[SE] crystal balls to the wall

Nova

Clever as the devil

Humming as if the news saddened her, she said, "I cannot tell you what to do, only what I see. The rest is up to you." It was too risky after all. Vesper may be able to read her mind, but that didn't mean she knew what the heck this woman should do with her life. Best to leave it vague. 

Keeping her own magic along the surface of the crystal ball, Nova noticed her brother's shadows shifting the tarot cards onto the floor. Her mind quickly raced to understand their meaning: the Six of Wands, the Fool, and the Empress. 'A successful new beginning?' It seemed a simple enough answer to the woman's question: leave behind everything and start anew. I guess that's one way to go. She sent the thought towards her brother with an internal chuckle as she schooled her face into one of pleased awe at the 'revelation.' 

"However, your future is powerfully bright. The cards practically scream it." Nova waved her hand to the cards along the floor before lifting them onto the table for the customer to see. She nodded her head in otherworldly understanding as she 'read' the cards, her delicate fingers running over the images. "Yes yes. If you have the strength to leap forward into this new adventure, you will certainly achieve greatness. This path is bursting with an abundance of fruitful endeavors." She gave a confident smile, rich with 'faith' in the future she'd foretold. The following silence felt thick with magic and opportunity.

Despite her young age, Nova let the role lead, reaching forward to take the woman's hand. "Child, do not let the past hinder the possibilities of your brilliant future." It was meant to be a comfort as well as a means to tie everything together. A singular message too obvious to ignore: avoid these other things or else face the consequences of your past.

and twice as pretty

i'm a lost cause, do it the way I want

Goddamn but his sister was twice as clever as she was pretty, and other than Caly, he didn't think it got much better than Nova when it came to looks. Smirking to himself as his sister interpreted his cards and effortlessly weaved them into something believable, Vesper took the sprig of peppermint from his mouth and tossed it onto the sand before making his way toward the front of the tent.

While some might say that Nova's reading was the same as anyone would give—troubles in the past but a bright future ahead if only Sohalia was brave enough to reach for it—genuinely that's what Vesper saw for her. There was no good way to communicate that the former queen needed to break her old habits and learn to trust in her own gut, so instead the demigod merely used his shadows to spill a bit of glitter that they'd placed on the ceiling in order for the sparkle of it to emphasize Nova's reading as it rained softly down upon the table.

Clearing his throat loudly, Vesper poked his head inside, flashing both Sohalia and Nova an apologetic grin. "Sorry to interrupt Madame Marin, but there's a whole line of folks out here itchin' to get in." Aka better to quit while she was ahead, then again Nova had been known to go rogue before, so it was entirely possible she still had more up her sleeve.

SOHALIA

and there we are again when nobody had to know

Soh listened with rapt attention to the rest of Madam Marin's words, turning them over and over in her mind. If she had a bright future, and was being urged toward new endeavors, then... well, it seemed like her future was really up for interpretation. Like it was up to her to decide where she would go next. And yeah, maybe it was somewhat vague, and maybe it was a fairly predictable outcome from such a fortune telling, but it was also exactly what Soh needed to hear - enough so that she was willing to simply take what she'd been told and believe.

Vesper reappeared before Soh could ask any further questions, and she blinked as she realized that more time must have passed than she'd thought. "Thank you, Madam Marin," she said, turning her attention to the young woman before her. "This was very insightful. What do I owe you?" And, having paid handsomely for her fortune, Soh offered both seer and bodyguard a friendly smile before going on her merry way.

fin

you kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath