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 Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 2:53 pm
"Well... I can try, through I am not too good at it." Cosine always beat him. Predictably. The day one beat Numbers at a game that was basically numbers... through there was also a fair but of Luck involved.
That one he did not know reborn, through Chance... It brought back to mind a pale-haired host and the excitable god within. What had happened to those two, he caught himself wondering.
He set the tea down on the table and seated himself against the pool, not even bothering with a bench at all.
Akakios seemed to prefer actually sitting on things that were meant to be used to sit on, and took place on the other bench right there. He did not seem all that keen on trying out the tea, but probably would if someone did pour him a cup. He would no do it himself, however.
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 3:08 pm
Cosine shot Ankou a wry look and shook the cards out of the packet.
"Always so pessimistic." It wasn't like she could read the cards, well, she probably could but she didn't during a game. There was no fun in that.
"You know people used these to tell fortunes in some cultures."
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 6:44 pm
"They do ?" Really, Cosine should really know better than to get Akakios started. They would not officially never hear the end of... well, anything ! Through he did pause long enough to finally take his veil off, now that he had settled at one location and would not need to carry it along.
"How did they do it ?"
Yep, Kios had gotten started. Ankou seemed content with remaining silent for now, through he was completely unable to hide away his amusement. He knew about this, of course, as Cosine had told him much about what she did rule, but she would likely prefer to do the explanation herself.
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Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:15 am
Cosine looked to Ankou and grinned as Kios asked her to elaborate. It was nice, thre three of them enjoying some time together. There had been so little time for family recently.
Though, poor Ankou was going to have to put up with the pair of them chattering away.
"Numbers are not just mere symbols. As many believe." Cosine explained before holsing the cards out to Ankou. "Shuffle them please my love." She winked at Kios and smiled. "Numbers have stories, they represent different elements in the universe and they can tell us many things, you just have to listen to them. I will show you with Ankou."
This was a skill she had learned recently, the ability to translate numbers and relate them to people. It was useful and something she would encorporate into her temples, just as the one in Kurakami.
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Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 3:30 pm
Ankou accepted the cards once they were given to him, nodding. It was... nice, he had to admit. Strange to him, to simply sit, talk, listen, and do something so mundane, but... nice. In it's own way. Through he seemed more than willing to let Kios talk Cosine's ears off, he also did not mind listening. Through, as was often the case, with two more sociable persons around him, he more or less fell silent, only interjecting when he saw the need for it.
"There is also a way to channel spirits through playing cards... Not true sight or hearing, but having the spirits talk through the cards themselves. Suits associated to simple, one word answers. Or so I have heard, at any rate." It was something Hrist had told him about once. Something that her mother had done, to commute with her grandmother. He had no idea if there was any truth in it, or if it was simply an old's wife tale, but...
Given that Hrist herself had ended up a reborn valkyrie, that there were spiritual talents in her bloodline actually was not that unlikely. With that much said, through, he returned to shuffling, while trying to stave off his amusement. Oh, he was going to be a test subject now ?
It was not long before the cards were returned to her hands.
Oh, Akakios was listening, alright - wide eyed, making him look nearly exactly like he had been as a child, looking up to the two of them with endless wonder.
This was more or less Akakios' version of loading him with sugar before returning him to his unsuspecting mother, and one thing was certain - at the very least, Ankou wasn't sorry, if that knowing grin was any indication.
"That is amazing." Oh, yes, it was ! "Mortals have different interpretations of the same symbols... I wonder what make them associate the same symbols with different things ?" Maybe there was a common thread he was overlooking...
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Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 2:16 pm
((Edited 4/4/12))
Cosine nodded in agreement with Ankou's words.
"A cross over in our realms I think. Spirits speaking through numbers?" She raised an eyebrow and took the cards from his pale hands.
To make it easier to demonstrate she shifted to kneel on the cool tiles next to Ankou. One by one she placed three cards face down in a row.
"I have seen it done with cards that have pictures also, pictures and numbers. As for symbols, we are all connected." She smiled and looked up into her nephew's eyes. "Each of our realms overlap in some way or another. Numbers and Spirits know something of fate and chance. That's where you get divination."
Slowly she turned the cards over and smiled.
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Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 10:10 pm
There were indeed connections everywhere, even if one was not aware of it. Life, Death, Spirits, Rebirth... The endless wheel that went on, and on.
The connection with Numbers and divination was not one that he had been aware of - or perhaps not one that he had remembered was more accurate ?
Nonetheless, he was curious as to what the cards had to say about him. Cosine had never tried to draw the cards for him, after all.
Akakios' excitement was much more easily apparent - the boy was all but leaning all over the table now, pale purple hair cascading like waves at his side. Prospect of playing with these cards was forgotten with this turn of events, which was clearly more interesting... Even if the cards looked exactly the same to him as they were turned. He did not know the meaning of them, after all.
"What do they say ?" And maybe his aunt would do it for him, afterward ? This could be fun !
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Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 12:59 am
Cosine smiled warmly as she revealed the cards and then placed an extra one down under the middle one before returning the stack to the middle of the table.
"So, we have the past, the present and the future here. And in a pack of cards there are four 'suits.' Each have a different .. feeling about them so the numbers within them tell different tales."
Her finger pointed to the first card and she tilted her head almost as if listening to someone niether of men could hear.
"The
10
of spades. Ten can be a powerful number, though spades are a dark suit. Here it tells me in the past there was isolation, worry and imprisonment." She slid her finger to the middle cards, one on top of the other. "The Present. The
8
of hearts. Hearts are positive mostly, eight a loving number. It tells me that there will be a visit and an invitation." As her green eyes moved to the card below the eight she smirkd a little and glanced at Ankou. "Oh ho." She laughed. "The Queen of Diamonds. Queens represent the number
12
This Queen represents a vibrant woman who likes her fun, a trickster perhaps." one of the goddess' deep green eyebrows rose, though she was clearly amused. "Another woman?" She teased, pausing in her reading.
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Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 3:30 pm
Ankou actually remained more or less impassible to the first part of the reading - through he was a little uncertain about how Kios would react to it. A part of him certainly hoped he would not ask exactly what this meant. Both he and Cosine knew exactly what this refereed to, after all.
The present did catch his attention, and his curiosity - a visit and an invitation ? Too bad she could not tell him from who...
The future, through... Well, Ankou was downright surprised and a tiny bit embarrassed, through thankfully Cosine seemed more amused than anything else. Really, he could not see anybody become as important to him as she was. "A valkyrie, maybe ?" Through, a trickster...
The powers at work here were very clearly felt - the lingers of mana and influence. Ankou was perhaps so used to it that it had become second nature, but to Akakios it stood out. Did the air start feeling a bit like this when he was writing ? He had never noticed...
Thankfully, he seemed too captivated by the whole thing to inquire about what the reading of the past actually meant. Thankfully, most of Cosine's teasing about the reading of the future happily went right over his head, save that his uncle's reaction was pretty funny.
A trickster, through... Hmm. But really, he had other priorities. "What is this one for ?" He pointed toward the fourth card. The first was the past, the second the present, and the third was the future. What was left to divine ? The far future ?
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Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 3:46 pm
Cosine smirked at Ankou's words.
"Possibly. Though i don't think so." She said softly. Her eyes moved across to Kios. "This one." She pointed to the Queen. "It isn't the future. Well, not really. These two are both present. The present does not mean now directly really. Today, tomorrow, next week." She shrugged. "This one is the future. 5 of diamonds. A good card." her smile grew. "Are you sure you wish to know Kou?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 4:03 pm
"Should I start running now ?" He asked, amusement and teasing clear in his tone. That answer was ambiguous, however, and it was easy enough to figure out exactly why he had left it that way.
It wasn't Cosine he was poking at, no.
And that reason was, indeed, Akakios, who promptly shot his uncle a long look. He wanted to know, thank you ! "Say it !" He pouted, in a way that was adorable... if rather childish still.
He wasn't sure how anyone could have the self control to not want to know, honestly.
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Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 4:11 pm
Cosine laughed and looked between them both. Prolonging Kios's suspense just a little longer. His pout was rather adorable.
"Well it might be an anti-climax now. Success. in business and in family." She smirked a little and shook her head, amused at the irony. "Happy family."
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Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 5:08 pm
Yes, given what they had talked about recently... This was definitively ironic. He knew Cosine had not altered the reading, through - he trusted her way too much to ever think of that.
"That is good, I suppose." And awkward, actually. He was still rather uncertain about the idea of children, and while this made it look like he would warm up to it eventually... Well, he certainly wasn't there yet.
"Of course that is a good thing !" Ah, poor clueless Akakios. He certainly did not understand why his uncle seemed so awkward about it. But really, Ankou was just... quirky sometimes.
Through, the whole business aspect of the reading reminded him of why he had come here in the first place. "I was wondering... Can you find a soul, no matter where it is ?"
The question did seem to catch Ankou off guard. He had not ever tried to do something like that, perticularly... But he had been hearing the dead from further away since aquiring Gungnir... So maybe, if he tried...
"I might... Are you looking for someone ?"
"I am looking for Grace's aunt, for her. Her family does not know if she is dead or alive, and I figure it might give them something to start with..."
Ahhh... A favor then. For someone that seemed precious to him, at that. "Do you have her name ?" A true name would work better, but these were certainly rare to come by.
"Uhhh..." Uh oh. Hopefully Cosine knew, or this might have to wait.
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Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 7:30 am
Cosine shot Ankou a 'look' at his nervy reply. He was such an idiot sometimes. Who would have thought a man, no, god who could wander the world gathering spirits could be such a coward. There were many things she wanted to say, that happy family did not have to include the dreaded C word. That she had just been testing the water, that if he wasn't interested then it was okay. It had been a thought rather than a burning desire.
Of course she remained silent. These were personal, nothing to discuss in front of their nephew. Instead she reached out and placed a reassuring hand on Ankou's leg.
She was rather happy when Kios changed the subject. Looking for a soul, that was interesting. She gathered the cards back up, tapped the end of the deck on the table to line them up and slipped them back into their box.
"Oh, um I'm not sure. Jessica has mentioned her sister before but I do not know her name. Perhaps you could invite Grace up?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 7:12 pm
Oh, right, he knew that look. He had been on the receiving end of that look more than he'd ever cared to be in the last few days.
Through there was nothing that could be done about it now. Not without involving his nephew, and well...
Suffice to say he did not want to involve Akakios.
"Hm, I'd have to find her first." Lament pondered out loud - really, he was so focused on this one thing that the unspoken in between Ankou and Cosine flew right over his head. As both older gods wanted, really. "Can I come back later ?"
"Of course." Ankou answered without any hesitation and nodded. "Feel free to drop by whenever you'd like. If I am not around, Jinx or Hrist usually know what I am up to."
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