You better get superstitious

What had Amaranth used again?

Valeska rummaged through the bushes with focused intent, trying to remember the trinkets and odds and ends her mate had once used to conduct the... 'tarot reading' that had changed the course of their lives. The Five had spoken so clearly to them, to her, and the High Priestess would be hard pressed not to admit she felt a pang of envy. What had she done, exactly? There were sticks involved, some rocks - some feathers?

She had arranged them in a pile, done something, maybe she had said some words...

Sighing in frustration, she took a short break, sitting back on her haunches as she struggled to remember what all had transpired that evening back in Behemoth's Brim.

Maybe she hadn't used rocks at all.

What was the point, anyway? Valeska felt she'd been doing fine in her spirituality even before then, but oh, to have that magical experience again - it ached.

@Nikita

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 "Hello there."

It was probably not the first time nor the last she'd spot before being spotted. Genghis had been a bit startled by her dreamy introductions, though he had been too polite to really chide her about it. The pale woman rummaging in the foliage drew attention, that was all.

 Maybe she could help?

"Are you looking for something?" Nikki added courteously, rounding the form of @Valeska and looking curious. Despite this, she kept a wide berth - just in case! - the woman was not keen to share "I can help, if you like?" She offered this for free, truly a good price.

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Spooked, Valeska turned, seeing someone appear out of her peripheral. The woman was quite strange, a little bit eldritch-looking, sporting a pair of silver eyes that almost seemed to look through her rather than at her - she didn't know what to make of it, but seeing how the intruder was not actively hostile, she straightened.

“I, ah,” she faltered, looking down at the sad collection of sticks and pebbles at her paws, “I was attempting to recreate what my mate called a 'reading' - it was a way of arranging things to see into the future, one might say.”

She felt silly for some reason, talking about twigs and trinkets and other nonsense as if they could hold any meaning beyond their bare forms, but she remembered - she remembered. The way the air changed, the wind picked up; how feathers swirled around them and she had heard voices, whispers on the soft breeze, how the air had sparkled between them. Valeska knew she had not imagined it, but it was one of those things that was difficult to articulate to strangers, much less friends who already knew her spiritual inclinations.

“It... sounds ridiculous.”

The little wolf looked down at her collection of items pitifully, feeling the fool.

“I just know - it worked. Once.”

{For staff: Occultist}

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She tilted her head, waiting for a reply patiently. When the woman gave one, Nikki's tail burst into a frantic waving. "Oh, you want to... gleam?" The word could be unfamiliar to @Valeska so the woman elaborated "past, future, present? You want to take a slice of fate and see it?"

The woman did seem sheepish. Nikki grinned wider. "Of course, it works" she proclaimed "I... um, I do a bit of fortune telling" Now it was her turn to be sheepish. Her head ducked, eyes on the ground as her dark lashes flickered shyly "I haven't done one since I came to Canis, though."

A simple, gentle caution.

"But I can try to help." Oh, let her help!

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Her ears shot up immediately, eyes sparkling. So she didn't sound insane, at least not to this mystic woman wreathed in darkness. She did take a moment to note her high-curled tail, and would under normal circumstances lead Valeska to believe she was trying to assert herself, however - it seemed comfortable that way. Natural, somehow. She wondered if it had been curled since birth, which was very unusual for a wolf.

The High Priestess hummed excitedly at the word 'gleam'. Not only was she not crazy, but there were even proper words and terms for such a thing; oh, she could not wait to tell Amaranth! Perhaps they could conduct more such readings in the future together as a relaxing, spiritual bonding activity.

“Fortune telling?” she said curiously. “And it cannot show just the future, but the past and current events as well? Oh, I have so much to learn, but it is a joy!”

Valeska drew closer eagerly, glancing down at her assorted pile of trinkets with a skeptical expression. “What do you use, for 'gleaming'? My mate used a strange collection of items, but I do not remember what they were.”

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Nikki's face split into a happy grin, tongue rolling from her mouth. The woman was very interested in such things, even proclaiming she didn't know a few others. Well, goodness. She was happy to explain.

"It does not matter what you use" she said confidently, looking down at the objects "some say you use objects that are special to you, infused with your energy" But "you can use anything and infuse it - temporary or not."

She gestured to the trinkets. "If you're doing a reading on yourself, you could rub your nose or paws to the items and it'll fill with your energy." If the woman wanted to, she would let her before continuing. What next, what next...

"But typically, past and present are stronger and vivid readings because the fates have already weaved the actions already" Did that make sense? "it's a bit harder for the future since it isn't set into stone yet."

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She couldn't recall if Amaranth had 'put her essence' into the last reading, but Valeska did as she was bade by the stranger, and vigorously rubbed her nose into the assorted objects at her paws. To an outsider it would look absurd, but the pair were very sincere in their convictions and the silver wolf took this lesson very seriously indeed. It would be wonderful to take fresh knowledge of the spiritual kind back to her mate to contemplate together, especially since her golden companion had been stuck in something of a mental loop the past few weeks. Something was bothering her, but Amaranth usually preferred to sort it out on her own.

“Alright,” she stated at last, sitting up straight. “They have been 'infused'.”

As the nameless woman explained, she laid out the varying difficulties behind past, present and future readings, plainly stating that looking into the far-ahead took a great deal more effort. Well, she would not be deterred - Valeska was often known to try and tackle the most insurmountable obstacles with a grin on her face and a song in her heart, and no amount of failures could sway her.

“I wish to look into the future,” she stated firmly, “Specifically - I wish to know if I shall bear children again.”

She looked expectantly at the dark she-wolf, waiting for the next steps.

Would the wind pick up, would feathers float; would the air crackle with electricity as it had before?

{For staff: Occultist}

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Ah. Good.

The woman placed herself into the focus, for she was the one the reading was for. Nikki nodded, bending forward to read the trinkets as they were laid out. She noticed a bone in the shape of the crescent moon. She placed a paw on it. "The Lady in White" or High Priestess "one draped in the moon's blessing."

Nikki gestured to @Valeska. "You are a woman of power but you do not let it sway you" Her corners twitched in her lip "it was foretold you'd seek an impartial guide to read this for you" Perhaps not Nikita herself, but another. She moved on to the next sign. A rat skull "ah, the Blackened Man" The Devil - not always a bad sign...

"you desire children with your partner - but it is cautioning not to rush into such a thing" Alas, she had to keep reading to know the real answer. A stick with a bit of foliage growing out of it conceded it was The Hanged Wolf "there is a brief moment of hesitation - of limbo - between your desire and other things. A little side-step onto a greater path." But the crossed sticks, a union...

"you will have pups again" Nikki smiled up at the woman "your union with your spouse is strong and reflects a happy home. Full of little paws, past or future. However, it may be too soon to think of such a thing again. Maybe something else will come up that causes you to pause - a distraction. Not always a bad thing, but it gives you time to think and plan."

So the world was cautioning against bringing children in any time soon, but the woman didn't have to have that thought. It could be seen as a warning; of things to come.

@Valeska

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It was incredible.

Somehow, against all logic, this stranger was able to make sense out of these scattered items, pointing to each one and assigning a meaning that not only made sense, but even seemed ordained. As she methodically went through each trinket, articulating various statements that resonated deeply within Valeska's soul, it did almost seem like - for a moment - that the air between them grew thick and heavy, the charge of some electric spark between them giving life to these visions that only the dark she-wolf could see.

She was utterly entranced.

The end result almost didn't matter; it was the fact that this power did exist, could be used, and that visions could perhaps be witnessed by anyone if they just had the right tools and faith. Valeska realized the woman had finished for some time, staring expectantly, and she quickly cleared her throat.

“That was - thank you,” she stated finally, looking down at the spiritual symbols. To the ordinary eye, they were just that - ordinary - but to those with the power of sight, of gleaming, they were given a kind of splendor.

“It was a miracle that I was able to bear pups at all, and I just wanted to - to know,” she said, faltering, still eclipsed by wonderment. “Tell me, how did you learn of these things? Is it taught, or is it innate?”

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"Ah, so they are your miracles."

Nikki smiled kindly at her, speaking of the pups' birth. Her pale grey eyes twinkled a bit as if the gleam done by the trinkets had entered her mind. Her soul. Become part of her, this knowledge now her own. Absorbing energy was not unheard of, but whether Nikita had a conscious thought of it... Well, that remained to be seen.

"Some could say you are born with a gift" she tilted her head, frowning "and those not will never piece the veil" Alas, she always believed "I think every person is born with their own talents, and it allows them to focus on one thing if allowed to gleam. Like... those that are good hunters can use bones as a focus."

Something personal to them, associated with their very soul? "There's no wrong way to tell a fortune" Nikki giggled "it's like any other talent; you hone it through experience and patience. Not everything is black and white. What works for one person does not work for another." And so on, and so on.

But how did she learn? Hmm.

"I think I picked it up on the road" she replied, furrowing her brow "but I think I always had a connection to the spiritual."

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A little thrill went through her, hearing Nikita describe her pups as 'her miracles'. They were. It shouldn't have been possible, but through their faith in the gods and shared love, the Five had listened and granted them their wish.

Valeska listened with wide eyes, eager to accept any information this mystic spirit might have to impart. Whether she was sent by the Five or some other force, she would not question; a strong spiritual connection, no matter its origin or path, was not to be doubted. The gods had many names in many cultures, she had surmised, and titles did not matter - only intent.

“How wise you are,” she said with utmost sincerity. “I do not know what I am good at specifically to use as a focus, but if it worked this time, then perhaps it does not matter too much.”

The High Priestess beamed excitably, glancing back down at the magical items between them. They seemed so plain, now, almost dull at first glance; but even the ordinary could be extraordinary in this world.

“I suppose anything can be powerful if you make it so.”

Returning her gaze to the stranger's, she chuckled lightly at the casual way which her new acquaintance brushed off her mystic art. 'Picked it up on the road' - no, she truly had a talent for such things.

“So this is what you do? You are a wandering spirit, guiding lost souls through your magic?” she teased good-naturedly. “Truly, though - iis a worthy profession. Thank you.”

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"Isn't that true for nearly anything?" She giggled softly, remarking on the 'anything could be powerful enough' comment. A brow arched at the woman, amused by her words. Her assessment of Nikita was enough to cause her to chuckle again. She shook gently with laughter, shaking her head. If only it was that simple, alas.

"Only those who want to hear my words" she corrected "some can be bullheaded and refuse any sort of wisdom offered" A gentle shrug was given "even if they wanted to hear, it didn't mean they listened." Some could be downright, ah, cruel about things. Mythic readings aside, Nikki knew it took a special sort to listen and take her words to heart.

"No, thank you... It has been too long since I did a reading. I truly enjoyed it."

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She smiled gratefully. “Well, I am happy to have crossed paths,” she said with emphasis. Why would anyone turn away such pearls of wisdom, especially from such a clearly knowledgeable woman? The very thought filled her with disdain. One of the most important lessons she had ever learned was to always approach with an open mind, even if you may not necessarily agree.

“So will you be off from here?” she inquired, glancing toward the mountains that lay to the west. “Should you ever need a place to rest, you are welcome in Fate's Respite. One need not join to stay as a guest, but I at least wanted to extend the same kindness you have shown me.” Valeska tilted her head slightly, indicating the direction from which she had come. It would be nice to see the stranger again one day, particularly in a future where she had brushed up on her own gleaming skills.

“Perhaps next we meet, I can gleam for you!” she teased, but not without a touch of sincerity. Sighing lightly, she rose to her paws, looking back toward home. It was time to be heading back, at any rate; her children would soon grow restless, and she needed to hunt something down for dinner on her way back. With so many mouths to feed, it seemed an endless task. “I must return home, but it was lovely to meet you. I did not catch your name - I am Valeska.”

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Oh. Wasn't that silly? "I'm Nikita" She has been so wrapped up in the reading that she forgot to give Valeska her name! "I'll keep your kindness in mind, Valeska" she added with equal sincerity, repeating the name given to her "I'd love for you to read my fortune too." She rarely got hers done - ah, something to look forward to!

The pale woman would rise and go back the way she had come. Nikki watched her go, feeling that less weighed the wolf down now. Good. She only wanted to help, and not harm. Once Valeska's form vanished from sight, she would rise too and begin to head back. Where she didn't know. Maybe it was time to figure out how and where to settle for good. It seemed none of them were returning.

And that wasn't such a bad thought.

@Valeska /end

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