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 Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2005 12:42 pm
 A sign outside reads: Welcome.The interior was smoky with some incense that smelled a bit too sweet. A riot of rich silks and velvets was everywhere; it was almost easy to overlook the tiny woman who sat at the end of the table.
Her face was heavily veiled, and her hair covered by some sort of turban. A crescent moon and a star were woven into the purple fabric.
The only thing visible was her eyes. They were completely black in the faint glow that came from a low dish in front of her. Light and mist poured out of it, from no discernible source. Could it be only cheap parlour tricks?
"Do come in." The voice was hypnotically melodic. "I will allow only one person to enter my chambers at a time. More than that and the spirits grow shy." There was a smile in her voice, but it was impossible to see. "Ask but one question, and they will grant an answer. But please," she added, throwing up a hand, "ask only if you truly desire the truth. Sometimes even I do not like the answers I receive."*** :: One at a time :: :: One question per visitor :: :: Only enter if it's after dark ::
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Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2005 7:49 pm
Gingerly, Owle pushed aside the flap of the tent. Rather than open it all the way, she squeezed through the small portal her arm had created. She had stood fidgeting outside, warring with herself on whether or not she should enter, when the gypsy's voice had reached her.
The atmosphere inside set her immediately on edge; it seemed far too much like these people were trying to enthrall the senses, to manipulate the masses who would enter. Instinctively, the woman retreated deep into her mind, letting the shell that was her body grow further and further away in her thoughts till it became worthless, a mere vessel for her soul. The incense, the atmosphere, the hypnotic melody in the woman's voice did not matter; they merely existed, and could not touch the soul of her, the only thing that was her. Like this, she was invincible...they could only harm her body, and that meant nothing to her in this state.
No visible change came over Owle, though the woman seemed more confident. Her voice was strong, but not over loud as she asked her question.
"How can I redeem myself, if it is possible for me to do so?"
She provided no explanation. If the spirits were as powerful as they say, they should be able to answer regardless.
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Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 7:45 am
The gypsy woman nodded in acknowledgment of the question, causing the earrings and medalions she wore to jingle faintly. Like Owle, she seemed to withdraw within herself, and began to mutter faintly under her breath, eyes closed.
Her eyes flew open, and the light from the orb reflected weirdly; they looked almost green now.
"Redemption is nothing more than a figment of conscience; it is an illusion of morality," she intoned. Her smile would have been cynical, had it been visible. "The spirits have spoken."
She waited expectantly until a bit of gold "crossed her palm;" then she gestured grandly toward the exit.
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Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 1:43 pm
"Doesn't answer the question," Owle said simply, but the woman was smiling. She hadn't expected any divine guidance, anyway; but it had been worth a try. She placed a single gold coin in the fortune teller's palm, and walked out of the tent.
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Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 8:17 pm
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 7:00 am
"Aside from coordination, do you mean?" the woman queried unkindly. "We shall see."
Raising her hands high over her head, the gypsy woman closed her eyes, and began muttering to herself, as she had done with Owle. While most of her words are unintelligible, "dark against the light of..." of something impossible to hear, rang out clearly.
The glow from the low bowl in front of her brightened briefly, then flickered back into its former soft radiance.
"The spirits are reluctant, and their essence clouded," the gypsy said, her voice echoing strangely despite the yards of fabric that should have muffled it. Her eyes were still the same jet black. "There is something in you that threatens them, drives them away. They have no answer for you. Leave. Now. I will not have you sever what tenuous threads there are that link me to their world."
She did not ask for payment, this time; she seemed truly anxious to see Elf go.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 9:22 am
Elf bit her lip in thought, quite confused. She really had no idea why the spirits disliked her so much. In the past, people have disliked her but never to that much of an extreme.
When the gypsy demanded her to leave, the young adult bowed her head. As she stood up to leave she placed a coin on the table then took it back with a frown, for surely if the spirits and the woman wanted nothing to do with her, they would want no reminder of the event or her presence. She placed the coin back in her pocket and without a word, or a look back, she left the tent, not wanting to cause any more trouble.
((Once outside, Elf found a gypsy who was walking by.
"Excuse me!" she stopped them.
When the person looked back at her, she tried to smile through her thoughts, mostly unsuccessfully. "Would you give this to the fortune teller at a different time, please?" she handed over two coins and walked away, hoping the payment will find its way to the woman.))
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Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 9:46 am
As Suboshi was walking home from the marketplace, a large tent caught her eye. Not recognizing it, she took a few steps toward the tent, shifting the bags in her hand slightly as she read the sign that hung above the closed flap.
Gypsies, eh? she thought. Intrigued, she took a few steps closer.
Pushing aside the tent flap, she tentatively took a step into the smokey interior. A voice cut through the haze of incense. Listening carfeully to the voice, Subo tiled her head slightly to to the side. Questions? She had many questions. Picking her way to the back of the tent where the voice came from, she slowly sat herself down in the chair opposite the (supposed) speaker. She peered through the thick curtain of smoke, and saw only a pair of glittering black eyes.
Only one though? Ah well...
"What nice new suprises does the future hold in store?" she asked, with the barest hint of sarcasm tinging the question. Setting down the bags she shifted slightly in the chair, waiting for an answer.
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Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2005 7:40 am
An eyebrow quirked above the black eyes. "A bit presumptuous, don't you think?" she said, choosing to ignore the hint of sarcasm in Subo's voice. "But, we shall see. Perhaps I am...mistaken."
This time, instead of muttering to herself, the gypsy dipped her finger into the bowl in front of her, swirling the water briefly and creating a small tower of smoke that rose and grew, until it covered nearly the whole table. The woman peered into it intently, as though she could see something in the haze.
"I see...a child!" Her eyes flew to Subo's face with an unsettling intensity. "A boy-child, with almost bottomless eyes. You will love him very much...But perhaps you already knew this? No, no, I do not think you did. The Spirits seldom reveal what is already known."
Her eyes followed Subo unblinkingly. She accepted her payment almost absently, her gaze never leaving the other woman's face.
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Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2005 9:14 am
"Hrmph." was all she managed to say before a thick layer of smoke covered the table. Staring intently at the gypsy as she stared into the smoke, she let her words wash over her.
"Ah..." she said before her mind came to a complete and sudden halt. "Wait..a child?!??" she exlaimed, sitting up quickly. Handing the gypsy a few peiced of gold, she picked up her bags and left the tent in a daze.
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Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2006 7:07 pm
Owle and Rand were walking through town (before they came to the store where they met Subo and Lind.) It was one of those rare days when nothing more major than how she was ever going to pay back her debt to Rage was weighing on her mind. Thanks to him, the Firebrand had been fixed up, and she was getting food she didn't have to hunt down and kill herself again. Rand even had a nice comfy room, with a nice comfy bed, where Owle also slept, curled up on the floor. Sure, Rage would probably have given her a room of her own, but Owle was both slow to remember that Rage actually owned the place, and quick to try and lessen the burden she was to others.
Rand seemed to be having a blast, and Verde was enjoying the opportunity to stretch his wings again.
"Look!" Rand exclaimed, tugging on Owle's arm and pulling her toward the brightly colored tent.
"Fortunes, huh...?" Owle said, reading the sign. "I don't know if we have money for fortunes..."
"Pleeeeease?" Rand begged. "I want to know lots of stuff! Lots and lots!"
Owle sighed. "Well...alright...but don't count on any of it coming true. Some fortune tellers can't see the future as well as they say they can."
No, she didn't remember what had happened the last time she'd passed this tent by. She had no idea that she'd even been here before. But some part of her knew that fortunes didn't always contain the answer you were seeking.
She fished a single coin out of her pocket, and handed it to Rand, who then went rushing into the tent, eager as could be. His blue eyes took in everything, the fabric, the glowing dish...he ran up to the table, peering into the glowing thing, trying to see what was making it all glowy.
He couldn't ask, cause he only got one question, and he wanted to make that one count.
"What am I gonna be when I grow up?" he asked. "Will I be big, and able to do what I want and see lots of stuff?"
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