Welcome to Gaia! ::

She carefully weighed the decorative chain in her hands, the beading reflecting the candlelight almost like delicately placed gems.

"General is fine, though I suspect you would like to know more about the present and future on this one than his past. Would you like me alter the reading a little bit that way?"

"Present and future it is then. Just continue to focus."

Isley waited a moment longer as she let Clearon purify his thoughts before setting the chain on the table and wrapping the cloth over top of it. Both hands she then moved to place on top of the covering as she closed her eyes, her head tipping forward as she let go of her own thoughts and let Clearon's thoughts and feelings blend in the air around her with the remnants of the aura from the chain beneath her fingers.

With her eyes still closed, she picked up the deck on the table and began to shuffle the cards as she concentrated, placing one card down first and then two cards in a column beside it to form a triangle.

Opening her eyes she looks over the cards.

"He's chosen not to compromise and has decided to fight about something. There are more forces at work than he knows though and he will be put on the defensive just to protect himself. If he gives way, the enemies will take ground and will show no mercy."

Isley stares at the last card, closes her eyes a moment to focus on the card before looking back at Clearon.

"He wants very badly to help someone but doesn't have the resources to do it it seems. I suspect this might be the ranger, but it's not specific..."

She pulls another card to see if it will clarify something.

"He'll return home, but when you find him he may have given up the goal he had, surrendered to the reality around him."




*(2Cups-R,7Wands,6Pent-R(8Cups-R))

Isley eyes the two newcomers with a flat face.

"Remember to shut the door."

She picked up the wrapped chain and handed it back to Clearon.

"Do you really want to hear my honest opinion as to what I think happens?" she looked at him, with soft eyes. In the meantime, she shuffles three more cards and places them onto the table.

"It is of my impression that knowing or not knowing something has little effect. In this case, you probably have the same suspicions that I do."

She places three more cards down on the table to make a row of 6.

"I believe the ranger has gotten herself into something and will be killed for it. If your friend is following her, he will find out of this and it will tear at him."

Isley looked down at the cards lined up for her inspection.

"And yet something still puzzles me. Not a card so far has popped up to explain what happens to her at this confrontation. The closest hint we get is how your friend reacts. While the cards hint that she is defeated and receives no aid and tries to make some sort of compromise"

She points at the first, second, and third card.

"...and this is the card that would hint that she died. Literally, this one means says she left everything behind. But this card here," she says pointing to the next one with an upside down toward on it, "this one means that there is no change. Normally, I would take it to mean she died in vain, but it can also mean that whatever happened -in this case her death- didn't change her. Maybe she died not compromising herself?"

The reader looked perplexed as she moved her finger to the final card.

"This one is an ill omen. Rightside up it means that even in dark times there is a path for us of light, a safe road from the unknown darkness. Upsidedown that light is gone and those of dark nature come out to play, in this case something sudden because this card just jumps out of no where without warning. But what it has to do with the ranger is anyone's guess. Chain effect maybe."


*(7Wands-R,6Pent-R,2Swords,8Cups,Tower-R,Moon-R)

Isley stood up and pushed the bag back toward Clearon.

"I do not usually take gold as payment. I take information."

Her voice had lost its soft touch and she had gone back to the woman they had first met who was doing business as usual.

"My payment from you is this: Since it does not wish to be revealed in the cards, you will let me know when you find out of the ranger's death and, if possible, what killed her. If you find her and she didn't die, send word of that as well."

"Yes. Usually simple reads for first timers are done at no charge. I'm charging you for the read for your missing friend is all," Isley said with nod as she came around the table to stop beside the door and the vampire who had not left yet.

"I wish you, Clearon, fair travels and for that of your companions as well - no matter what the cards may say."

Isley watched as the last vampire left the house before closing the door to customers for the night.

"So you did make it to town, Krisha!" Isley said, pleasantly surprised as she pulled the door back open and stepped aside. "Shut you out? Never. Not unless you started carting off my merchandise that is without payment." A humorous wink followed as she trapsed off to her table and added more oil to the lantern that was there.

"Yes, the weather has been a bit fickle lately. Hopefully it will hold off until the festival has ended. A day or two would not hurt any."

"A reading? Blessed Krish, I could probably pull out the cards for another round tonight. What question is it that you had in mind?" Pulling up her dress she went around to grab two glasses and a pitcher. "Might I offer you a drink? Do take a seat."