how did this asylum become where i sleep
Alys was, perhaps, not the greatest at explaining the purpose of the cards. Even if she were, she truly believed that the cards gave the guidance, rather than the person interpreting them. All she really knew how to do was share their wisdom, and that was what she tried to do with Tal. She watched as he scowled, and her fingers itched to snatch her poor cards away from his gaze. They had done nothing but attempt to be helpful - and if he wasn't going to appreciate them, she would just go back to reading them on her own.
Still, she could tell that he was trying to understand, and she hid her hands beneath the table to better resist the urge to take the cards back. At his question, she wasn't sure whether to smile or to frown at him. She'd asked the same question, when she'd first started with the cards, before learning that they didn't like to be questioned. It was a bit like pestering one's parents - eventually, the cards would tire of answering, and they would either become so nonsensical as to be useless, or they would begin giving more negative answers just to prove a point. So rather than offering either a smile or a frown, she simply shrugged.
"Sometimes the deck will tell you the same thing, a different way. Sometimes it's new advice you need to hear. It depends on the deck, really. This one -" And she reached up to tap the top of the deck gently. "Is one of my more patient decks. Sometimes I try again if the message is unclear, or if I need clarification on something. I can pull another card, if you'd like?"
Still, she could tell that he was trying to understand, and she hid her hands beneath the table to better resist the urge to take the cards back. At his question, she wasn't sure whether to smile or to frown at him. She'd asked the same question, when she'd first started with the cards, before learning that they didn't like to be questioned. It was a bit like pestering one's parents - eventually, the cards would tire of answering, and they would either become so nonsensical as to be useless, or they would begin giving more negative answers just to prove a point. So rather than offering either a smile or a frown, she simply shrugged.
"Sometimes the deck will tell you the same thing, a different way. Sometimes it's new advice you need to hear. It depends on the deck, really. This one -" And she reached up to tap the top of the deck gently. "Is one of my more patient decks. Sometimes I try again if the message is unclear, or if I need clarification on something. I can pull another card, if you'd like?"
Alys
