[se] wildest dreams

You made yourself a bed
At the bottom of the blackest hole

Tal's fervor drew Alys's dark eyes to the courier's face, but he didn't elaborate, and she didn't press him. Perhaps she would consider armor, then, if only just in case.

Asking for a blessing on one of her decks was much more Alys's speed, even if it did rankle to think of the gods messing with her prized decks. What if they did something to mess them up? After all, each of her decks had its own personality, and she wouldn't want to change that just because she thought the gods could do something fancy with her cards. Maybe she could create a new deck, then, and get a blessing on that one, and use it specifically for the purpose of speaking with the gods... Pulling herself from her thoughts, the seer smiled. "I can certainly ask, can't I?" she said. "There's just one problem - Safrin isn't here. I wonder if the others would be willing to help?"

Speaking of the cards, Tal began to clear the table, and Alys pulled out a pair of decks from her bag. She had more to offer since the last time she'd read the cards for her friend, and this time he could have a choice of which deck he'd prefer. The first deck was bright and airy, with alluring artwork and a welcoming feel; the second was darker and moody, yet no less enticing in its own way. "Take a look at these, and let me know which you prefer," Alys instructed serenely.

And convinced yourself that
It's not the reason you don't see the sun anymore

Alys

Given Alys's feelings on the gods and how important her decks were to her, Tal could almost guess at the thoughts that were probably going through her head at his suggestion. He was fighting not to grin to himself as he cleared the table, wondering what she'd do.

As he gave the table a final swipe he stopped fighting and let the grin shine through at her words. "I mean, we can always try. Who would y'want to pray to for it?" He didn't even notice that somewhere along the line 'you' had become 'we' but Boreal gave a quiet chortle from where she was gently playing with Sascha.

Folding the rag carefully and setting it by the sink for later, Tal returned to his chair and leaned forward to examine the decks. They were different than the ones she'd shown him before, and he took a minute to admire the artwork on each. "Say, did y'draw these, too?" he asked, genuinely impressed. "They're great!"

Not that there had been any question about which deck he would choose, of course. Even if he was asking about something as seemingly light and bright as romance, his hand was drawn like a lodestone to the moody deck, and he tapped it twice with his finger, unhesitating. "This one."

You made yourself a bed
At the bottom of the blackest hole

Alys tapped the back of one of the decks she'd set on the table absently, almost caressing them as she considered. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "Safrin does seem like the most suited to this, but with her gone..." She hated to admit it, but she almost felt like Ludo would be the second best option, despite her wariness of it after Tal's story. She chewed on her bottom lip. But then, Ludo was a trickster, wasn't it? And she wasn't really looking for that. "Frey, maybe?"

Sascha had settled with Boreal by the fire; tired out from all of the exploring and playing, and full after her meal of sandwich meats, the little cub had grown drowsy. Alys watched her affectionately for a moment before her attention was drawn back to her decks. She smiled at her friend. "I purchased this one," she said, pointing to the lighter deck. "But I drew the other." And even before she'd finished talking, Tal had chosen just that deck, unhesitating in his conviction. Alys smiled, pocketing the lighter deck and beginning to shuffle the darker. "Love reading, right?" she asked, just to confirm, as she first riffled, then overhanded the cards.

And convinced yourself that
It's not the reason you don't see the sun anymore

Alys

Tal took a healthy sip of his wine, enjoying the slow pace of the night and the chance to take their time and just talk without any quests or tasks that needed doing. Well, nothing aside from relaxing and enjoying each other's company while their companions settled down for a nap on Boreal's large, fluffy bed near the hearth. He figured Alys would need some time to consider her godly options, but when she settled on Frey he flashed her a quick, bright grin. "Frey's pretty nice," he agreed. "An' they're prob'ly the one least likely t'care about someone havin' magic. I guess..." He wrinkled his nose thoughtfully as he worked through the germ of an idea sprouting in his brain. "Y'could try askin' Frey for somethin' like armor, an' wait t'see if... when... Safrin comes back for the deck?" Probably not what Alys wanted, but sometimes waiting for the right blessing was better than rushing for the fastest one.

The courier nodded in satisfaction to hear that he'd chosen the one that Alys had drawn herself, unsurprised but even more impressed by her artistic talent. "Y'know, I bet y'could sell art on th'side, too," he suggested, a little hesitantly and unsure how she'd take it. "I mean, I'd put your work up on my wall."

He swallowed past a sudden lump of nervousness and nodded again in confirmation of the type of reading, feeling his ears warming. It took a conscious effort to keep his hands on the table so he didn't rub his neck, but he folded his fingers around his wine glass to keep them from wandering. It didn't stop them from twitching, trying to tap a syncopated rhythm against the wood, but he managed to stop them from drumming too obviously as he waited for the draw.

You made yourself a bed
At the bottom of the blackest hole

Alys mimicked her friend as he took a sip of his wine before setting hers aside and out of the way of her cards. With the companions napping by the hearth, it was a comfortingly home-y atmosphere. She could get used to spending time with Tal this way - that is, if he didn't get tired of her first. "Perhaps," she agreed with a smile for the courier. "It would give me a chance to understand how these things work, before I ask for anyone to change my cards."

As for her decks, the seer's cheeks flushed with Tal's praise. "Thank you," she said. "They're just so personal - I'm not sure about selling something that's so dear to me." She shuffled the deck gently. "But I'll think about it. It might make more sense, if I have a shop set up, to put up a few pieces for sale..."

But now was a time to focus on Tal's reading, and so she cleared her mind of her future shop, instead sitting in companionable silence as she prepared the deck. When she felt called to stop shuffling, she did so, cutting the deck and pulling the first three cards from the top to lay them face down on the table. Going one at a time, she flipped them over, describing as she went. "The past," she began, then flipped the first card. "The Magician. The present: Death. The future: The Star. Interesting." She paused, running a hand through her dark curls. "They're all Major Arcana. There is a lot of energy in this reading for you, perhaps a lot of energy in this area of your life - or, perhaps, a lack thereof. The cards could be pointing to an area where you could stand to grow..."

She trailed off for a moment, thinking, then shook herself, coming back into the present. "The Magician in the past: this tells me that you've experienced a phase of immense personal power and creativity. This isn't a love card, per se; it could indicate that your efforts have been focused elsewhere, that love has not been at the center,

"Death in the present - don't worry, Death isn't a bad card," Alys hurried to reassure her friend. "It's actually a card of transformation. Death reminds us that change is inevitable and essential, and encourages us to let go of that which no longer serves us. This could mean letting go of a relationship that is no longer working for you, or perhaps embracing the new beginnings of a relationship yet to come.

"The Star in the future. Your dreams and aspirations are likely to manifest in the future, leading you towards a path of fulfillment. The Star represents healing and spiritual growth, suggesting that you will find harmony and balance in different aspects of your life, including love."

Alys paused, sinking back into her chair and smiling over at her friend. "It seems that although there may not be someone special right now, you will find fulfillment in this area of your life when the time is right." Her eyes were filled with good humor. "Do you have any questions?"

And convinced yourself that
It's not the reason you don't see the sun anymore

Alys

He'd hopefully given Alys plenty to think about in regards to her own choices and future, and even if she didn't take him up on his suggestions, at least she seemed to appreciate them. The courier's chest swelled momentarily with pride before the reminder that they were about to delve into his romantic life kicked in and he suddenly found himself trying not cough out any of the butterflies twisting around in his stomach.

Pale eyes watched Alys's fingers intently as she flipped the cards over with deft movements. The first card seemed promising, even if it was his past, and Tal chanced an eager glance at his friend's face as she contemplated its meaning. But when his eyes moved downwards again he froze at the sight of the second card. He opened his mouth but the seer continued speaking and Tal shut his jaw with a click so he could swallow past a dry throat. The final card was... that was good, right? Stars were good? As long as they didn't come crashing down during LongNight...

But he knew better than to interrupt while Alys was absorbing the reading and piecing the cards together. He bit his lip to hold in his questions until she was ready to explain, and he gave a slow nod as she launched into her interpretation of the Magician. She wasn't wrong, and she knew that he'd been expanding his business instead of focusing on his love life. Well, except for the disastrous karaoke night...

Pushing that from his mind, he waited with trepidation as she moved on to the Death card. It wasn't hard to guess that it had something to do with Melita, and despite Alys's reassurance of the card's benign nature, her next words seemed to prove it. Let it go, huh? Well, by now he'd already pretty much done that. The memory still stung, sure, but he'd accepted that he'd lost any chance he might have ever had with the Honeybee.

Caught up in his thoughts of the recent past, he almost missed the transition to the future. Healing and spiritual growth, huh? That... didn't really sound like him, Tal was self-aware enough to know. But the words made him twist the ring on his middle finger, spinning its gold-kissed band distractedly. It sounded... well. Too good to be true, and his lips quirked into a wistful, rueful smile. "I don't s'pose the cards say anythin' about how long that'll take?" he asked, a hint of teasing in his voice to cover the flicker of baseless hope that would only lead to disappointment if his past crushes were any indication.

You made yourself a bed
At the bottom of the blackest hole

Alys sat quietly while Tal pondered the reading he'd been given, sipping at her wine and watching her friend's face as he processed the cards. There was little she could do now that the cards had given their wisdom, save for ask for clarification, if it was needed. In her opinion, the reading had been fairly clear, as readings went - although she smiled ruefully at the expected question of how long it would take. "Some try to ask the cards for timing," she said. "But I've never had much luck doing so. The future isn't written in stone; every decision we make, and every decision those around us make, shift our future in ways that we can't even imagine."

Alys took another sip of her wine. Nearby, Sascha stretched and rolled over to her other side, the better to cuddle up with Boreal. "I often tell my clients that love is the hardest thing to predict, because it's not just you I'm trying to read - it's your partner, too." It was ironic, really, for Alys to be giving love advice, since she'd never been a romantic herself, and yet, she was often called to do so in her line of work. It normally didn't bother her - it was just a part of the job - but with Tal, it was different. She wanted to have answers to give him, but the tarot, no matter how it appeared, was not inherently magical. It was simply mystical, and people often got the two confused.

She tilted her head to one side thoughtfully. "Is there someone in particular you feel strongly about?" she asked gently, curious but not wanting to pry. This was a side of Tal that she wasn't used to seeing, and if there was anything she could do to help him, she would.

And convinced yourself that
It's not the reason you don't see the sun anymore

Alys

Oh well, he'd had to try asking the question, even if he'd half-expected the answer. Alys had always been honest with him about the limitations of the cards, and he figured he had a better grasp than he used to on what they could and couldn't do.

He met her rueful smile with a lopsided one of his own and gave a little shrug that seemed to say: what can you do? at the confirmation that the timing was, well, fuzzy at best.

As Tal took another swallow of wine, Boreal stretched lazily and draped a wing over Sascha, the translucent leather of it enough to dim the light over the little cub without dropping her into darkness. The courier glanced over at the tableaux with a smile that softened with a moment of open fondness before Alys's question drew his attention back to her with a startled blink.

"Me? I mean..." He bit his lip, nose scrunching up in conflicted thought. "'Strongly' covers a lot o' ground. There's lots o' people I feel strongly about, y'know? But doesn't mean I wanna kiss 'em. Or... I mean..." He shrugged a little helplessly, ill-equipped with words for this conversation, even as the warmth spread down the back of his neck and threatened to engulf his ears completely. "Fall in l-love with 'em. Not when doin' so ends up hurtin' so much." He gulped hurriedly at his glass, draining it in one convulsive swallow before he reached for the bottle to pour more, not meeting Alys's eyes. "What about you? Ever fallin' for anyone before?"

You made yourself a bed
At the bottom of the blackest hole

Sascha curled up tighter beneath Boreal's wing, cuddling closer to the dragon with a sleepy sigh. She always slept better when she could share space with another creature. Usually, that meant she curled up on or near Alys, the better to share warmth and affection; but with someone else available to satisfy her need for closeness, it meant that Alys could focus on conversation rather than spoiling her needy cub.

Alys did her best to hide a smile as Tal grew flustered, and took a sip of her wine to keep from chuckling as his face flushed red. But then she frowned, bothered. "Love can hurt," she admitted. "But does that mean we shouldn't try? Perhaps failed love is the universe's way of preparing us for the real thing." But that was perhaps more philosophical than she'd meant to be, and she was quickly distracted by Tal's question, which had her own cheeks flaming.

"No," she said, fiddling with her wine glass and failing to meet Tal's gaze. "I've never... felt that way about someone before. I used to think there was something wrong with me," she confided. "When people my age would talk about crushes, or gossip about lovers, it just never interested me. It just seemed... messy. I think love is wonderful to see in the world, I've just never really considered it for myself."

And convinced yourself that
It's not the reason you don't see the sun anymore

Alys

It had been a long time since Boreal was small enough to fit on Tal's narrow bed with him in his family's home, though she'd happily cuddled close when they'd used to run the Tundra trail, making dogsled deliveries before the War. These days she usually contented herself to sleeping beneath his hammocks or on the hearth at Ru's house or his new home. Having a little friend to sleep by her side made her happy as a cat with cream on her whiskers, and her contentment seeped through the bond to flavor Tal's emotions even without his quite realizing it.

Though his nose still wrinkled at Alys's lofty philosophizing and he took a sip of his wine, trying not to look too dubious and probably failing miserably. "If y'say so..." he said slowly, before changing the subject with unseemly haste.

And then it was Alys's turn to look flustered and Tal blinked, a little surprised at seeing this side of his friend and too curious to look away, which might have been the courteous thing. He caught his lower lip between his teeth at her admission, nodding slowly in tentative understanding. "No, I can get that," he assured her. "I don't mind..." He waved his hand, blush rising into his cheeks at last as the conversation took a turn he'd never imagined with this particular friend. "Um. Sleepin' with folks. That's just... physical, y'know? But the whole love thing... I dunno. I can't imagine it happenin' with anyone I don't know. Don't trust. Givin' someone your heart means they can tear it right out o' you, if they take a mind to. So trust like that... it's not an easy thing t'come by." He reached up subconsciously to rub his thumb over his sternum and then shook his shaggy hair, finding that lopsided smile for his friend again.

"Sides, who needs romance when I've got friends like you an' Ru?" He tilted his glass towards hers in a toast, warmed at the thought of all the friends he had made in recent years, and putting the ones he'd lost - or maybe never had at all - firmly out of his mind.

You made yourself a bed
At the bottom of the blackest hole

The conversation took a strange turn, leaving Alys's cheeks flushed as the seer looked everywhere but at Tal. She'd never imagined that she'd be discussing her nonexistent sex life with, well, anyone, but if she'd had to select one of her friends, she might have considered talking about it with Ru before Tal. No offense to the courier, of course. But, to her surprise, it was less awkward than she might have imagined, and she managed to peer across the table at her friend as he shared his thoughts on the subject. "Trust is key in any relationship," she pointed out. "Romantic or not, sexual or not." And she shrugged. "But you're right, I think; it's a different kind of trust. It has to be, right?"

But talk shifted again and Alys raised her glass to meet Tal's with a soft clink, a soft smile appearing for her friend. "Ru's a perfect example," she mused. "You know, of love finding someone when they least expect it." Of course, the Valkyrie had been working hard to open her heart ever since her tarot reading when she and Alys had first met. Maybe it hadn't been so unexpected after all. "Or, at least, coming to someone when they stopped looking for it. Love is weird," she complained. "I give love advice all the time, but it really has a mind of its own."

And convinced yourself that
It's not the reason you don't see the sun anymore

Alys

If Tal was honest, the only person he might have previously talked the dirty details of his sexual preferences and history with was Sah. And even that was a pretty small 'might.' He blamed the wine, the tarot, and his comfort with Alys for why it was coming out now, but for all that it had been unintentional he found it wasn't quite as weird or uncomfortable as he'd expected, to be so open with her. They were each sharing something, which made it easier.

Even if she had to go and correct him, so he wrinkled his nose and stuck out his tongue at her, which was the only mature way to handle the situation. "I mean, yeah. If it's just... just sex, all th'trust I really need is that they aren't gonna knife me when I'm naked, or slip poison in my drink. It's not nothin', but it's a lot lower bar, y'know? Romance is all... respect an' attraction an' hopin' they feel th'same an' bein' vulnerable an'... yeah." He paused to take a gulp of wine, fortifying himself for the honesty that had finally been shaken loose amidst all the rambling exploration of putting his feelings into words for the first time.

"I guess... I've had a couple o' people I was attracted to, who I wanted t'get t'know better. T'get t'know enough t'maybe think about fallin' in love with, if that makes sense? But... no one ever... felt th'same way back, so..." He shrugged awkwardly, leaning into the weird timeline and nodding along to Alys's example of Ru.

"Yeah, I thought she an' Jata were through," he admitted. "Still not sure it's such a good idea t'start up again, but... hail, she knows what she needs better'n anybody. An' if he can give it t'her..." The courier sighed. "Long as he doesn't fuck it up, then I'll trust her, even if it means trustin' him." The wry smile made a reappearance as he studied the seer over his glass. "Just like I trust your cards, 'cuz I trust you. Even when th'cards seem t'know more about love than either o'us."

You made yourself a bed
At the bottom of the blackest hole

Alys laughed at Tal's stuck-out tongue, settling comfortably in her chair as she sipped her wine. There was a pleasant buzz in the back of her mind that was beginning to make the conversation easier. Maybe that was why she said, "You've got one up on me. I've never had sex, so..." And she shrugged, taking another sip of wine. She'd also never particularly cared to. "But, yeah, romance does seem like it would be more challenging. More vulnerable." What had she told Ru before? Love is hard. Letting people in is hard... But you need to open yourself up. Feel your emotions. It's the only way to know that you're alive.

"It makes sense," she assured her friend softly. "I'm sorry if you've been lonely. I know it's not the same, but I'm always around if you... I dunno. If you want to not think about love for a while." Did that make sense? She wasn't really sure, but she figured that if anyone would understand, it would be Tal.

As for Ru, Alys shrugged noncommittally. She hadn't ever known Sunjata, nor had she known Hotaru during their relationship before. She hadn't seen the aftermath of their previous pairing. What she did know was that people changed, and sometimes, that could bring people back together in mysterious ways. Alys laughed. "The cards know way more than me, that's for sure." She raised her glass in a silent toast before going to take a sip - and realizing it was empty. She reached for the bottle to pour another. "But don't tell anybody, or no one will ever trust my love readings again."

And convinced yourself that
It's not the reason you don't see the sun anymore

Alys

He'd kind of figured that was the case from what Alys had already said, so Tal just nodded and raised his glass in a toast. Of what, he wasn't sure, but more wine was definitely the answer at this point. "An' vulnerability sucks," he added succinctly on to her line about romance before taking a decisive drink of the wine that definitely wasn't high enough proof for the direction the conversation had taken.

At least her empathy was accepted with more grace than usual thanks to how relaxed the courier was getting. He offered his friend a lopsided smile and reached across the table to squeeze her hand gratefully. "Thanks, Alys."

He leaned back, contemplating Ru's love life with that little wrinkle at the bridge of his nose that mingled uncertainty with resignation. After a moment he just gave a shake of his head, pushing the topic off for the next time he saw the Valkyrie, and instead lifted his own glass to echo Alys's toast on pure instinct. "Your secrets are safe with me," he promised her, as solemnly as he could when a conspiratorial grin was tugging at his lips. "Long as you don't share the details of my lack-o-love life with anyone!"