kelvic was there, legs folded under her, sitting on one of the tattered rugs waiting for the boy.

She had no idea how exotic she looked in the dim light of the tent backlit by the lanterns glow. But she did notice the boy and his strange eye when he came in. He looked young, and indeed as underfed as she was herself. She knew immediately that she was slightly taller, though who knows how much more growing the boy had to do. He could have been anywhere from twelve to twenty, because the Kelvic had a hard time telling the age of humans. His hair looked like a brown that had been kissed by the sun and fell in straight to his neckline. His one good eye was a beautiful shade of blue while the other one looked milky and useless. Kelski wondered what had happened to it, though she wasn’t one to ask. Questions in Sunberth weren’t a good thing.

Politeness was, however.

“Hello. I’m Kelski. Mosa invited me here to learn Fortune Telling with her. She said you would be joining us. I’m happy to meet you.” She said politely. It never hurt to be polite unless someone had a mean streak and then the effort would be wasted. Kelski gave everyone the benefit of the doubt at first though.

“Sit down Dresden. By the Kelvic. She won’t bite. At least I don’t think she will.” Mosa said, laughing a little and seemingly excited to see the two there keeping her company. For her it was less about the lesson and more about the company. Two young people who were a captive audience for a few bells? That was gold.

“I was going to start you reading on cards, but then I realized you both don’t have sets… so until you can get some I think I will start you on palmistry. It’s one of the oldest forms of fortune telling. Why, in my day everyone read palms. It was a way to pass the time beneath the earth while we were waiting for the storms to pass above.” Mosa admitted, making Kelski raise an eyebrow. She glanced at Dresden to see what he thought. Mosa was old, but by no means was she THAT old. Kelski had to take a moment to decide whether to question the woman on it or to just smile and nod.

The Kelvic smiled and nodded.

“What’s palmistry, Mosa?” She asked, glancing at the other student, wondering if the young man already knew. She’d be embarrassed if he did. There were certain things as a Kelvic she just hadn’t learned that everyone seemed to already know who was human.

Mosa looked thoughtful as she fiddled with the tea in the kettle over the brazier. She pulled out, from her battered chest, three chipped mugs that looked like they’d seen better days. Then she diligently poured the mugs as full as she could and passed them out to Dresden and Kelski before taking her own.

“The Gods, you see, have written what could be and what is on each of our hands. The lines tell it all. You can tell, just by the lines, all of your character strengths and weaknesses, your health, wealth and wisdom. We can even see what your career or marriage will be… and so much more. It’s exciting secret stuff I’m about to teach you… something I hope you will pass on to your children or to other young people when you are my age. I am a keeper of this knowledge… and it’s a knowledge that lived through the Valterrian because of people like me. It should live through whatever else will come because of people like you.” She said, patting each of them on the head before she took a seat before them.

“Now… the first and most important thing is to know which hand to read. Each of us has a primary hand. Mostly that is the right one. It is said the Gods wrote what was supposed to be on your left hand, if you are right handed, and that what IS… meaning what will manifest is what’s written on your right hand. So if you are right handed, we read the right hand. If you are left handed, we read the left hand. But remember, you can compare and contrast the hands to see how far you have deviated from your fate.” She said with a toothless grin.

Kelski glanced at Dresden, curious, and then sipped her tea. It was bitter and without any sort of sweet taste, but it was nonetheless good. She wasn’t sure what sort it was, but the headache she’d been struggling with all day from last night’s activates had started to ease.

The Kelvic sighed in pleasure, trying to take the palm reading seriously but more interested in Mosa’s stories themselves than the knowledge she was trying to teach.

“Now.. give me your hands.” The old woman said, holding her own hands out for each of theirs. She brought them together with their palms up so both students could see each other’s hands and then she let them sit on a battered pillow she placed in her lap.

“Now there are three major lines you need to read. The first is the Life Line, the Head Line… which is also called the Wisdom Line, and the Heart Line… which some people call the Love Line. They are here….” Mosa said, tracing them all out and reciting their names once more for each of them.

“There are other lines to read too… some of which I will show you today…. they include the Marriage Line, Fate Line, Sun Line, Children Line, Money Line, Travel Line, and Bracelet Line. There are others, but I will only show you them if you pick up the others quickly.

Mosa traced those lines as well. Kelski watched growing more and more interested. She couldn’t help but compare her pale white hand with its long black talon-like fingernails to Dresden’s bigger more human hand.

Then Mosa traced her life line and Dresden’s life line, both of which were long and deep.

“Your life line is this one. It starts from the edge of your palm between the thumb and forefinger and extends to the base of the thumb, wrapping around the mound there. Its deceptive in its name because most people think it denotes the length of your life. It does, in a way, but it also denotes your vitality and the energy you put forth in your life. It also shows if you will have accidents or serious illness.” Mosa said, tracing both of theirs. They had vastly different lines, Kelski’s was more towards the middle of her palm while Dresden’s was closer to his thumb.

“There are many possibilities…. Here are the most common ones.” Mosa said, studying each of them.

“Some people have no life line. This is never a good sign. It means the person has poor health and a very short lifespan. They will be prone to accidents and getting sick.” She added, happy that this wasn’t the case for either of them.

“A long deep line, tender and rosy, means that you are highly resistant to disease. Short lines mean you are susceptible to disease. A thick clear life line means you are suited to a life of labor and are good at things like fighting and riding. A shallow and vague line shows that you are good at using your mind. If your line swoops and loops around the base of your thumb, it means you are full of vigor and energy. If the line is tucked in close to the thumb, you will be very low energy. Some people have a doubled life line. That means they have a secondary line running alongside the first one. That means you are especially strong and resistant… very strong.” Mosa said.

Kelski looked closer at hers. Hers appeared to be thick and clear, not exactly vigorous but not shallow. Hers wasn’t doubled, so she knew she wasn’t anything special. “Mosa, would you call mine thick and clear?” Kelski asked. The old woman nodded.

The Kelvic looked over at Dresden, curious what his was like. When she got a glimpse, Mosa continued, explaining how to tell how old one would live from the length of their line.

[Dresden Muireach]

He was caught off guard by how polite she was, he wasn't used to being greeted in such a manner, or to being greeted at all really. the most common thing he got was insults or drunken yelling. He had no authority at all after all, he was just a denizen of the slums. He nodded his head respectfully and responded in a similar manner "Thank you. I'm Dresden, it's nice to meet you too."

"I'm sure she won't." He rolled his eyes at Mosa's joke and made his way over to Kelski and sitting down on the rug, crossing his legs one over the other as he usually did.

He listened, and he listened well but he couldn't help but find an issue with her last statement, she couldn't be that old. She'd be dead by now, right? He caught Kelski throwing a glance towards him and judging by her expression it would seem she shared his doubts, he gently shrugged his shoulders in response before turning his attention back to Mosa.

Dresden heard Kelski ask about palmistry and she made him start to think about it himself. He didn't really know much about it besides that it involved palms and could read the future, it wasn't really the most commonly talked about thing in slums. More often than not it was someone asking where they could find the cheapest whore or some drunk talking about how many woman he'd been in bed with. Amongst other various things. He cocked his head to one side, rather curious about it himself.

He listened carefully, taking in every word. Mosa was definitely a good story teller. It most almost distracting the way she articulated her explanation of the art of palmistry, it seemed so simple and slightly far-fetched to Dresden but she had managed to not only grab his interest but hold onto it. He was eager for more.

He cupped the tea with two hands and gently lifted up to his face, he sniffed at it, then took a sip. Taste wise it was rather bitter but he didn't mind, he wasn't going to complain about being given a warm drink for once. The closest thing he had to this was warm water with some dirt in it, he'd rather have the tea over that unholy concoction.

He glanced over at Kelski when she sighed, he could tell she was enjoying this as much as he was. It made him smile a little.

Dresden expression showed how truly interested he was with this. It was nothing like he thought it was. The more Mosa spoke about it the more interested he became. He repeated the names of the lines in his head like a mantra, trying his best to engrave them into his memory.

Life line...

Head line...

Heart line...

He repeated these within his head alongside the various other lines she spoke of determined to remember them as well as he could.

As Mosa traced their hands he took a look at Kelski's hand then at his own. Her hand was smaller and seemingly paler, her nails were different too both in sharp and coloration. They were more like talons than anything else.

So much variety... it was almost overwhelming, he was actually impressed at how much information this was able to give a person as long as they were willing to learn it, drew him in and he was unable to stop it. He took a peak at his own hand carefully analysing it "Least life i'll be long and miserable and not short and miserable." He said, chuckling quietly at his own comment.

Out of curiosity he peered over at Kelski's hand to see what she was like. After getting a peek he heard Mosa speak up once more and turned his attention back to her.

[Kelski]

Kelski enjoyed just sitting quietly listening to Mosa talk next to the young man. She snuck glimpses of him often, curious about him. When he mentioned her not biting, the Kelvic grinned and flashed her blunt human teeth at him. “I’m not that kind of girl.” She said gently, knowing it was true. Eagles would never stoop to biting like common mammals. They’d tear and render, pop out delicious eyeballs, and shred meat from bones. Mosa was being ridiculous and exaggerating saying she’d bite.

She was glad the boy shrugged as if he was picking up on her clues of glancing at him. Kelski relaxed even further in his company. He didn’t seem as aggressive as most of the young males in Sunberth. They all tended to be violent dangerous creatures that she avoided at all costs. Dresden also seemed to be listening intently, which was a good thing. Kelski wondered if there was any advantage to knowing someone’s indicators through palmistry and if that’s why Mosa was teaching them.

Half the fun was comparing the two hands, both her and Dresdens and finding them both vastly different. On a whim she reached out and grabbed Mosa’s hand. She carefully turned it over and looked too. Not surprisingly she had a long deep lifeline that spoke of many strengths.

Kelski studied the old woman with a slightly new respect.

She also took the time to look at both her hands combined, comparing what she was born to be and what she had made of her own life. It was interesting to note the differences. It looked like the Gods had laid out a much subtler less intense life for her but somehow that had gone wrong. The Kelvic wondered if she’d been born with blue eyes and had been allowed to remain with her svefra family how life would have been different. Maybe that was the whole fact that changed her course. She just wasn’t sure.

She caught Dresden looking and offered him her hand. She took his in exchange. It felt… good simply holding someone’s hand for learning, not because one was forced to or required too. She decided instantly he needed a ring of some sort, for his fingers were long and lean and one would look good on him. Plain though. Unadorned. Fancy wouldn’t suit him. The Jeweler in her smiled and decided maybe she’d make him one.

Mosa pulled her out of her little daydream by moving the lecture on.

“The next line is the head line. We sometimes call this the wisdom or intelligence line. It’s the second most important reading you can make of someone’s palm. It starts from the edge over here between the thumb and forefinger and stretches across your middle part of your palm with the life line below and the heart line above. Let me show you on each of you.” Mosa said, settling in front of them and holding out her hands for them to lay their palms in her gnarled fists.

Kelski did so and Mosa curled her thumb and traced the head line for Kelski to find. The Kelvic nodded and then tilted her head, looking to see Dresden’s as Mosa pointed his out as well.

“The head line will tell you a lot about the persons beliefs, attitude, wisdom, ability to think, capacity to handle stress, and how creative they are. These lines can also talk about memory, self control, and ability to reason.” Mosa said, taking a breath and releasing both of their hands.

“A deep and thin head line is what you want when your looking for a good person. It indicates you are smart. Head lines can have things called chains, degrees of bends, branches, lines crossing it, and stars that can convey a lot of information too. So lets start with length. If you have a long line it means you have a clear mind and are really thoughtful and intelligent. It can also mean you are locked up in your head and can get confused because of all the thoughts.” Mosa said, moving on to the other two lengths.

“A medium line means your head line extends just to the ring finger and no longer… this is most people. It means you are so smart you are almost brilliant. And you can do things better than those with a long head line. Conversely short head lines extend under the middle finger and no longer. You are a slower to respond kind of person, hasty, careless, and indecisive. You can be incredibly impulsive too. These aren’t bad traits, they are just traits you need to recognize and tailor your life around.” She added, her voice cracking so she took a sip of tea from the mug she’d sat beside her.


“Now, this line can bend. The degree of bend means things! A straight line means you have a lot of analytical abilities and you are incredibly dedicated and loyal. If its curved… you are gentle, tolerant, and have strong social skills… it means you make a good friend. If it sweeps downward steeply, you are very creative and imaginative and very artistic.” She added, then moved on to one other odd thing….

“If your heart line crosses your head line, you have a lot of common sense and a love for the arts. But you will also have a rocky road to walk in your life because your sympathetic nature will get in your way.” She said softly, looking both and Dresden and Kelski.


Kelski’s was perfectly straight. The Kelvic frowned, not knowing how she could be so artistic as a jeweler and yet have such a straight line. The Kelvic bird shook herself slightly, as if settling her feathers, disturbed.

“Now… if your life line joins with your head line it means you are a very decisive character, though flexible… things aren’t just black and white with you, but you can make decisions quickly. If your head line and life line overlap from some distance then you are introverted, prudent and thoughtful.” Mosa added, indicating places on both the youths where their lines did these things.


Kelski had never thought exactly what her personality was like, but she could definitely say she was introverted and prudent. And thoughtful fit as well, matching the lines. Why didn’t artistic match then? The Kelvic was a bit frustrated.

“What if I’m artistic, but my head line says I’m not?” She asked abruptly, interrupting the lesson.

Mosa chuckled. “There are other places that show your artisticness, Kelski. What its saying is that you are more prone to intelligence than artistry at this time… Life probably forced you into it.

“Now… if the line is doubled, this is really rare… but it shows you have a strong ability for magic.” The old woman reported. Kelski’s line wasn’t doubled. She glanced at Dresden. She wasn’t sure but she didn’t think he had one of these either.

“Are there any other things? This head line seems complex.” Kelski added, wondering if she should be taking notes. She had some blank books at home. Perhaps she’d make notes in them when she returned. Home. Had she been a slave so long she thought Jaren’s rooms were home? The Kelvic was disgusted at herself at the thought, but pulled her attention back to Mosa in time for more information.

“Sure… if your head line branches, especially downward, it means you can analyze and solve problems easily. If it curves upwards, you can adapt to changing circumstances easily and are very social.” She added, then paused, taking another sip of tea.

Kelski did the same. It was a lot of information to take in. She glanced at Dresden to see how he was feeling about all of it.

[Dresden Muireach]

Dresden had decided promptly after meeting her that he liked being in her presence. Kelski was a bit of an oddity to Dresden in more ways than just her appearance. Dresden was a rather intelligent individual in a few ways. He knew the streets of Sunberth off the back of his hand, he also knew how to find the most useless piece of rubbish on the street and turn it into whatever he see fit. Whether that be a shank or some other tool. What made him smart above all of his practical skills was his attitude in life.

Paranoia was a logical thing in Sunberth. Even more so for the street dwelling boy that Dresden himself was. Everything and everyone could, and more often than not was a threat. Some threats can be easy to pick out whilst some are so subtly hidden in plain sight that they were almost impossible to detect. Kelski had a real sense of... honesty to her. Obviously there was much more to her than he knew but she didn't set of any of the alarm bells inside of Dresden's head. He could just be him having a lapse in his usual constant guard but she genuinely seemed like an exception to almost all the people he had encountered before.

He took particular interest in his headline. He knew that his smarts was what kept him alive after all, physically he wasn't too impressive. It was thin and deep which pleased him, he wasn't upset with the long length of his headline either. The headline he possessed was straight which didn't surprise him all that much as he though it matched his rather boring perspective of himself. He was a smart kid who'd been around for a while. Nothing more. Nothing less. It wasn't too bad that his life line joined up with his headline either strengthening his view that his character was all but interesting.

Kelski though wasn't as calm with the results she found, he saw her frowning and wondered what had seemingly upset her. Turns out she thought she was artistic and the lines on her hand didn't say so. He could see her as being artistic with the way she looked, certainly more artistic than he was at least. He himself though let out a sigh of relief when he found his headline wasn't doubled. Everyone who'd been born in Sunberth knew that magic wasn't exactly welcomed in the community by anyone. It was one of the few things the denizens of the city actually agreed on. He was glad he wasn't magically talented, least according to his palms he wasn't anyway.

"I agree with Kelski. This headline kinda hurts my own head a little." He said jokingly with a small smile. He had to remember all of this, there was no other option for him really. He was struggling slightly to cram all the information inside his mind, there was already so much in there it practically felt like his skull was going to pop any second now.

Kelski glanced at him again and he replied once more in the wordless conversation they appeared to be having. He shot her a smile and chuckled, there was a hint of nervousness in his expression from the way he smiled.

[Kelski]

Mosa looked at Dresden sympathetically but knowingly as well. “I know it’s a lot, lad, but listen to me when I say this…. It will come in handy someday. You’ll see things in people’s palms that will tell you more about them than you want to ever know. It will see things in their eyes too and see it confirmed in their hands. Men shake men’s hands. You’ll get a look, a clear look, at what people are by looking at their palms and someday when you find someone you might want to settle down with, you will need all the information you can get about them. I’m talking a business partner, a friend, even a lover. Trust me. I’m arming you with tools you can use in the future. And I think you are seeing things in your own palm that gives you pause and reiterates what you already know about yourself.” She said gently but firmly, knowing he might be confused, but a lot of what she was teaching was making sense.

She took Dresden’s hand at that moment. She cupped it with her own and studied his hand intently and then studied him. “I can see so much about you here. Yet you sit and say very little. You don’t have too. Neither does this wee birdy here. Just listen… and learn. Make your brain understand. If you don’t, we’ll go over it again and again until you do. Plus… people want to know about themselves. They want to know what others see in their hands. That’s worth coin, lad. And you need coin.” Mosa insisted, evidently pointing out the thin appearance of both of them.

“Now… where was I?” She said, releasing Dresden’s hand. She took Kelski’s then and pointed out the Heart Line. “We’re on the heart line.” She said, launching into her lecture. “It’s the line that just above the head line starting from the edge of your palm under your little finger and running across your palm and ending below the middle or forefinger or even the place they join.” She said, tracing it on her own palm then showing Kelski and Dresden on theirs.

“It shows us your attitude about love and the quality of love you have to give. It can tell us if you are emotionally complex or you are just a simple straightforward person. It can say if your loves and relationships like marriages will go smoothly or whether they will be rocky. In general, if your heart line is deep, clear, curved, unbroken and not mixed or disorderly… you will have a good love life and strong emotions. If it branches off at the end in three or four forks near your forefinger and middle fingers, that is even better… it shows you are responsible, genuine, and don’t play games with people’s feelings.” She said, looking at each of theirs.

“Short lines show ruthless, self-centered, narrow minded and greedy individuals. They act without thinking through the consequences. Stay away from these people. If its very long, it indicates you are rigid, straightforward, and will have trouble being flexible in a relationship. If it curves up, it means you are a great thinker and incredibly romantic. If it curves down, it means you are very negative and weak-minded. These are the people to avoid as well. If its straight, it just means you are stable and don’t mind being approached or treated honestly. The straight line people might be shy or passive in love, but they will love.” She said thoughtfully.

“Now, you can tell ages on a heart line. If you draw vertical lines from the center of the base of each finger down… like your pinkie down, your ring down, your middle down…. The ages go like this…. 10 years of age at the pinkie, 25 years of age at the ring, 50-55 years of age at the middle, and 75 years of age at the pointer…. That’s when events will happen. So if you have splits, breaks, donuts, diamonds, anything like that, those are events and they will happen at the given timelines on your hand. Watch for them.” She warned, looking thoughtful as she first studied Kelski’s then Dresdens.

Kelski’s line did absolutely nothing until her ten year mark, which caused the Kelvic to pause. No bondmate? Surely activity in her heart line meant a bondmate? She looked sadly at the line and glanced at Mosa who did not quite conceal the pity fast enough.

The woman continued her lesson. “Islands on your heart line mean emotional changes or even distress. Broken lines mean setbacks and heartbreaks. If you find that someone has none at all, it usually means their heart line and head line overlap considerably and the heart is buried in their head. These are extremely stubborn characters. Its an amazing sign for a male and a horrible sign for a female. I used to tell all my students to avoid a female with no heart line and cut her down if she gets in your way on the street. Males will be loyal forever and be incredibly successful and lucky if they have no heart line.” Mosa responded, glancing at Dresden to see the state of affairs with his palm.

“If your heartline is chained…. Oh Dresden’s is!.... the it means you are sentimental.” The old woman giggled, giving the young man a long look before she continued. “Triangles and squares indicate disease, woundings, accidents, and love triangles.. where more than one person loves more than one person.” The woman continued, then added one final thing. “If you have what I call a stitched heart line, where it looks like there’s a whole bunch of short lines crossing perpendicular to your heart line, this is not a good sign. Failure, pain, broken heartedness, and even unhappiness is indicated. Avoid these people.” Mosa said.

Kelski studied hers intently, not finding any of the unusual traits in hers. Her’s was just a slightly deep, slightly upcurved line rarely crossed with anything that ran through her palm to her pointer finger. The one part where she saw trouble was a worry, but she wasn’t going to let it affect her views.

She glanced at Dresden to see what he thinking about his.

[Dresden Muireach]

He listened to her words intently and nodded respectfully. Mosas words resonated with Dresden. What she was teaching was something he should and would hold dear. He'd very quickly gone from thinking of this as a little niche to a very powerful tool in the right hands. He was determined to know how to figure people out. Who knows, it could come in handy one day.

A small smile formed on Dresden's face. It was mixture between knowing this woman was as stubborn as he was and could definitely teach him the art of palmistry and the fact she mentioned he could get coin out of this in the long term. It was a shallow motive but it was a very strong motive. Even Mosa pointed out how in need he and Kelski were.

He peered at his right hand, he didn't appear to have anything until it reached his ten year mark. He had expected this considering nothing too notable happened beforehand in his life besides getting his nose broken and that was hardly something he'd considered an event. He glanced over at Kelski and once more saw that she had an upset look on her face. Dresden felt an urge to try and make her cheer up slightly. He couldn't exactly tell why but he didn't like seeing her in distress. He tried to find a reason but disregarded his questioning to listen to Mosa

"...I'm sentimental. I don't... well i guess it makes sense." He said to himself chuckling a little at the chipper old woman as she gazed at him. He couldn't see himself as being that emotional but obviously that wasn't true to any extent. He was feeling sorry for and wanted to make a random slave he just met this day feel happy even if he didn't understand what compelled him to.

He paid attention to the little details in his heartline searching for anything that would bring up concern and so far he hadn't encountered anything too substantial. Straight and ever so slightly deep and with minimal curving it wasn't the scariest thing to look at even with the appearance of one or two crosses. He wasn't expecting to have an easy life so why should he be bothered by signs of hardship.

He looked towards Kelski who yet again was looking to him to see what he was thinking about the whole thing. He gave her a friendly smirk and decided to ask her a question "Hey, Kelski. You don't seem too pleased with your hand. Ain't upsetting ya too much is it?" He hoped the question wouldn't be received as a taunt or as disrespectful. He was honestly curious and to a degree concerned.

[Kelski]

Kelski met Dresden’s gaze as he looked questioningly at her. “My heart line shows no extras, just a deep long slightly upturned line. Surely if I gained a bondmate, it would be indicated here somewhere. There’s nothing.” She said sadly, staring at her palm again as if she could change it. She actually wiped at it, knowing a bondmate was something she desperately wanted, even though she was a slave and had no choice in such things.

Mosa shook her head. “No child. It doesn’t mean you won’t bond. This line means you love deeply and fully. That’s all.” She said, stroking the line and running her thumb over it. She looked as if she saw more, but Mosa didn’t reveal what she saw if she did.

“The next line is the marriage line. It is the line below the base of your little finger and above your heart line. Some people have just one, some have many many lines. It has no indication of how many marriage you have per line, but rather talks about the type of relationships you will have. This is where you need to pay attention Kelski. Your bondmate relationship will be here. The way it looks in regards to its shape, length, if it chains or has islands, etc reveals different meanings. For example, a long straight line indicates a deep and long love. A short line means you are passionless to the opposite sex. A shallow line means you aren’t patient for relationships and probably won’t fall in love. If the line curves downward, it means you will outlast your partner. If it curves upwards at the end, you will live a great settled marriage. If it forks, meaning it starts out with a Y, you will not stay with your partner. If it ends with a Y it means you will end in crisis and separation for your marriage. This is not a good situation.” Mosa indicated, taking a breath before moving on.

Kelski studied her line intently, listening and finding none of the flaws Mosa talked about.

“Broken marriage lines shows that you will have strife and problems in love or marriage. It means lots of fights and unrest. If you have islands, their location indicates their meaning. At the beginning, you won’t have an easy time settling into a relationship. In the middle, there will be complications. At the end, it means your relationship will end in obstacles.” Mosa said, looking thoughtfully at Dresden’s line at that point.

“Now, if your marriage line is waved or chained, you will encounter evil and abuse. No marriage line at all indicates you have no desire to love.” She added with a flourish then moved on.

“The next line I want to talk about is the Fate line. What do you think the Fate line is about, Dresden?” Mosa asked, looking pointedly at the young man. She didn’t bother to ask the Kelvic. Animals were usually slow on the uptake on things like picking up patterns in palms.

[Kelski]

Grading!

Kelski

Experience: Fortune Telling +5, Socialization +4, Interrogation +4

Lores: Mosa: Fortune Teller/Violinist, Mosa: Where She Lives In Tent City, Fortune Telling: What Palmistry Is, Palmistry: What The Lines On The Hand Mean, Fortune Telling: What It is, Dresden: Tent City Resident, Palmistry: What It Is, Palmistry: What Hand To Read, Palmistry: Life/Love Line, Palmistry: What Marriage Line, Fate Line, Sun Line, Children Line, Money Line, Travel Line and Bracelet Line mean…

Dresden
Experience: Fortune Telling +4, Observation +4, Socialization +2, Interrogation +2

Lores: Mosa: Fortune Teller/Violinist, Mosa: Where She Lives In Tent City, Fortune Telling: What Palmistry Is, Palmistry: What The Lines On The Hand Mean, Fortune Telling: What It is, Kelski: A Kelvic, Palmistry: What It Is, Palmistry: What Hand To Read, Palmistry: Life/Love Line, Palmistry: What Marriage Line, Fate Line, Sun Line, Children Line, Money Line, Travel Line and Bracelet Line mean…


Notes: You’ve been logging on but haven’t replied so I’m assuming you lost interest…. I just graded it to move on.