(no subject)

[ateratmods]

Who; Everyone!
What; Pulse log; REMEMBRANCE
Where; Throughout the City
When; August 8th - 15th
Warnings; Will update when and as necessary


In the days leading up to August 8th, the city is abuzz with activity. Businesses in the Merchant district have posted notices they will be closed the following week in observance of something called “Remembrance”. The Aspects are absent this week, though that doesn’t seem particularly out of the ordinary, and it’s easy to get caught up in what is quite a celebratory time in the city. Harvests and meats are being brought in from the outlying farms, the main square is being cordoned into stalls for food, drink, and performances. The guard is more present this week, keeping a close eye on the organization and watching for any miscreants.

As the time of the festival approaches, a quiet excitement seems to thrum through the others here, young and old alike, and on the evening of the 8th, a commencement parade makes its way through the market district.

The procession, filled with musicians, dancers, jugglers, and the like, make their way from the fountain square to the center of the market district, where a crude stage has been erected in the square at the center of the market district, in front of the guard headquarters. It’s nothing fancy, but it does serve the purpose of bringing to the attention of those gathered those who stand atop it.

A tall man in a Guardsman’s blue uniform climbs the stairs, steel plates glittering in the midday sun. He has a stern countenance, and there’s a stiffness through his shoulders that suggests he isn’t overly fond of public speeches. He takes a steadying breath before clearing his throat.

“People of Aterat, those of us who were risen from its ashes and those of us who have been gathered to kindle its flame,” he pauses here for a moment, giving his address an air of gravitas. “Welcome. I am Captain Orson Khannar, of the Aterat City Guard. I was a guardsman before the Fall and I can tell you we stand as a shadow of our former selves, but we do stand. Two years ago, today, the Aspects descended from the Fountain, all that remained of our once proud land, they saw the ruin wrought upon it, and they began to weave. There was little of us left, but what stands was reassembled because we Remembered.” A cheer rises from the collected locals, along with a few scattered cries of ‘bless the Aspects’ and ‘long may Halcyn reign’. Captain Khannar raises a hand to still the crowd and after a moment, their cheers and raised prayers quiet.

“But we did not remember enough. This year, the Creator has provided, and we welcome among us memories from other worlds. This Remembrance, do not forget their sacrifice.” His tone changes then, and his piercing gaze moves across all those who have come here from elsewhere. “Outlanders, I expect nothing of you, but I offer you a warning: we are not your captors but we are your neighbors. As such, we will hold you to the same standards to which we hold ourselves. I am the Captain of your guard, and it is my sworn oath to keep this city safe from miscreants. That said, those of you who are willing and able, I would welcome your aid. Surely by now you have seen our fair city has its share of problems. My office is just there across the square.”

And with that bit of business handled, he directs his attention back to the crowd. “A Happy Remembrance to us all!” The crowd cheers again, though less enthusiastically, as a few look around at those gathered from other worlds, uncertain if they share the Captain’s willingness to welcome the aid of ‘Outlanders’.

The rest of the week is a city-wide party. The taverns are overflowing with merrymakers, there is wine and food for all, music at all hours of the day and night. Performers come out in droves, there are artists, artisans, and the like. If you can think of a festival occurrence, it happens at some point, though all the shops are closed for normal hours. It seems it’s quite the holiday, and you are welcome to invent whatever you'd like for a scene.

The Captain remains true to his word, and the Guard HQ in the Market Square seems to be the only place operating normally. There are regular patrols throughout the events, but Captain Khannar can be found most days in his office, upstairs in the HeadQuarters, should anyone like to question him.

Comments

Tarot Readings! ~~ Open to All

[tapestryoftime]

Syeira had been performing on the streets for the last few weeks. It didn't make a lot of coin but it was enough to eat and that's all that she needed. She was used to surviving with very little and having a free room helped significantly.

By the time the Remembrance celebration began, she had everything she needed to increase the amount of money she made.

Her clothes stayed the same with the flat of her stomach exposed but she wore a cowl over her head and shoulders. It was the amount of fabric she could afford and it covered her vibrant blond hair and protected her from the sunlight. Mystery was important with these kinds of things.

The cards she had were all hand made and beautifully painted. Syeira began by flipping over a card and lowering her head. She listened to Nana's voice in her head. Hearing the comforting short clips of the old voice from her memory 'don't tell them too much, just enough, and stay away from the doom and gloom.'

Syeira lowered her voice but projected it like any other performance. "You." She pointed at a passersby. "Come-" She held out her hands. "Let me tell you what your future holds."

[ooc: please fill out her permissions if you want her to see anything intense or specific. Otherwise I will be reading card meanings through an RGN process and guessing!!! according to what is said. this is all for fun but I want to avoid the appearance of god-modding.]

[chaosvessel]

Vincent was here simply because the celebration was unavoidable. There were no traditional stores open, all were closed for this holiday, and thus there was nothing to do but satisfy his curiosity over it. He moved through the crowds less obvious than when he first arrived, having left his red cloak behind. In this world of strange commonality, his leather armor beneath fit in, even if he also left behind the bronze pauldrons and gauntlet.

Still, Vincent was easy to pick out of a crowd and when she called to him, her turned, transfixed by the depth in her eyes for a moment. He didn't want to know his future, didn't want to know that he would live forever, tormented by all the things he'd done, all the things that had been done to him, to watch his friends die and his world end, and yet he approached.

(OOC: You know Vince's story, and you're welcome to it)

[tapestryoftime]

Syeira pressed two fingers against the top of the deck and mumbled a soft nonsensical word. With a swift flick of her wrist she twisted the deck in a circle of perfectly fanned cards. It was a trick of sorts, one her brother had taught her the first time she'd begun to learn the veil of Tarot. It was all about controlling the audiences perception.

"I will select three cards for you." Her gaze never broke away from his, her movements practiced enough to perform without watching the movements of her hands. "The first will represent the past. The second is the present. And the final is the future. Without context, there is no meaning. What these mean will resound in you."

Syeira made a slow show of drawing all three cards, placing them face down in front of her. The cards were handmade and awkwardly shaped. Each one was cut and painted with care but the backs were the same dark thick black that appeared nearly endless in the shadow of the building to Syeira's left. The placement of her table had been as exact as the show of drawing the cards.

Left to right.

She flipped over the first card. "The Past. Inverted Eight of Wands." She continued but kept her gaze focused on Vincent. "The Present. Inverted Seven of Coins."

She paused briefly and then flipped over the final card. "Eight of Cups. The future." Syeira inhaled a sharp breath. "May I please see your hand?"

[chaosvessel]

Vincent had never seen any sort of fortunetelling like this, with cards of nebulous meaning. They could, and most likely did, mean anything vague enough to the 'reader' to somehow fit against something in the client's life. It was how similar cons were run, and he wasn't unfamiliar with things like that at the least.

He looked down at his gloved hand when she asked for it, frowning before removing the glove, the skin beneath was calloused and pale, too pale, and heavily scarred from more than just work.

[tapestryoftime]

Her fingers felt soft compared to the rough calloused skin that marred Vincent's palm. It surprised her. She was used to hard work and had a few callous's of her own but it was nothing like his hand.

"Thank you." She whispered as she closed her eyes. "You are torn. Your past... Thorns of dispute... Jealousy and discord. You were in love but she- she used that love." Syeira opened her eyes and gently released his hand. "You have been lead down an unfair path." She turned over the Eight of Wands.

"Your past continues to affect you. The card tells me of your anxiety and uneasiness." She turned over the Seven of Coins next. "And this card... it is supposed to be your future and it is but it's your choice. You have such dark and bright futures ahead of you. This-" Syeira pushed the Eight of Cups towards him. "This means you want to stop trying. To give up. I don't believe that. There is a warm future for you and-" Her mouth turned into a frown. "I can't see it but comparing to your past... I think it has to do with someone important in your life, someone who is here as well."

[chaosvessel]

If this was a con, she was good at it. Of course, anyone could look at the pall of his skin, the unnatural shade of his eyes, the scars, and know his past had been dark. You were in love, but she used that love. That was specific enough to give him pause, though. He hadn't said anything at all, let alone about...about Lucrecia. It was questionable if he ever truly loved her, if he'd ever really even known her, but in the end, the sin had been his. He had done nothing to stop their experiments, not to-

-he blinked, pulling himself back to the present. "Someone important who is here?"

[tapestryoftime]

At that, Syeira hesitated. Her visions had become more clear since she'd begun to spend time in Jagger's company but they were still disjointed. Not everything she saw made sense and most of the time, she didn't try to see anything. It just happened.

There were so many emotions swirling around Vincent that it was impossible not to feel bits and pieces of the scars across his skin.

"I don't know. I could look and see but the cards can't read people and I don't know you. I can only see actions and external influences. All I know, is that there is someone you care for here. Somehow." Syeira wondered if that was possible but she was glad at the same time. Everyone needed a pillar of support. "I only know that you should trust that person. That they could help you forgive yourself and... maybe not be happy. I don't think its that simple but you will be complete again."

She shook her head and felt a headache coming on. "I'm sorry. That doesn't make a lot of sense. I don't really understand it myself."

[chaosvessel]

He watched her for a few moments, the tightness around his eyes suggesting he didn't quite believe her, but her honied words were beginning to connect to a thought, a small spark of hope that he hadn't realized lived in his heart until that moment. Was this street fortuneteller's point to suggest things in a vague enough way to allow your mind to connect the dots? Perhaps, and even her apparent insight could have been just another suggestion.

"Maybe of us bear guilt."

[tapestryoftime]

Syeira wasn't supposed to be believed. That was what Mami and her brother told her. This was for entertainment and guidance for those who know the path they should take but need reinforcement. It wasn't supposed to be a true reading but she couldn't help herself.

She wanted to help him after speaking to Arkady.

"Yes. Guilt. I feel it too but yours feels longer lasting and guilt can teach us something, make us grow but it can also hold us back. And I believe it's been holding you back. This place. The person I spoke of. Will help teach you about that guilt, to use it to be strong and grow into a new version of yourself."

A beat.

"Does that scare you?"

[skyward_eyes]

Him? Yeah, that's not ominous. But someone calls, and Nida approaches, because once again he can feel that the woman isn't of this world. He can feel it with Siren's senses, and the GF stirs a bit, drawn to the power of the woman. There's something here, something more. Like with Caelan. Like with Yuna.

"No one can tell what the future holds," Nida rolls his eyes. "Not without time travel."

Yes, he believes in time travel. His youth and teenaged years were shaped by a frustrating stable time loop or three. Sucks.

[tapestryoftime]

Just as before, Syeira pressed two fingers against the top of the deck and mumbled a soft nonsensical word but something was different. Her fingers were trembling.

She moved slowly and twisted the deck in a circle, creating a sun of perfectly fanned cards. It was a trick of sorts, one her brother had taught her the first time she'd begun to learn the veil of Tarot. It was all about controlling the audiences perception but something had shaken her.

This boy wasn't as he seemed. The cards might be fooled by him but she can see the past, present and future. He was many people but also himself. Many worlds. Threads twisted and incomplete. Other's that had reached out to him frayed. Syeira had no idea what it meant but it made her nervous.

"I will draw three cards." She repeated the practiced phrase, her eyes focused on Nida. "The first will represent the past. The second is the present. And the final is the future. Without context, there is no meaning. What these mean will resound in you."

Syeira slowly drew three cards. It was less of a show than what she's done before. Instead she focused on keeping her hand steady.

Left to right.

She flipped over the first card. "The Past. Five of Coins." She continued in a softer voice. "The Present. Six of Coins." Two fingers paused at the final card. "Inverted The Falling Tower. The future." Syeira paused and her gaze suddenly became unfocused as she stared at Nida.

"You do not want to know your past or your future but you cannot run from it. If you try-- it will tear you apart."

Her finger reached forward and she pulled a fourth card and turned it over in front of her. "Page of Cups. For the soul that isn't your own."

[skyward_eyes]

Okay... that was slightly creepy. But only slightly. Especially given how shaky the woman is. Clearly she's a con artist, because you couldn't tell anything from cards. But there she was, making a good show of it. Still, the words resound with him at first. His past was complicated, of course he didn't want to know it. And to know his future was to become caught up in it in ways he can't avoid. So yeah, he'd avoid that too. But who wouldn't when they had been through what he had. But she couldn't know that.

Telepath, maybe? He'd met them before. He thought.

But what gets him to stop is the fourth card. For the soul that isn't your own.

What?

"What do you mean, the soul that isn't my own?"

For Siren? He knows what she's talking about, and he doesn't like that she knows about the spirit without having to talk about it.

[tapestryoftime]

She met his gaze and frowned. "I think you know but if you're seeking validation." Her eyes glazed over again and the slight trembling steadied itself. She was looking into the recent past conversations, searching for a name. "Siren. That is what you call it." It was an odd name. "Siren's lure sailors to their deaths."

Syeira looked down at the cards and pointed to the first. "Five of Coins. This is your past. It is very sad. Failure. There is an error. Something disconnected or destitute. A lost love." She moved over to the card that indicated his present state. "Six of Coins. This is your mask. Material gain. Charity. You do not know who you are."

She paused before lightly pressing her fingers against the final card. "And this is your future if you continue to pretend. Continued oppression. Following old ways. You are trapped and if these two cards are any indication, it is not by this world but by something within you."

Her fingers move again. "That is why I drew a fourth card. This is your Siren. Creative opportunities, possibility. Do you speak to her Nida? I think you should listen. She might guide you where you cannot guide yourself."

[skyward_eyes]

She knows the name of his GF. And that bothers Nida. Yet, not nearly as much as the accusation of what the GF supposedly does. Nida's eyes flash, briefly changing from dark brown to brassy before settling back to normal. Anger, almost enough to call his magic.

"Siren does no such thing. She's an elemental spirit of my world that fights monsters and darkness. Don't judge what you don't know."

He knows the way that street prophets and seeresses work, of course. Make vague statements to lure you in, to make you feel like the generalized statements are true. It's only the knowing that keeps him from freaking out. Most people his age had been in love in their teens, some puppy love bullshit, so that's why she's claiming that in his past. No way she knows what he lost. And the disconnected could be how anyone feels heading out into the world, so it's not that he's an orphan. As for masks, no one is completely honest in the real world, and they want to see nice. No way she knows he's a mercenary. Or that his convictions had wavered to be replaced by a genuine desire to protect others.

It's the other parts that annoy him. Trapped by something within himself? Bullshit. No Hyne damned way. And the old ways, falling back to what he was, that was just survival. No. He won't believe. She is making this shit up to con him out of money.

No, what gets him most is the way Siren laughs. The spirit outright laughs in his mind, a tinkling sort of sound, trembling through his very blood. This person she likes. This person properly describes a glorious being such as Siren. Creative indeed. What other GF created something of art, instead of just elemental force? She took the compliment and would happily run with it.

"She says you're a con artist and lying through your teeth," Nida says, trying not to be shaken by just how pleased Siren was. "Someone with pretty words and generalities and a perhaps just a touch of magic to be able to scan me and tell that I have her junctioned. But the rest of what you say is a farce."

[tapestryoftime]

"I don't judge. That isn't my place." Syeira replied simply. "I didn't mean to upset you. I am sorry." She bowed her head in a sincere incline.

She had messed up. Mami had told her not to read into someone's future or past but she hadn't been able to help herself. This poor man was lost and confused. She wanted to protect him but it was impossible to protect someone from themselves.

"If that is what she says. Then you should believe it. I do not know her but she is a gift to you and she will offer you a clarity and understanding that no one else will." She paused thoughtfully and looked a little less mysterious and a little more disjointed. "A Siren in my world is something else but I remember they were alluring. I think... would like to know her. I haven't ever seen an entity like her before." Though Syeira doubted that was possible.

Nida was too upset.

Syeria kept her head bowed. "It's alright and I understand. You are right, I do my work in hopes of donations, to live and to eat, but you don't have to give me anything. No matter your choice or your opinion, I will answer any question you have to the best of my ability." She picked up her cards and placed them on the table between them. "Please, ask me. If it makes you feel more comfortable, I can put the cards away."

[skyward_eyes]

At least she apologized. But he considers her. Really does consider her. Mostly because Siren's singing him forward and Nida, with a sigh, sits down across from her.

"I don't even know what to ask you. Other than can you prove that you've got any real power."

[tapestryoftime]

"Is that what you want? For me to prove it?" She met his gaze and tried her hardest to focus on him. It was difficult. She saw the small movements of his head, his brow twisting in rage as he stomped away and even the destruction of her meager table.

"Do you want me to read into your past? I could see it but... there are many things that people wish to keep hidden and- I haven't had the best control since I arrived here."

Her expression was regretful and sad. She was being honest with him and it cost her something. The statement chipped away at the warm glow of hope that she's kept protectively cradled within her chest.

[provokedultimatum]

Athala's interest was piqued despite herself by Syeira's set-up, at first glance she thought it was an Astrologian's set up but the absence of a planisphere put paid to that idea. Atha wasn't actually expecting to be called out on her loitering, glancing about in the vain hopes that Syeira had pointed to another passerby before accepting her fate with a grimace and stepping forward.

"'Ello. How exactly does yer farsight work then?"

Sorry for my slow <3

[tapestryoftime]

"It's simple."

Syeira pressed two fingers against the top of the deck and mumbled a soft nonsensical word. With a swift flick of her wrist she twisted the deck in a circle of perfectly fanned cards. It was a trick of sorts, one her brother had taught her the first time she'd begun to learn the veil of Tarot. It was all about controlling the audiences perception. That was what he'd always told her

"I will select three cards for you." Her gaze never broke away from Athala's, her movements practiced enough to perform without watching the movements of her hands. "The first will represent the past. The second is the present. And the final is the future. Without context, there is no meaning. What these mean will resound in you."

She glanced down at the cards with a smile. "But if you wish. You can also select the cards. Your preference can affect the reading and it's best for you to feel connected. I will act as a medium between you and the threads of both fate and choice."

No worries, I didn't notice the form the first time so I just filled that in

[provokedultimatum]

Atha closely tracks the movement of Syeira's hands as she brandishes the cards with a flourish.

"Yeah, that's pretty different to how the Astro's do it," Atha mutters, laser focusing on the cards for a moment before looking back to Syeira, "Alright, I'll bite. I'll select the cards then. Three cards right?"

<3

[tapestryoftime]

"There are many way's to read the cards. I have chosen this because it is the fastest but also the most general. If you have the time and wish to pay for it, I can do a deeper reading." She normally wouldn't charge but she didn't have much money and she needed to eat...

"For now. Please let me do what I can." She smiled as she turned over three cards, presenting each one to Atha with a bit of a flourish. "The past. The Empress." A pause and another flip of the card. "The present. The world." Another card is filled over. "The future. Judgment."

She glanced down at the cards and her eyes once again became unfocused. "Things are fairly clear for you. The past." She rested her fingers on the Empress. "Femininity, beauty, nature, nurturing. You have a child. At least one though I have a feeling that there are more." Syeira moved her fingers to the World card. "Completion, travel. I don't think this is as simple as it seems but you know more about your current situation than I do, so perhaps you know."

Her fingers moved over to the final card. Judgement. "Rebirth, inner calling. There is more for you here now. A future that you will also have at home. Perhaps there is someone you know here? That isn't common but- that seems to be what this is saying."

[provokedultimatum]

With each word of Syeira's fortune Atha's eyebrows raise more and more until Atha ends up staring at Syeira with undisguised surprised.

"That was...all so positive." The worlds tumble from Atha's list, blunt and disbelieving, "Are you sure you read them correctly?!"

[tapestryoftime]

"Yes but the future is merely a possibility. There are many possibilities and it all depends on what you choose. As things stand, there are many wonderful things for you here." Which wasn't the case with most of her readings today.

"It is a very rare thing."

[provokedultimatum]

Atha ponders Syeira's words for a moment, her eyes unfocused as her brows draw down into a determined frown.

"That. I want that future. I want the good things to stay" Atha's words are just as determined as her expression but there's an edge to them, a hunger of sorts. "Does it tell you how I could make it happen?"

[tapestryoftime]

Syeira's expression falters. "Yes and no. Your choices as well as the choices of others create hundreds of futures and we've only just met. I can't select the one that will most likely carve you a happy path. There are hundreds of threads..." Her voice trailed off as she gently placed her fingers over her deck.

"But. There is someone important to you here, yes? They will lead you down the right path."