Description:
It's a sunny day in Southtown, but a breeze from the sea is taking the edge off the heat. Nonetheless, people who sit outdoors usually do so in a rather... static position.
In Southtown village, a woman sits, with a broadbrimmed sunhat, beneath a shaded table near some well-tended cherry trees - not in season for blossom, sadly enough. She has a plastic cup of bubble tea sitting to one side, but Rose isn't tending to it right now. She likes it a bit more melted than it presently is.
Instead, she is shuffling cards; a deck of them, slightly worn and usually kept in a red cloth which sits off to the side, weighted with a keychain to keep it from blowing off in the breeze. She's taking her time.
A lovely day to be out and about, sunny with no threat of rain and a nice wind to keep the temperature bearable. The perfect sort of day to walk around the lively town and take an interest in its population. That's exactly what Ingrid's doing, walking about from place to place and watching the people interact, simply enjoying being amongst the crowds. The young woman exits the mall and continues her little walk, having gotten something to eat and window shopped for a few minutes. A faint smile is set upon her face, a simple sort of happiness pervading her mind at the simplicity of today's activities.
As she walks along she looks slowly about herself, examining the people lazing about comfortably, keeping to herself. It's while doing this that she spots one person in particular; a person she's never met before. She can tell simply by the way the older woman feels that she must be a fighter, or contain some sort of power. This isn't enough to cause her to go over and speak with her; there are many, many such people in this city. Something she can't quite put her finger on, however, does draw her slowly towards the woman, some kind of compulsion. In almost all things Ingrid is in excellent control over herself, and finding herself approaching Rose without quite knowing why has her somewhat at a loss. "Good afternoon." She speaks up in a light, friendly voice. What -is- she doing?
Rose lifts her head as Ingrid approaches. She smiles, slightly; the shade of the wide-brimmed hat hides some of it, but her eyes, at least, seem friendly. She pauses in her shuffling, setting the deck of unusually long cards down and saying, quietly, "Ah, hello. I've been expecting you."
She gestures to the seat in front of her. "I suppose that you are... looking for guidance? Even if you do not, yourself, quite realize it." She picks up the cup of bubble tea, taking a small sip from it before replacing it. "Would you like something to drink, by the way? The waiter should be around, before long."
"Waiting for me? Is that so..." Ingrid normally would be intrigued, possibly even amused, by such a statement. Her momentary lapse of control over her actions giving her the feeling that perhaps this could be the case. When the seat is motioned to she smiles to Rose and takes a seat, eyes moving for a moment to the deck of cards, completely unfamiliar to her, before returning back to the mysterious woman. "Guidance?" Rather than just speaking, she thinks about what's been said before replying. "I suppose I might be, yes."
At the offer for something to drink a smile forms on her face once more and she nods, "A cup of coffee would be nice, thank you. My name is Ingrid, by the way; pleased to meet you."
"I am Rose," says the woman, with another warm smile. She waits for Ingrid to make herself comfortable for a moment, and then slides the deck towards Ingrid with two fingers; it moves easily over the white tablecloth. "Hold your question in your mind - shuffle once, then cut them, however you please. Then I will read your situation for you."
She takes another sip of bubble tea. Ingrid is likely to pick up a sense of watchfulness from Rose, for a moment, although it's not directed towards Ingrid. It fades, and a moment later a waiter comes by: "Please," Rose tells Ingrid, "order it however you'd like."
Ingrid nods a little, her curiosity now even more piqued that the cards are going to have something to do with this. "Is that how it works? Very well." The young woman then looks over to the waiter as he arrives, "Just a cup of coffee please; black." She responds to the waiter before interacting with the deck of cards that's now before her, using the time to think of an appropriate question to use.
Finally she thinks of something she deems appropriate and lifts the deck of cards. She shuffles them in an unpracticed manner, and then sets them down, cutting the deck about two thirds of the way from the top before looking to Rose expectantly.
Rose takes the cards as the waiter moves off, and closes her eyes for a moment. She breathes in through her nose, then out through her lips; then the reverse. Her eyes open, and she turns over the first card: the Three of Pentacles, reversed.
"This is the past of your question," Rose says. "It indicates - a drain of potential; being cheated of a reward. Losing interest in a task, and a need to reconnect to one's vocation, or seek another. Lingering doubts; avoiding work, or poor quality."
She looks up and continues, "Not very reassuring, is it?" Perhaps she's intuiting what Ingrid was asking.
Ingrid nods a little, her curiosity now even more piqued that the cards are going to have something to do with this. "Is that how it works? Very well." The young woman then looks over to the waiter as he arrives, "Just a cup of coffee please; black." She responds to the waiter before interacting with the deck of cards that's now before her, using the time to think of an appropriate question to use.
Finally she thinks of something she deems appropriate and lifts the deck of cards. She shuffles them in an unpracticed manner, and then sets them down, cutting the deck about two thirds of the way from the top before looking to Rose expectantly.
Ingrid watches as the cards are taken and Rose breathes in that seemingly specific and important manner before turning the card over. It means nothing to Ingrid before it's explained, when she is momentarily shocked. This is nothing to be taken for granted, is it? She thinks of this for a moment and then says, "Not reassuring no, but startlingly accurate. Please, do continue." It's safe to say that Rose has Ingrid's full, rapt attention now.
Rose takes a sip of bubble tea and looks over towards Ingrid for a moment... but she seems to be cushioned well enough, Rose reasons, and so she turns the next card over. (The waiter arrives to drop off coffee, as black coffee is easily fetched.)
The card is the Tower. "This shows the present, or near enough to it," Rose explains. "Destruction; major change. Greed, pride, arrogance, unheeded warnings... revolution." She looks up again. "Breakdown, or breakthrough. It can bring freedom if the target is oppressed; it brings loss and reversal of fortune if the target is oppressor, instead."
A pause, as Rose consults her memory again. "Irrepresible tantrum of change," she says, which has to be a quote. "Triumph over enslavement and compulsion; eruption, collapse of the old system, and a clearing of the air."
Ingrid quietly thanks the water and takes a sip of her coffee. Perhaps drinking something hot on a day like today doesn't make much sense, but it's what she's used to, and thus her drink of choice. The next card that's brought out is equally meaningless to her until it's explained. This one gets her thinking more than startling her. To her this doesn't seem to be speaking of her so much as it is of Vega's horribly botched attempt at taking over Thailand. For the moment it seems his empire of Shadaloo is in ruins. Surely that would bring freedom, and triumph over enslavement?
But perhaps it is being specific to her. If it is, she can't immediately think of what it might be. "Interesting..."
Rose doesn't speak up for a moment, before she turns over the last card: The Empress.
"This is the future of your query: A kind, capable woman who instills confidence in others. A beneficial influence; a peacemaker, a diplomat, a strong role model. A calm and mature personality; determination and dignity and teaching by example."
Rose pauses to have another sip of the tea, a long one intended to slurp up some tapioca as well. Then she concludes, "A matriarch; a mother figure."
She looks up to Ingrid, now, and asks, "Do you have questions about the reading, Ingrid? Sometimes the answers are... oblique, although I find they are always helpful."
Ingrid raises an eyebrow as this final card is shown to her, and honestly wondering what that could have to do with the question she'd posed. A role model can perhaps make sense. A mother figure and matriarch makes less sense. The real kicker, however, is the peacemaker and diplomat, which is so far off the mark to her that it'd almost be laughable. The first card seemed to be directly on the spot. The further cards, however, have her wondering if perhaps simple luck and chance were the real culprits.
"I must admit that I'm not entirely sure how all this pertains to the situation I asked of. On one hand I can somewhat see some possible meanings; but then on the other I could just be trying to find meaning where none is present."
Rose is quiet for a moment, before saying, "What is the first thing that comes to your mind? In these matters, the first guess - it is not infallible, of course, but in general, you will find it to be truer than what comes after a long and torturous bout of rumination."
She sips her bubble tea again. Mmm, sugary milky stuff with tea in it somewhere. "As for how it pertains... perhaps this is tracing the line where several matters intersect?"
"What comes to mind is that the first card you produced seems to be pointing directly to something in my past that has very much shaped who I am, and is indeed a part of the matter I was inquiring about. The second seems to have something to do with something that has happened recently, though not so much to me. The final card seems to be the odd one of the bunch, I'm afraid. I suppose a mentor could be of use, but I'm not quite sure how it fits." With all this speaking Ingrid gets a thirsty, and once again lifts her coffee cup to drink from it.
"Really," Rose says with a slight widening of the eyes at the first comment. She nods and continues listening, which is, of course, rather easy to do. "Yes, I can think of several things it could indicate," she remarks after the second, and then her eyes crinkle faintly in a smile. "I suppose that one is difficult... because it predicts the future. The first and the second were clear, but you also had the perspective of memory to bring to bear, yes?"
"In a way, but not exactly. I would say that the first one was clear, the second one was hazy, and the final is, for the moment, completely obstructed. I could venture guesses, but that is all they would be." Ingrid takes another drink of coffee, if only to give her some time to think before speaking again. "To be honest with you I'm not quite sure what to think of this. I understand how hindsight will always allow things to become more clear, however..."
"Usually, if we take the right perspective," Rose says, with a faint smile. "It's a shame, sometimes, to think that we must live our lives facing the wrong direction... but if we knew the future, well."
She sighs, and takes another sip of her drink, before looking back to Ingrid. "Please feel free to ask if you have any particular concern," she says, leaning slightly forwards. "I do not, of course, mean to say you must, but I will not betray your confidence."
Ingrid nods a little, "I imagine that's so. It may sound a little cliché, but I don't believe myself to be misdirected in my aims. I tend to have very good reasons for the things I do." She then gives Rose a smile, "It's not so much that I have concerns; simply that this 'guidance'... well, it seems to be more a reiteration of facts I've been forced to deal with. A little more reflection never hurts, of course, but I'm not sure I've learned anything dramatic." She then adds quickly, "Which I find a bit peculiar, as for a moment I felt I would."
"Ah, then," Rose says as she gathers her cards back together, "I am sorry if it pains you. Sometimes, however, having everything set before you can open new doors; you see connections that were not obvious, before, or that you did not have the perspective to percieve."
She finishes off the tea, now, except for some stray pearls of tapioca that she doesn't move to collect yet. She glances towards Ingrid before asking, softly, "Were you hoping that he was dead?" Maybe this is just cold reading - fortune teller's trickery - but...
Ingrid smiles a little, "Oh, it's quite alright. There may be some hidden meaning I can't understand just yet, but I'm sure I'll realize it in the end." Then Rose begins talking as if she knows /exactly/ what Ingrid's worries were. This is a bit more shocking to the young Norwegian than the information given. She's outwardly calm, though a little disturbed at the uncanny way the woman picks all this up underneath. "No, actually. I was fairly certain he was still alive. That man is not one to die so easily." She speaks plainly, as she was spoken to, not revealing that anything is amiss. Not to the normal senses, at least.
"You see, he has taken something from me and I intend to take it back." A short pause before she continues, "And when I do, that's when he will die."
Rose quirks an eyebrow slightly. She doesn't speak up; she purses her lips, however, as if she is considering just what to say. Perhaps, she reasons... perhaps he WAS imbalanced, and sought to take something to counterweight himself, in a metaphysical sense...
"I think that I understand," she says softly. "However... it will, I think, be some time before he shows himself once more. It may take years; decades, perhaps."
Ingrid thinks on that for a moment, and then actually smiles. "Yes, I suppose that's true. I can't afford the luxury to assume that will be the case, but there is nothing short term about my plans for dealing with him. I know that I am young, but this is not a quick little quest that I can be home from in time for supper I have in mind. It will be an undertaking that may well span the length of my life. Anything that could bring about a faster solution would be appreciated, but by no means required."
She smiles again and allows herself to relax a little more. "I'm clearly not strong enough to defeat him as I am. It will take much training, and much sacrifice, but I'm willing to take the necessary steps. I do, however, intend to enjoy myself as much as I can, even while following this path."
"I know the feeling," Rose says with a slight chuckle, tilting her head forwards as she wraps the card up in the red cloth once again. She does it in a strange way, leading with the one that's facing south first after a moment of gazing at it.
Then she looks up - and tilts her head. "Would you like my card? Just in case you ever want to ask another question."
Ingrid doesn't really need to think, "I'd be delighted, thank you." She then contemplates for a moment. "I'll have to give this some more thought to see if I can't get a better grasp of what I might be missing about the answers I was given. It was very nice to meet you, Rose. Perhaps sometime we could get together and talk about things less... forboding."
Rose twists her hand - and there's a faint twinkle of light. After this, she extends the card out towards Ingrid and smiles once again, warmly. "Call me some time, we will see if we can arrange a dinner," she says. "And, I hope the conversation WILL be lighter!"
A moment later, she adds, "The coffee is on me."
That was certainly an interesting effect. Ingrid reaches out and takes the card, giving it a quick look over before placing it in a pocket on her jacket, where it should remain safe. "It will be, if I have anything to say about it." She smiles as Rose says she's paying for her drink. "Thank you, I appreciate it."
Log created on 17:36:57 08/12/2007 by Rose, and last modified on 01:27:57 11/16/2007.