how did this asylum become where i sleep
Alys wasn't used to talking that much, and she took a sip from her mug as Tal mulled over her speech. Now that she was finished, she felt a bit of nervousness. She might not call Tal a friend, exactly, but he'd been kind to her, and she (rather unhappily) found that his opinion of her mattered.
After a few moments of silence, in which Alys fidgeted with her cards, turning the three laid on the table to and fro, Tal asked to see her do a reading for herself. The young woman looked at him with surprise. She hadn't been expecting that, and it was certainly a different request than she'd been expecting. She'd never had an audience when doing a reading for herself before. "I, um, guess that would be alright," she said, nervous now for an entirely different reason. Her cards had a tendency to be... blunt with her. Sharing their messages might reveal more about her than she had intended to a near-stranger. Still, he seemed genuinely interested, and she cared too much about the subject to decline.
Alys picked up the cards she'd laid out for him and shuffled them back into the deck. As she divided the cards and riffled them together, she said, "I have three decks. They all have different artistic styles, and their own personalities." She continued to shuffle as she thought. "Now, for myself, I'm curious about the outcome if I stay here in Halo for a while, so I'm going to concentrate on that while I shuffle. I think I'll start with three cards, and if I need more clarification, I can go from there."
She shuffled for another minute, focusing - or trying to - on her query. She was a little distracted, as it felt unnatural to read for herself as someone else observed. Eventually, though, she felt as though she had shuffled long enough, and she cut the deck, then laid out the top three cards. The first card depicted a figure holding a staff; the figure seemed to be fending off six other staves. "The Seven of Wands," murmured Alys. "Represents challenges." She pointed to the next card, which depicted a figure petting a lion. "Strength. Represents, well, strength, and courage." Then the final card, which depicted a figure sitting upon a throne, a set of balanced scales in their hand. This card lay upside down. "Justice, reversed. Deceit."
Alys studied the cards, her brow furrowed. "If I stay in Halo, I'll face challenges. That much is clear. It seems that those challenges will have to do with some kind of action I need to take - perhaps I'll be thinking too much rather than actually doing something. I wonder if that's referring to my magic?" she mused. Then she glanced at Tal, flushing red as she realized she was rambling aloud. "Strength - that has to do with determination and power, stamina and endurance. It seems that I'll be working hard on something while I'm here, if I choose to stay. I'll overcome the challenges presented by the Seven of Wands.
"But Justice, reversed - I'm being dishonest with myself in some way." Alys took a breath, and a sip from her mug. "I think this reading is talking about my magic. I will face challenges with it, but will be able to overcome those challenges as long as I'm honest with myself."
After a few moments of silence, in which Alys fidgeted with her cards, turning the three laid on the table to and fro, Tal asked to see her do a reading for herself. The young woman looked at him with surprise. She hadn't been expecting that, and it was certainly a different request than she'd been expecting. She'd never had an audience when doing a reading for herself before. "I, um, guess that would be alright," she said, nervous now for an entirely different reason. Her cards had a tendency to be... blunt with her. Sharing their messages might reveal more about her than she had intended to a near-stranger. Still, he seemed genuinely interested, and she cared too much about the subject to decline.
Alys picked up the cards she'd laid out for him and shuffled them back into the deck. As she divided the cards and riffled them together, she said, "I have three decks. They all have different artistic styles, and their own personalities." She continued to shuffle as she thought. "Now, for myself, I'm curious about the outcome if I stay here in Halo for a while, so I'm going to concentrate on that while I shuffle. I think I'll start with three cards, and if I need more clarification, I can go from there."
She shuffled for another minute, focusing - or trying to - on her query. She was a little distracted, as it felt unnatural to read for herself as someone else observed. Eventually, though, she felt as though she had shuffled long enough, and she cut the deck, then laid out the top three cards. The first card depicted a figure holding a staff; the figure seemed to be fending off six other staves. "The Seven of Wands," murmured Alys. "Represents challenges." She pointed to the next card, which depicted a figure petting a lion. "Strength. Represents, well, strength, and courage." Then the final card, which depicted a figure sitting upon a throne, a set of balanced scales in their hand. This card lay upside down. "Justice, reversed. Deceit."
Alys studied the cards, her brow furrowed. "If I stay in Halo, I'll face challenges. That much is clear. It seems that those challenges will have to do with some kind of action I need to take - perhaps I'll be thinking too much rather than actually doing something. I wonder if that's referring to my magic?" she mused. Then she glanced at Tal, flushing red as she realized she was rambling aloud. "Strength - that has to do with determination and power, stamina and endurance. It seems that I'll be working hard on something while I'm here, if I choose to stay. I'll overcome the challenges presented by the Seven of Wands.
"But Justice, reversed - I'm being dishonest with myself in some way." Alys took a breath, and a sip from her mug. "I think this reading is talking about my magic. I will face challenges with it, but will be able to overcome those challenges as long as I'm honest with myself."
Alys
