multiversallogs | I want my money back.

Who: OPEN
What: cheap Tarot card readings
Where: Aspic, on the edge of the bazaar
When: all day!
Notes: Balthazar's permissions, especially important if your character has any supernatural aspects
Warnings: Balthazar is a creep! But he is also pretending to be someone else so he may be less creepy. Who knows.

Divination is an industry in Baedal: seers and those with farsight are fairly commonplace, and if you're looking for reliable, there are better places to go than Aspic's bazaar.

But if you're looking for cheap, or just for entertainment, then this teeny booth is promising. Many of the props Balthazar is using are real; for example, the tent, table, the chair, the deck of Tarot cards, and the sign with the prices ("past/present/future - ₭2") are all real and exactly as they seem. But the person lounging behind the table is covered with illusions. On the outermost surface, which is a thin glamour, it's a young lady with long red hair and dark eyes. She's wearing a heavy, shapeless black dress made of wool with tights, an overcoat, and a bright yellow scarf.

Beneath that layer is a middle-aged woman with fading red hair and tired eyes, in the same clothing. It's a much stronger illusion, more realistic than the pretty top layer, and has its own scent of bitter tea and harsh soap.

Beneath that layer is Balthazar as he often appears, a businessman in a three piece pinstriped suit, perhaps in his mid to late thirties. And beneath that, of course, is his true self, the rotten face of a demon. Anybody able to see that far in may pick up hints of sulfur. He's sure there are people who can see him as he is; some of them hurry past, some of them don't care. Some of them can only see the aging woman. It doesn't much matter to him. He huddles in the scant protection the tent covers, though of course he's never cold, watching those that pass him by, and tapping his fingers next to the worn deck as he waits.

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That comment makes her laugh, helping her make the decision and she steps into the tent, "At least you're honest."

She digs two shekels out of her pocket, puts them on the table within reach of the woman, before sitting down. "How do I play?"

Like it's a game, rather than something that might actually work. It's not that she doesn't believe in magic, she just... doesn't believe in a random tarot reader's ability to tell the future.

"I am always honest, except when I am not." She declares airily, and places the deck on the table before Stephanie, spreading them out into a fan. The cards seem a little old and worn, the design on the back muted black and copper.

"In this game, you pick any three cards without looking at them, and then I tell you how they apply to your past, present, and future. Of course, the cards know nothing of any of that; they are just cards, with meanings and archetypes ascribed to them, meanings and archetypes that apply to all of us at one point or another. Its use is then not in divination, but as a mirror. A perspective. A way of looking at where you came from, who you are now, and where you're going."

The woman gestures, mock-grandly. "Pick. It's more interesting than a self-help book."

"Aren't we all." There's a hint of wry amusement in her voice, Steph likes to think she's an honest person but being in Baedal has meant a lot of lying.

She listens to the explanation and nods, that makes a lot more sense than the cards actually being magic, and she's already wondering how well it'll apply to her.

"I've never been one for self help books anyway." She picks three cards from random spots, laying them our in the order she chose them, leaving them face down.

With a thin smile, the woman turns over the first card. A man and a woman, both naked, hold hands under a clear sky.

"The Lovers. This first card, this shows your past. Your life was not defined by this relationship, but it had significant impact nonetheless. This was a union of opposites, to some degree. It was not perfect, of course, but it made both of you happy, for a while. It could make you brave. It supported your convictions, it was a strong partnership." She pauses. "See what I mean about applicable to just about everyone? But it's true, isn't it?"

Oddly (or maybe not) the person she thinks of is Cass, rather than Tim, even though her and Cass we're just friends. It's because Tim only believed in her when it suited him, although the opposites part fits her and Tim better than it does her and Cass.

"I can think of a few relationships that work with that card," If it'd gotten chosen for the present spot, she would've thought of Babs first, or Kara.

"Naturally." She reaches over and turns the second card, revealing a gracious and mature woman on a throne, a crown on her head. "Here in your present we see the Empress. She represents a kind and capable woman. A mentor and a role model, someone with great strength and intelligence. She leads by example, encourages the potential of those around her, offers guidance and support. For you, a mentor."

The woman gestures idly. "You see how good the trick gets? Because not everyone has a person like that in their life. If you were male, I would most likely emphasize her maternal qualities. Which she does have, this woman is older than you, certainly, but she is not a mother to you, am I correct?"

It's a guess, based on the fact Stephanie is young, seems independent, and has some scratches and bruises on her face. Besides, for the most part, only people who are born to Baedal have their mothers here with them.

"Yeah..." She sounds kind of lost in thought, before shaking her head and giving a small laugh, "It works well, there's definitely someone that can apply to, but I'm sure most people have some sort of mother figure in their lives."

She's even more curious to see what future card she chose now, and even though she knows it's silly, she's hoping it isn't something bad.

The woman only smiles, and though it lacks any overt malice, her lack of response to Stephanie's comment is still a little foreboding. And when she turns over the last card, which is upside down, it shows a full moon against a night sky.

"Here is the Moon, reversed, in your future. It indicates poor judgment — lies, possibly even betrayal. Paranoia. Which admittedly could be a self-fulfilling prophecy for someone who took this seriously. But then, when is it not wise to be cautious, to think carefully before making decisions? Certainly, some situations benefit from quick, decisive action, and you can second guess or over-analyze yourself into poor positions. But if you are by nature impulsive or brash, then this is good advice no matter what the future holds. Especially in a city like Baedal."

She doesn't reply straight away, and it makes her want to kick herself for taking a bunch of cards and a slightly strange woman so seriously. Anyone can be betrayed, and it doesn't matter how rash she might be, so are a lot of people.

"You should probably give that warning to everyone here," The woman was right, it's especially applicable in Baedal, "But I'll try not to do anything stupid."

Yes, because she got the injuries on her face from being super cautious. Steph being careful is so unlikely.

"I try. But you looked like you needed it." She sweeps the cards back into the deck and leans back, taking a flask out of her coat and sipping from it. "Tarot always has good advice. Whether it applies or not, that's for me to guess. Anyone can learn the meanings of the cards, but you also need to know how to read people. And now I know a little about you. But that's okay. You'll never see me again."

"Did the bruises give me away?"

At the latter part of what the woman says, Steph quirks an eyebrow, "Wow, that didn't sound creepy and ominious at all."

"Maybe a little," she deadpans, and winks as she screws the cap back onto the flask. "Don't be so melodramatic. You see dozens of people every day that you'll probably never see again. I just happen to know—" Finger wiggling. "— that I'll be one of them."

"We live in a city surrounded by fog, it seems more unlikely that I wouldn't see someone again," She wrinkles her nose a little, double negatives are always a little confusing.

I want my money back.

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