(Flashback) And the Cards got out of Hand (Satu)

by **Blythe** on February 4th, 2011, 9:03 pm

1 Summer, 509 AV

Blythe was sitting cross-legged on top of a lavender-colored cotton sheet at the foot of her bed, her student had just arrived, and the two were preparing for Satu's next lesson. Blythe had borrowed her grandmother's Palladini tarot deck in order to conduct the lesson, and as always, Rose didn't seem to mind.

The deck was still trapped in its box, and was resting on Blythe's lap. She was wearing a simple white dress. It had a v-neck, and long sleeves that belled out at the bottom, fanning out across Blythe's pale fingertips. The dress was a little shorter than most of the things that Blythe would consider wearing, but she didn't have much choice. Everything seemed to be in the laundry, or out on the clothesline, drying.

Blythe smiled sweetly over at her student as she pulled the lid off the top of the tarot deck. "How have you been doing Satu?" she asked, trying to make some light, and rather polite conversation as she flipped the box over and poured the deck into her free hand. In one fluid motion, Blythe put the box down beside her as she rapidly began to shuffle the deck. Then, she pulled one card off the top of the deck and placed it on the bed in front of her. She then took a moment to put the rest of the deck back in the box, and replace the lid. When that was over, she flipped the card over.

The card Blythe had drawn depicted a black sky, with a puffy grey cloud in the forefront. A bolt of lightning was shooting out of the cloud, and striking a large stone tower. The bottom of the tower was grey and seemed almost dirty in a way, the top of the tower was pure white, although a crack was snaking its way through the side. The roof of the tower seemed as though it were made of golden shingles, and a single black window hung in the top of the tower. Orange, red, and bright yellow flames snaked their way around the tower, threatening to burn the tower to the ground. The words, "the tower," were written in black along a small white stripe at the bottom of the card.

"Alright Satu, the tower card represents some sort of unforeseeable disaster; a sudden change that may force someone to develop a whole new lifestyle; divorce. Given this information and what you already know about fortune telling and tarot decks, I would like you to tell me how you would interpret this card if you were giving me a single card reading for the question 'do you think my relationship with my current boyfriend is driving me and my children apart?' For the purpose of this exercise, we shall not be using a significator, and the only thing you need to concentrate on is the meaning of this card," Blythe pointed to the card that sat before her, "and how it relates to this question." Blythe tilted her head to the side as she waited for her student to answer, her bangs falling into her face and covering her right eye. Blythe didn't bother to move them away.

OOCThe bed is in the corner of the room, and appears as though it has been freshly made. The sheets are a little rough, as though they had not yet been well worn with use. Two pillows rest up against the wall, closest to where Satu would more than likely be sitting across from Blythe. There is a window behind Blythe, but the shades have been drawn over it so we cannot see outside.

by **Satu** on February 11th, 2011, 3:38 pm

Satu sat on the bed with her tutor. Somehow, she had not paid as much attention as she should have during her fortune telling trainings, and now the younger Konti needed additional help. But she was comfortable on the soft bed, her long legs folded to the side beneath her. She wore a long flowing gown of the palest blue with golden, tiny shimmers running the length of it. The dress was laced at the bodice, and lifted to the knees for ease in sitting, and tiny, blue corn flowers were woven though her pale hair. “Oh, very good, thank you” Satu smiled and said politely. “I’ve been making a lot of progress in the suvai…” it was easy to see that this is where her focus gathered. “To feel the bones in your hands and to dance with them… it is like a dream!” she said emotionally. But then Satu was always emotional, and very open about how she felt. It was not in her nature to hide or conceal, especially if there was a polite way to talk about things. She was lively and full of life, and it was hard for her to remain still or focused for long, unless the suvai were in her hands. The need for movement, and distraction from the constant input of her Gift was too great.

Blythe worked so hard to teach her! Satu thought. But the suvai fighter was not studious, though she tried to remember and to learn. And besides, it seemed that the other’s Heart was filled with Sorrow that was hidden or buried deeply, though to the young HeartSeer, nothing emotional was ever hidden for long. So when Blythe shuffled the cards, the HeartSeer watched, trying to show interest as her tutor pulled out one card from the stack.

The Tower Card.

Frowning, Satu looked upon it. She did not like it. This card had never resonated with her, not like some of the others, the Moon for its mysteries, or the Priestess for her wisdom, even the Lovers for their union. Just the idea of the falling Tower was foreign to her. Here in peaceful Mura, what did she know of cataclysmic changes? Never had she experienced anything remotely like it in her simple life of suvai forms, and dance classes. Boyfriends? Children? She could not pretend to know. Satu was almost an adult and she had had intimate trysts before with other girls, but honestly, Satu did not know much about relationships or how to even offer advice regarding them. For Blythe’s question, Satu would indeed have to turn to the card itself. She traced it with her long fingers brushing over the tower and the background, as if touching it would impart some knowledge. Looking at her tutor, she cleared her throat once and said, in a hollow voice, reciting something memorized, “The Tower. It represents change...” Eyes of blue sea foam looked up at Blythe, and she continued, self confidence evident in her voice. She still had a lot to learn, but Satu was not afraid to make mistakes, so she jumped in, “The Tower means change is coming. Big changes! For you, or your family, I can not say. But this card means a life altering change, a leaving of the old behind… and, and something new coming…?” she hesitated, could she tell someone that? “I can not define the changes without more cards… But the change is not small or slow, it will be abrupt and total.” Satu chewed on her lip, thoughtfully, “It is not necessarily a bad thing…” she trailed off and laughed at herself for her awkwardness.

by **Blythe** on February 11th, 2011, 4:21 pm

Blythe shook her head, and ran her tongue over the roof of her mouth, making a sort of tsking sound. "Satu, Satu, Satu," she began, rather disappointed with her student. "If only I had forgotten to ask a question at the beginning of the single-card reading, then perhaps your regurgitated answer would have sufficed. But alas, I did not, and thus, your answer is lacking," Blythe paused for a moment, and uttered each of the following words with great emotion, and emphasis, "direction, substance, and a new outlook on the cards."

Blythe sighed heavily, her chest rising and falling steadily as she looked down at the tower card that rested on the sheet before her and her student. She raised each of her hands, and pressed her fingers lightly to her temples as she shut her eyes; she looked as though she were trying to ward off a massive headache. "The question I asked you for the direction of this reading was 'do you think my relationship with my current boyfriend is driving me and my children apart?' And as such, you should have been able to give me a more specific reading than that," she said, as she opened her eyes again and dropped her hands into her lap.

"If the tower card refers to some sort of unforeseeable disaster, and you are asked to relate it to my question, than you should be able to safely give a number of scenarios. Think for a moment about disasters. Every little thing that could go wrong," Blythe began, "go on, close your eyes for a moment, and allow yourself to think, ENVISION everything that could go wrong. Every fear a man or a woman may possibly possess when entering a relationship with someone else." Blythe waited for a moment, providing some time for her student to close her eyes before she continued, "if this had been the card I had drawn, and that had been my question, you may have been able to say that perhaps the disaster was that I would grow ill, or even my partner; my children. Perhaps one of us would die. Or my partner would be called away to war. Or my children would have been sent on Call... there are a number of things you could have said Satu, but, I get the impression that you weren't really listening to anything I said, otherwise this card should have been a simple read," Blythe said, slight concern in her voice, as she pointed to the card and tapped it a few times with the pale outstretched fingertips of her right hand.

"Was that it Satu? Were you even listening?" Blythe asked, as she lifted her right brow quizzically, growing more and more frustrated with her student. "Did you even look over a deck or practice giving readings since the last time you were here; just as I asked you to do? Or did you forget to do that too?" Blythe paused, giving herself a moment to calm down and catch her breath. She didn't feel it her place to scold her student, but then again, she didn't appreciate feeling as though she were wasting her time with someone who didn't truly want to learn; or so it was starting to seem.

"Sorry, sorry, I should not scold you," Blythe said, as she turned her face away from her student for a moment and shut her eyes, as though doing so would help her clear her mind, and whisk some of the frustration away. "But what would your mother think if you could not learn to read cards? What about your grandmother?" Blythe questioned, her voice growing louder the further along in the sentence she went. "You know they'd be disappointed in your for neglecting your studies Satu, just like I am disappointed. They want you to learn, I want you to learn because this will help you understand. You do understand that, don't you Satu?" Blythe inquired, as she picked up the tower card and the rest of the deck in one swift movement, and placed them back in the box. She closed the lid, and sighed heavily.

"There is no point in our continuing if you haven't studied Satu, so I am going to close the lesson a little early today. Please go home and review the tower card. Meditate on it if you have to, it doesn't matter to me what you do, just as long as you understand it the next time you walk through my family's door. Not only that, but I expect you to give at LEAST one practice reading. It can be a single card reading, but you should write your experience down; just so I will be certain that you have done it. Now," Blythe said as she got up and walked over to Satu's side of the bed and took her hand, "why don't I let you out, and we'll resume our lesson this time next week?" Blythe asked, as she tilted her head to the side, awaiting her student's answer.

by **Satu** on February 16th, 2011, 4:27 am

Satu looked up suddenly, her facing showing surprise. Blythe seemed upset, Disappointment and Sorrow were apparent in her Heart. Was it because she had not learned her lessons properly? Why had the other Konti had taken her answers so badly? It wasn’t as if she hadn’t tried, or had not studied on purpose… there just were so many things to do! …And the new suvai form last week that she really needed to practice, among other things. “Direction. Substance. A new outlook on the cards.” Blythe said, but Satu did not really know what this meant, and the young Konti was not about to ask for clarification, since she had already upset her tutor! A truly terrible thing for a HeartSeer! Satu fretted over the feelings churning within the woman and she missed more of what the tutor said, as she instinctually took the others emotions to Heart.

Her eyes watched as Blythe’s chest rose and fell, almost it seemed with effort. The woman directed her to think of what could go wrong and Satu closed her eyes and let her mind drift. Every fear… Blythe said. But Satu, in her peaceful, sheltered upbringing was naïve to the fears of the world, and so they held little sway over her thoughts. What could go wrong? Blythe asked her. And Satu thought, you either found your Call, or you found your Love. And maybe sometimes, you found both! Satu reasoned with youthful exuberance, and she smiled behind her closed lids. And illnesses? Blythe continued. Satu knew that answer without thought. The Healers in Mura were the best; it would be a simple thing to go to them! And war? Satu dismissed this event out of hand. There were no wars here. Why would anyone choose to go to war?

Slowly Satu opened her eyes and regarded her instructor. Blythe held some very serious notions that confused the young woman. “Blythe?” she asked softly, trying to understand Blythes’ negative stance, “Why should we fear when the Mother shows us what will be? If it is her way…” she faltered, “then should we not be accepting of whatever happens? And see the brightness in it?” Satu watched Blythe’s face and Heart for an explanation. Blythe knew more than she, but Satu couldn’t see holding on to fear when the future was offered by Avalis in the cards. “But even if things go wrong, it seems that they eventually always turn out… don’t you agree? And that even though there is Sorrow in the cards and in the world, there is still also Joy and Excitement?”

“My mother is a dancer,” Satu offered almost apologetic, as the cards were put away. “She supports all my studies,” But she missed the point of what Blythe was trying to get across by bringing up her mother. Both her mother and grandmother understood how the effort of focusing past the HeartSense was difficult for the young woman, so Satu was often indulged in her suvai work over everything else, as movement seemed to offer her a much needed break from the constant barge of feelings that assaulted her. “Yes, Blythe,” Satu answered head bowed, as she was dismissed. “It is hard to focus sometimes. My mind wanders…” she offered as apology. It gets caught she wanted to say. Within emotions like yours. Tears filled her eyes, but not because of the scolding, but from the reflection of Blythe’s underlying emotions. She was led out of the room and towards the door. And with each footstep, she thought, Where was Blythe’s Joy? Where was Blythe’s Joy? And her face lit up then as Satu vowed to help her! Even if Blythe did not know she needed it! Joy and Excitement! She didn’t know how, but she would find that glimmer of hidden emotion within her tutor’s Heart.

by **Blythe** on February 16th, 2011, 10:56 pm

"Yes Satu?" Blythe asked, as her right brow raised, and she waited for her student to pose a question, or say whatever it was that she wanted to say. After she had heard everything, Blythe said, "now Satu, you know as well as anyone that Avalis doesn't show us all things, many things, yes, but never all things. For if she showed us that many things, our brains may explode." Blythe paused for a moment, "perhaps that is a slight exaggeration, but the answer hasn't changed. She seems to show us enough to keep us relatively informed, but not so informed as to make us omniscient. Could you imagine life if we were?" Blythe shook her head, she'd hate to know everything. Not knowing was what made life so much fun, after all. "And you know also, Satu, that we must accept whatever life sends our way and not question it, no matter how much we would like to, it is only proper."

Blythe paused for a moment, taking some time to think before she continued speaking. "Everything happens for a reason Satu, even though we may not see or understand it right away... everything happens for a reason, and as much as we would all love for our lives to go just the way we want them to, or for things to magically turn from bad to good, or worse to less worse, well... things don't always work out that way to say the very least," she finished.

"So yes, there are both good and bad things in the world, but that doesn't mean that all the dark things will eventually become light," Blythe said, as she began to lead Satu towards the door. "And what brings this sudden storm of curiosity about?" Blythe asked as they walked down the hall and soon found themselves in front of the wooden door to the cottage. "When you seemed so disinterested and out of it before?" Blythe added, waiting only a moment for her student to answer before she reached her hand out and clasped the doorknob. Slowly, she turned it counter-clockwise, and pulled back, opening the door.

The door flew back with a sudden gust of wind, and startled, a small cry left Blythe's lips as her eyes grew wide and her hand flew off the doorknob, allowing the wooden frame to fly back and smash into the cottage wall with a loud thud. Several raindrops were falling diagonally and into the door frame, occasionally spraying both Blythe and Satu. Several grey-ish black, and generally ominous looking rain clouds lined the sky, and were pummeling rain down upon the earth. The clap of thunder sounded, but it seemed distant, as though the main portion of the storm wasn't yet here, and remained far away.

Blythe walked over to the door and pushed it shut. Shutting out the wind, and the thunder, and the rain. "Well I don't suppose you'll be going out in that mess," Blythe said to her student, "unless you really want to, in which case I shall not stop you... in which case, you're free to stay here until morning if you so choose," Blythe finished. "Or at least, until the storm passes, I think your family will understand if we kept you until then."

by **Satu** on February 24th, 2011, 5:23 pm

The young Konti, looked up, shocked at Blythe’s insistence their brains might explode. A contagious smile formed instantly, and when Satu realized the joke her light laugh filled the hallway easily. Her tutor answered the girl’s questions as she escorted her towards the door. “Oh no,” Satu agreed, never imagining that her mind would desire unending power and control later on, “I want nothing of power! I don’t need to know everything that will transpire… I shall always be content with what Avalis offers me”

“But Blythe… I think things do work out…” Satu offered quietly, and she believed it so strongly. “…and I think that life is good. If one simply takes the right actions, good is bound to follow! Positive can come from negative, I just know it!” She didn’t really, never having had experienced darkness in her life. She was incredibly naïve, but the Konti had so much hope and trust, she just knew life couldn’t stay dim forever. “Dark turns into light. And night into day. So shouldn’t bad also become good? It should!” She told Blythe, with a nod, her white curls bouncing and she smiled beautifully, the smile of a young woman, sure of her place in the world. “It’s the order of things!” At least in Satu’s mind it was. It was the order of things to change, though she only saw change to good.

She paused, “My curiosity? Well…,” How could she say she had been reading Blythe’s Heart? And Satu knew she was supposed to keep the knowledge she gleaned from her HeartSense private. It was an intimate knowledge and a matter of politeness among the Konti not to force the Gifts upon others. But Satu was still learning, and the pull of emotions from others typically won over Satu’s will to be discrete. “I only noticed…”

But Satu’s words were cut short as the door flew open out of her tutor’s hand. Blythe cried out, and Satu though startled, gracefully jumped back. The suvai practitioner moved smoothly, her body trained to action, and it was obvious she was comfortable with it. Her eyes opened wide at the unexpected storm! Dark and ominous it filled the sky and its winds even swirled her dress around her legs from where she stood in the doorway. Wind and rain threatened and Satu’s face dropped, her home was on the other side of Mura and she really, really didn’t want to be out in that…

And bless her! Blythe came to her rescue! “Oh thank you!” Satu gushed emotionally as she took her tutor’s hands within her own to squeeze them. “I won’t be a bother! And I won’t get in the way! I… I could even study the cards more,” she offered as consolation. Then as an after thought she added, cheerfully, “And see? Bad has turned to good already!”

by **Blythe** on February 25th, 2011, 1:02 am

Blythe smiled. "Yes, I suppose so," she said as she lightly pulled her hands away from Satu and began to walk back to her room. She highly doubted her student would study. Perhaps she'd try for a few minutes, or even pretend to just to please her teacher, but Blythe knew she'd never last long.

"Come along Satu," Blythe called over her shoulder, hoping that her student would have the sense to follow.

When Blythe reached her room, she walked over to the far right-hand corner. There was a small wooden bureau there with four separate drawers. Blythe knelt down and opened the drawer at the bottom of the bureau. Blythe pulled out a fresh white, cotton sheet. It still smelled faintly of the cool summer breeze. She rested the sheet on her lap for a moment before she closed the drawer and stood up. She unfolded the sheet, and spread it out on the floor. She then proceeded to her bed, and grabbed a pillow. She tossed it down on the floor, on top of the bed sheet, it landed with a low thud.

"Hope you don't mind sleeping on the floor Satu," Blythe commented, "it isn't much, but our cottage is rather tight for space, so you'll just have to make do. And it's only for one night, so it shouldn't be too bad," she added with a light smile.

Blythe leaned over her bed and grabbed the other pillow from the corner. She pulled it closer to her body, and stood up straight again. She grabbed the pillow with each of her hands, one on each end, and began to squish it and then to pull it back into shape again. Her grandmother had always taught her to fluff her pillows before she went to sleep.

"And if you want a blanket, just ask, but it shouldn't be too cold tonight, so you probably won't need one," Blythe commented as she finished fluffing her pillow and placed it at the head of her bed. "Anyway, we should go to sleep soon so that we'll be fully functional in the morning," Blythe added as she hopped into her bed, and leaned up against her pillow. "Hopefully we can sleep through the sound of the rain," Blythe added as she pulled her bed sheet up and over her legs. "That, or it lets up soon. Or perhaps, even stops altogether. But the plants do need the rain..." Blythe said, her voice beginning to trail off.

OOCSorry this post is rather blah.

by **Satu** on March 3rd, 2011, 4:57 am

Satu wondered how Blythe could just fall asleep like that, while she could only stare up at the ceiling restless, as her dress pooled around her like waves. It was early, much too early for the young Konti to sleep. Normally Satu performed some form of exercise or physical exertion before retiring to burn off excess energy. So she fidgeted, and shook one foot and then another. For a time, she tried to focus her mind on just being still and quiet and she tried to listen for the sounds of the house, and Blythe’s quiet breathing. Just listening. Only listening. Turning to her side, she tried to get comfortable, but it was no use so she rolled onto her back again. Her fingers ran along the soft edge of the sweet smelling sheet, until she pulled the sheet around her and sighed. Bored.

A glance at the quiet bed next to her brought an unbidden idea to her head, but her polite mind refused to consider the idea. So she pushed it away. “Don’t do it.” She told herself. But she was so restless! And while she would normally not do such a silly thing, she couldn’t help but think about it. And then she remembered… Blythe was too serious, too studious! Even preparing to sleep! She was serious. And the pillow found its way to her stomach where she hugged it closely. “Don’t do it!” she told herself again, but with more mindful vigor. But she didn’t listen. Without another thought and with a flick of her wrists the pillow was tossed into the air. Slowly it descended and with a soft thud landed on top of Blythe. Satu couldn’t tell where it landed, on her tutor’s chest or face, but she immediately closed her eyes and pretended to sleep, while she tried very hard not to giggle.

by **Blythe** on March 3rd, 2011, 4:11 pm

Blythe had just begun to drift off into sleep. She had been dreaming of pleasant things. A field of dandelions that had grown so old that they turned white. Their stems long and green, but browning at the edges. Their petals turned into tiny brown stems, which housed several smaller brown stems with whispy white edges. Not quite petals or the prickers on a cactus, but something in-between the two. Something that if you ran through, would be trampled beneath your feet, the petal-like things scattered into the air. They would float away silently on the wind, twisting this way and that, until they had traveled to each end of the earth. Something that your mother always said you could wish upon if you simply blew on their petals and scattered them into the air. If you were lucky enough, some day that wish would come true. But only if you were lucky enough.

Blythe had been running through a field of dandelions such as this, crushing the stems beneath her step, and scattering the white flurries into the air. They all swirled around her body, up towards the sky, as though they were dancing around her blissful form. Marveling at how her scales sparkled in the sunlight, how her smile filled each of their souls with warmth. The sun had felt so warm on her skin, not too hot, but just right. Everything in Blythe's world had seemed perfect, and of course a pillow had to fly into her face and ruin it all; jerk Blythe back into reality.

Blythe's eyes were still heavy; as sleep licked at the corners, attempting to draw her back into its world. She could hear the rain outside pounding into the ground outside, the windows, the roof, as she groaned, and angrily pulled the pillow off her face with her right hand. She was gripping the casing tightly, as though threatening to rip it off because of its surprise attack on her face. Of course the pillow had an accomplice however, and couldn't be blamed entirely for simply being an instrument of another's childish nature; Satu.

"Satu would you cut it out and go to sleep!" Blythe scolded as soon as her brain had begun to shake off her slumber, and she could put the pieces of the puzzle together again. She had just started to remember her being here, only moments before, to sense that her youngest nieces were sound asleep in bed... or clinging to their mothers for safety. Then, with that, Blythe hurled the pillow downwards and into the dark. She hoped she had hit her student, just to make things even between them if nothing else.

"Some people have been trying to sleep you know!" Blythe scolded in a hurried whisper. She doubted it sounded like a whisper anymore, if Satu could hear her from where she was supposed to be resting. "Some people have work and have to get up early in the morning and need a good night's sleep!" she added, as she punched her pillow a few times to fluff it, and then settled down again. Blythe closed her eyes. The dreams were calling to her. Sleep was calling to her.

by **Satu** on March 9th, 2011, 5:07 pm

Satu laid still and silent on the floor as Blythe scolded her. The younger Konti did not reply, or even move in the quiet night. The hard floor supported her and her long arms and legs were frozen in place. Through the dark air, the pillow flew back at her and landed on her stomach with a thump. Satu made a small surprised, “Oooff” as the pillow bounced off her to land near her fingertips. The pillow stayed where it was, as Satu also waited without moving.

The younger Konti jumped as Blythe punched her own pillow once again and settled angrily down to rest. Satu lifted her eyebrows; her tutor was so serious! Even though she could not see her, the HeartSeer was unconsciously alert to the emotions coming off Blythe’s sleepy Heart. And she waited patiently for Blythe’s anger to subside. In the swirl of feeling, Satu felt the emotions began to fade, slipping away as the comforts of sleep drew nearer and she chose that moment to move a small fraction. She reached for the pillow very slowly, trying not to make a sound. As her fingers reached for the softness of the pillow, she drew it silently along the floor to bring it back to her chest. Where again, she held it to her chest, moving up and down with her breathing.

The rain pounded. She could hear it on the roof, beating down in heavy rhythm. Thank Avalis she wasn’t walking home! Rain did not bother her, or the wetness, but storms were never to be taken lightly on the Isle. Thunder rumbled through the dark room, and it reverberated in her bones, powerful forces beyond her control, fascinating and exciting her, this wild, uncontrollable nature. Her energy was too tied into the weather, and again she wanted to throw the pillow. How mad Blythe would be if she did it again! Satu knew this for truth and she blinked in the dark to think. Don’t do it, don’t. Don’t. But she was too caught up in the moment to let it pass unlived! And the Konti felt a solemn duty to lighten Blythe’s world! Satu’s pretty lashes fluttered and her lips curled into a mischievous smile and so it was that the pillow went flying once more out of her hands and onto Blythe and the well made bed.