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They were all in a tavern, drinking in celebration of a job well done. Caleb wasn’t as far into his tankard of ale as Beau or Fjord. None could keep up with Nott, even as a playful drinking game was called. He had lost sight of Yasha a while ago, the barbarian perhaps had retreated back to her room. Despite their (healing) wounds and tired muscles, the Nein were still a lively bunch.
Blood-spattered fingers flipped through the pages of his spellbook, Frumpkin purring in his lap as he took the occasional sip from his tankard. Mollymauk’s was on the other side, looking worse for wear as the bloodhunter had exerted himself quite a bit in dispatching both beast and bandits. Oddly, Mollymauk hadn’t had as much to drink, perhaps even a bit less than Caleb had, which was unusual for the man.
Every so often Caleb’s ears would pick up the sound of shuffling before cards were deftly pulled from the deck and set on the stained wood. Sometimes they were spread simply, others in complicated patterns. He found himself curious, not of the cards but of what Mollymauk seemed to get from them. The tiefling’s expression grew grim, shadows darkening in his eyes the more he looked at the cards only to shuffle them and seemingly pull the same few from the deck.
With a gentle press of his mind to Frumpkin’s he sent the cat to curl around Mollymauk’s feet, the tiefling’s hands pausing in their shuffling. His red gaze found Calebs, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Need something, mister Caleb?” The deck of cards was set face down on the table while a purple hand reached down to scratch at the familiars ears, his attention not leaving Caleb.
Caleb closed his spell book, slipping it back into his holster before his hands tapped against the wood, near the deck of cards. “I was ah, wondering if you would.. Do a reading for me? I must admit, it’s intriguing.” Honestly, Caleb was looking to get the tiefling to stop looking so grim more than he wanted his fortune read. To keep his hands busy while the tiefling simply watched him, he picked up his tankard and took a larger drink from it.
Molly studied Caleb for a moment longer, trying to discern what could have prompted such a request. Before, when Molly offered to read Caleb’s fortune he would decline, quite vehemently, insisting he didn’t wish to know what the cards would tell him. Admittedly, it had made the tiefling very curious, wanting to find out what Caleb thought the cards would reveal to them. Perhaps now would be his chance, as unexpected as it is. “Really? Well, alright. Is there a particular spread you’d like me to do? Past, present, future perhaps?” He leaned forwards as he spoke, hand slipping from Frumpkins fur with one last scritch behind the feline’s ears so he could pick up the deck again, shuffling slowly.
Caleb blanched, lips thinning at Mollymauk’s suggestion. “Ah, perhaps something less..”
“Constricting?” Molly supplied, skilled fingers cutting the deck after he was satisfied with his shuffling.
“Ah, ja. If that is alright.” The wizard picked at the fraying edges of his scarf, pulling on a loose thread until it slipped free and could be discarded.
“Alright. I can’t promise anything, it's all up to the cards, really. I’ll do a four card spread, this is more personal and normally less broad than the past, present and future spread.” He put the two split decks back together, the one that had been on the bottom now on the top. With a playful wiggling of his fingers molly spread the cards out in an arc, gesturing for Caleb to pull one. “Choose a card, it always helps when the intended is the one who takes the first card. It helps the deck get a feel for your energy, the rest will be from me.” As he explained, Molly noticed the tension etched into caleb’s shoulders began to loosen. He likes knowing what’s going on , Molly flashed a grin, it was less for show and more in an act of encouragement.
Blue eyes tracked Mollymauk’s hands as they moved, partly to look and see if there was a trick to this. It wasn't as if Caleb didn’t trust him (he trusted him more than he should), he just didn’t really believe in the cards, there was nothing magical about them, Caleb would know. His lips pursed, teeth worrying on the bottom one as it was tugged between them after a moment. How was he expected to choose ? Hesitantly the wizard reached out, fingers ghosting over the cards, having watched Mollymauk do something similar when pulling cards for himself. His fingers passed over the middle of the spread before pausing, a tug low in his gut. Caleb pulled a card, hovering as he was unsure if he was allowed to turn it over or not.
“You can turn it over, darling.” Came the helpful reply as Molly noticed Caleb’s apprehension after pulling the card. He slid farther up into his seat, chest almost touching the edge of the table. The tiefling’s tail was twitching with excitement, spade tip lightly thumping against his seat.
With a small nod, Caleb flipped over the card. setting it directly in front of him.
Depicted on the card is an androgynous figure, proud in their stature with a wreath of stars dancing above their head. In the background a sun and moon combine in almost and eclipse, on the edges of the card vines curled up towards the middle. The magician’s hands were open palmed and raised, though one was lower, closer to their waist while the other was further up almost aligned with their shoulders. On the right fire licked up towards their elbows and on the left air snaked around their arm. Below waves crashed into the bottom like it was a shore, hiding their lower half from view. At their hip sat a wand like one would have a sword, and the sword was instead floating, on the magicians right side. On their left there was a chalice, red liquid sloshing and spilling past the rim and as the liquid fell, gold coins fell like droplets.
Molly let out a melodic laugh as he leaned in further to look at the card, “The Magician, upright. I should have known.” He grinned, tail flicking back and forth, highlighting his delight. “The Magician is powerful, they have the resources at their disposal to be capable of anything they wish. In touch with the universe and its elements, the Magician has unlimited potential, they hold all the cards.” Molly hummed, deft fingers already searching for another card as he continued to speak, not sparing the spread a glance, ruby eyes staying on Caleb. “You have much potential inside of you, Mister Caleb. You have the tools to become someone great. The Magician is a conduit for all the energy that the universe provides to us, harness that. You thirst for knowledge, aim to become a better wizard. A very fitting card for you.”
Caleb sat silent, taking in the sight of the card and listening to Mollymauk’s words. Lips pursed in thought, was this what the card actually meant? He wasn't too knowledgeable about tarot, never understood the point in it. Letting cards dictate your life, it’s silly. As Mollymauk continued to speak Caleb lifted his gaze, attention snagging on the man’s lips before finding the red of his eyes. A small smile graced the wizards lips, “You don’t have to look at the cards to choose them?”
Molly hummed, slipping out a card to set it face down below the Magician. “No, they hold your energy, when you moved your hand over the deck the cards stole some of it. It’s intuition, whatever cards draws my hand to it is the one I will choose. Your energy calls in mine, and such a decision is made.” After a small pause Molly flipped over the new card.
The image was in reverse, a shadowy figure huddled in the corner of a stone room as light covers it from an unseen window. Nine swords look posed to strike, held aloft by an unseen force and ready to sink into the figure.
It’s a depressing image that makes Molly frown and Caleb’s already fair complexion turn an almost sickly color as he takes a large pull from his ale.
“Oh.” Molly breathes out, forcing his expression into a neutral one. “My, well. This is the nine of swords in reverse..” He trailed off, tail finding Caleb’s calf and coiling around it, giving a light squeeze as the tiefling continued on. “This card, as you can see, is pretty dark. Bleak. Even in its upright state it is unsettling.. Reversed means there is something inside of you festering. Your mind is holding you hostage, inner turmoil as sharp as swords, threatening to pierce flesh. All of those negative thoughts and anxiety is weighing you down, creating nightmares and other unseen horrors. A fear of something is prominent, overwhelming your waking moments.” Another squeeze of Molly’s tail on Caleb’s calf, his hand reaching out to cover Caleb’s own that is still resting on his tankard. “You are fighting yourself, Caleb..”
Molly’s thumb brushed over the back of Caleb’s hand before retreating to find another card in hopes to dispel the negative energy the Nine of Swords brought. If it was any other card, Molly may have made a joke about the nine. Not now.
Caleb kept a tight grip on his tankard, not even moving at Mollymauk’s hand on his, though it was warm and nice. He was starting to regret asking for this, why did he think something that promised to be a personal reflection of one's person would be a good idea for someone like him?
Frumpkin’s head hit Caleb’s stomach just as Mollymauk’s tail tightened around his leg again. Caleb’s eyes moved from the dark card down to his familiar, hand slipping from it’s white-knuckled grip on his drink to brush over the cat’s back. ‘ I’m okay .’ He sent, forcing out a small smile before his attention returned to Mollymauk just as the man was pulling out another card.
This time molly didn’t wait to flip it over, it wasn't Molly on the table yet as he turned it. The Eight of Cups staring up at him as he set it the to the Nine of Swords. His head cocked in curiosity as he looked over the spread of cards. The Magician at the top, signifying Caleb as a person without the inhibitions of the cards below it. It was separate in a way that could still be attainable no matter what the wizard went through in his life. He would always have potential, the tools of the Magician would never leave him even if he loses sight of them for a while.
Molly coughed, straightening out the Eight of Cups as Caleb watched him. “The Eight of Cups, upright. You seem to be on a journey Mister Caleb.”
The card held chalices, eight of them to be exact. Some were broken and toppled over, others upright and filled with liquid. A lone figure in the distance, leaving the cups behind as they headed towards the horizon. Mountains hid a sunset, the colors filling the card and seemingly making the adornments on the chalices twinkle like stars. The figure was robed, carrying nothing but a staff as they walked away.
“Walking away is a big part of this card. Leaving something behind, whether it be something good or bad. Most use this card for abandonment, abandoning people or things in your life but I feel like abandonment sounds too negative. So I opt for walking away. It takes inner courage and strength of self to walk away from something, be mindful of that. This card also represents travel, adventure, which fits us, don’t you think?” Molly smiles, his expression brightening as the Eight of Cups presented a change in a better direction than the Nine of Swords.
Caleb’s lips pursed as the cards were laid out before him, eyes flicking from Mollymauk as the man spoke and the images of the cards. They were telling a story or something, it seemed. The swords card still caught his eye, thoughts slowly spiraling down a negative path until Mollymauk’s tail squeezed again, sapphires finding rubies as Caleb looked up.
“One more, don’t focus on a single card. Look at them as a whole.” Moly’s voice was softer now, gentle as he noticed Caleb start to space out. He pulled the final card, flipping it over and setting it below the other two, matching the Magician card in placement. “Ah, look at that. The Nine of Wands, upright.”
The last card, a figure stood with a wand in hand, eight in the air around them. They were in fine robes, hair curled around their nape where a necklace sat along their throat with a glittering jewel in the middle of it. The figure was poised for battle, magic crackling around the figure in the form of lightning.
Molly tapped on the card, a smile still gracing his lips. “There you have it. Look, Mister Caleb. Although there are more challenges ahead, you are strong, capable. You are equipped and ready for whatever will come. You’re resilient, don’t give up. Keep pushing and moving forwards, no matter how many times you go down, you get back up.” His fingers moved back to tap on the Magician card. “This circles back. You have the potential and tools to make what you want happen. No matter what you go through, no matter what happens. You’ll always have that possibility there, waiting. You’re strong enough to get through inner turmoil and outwards obstacles on your adventure and in life, to achieve what you wish to achieve.”
Molly sat back, leaving the cards in their positions on the table for Caleb to look at them, to take in his words. His tail slipped from Caleb’s thigh to wrap around his own, elbows resting against the table as molly plucked a card from the spread, turning it over. Death. He sighed, slipping it back into the deck as he collected the cards.
“Wow.” That was all Caleb could get out as he plucked up the cards, taking a closer look at them now that Mollymauk was finished with them. “I didn’t realize how, ah--important feeling such a thing as this could be?” He spoke as he handed the cards back to tiefling so he could add them back to the deck now assembled in his hands.
“They help give some people a direction, not all of the readings I give are bullshit~” Molly teased, shuffling the deck once all the cards had been returned. “Only most of them.” He reached out, brushing back a few strands from Caleb’s forehead before making his way upstairs towards the rooms they’d rented, multicolored coat swirling as he left.
Caleb watched him go, thinking of all of what Mollymauk had told him and the images of a beautiful smile, hands flipping over cards, the tiefling’s tail wrapped around his calf, and the warmth from Mollymauk’s hand on his.
Caleb was glad he’d asked Mollymauk for a reading that night.