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 Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 7:59 pm
THUD was the shameless sound of Aria's head as it hit the open book on the library desk in front of her. She let her head rest there before raising it up and letting it drop again several times, banging her head against its open pages. This is ridiculous, she told her sleeping weapon. This is so, so ridiculous. I wouldn't even be here if I could find this stupid book either.
Aria sighed and sat up, rubbing her head as she stared at the open book in front of her. It was a replica of another book, preserved in such a way that the knowledge could be passed on without fear of ruining the original copy. Unfortunately, however, it was decided to preserve the text exactly as it was. Someone went through the trouble of diligently photocopying every handwritten line in such a way that made the already near-spidery writing somehow turn into a sort of chicken scratch in its other language. The longer she stared at it, the more unfamiliar the words became.
For the seventh time that night, Aria wished very hard she could find her copy. It would make finding the answers a whole lot easier.
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:50 pm
Ofelia somehow or another had found a deck of playing cards. She'd probably had them with her the entire time, tucked into the pocket of her short shorts (don't ask how it stayed there), and a she moved around exploring the complex she was to call her home she was shuffling them from hand to hand. Playing cards, both the items themselves and the act of using the items, was something she'd always enjoyed from a young age. She could play with only one eye, which made it a good thing, and it was one of the few activities that biddy of an aunt of hers would join her in. Ofelia's brother always stomped her into the ground when they played and she frowned bitterly at that thought. Jerk probably always cheated, there was no way in hell he'd keep kicking her a** for twelve years running.
Or...however long it was, since she still didn't know how long she'd been sleeping inside that weird pod thing. Hoepfully it hadn't been too long because she didn't want to have passed her twenty-first birthday in a coma or something. Not that she had plans to go out and drink, it was just nice to be able to say you were twenty-one and have been aware of it at the time.
Look out for the door.
Ofelia didn't look out for the door as she turned the corner and ended up walking into it, the cards scattering everywhere as she made a nice and heavy contact with the frame. "Ffffffffffffu."
Well done, hick.
"Shut yer face, Rue. Shut yer bleedin' face." Ofelia was aware she'd knocked the door into the room open but she had no idea what the room was or who was even in it. All she could hear as a THUD and that made her a bit....nervous. Maybe it'd be best if she just stayed where she was and hoped her similarly loud noise hadn't attracted attention.
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 11:22 pm
It would be so easy to close the book. So easy to close it and get up, then shove it onto a shelf and forget about it. It was tempting, even. She could spend the rest of the evening looking for her own copy, complete with sticky-note bookmarks and her own scrawling writing taking up the margins. But she couldn't give in that easily, not just yet. She needed to find this, this tiny bit of information that she... honestly wasn't sure about herself. It didn't help that the book was written in a foreign language, either. Delegation was right out of the question.
Aria sighed and began to pinch the bridge of her nose, throwing an irate glance towards the door. Was someone there? Or did those playing cards appear there magi-
Wait. Playing cards?
Curious and a bit suspicious, Aria rose from her seat and approached the door, picking up one of the trainee's fallen playing cards and staring at it before her eyes rose to the trainee in question. "Dropped something?" She inquired, offering the card in question to Ofelia.
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 6:57 pm
Ofelia was rubbing the bridge of her nose with the side of her hand as she tried to stack the cards, the process very slow considering she was using only one hand and was listening out to see if that THUD sound was going to continue. It hadn't and so she was settling down only to nearly flip her s**t the moment she heard a voice. An awkward squawk escaped her lips and she covered her mouth, spilling whatever cards she'd managed to gather.
One step forward, two steps backwards. Hick, shape up. You're shaming me. Rue's tone was doing nothing to help Ofelia's already shaking mood and nerves. New places and new sounds and new people were all well and good, but trying to adjust to a voice in her head after having walking into a door. Painful, really. Pay attention, she's speaking to you.
Ah'm not deaf. Ofelia cleared her throat and chuckled shakily, looking at this new woman who'd approached her. Was this the cause of the THUD? Please let her be. "Ahhh...yeah, Ah did. Dropped mah cards all over walkin' inta the door, an' dropped 'em again jus' now. Guess Ah'm butterfingerin' tanight." Ofelia rubbed the back of her head before gingerly reaching out for the card the older woman held. "Thank ya muchly fer pickin' it up."
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Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 10:30 pm
After the card was accepted from her, Aria stared at Ofelia, her eyes narrowing. "You know," she began in a conversational voice, "There are... some hunters around here who might confiscate those." She gave a short nod towards the ground, indicating the playing cards. "I advise that you keep them in your pocket and only pull them out when you are not on active duty. As in you are in your dorms trainee."
Aria's voice grew a little colder as she continued her reprimand, "You aren't in highschool, nor are you in college. If you are caught slacking off, there are some who would be more than happy to assist you with finding something to do that doesn't involve playing cards." She paused, adding, "And they would take your cards as payment."
She straightened, shrugging. "You can take my advice as it is or leave it, but I would be more careful if I were you."
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 7:55 am
Meep Somehow Ofelia had clearly stepped on it, figuratively speaking, in the presence of this person. Where they indicating that they wanted her to give up her cards even though they'd been handed back to her entirely? Wait, did that even make sense? "Um...are ya sayin' ya want me ta give ya mah cards 'cause Ah shouldn' have 'em? Am Ah supposed ta try an' bribe ya now ta look the other way?"
...how did you even come to the assumption? She was giving you a warning, not demanding them from you. Rue sighed, disgusted. Her partner just had to be stupid, didn't she? Why couldn't she have gotten someone who had a legit reason for it, like a massive head injury? Never mind, just do whatever.
Ofelia rubbed at the back of her neck sheepishly, though she managed to keep a smile on her face. There was no need for her to not smile, and smiles usually eased up a situation? Also, so did apologizing once she was done eating the leather of her shoes. "Um...Ah'm sorry fer havin' them wit'out knowin' the rules. Ah haven't really gotten a rundown of what Ah can an' can't really do here since Ah haven' seen a club charter or anythin'?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 10:56 pm
Aria stared. Was this trainee for serious? Aria took a deep breath, shaking her head. "No. I have no time or have any want for such thing. Any other hunter..." She trailed off, shrugging. "I can't speak for them. They may or may not want them. If you want to keep them, be more careful."
She had stood up to leave when the trainee spoke again. Aria looked down at her, considering. It was rather difficult to tell whether the trainee was serious or if she was being sarcastic. Given that she dropped the cards, though...
Aria didn't know what to think. "Keep your wits about you," she advised simply. "The only one you can really trust is your own weapon. If you're lucky to make friends..." She shrugged. "Who can say? Different hunters do different things. What division are you, trainee?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 5:58 pm
"Ah'm a Sunnie! Er...sun division, that is. Ah'm Ofelia Tanner, but yer welcome ta call me Ofie or whatever ya wanna say. Ah can go wit' trainee if that's what yer wantin' ta call me." Ofelia was pretty game to respond to whatever was shouted at her since she'd done it pretty much all her life. Nicknames were sort of vital in her family, she couldn't recall a time her brother had used her full name (and her aunt just called her a slew of curse words all the time), so having someone use anything other then Ofelia was just fine. "An yer name is, miss?"
Well, if they were going to be introducing themselves then it was a give and take thing right? Also, she really didn't think she'd be making friends with Rue any time soon, not if the voice in her head kept snapping at her and calling her things like retard and idiot.
Do not forget hick. That one is my favorite. Ofelia batted at the side of her head, sending the cards scattering again. Rue cackled as her hunter frowned at all of them and moved to pick them up again, just wondering if this was a pointless endevour.
"Ah shouldn'a read mah fortune wit' these." Ofelia lifted up the queen of hearts and looked it over, still frowning. "They hate me cause yer not supposed ta read yer fortune yerself but Ah was curious since Ah came here 'bout things. Ya believe in stuff like fortune tellin'?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 9:08 pm
Discovering that the trainee was a member of the Sun division did not surprise her. In her experience, it was standard for a member of Sun to have some sort of entertainment on them. Many preferred cards, some preferred dice. It was something to do while off-duty and between weapon upkeep. Aria herself had nothing against it, however in her eyes there was a time and place for such things. And a trainee with them openly wasn't one of them, even if she was off-duty.
Aria's own weapon chided, Her weapon spoke truthfully; Aria took a deep breath, trying to loosen the tension in her shoulders.
As the trainee inquired for her name, Aria hesitated. Then she grinned. "My name is Aria. I'm with the Mist division," she replied, pleased that the trainee didn't ask for her rank. It wasn't often that she could forgo the rank and title and be herself, or rather at least close to. She stopped being herself a long time ago.
"Weapon problems?" Aria inquired as Ofelia slapped the side of her head, her gaze flickering disapprovingly down at the cards that spilled across the floor yet again.
She was sidetracked from the lecture she was about to give with Ofelia's words. Aria glanced at the playing cards, puzzled. "You can tell fortunes with playing cards? I thought you could only tell them with tarot cards..." She trailed off, considering. She looked up at Ofelia's question, uncertain as to how to answer. Honestly? Lie? "I have found that in this line of work," Aria began, "Some superstition never hurt. But sometimes too much does too much harm. You could say that I am a case-by-case believer."
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 9:32 pm
"Ahh, ya mean yer the type ta jus' have faith when ya need it an' shelve it when ya dun need it anymore? Ah can understand that." Ofelia gathered the cards as quickly as she could, glad that at least half of them stayed in her hands this time. "Anyway, s'nice ta meetcha Aria. Ah can jus' call ya Aria, right?" After getting them all into place Ofelia got to her feet and grinned, pulling a card from the top. She rather chose to ignore the comment about Rue, seeing as she didn't want any input from the voice in her head (even though Rue never shut up anyway), and plowed forward.
Aria's question about her playing cards and ability to tell fortunes actually perked the red head up a bit, not that she was depressed to start with, and the grin on her face spread. "It's kinda different from the whole tarot thing, Ah can do those readin' types too, but this one kinda tells yer current fortune rather than yer future or yer luck. It lets ya know where yer standin' if yer curious 'bout those - oh, hey! Wouldya like me ta do a readin' fer ya? Kinda mah way of sayin' sorry fer havin' 'em when Ah shouldn'."
It sounds like you're trying to bribe her.
"Ah'm not tryin' ta bribe anyone, ya shut yer face ya damn bog harpy." Ofelia still didn't know how to talk in her head to her weapon, or else she wasn't trying hard enough.
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 9:41 pm
"No," Aria replied with a shake of her head. "As far as faith is concerned, my faith rests within my weapon and my own skill. I have no reason or purpose for any higher power. Superstition, now..." Aria caught herself, shaking her head again. "Nevermind that, I fear I would bore you with my thoughts on the subject. Otherwise, aye. Aria is just fine. I do not like to stand on ceremony or rank."
her weapon chimed in.
She was silent, eying Ofelia warily as she snapped at her weapon. Should she be concerned? Wait -- Ofelia wasn't a Mist. Not her problem. "I would be interested in such a thing," she replied instead. "What do you need to do?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 3:32 pm
"Well, if we could use a table or sommin' Ah'd have an easier time. Gotta spread the cards out fer ya ta pick some of 'em, an' then gotta let 'em rest upward so Ah can read 'em." That probably wasn't what this Aria person meant and so Ofelia rubbed the back of her head, trying to think of a way to properly explain what she needed to do without sounding too.....explaining-y. She never liked long-winded things anyway and her accent always made it hard for people to understand her (or so many of them said). "What Ah need fer ya ta do is jus' pick three cards when we sit down. Any three cards, an' then ya show 'em ta me an' Ah tell yer fortune from 'em. Easy 'nough, yeah?"
Ofelia motioned for Aroa to follow her and she moved to a nearby table, plopping right down in a char and motioning for the woman to follow suite directly across from her. She was already shuffling the cards, the motion rather fluid and not at all unlike a dealer in a casino (Ofelia read about it in a book, practiced enough to get it right), and she grinned at her companion as the cards were set down, face down, and spread out in a single row. "Okidokie, jus' pick any three an' lay 'em face down in front of ya. Ah'll do all the rest, ya jus' sit back an' let Ofie tell ya yer fortune. Not future, jus' fortune."
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Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 12:34 am
"Well, we've got lots of tables here." Aria pointed out, gesturing to the tables. She was about to offer to clear off the one she was using before the trainee picked one. With a shrug, Aria sat down across from her and watched her intently. When she was a trainee, Aria had always thought there was a bit of truth to the myths. After all, mythical creatures were real. Why not magic? It was only partially true, she came to discover. Silver bullets wouldn't stop a werewolf, and vampires could cross running water. But then again, sometimes things did work out the way the myths said they would. Aria watched Ofelia, considering the cards in front of her. She picked her three and brought them in front of her, not looking at them. - Queen of Hearts - Six of Spades - Six of Hearts "Fortune as in what's currently going on, I take it?" Aria asked, grinning wryly. "I don't see how knowing more about my current situation is benefi- no, wait." She held up a hand and shook her head. "Nevermind. I can see how another view could help. Please, proceed."
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Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 9:11 pm
Eeeeh, this was getting more and more exciting! When Aria sat across from her and drew from the pile, her cards spread out before her, the teen couldn't help but grin ear to ear with all sorts of delight. Her eye glanced over the cards in front as she took in the suits and numbers, and reaching out with her hand she placed a few fingertips delicately atop the six of hearts. "Ah'll start wit' this one an' Ah'll...do mah best ta try an' curb mah accent. Ah know it's hard ta understand me when Ah'm goin' on an' on." Clearing her throat, Ofelia kept her hand on the card and closed her eyes. If Aria thought she was being cheesy, well, that was showmanship for her (and it was easier to remember the rules). Also closing her eyes really didn't work because her left eyelid reopened itself and the blue eye looked straight at Aria, sort of like Ofelia was just peering at her. Slowly, softly, she began to speak.
"Th'six of hearts represents memories. Good an' bad, those you treasure in your own heart an' those you keep in your mind behind a lock and key. Pulling this card means at the moment you are searching for something, remembering something important. Whatever it is you can't really let it go jus' yet an' you keep looking at the same things again an' again, desperate to find whatever it was you left behind."
She paused and turned the card with her fingers, placing most of the hearts from facing herself to facing Aria.
"Switching the card like so, the six of hearts means you've come across someone from your past. An old friend perhaps, or a bitter enemy that you know heart an' soul. Perhaps something with a mirror, or a reflection? Whomever it was or whatever it was your choices were chanced an' you had to face some different musics."
That was it for that card and Ofelia opened her other eye, looking at the woman across from her for a reaction. Rue was silent in her head, listening. Apparently she was impressed, Ofelia hadn't seemed like the type to be able to do something like reading a card.
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 5:47 pm
Aria simply nodded as Ofelia began, giving the blue sightless eye that was now staring at her a dismissive glance before turning her attention to the first card.
When Ofelia looked at her, Aria's eyes were narrowed, staring at the six of hearts. "I see," she said softly, before nodding towards the next one. If Aria had any thoughts, she was keeping them to herself and her own weapon.
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