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It was strange to her, watching someone so fixated on logic, and the way the world worked in numbers, shuffle a deck of tarot cards.
Peppermint Butler had shown Marceline his “practice” many times before, making sure to warn her of its dangers every time, but to Marcy, despite the practice’s name, the Dark Arts weren't scary or dangerous. He always decorated the room with candles, various books, some ancient, some new, and it always smelled of incense.
Marcy found it peaceful, it reminded her of her mother, of warmth.
Peppermint Butler had come into the princess’ room while she and Marcy were going over some of the lyrics Marceline had recently written.
“Princess! I was just looking for you. I wanted to show you something I found while researching some of Ooo’s ancient history.” He spoke with a certain urgency, making both Bonnie and Marceline glance toward him.
“What did you find Pep Butt? Maybe it's something Marceline knows about.” Bonnie spoke with her usual cadence, shrugging her shoulder towards Marceline.
“I doubt that. It predates Marceline’s time.” He replied, flipping his tome around to face the girls. Glancing at its contents, Marceline spoke up.
“Oh, no I know what that is. They’re called tarot cards, my mom had a deck when I was a kid. She never used them though, gift from my dad.” Shrugging, she continued, “They’d totally be your thing Pep Butt, not so much Bonnibel’s though.”
“That’s great to hear then, Marceline! I actually tried my hand at making my own. The book said they are more powerful and accurate, if handmade.” Peppermint Butler dug around in his pocket, pulling out a tarot deck. “See? I was hoping to use them, once I figure out how exactly I’m supposed to, that is.”
“Here, hand them over. I’ll teach you,” Marceline replied, taking the cards, “It’s really simple, you just shuffle them, think of a question you want an answer to, and when one flies out of the deck, or you feel like you should pull one, that’s your answer.” She demonstrated the shuffling motion, before setting them down on the floor of the Princess’ bedroom.
“Like I said, simple stuff.” Marceline smiled.
“Wait. That’s it? Glob, It’s just random cards Marceline. They don’t think, and that’s not a logical line of reasoning. I doubt that’s real.” Bubblegum spoke up from her place next to Marceline, exasperated.
“Why not try it then? Ask some questions. If the answers make sense, well then, we’ll know it's real. If not, then science prevails again.” Marceline offered the deck to her.
Taking it, she glared at Marceline. Peppermint Butler strode over, placing the book at her feet, open to the card meanings.
“I need to head out for a second, and work on some stuff. If you could keep my book safe for me, it would be greatly appreciated, and please don’t damage the cards.” Peppermint Butler said, looking at his phone and walking out of the room.
“Alright, so I just shuffle them, then?” Bonnie asked, as Marceline nodded.
And so, that’s what she did. She asked a simple question, something to test the validity of the cards. “What do I think of these cards?” And out popped Strength, in the reversed position.
Marcy glanced at the book, reading aloud the card’s meaning.
“Strength, reversed. Represents fragility, pettiness, illness, or a lack of faith .” Marceline laughed. “See? I told you it was legit.”
“It must’ve been a fluke. I bet you if I asked it to describe either of us it would be inaccurate.”
“Ask away then, Bonnibel.”
“Fine. Alright then, Tarot Deck, please describe me and/or Marceline here.”
She shuffled the deck, her eyes looking at a point far away on the floor, lacking any real focus, when two cards popped out, one flying towards Marceline, and the other flying into Bonnie’s lap.
Bonnie grabbed her card first and flipped it over. The Knight of Swords.
She glanced at Marceline’s card, the Queen of Swords.
Looking down at the meanings, she spoke aloud.
“The Knight of Swords: someone who is impatient and impulsive, yet assertive and logical. They are direct, which makes them appear uncaring or cold.” She glanced around, before continuing. “Once they set their mind to something, nothing can stop them. Additionally, they may use their mind to get their way.”
“Well, that certainly sounds like you Peebs. Gonna admit that it’s accurate now?” Marceline smirked, trying not to laugh.
“Not until we see your card’s description, Marcy.” She said, looking down at the book once again.
“The Queen of Swords-”
“Hey look, it even knows I’m the Vampire Queen . How about that for accuracy?” Marceline interrupted, laying back and floating up a few feet.
Bonnie rolled her eyes before continuing on. “Anyways. The Queen of Swords. It represents independence, wit, open-mindedness, strength, and apparently repressed sadness. Does that all sound right to you Marcy?” She looked upwards towards the Vampire Queen, who, to her surprise, was already watching her, a look of adoration in her eyes.
Looking away, she replied. “Pretty much, yeah.” She floated down to Bonnie’s level, looking at her upside down. She stared into her eyes, and Bubblegum stared back.
Bonnie coughed, fixating on the deck in her hands. “Ahem, I have one more question for the deck, then.”
“Go ahead.” Marceline replied, still watching her and gesturing to the cards.
Bonnie shuffled the cards, closing her eyes to concentrate on her beating heart; concentrate on her question; concentrate on anything besides the enigmatic vampire in front of her.
“What do you think about Marceline and I, tarot deck?”
And out came The Lovers and The Star.
Bonnie opened her eyes, seeing that Marceline was back in her usual spot, now staring daggers, not at her, but at the cards in front of her.
The room’s air grew heavy. It was quiet in that darkened space, lit only by the stars. It was as if the world grew still, solely for them, tucked in their quiet corner of Ooo.
Bonnie looked back to the descriptions of the cards, reading aloud with a quieter tone.
“The.. Lovers. Like the name suggests, it's about love. And.. choices.” She continued to read. “A strong bond has formed between two individuals. Mind, body, and soul have intertwined, creating perfect halves of the same soul. Choices will have to be made, and one should stay true to themselves and their desires.”
She flipped the page, and read aloud The Star’s description. “The Star. It represents trusting yourself and your choices in life. It says to make decisions based on one’s authenticity, and believing in their choices, so that others can love them for who they are.” She trailed off, looking over at Marceline, who seemed to be contemplating. Finally, she spoke up.
“Bonnie, do you remember us back when we were just kids, facing the world together?”
Bonnie slowly nodded, curious of the vampire’s point, while Marceline looked back at her.
“Why did we stop that?”
Bonnie replied softly, a voice she only used in times like these, where the air felt too thick, and things suddenly became too complicated to speak loudly, for fear that the world would shatter around her if she did.
“I don’t know. I miss it.”
In the soft glow of the room, that was all they needed to hear. Bathed in the hues of twilight, Marceline's hand lingered on Bonnie's cheek, a gentle caress that shared years of unspoken truths.
Bonnie's breath caught as Marceline closed the distance between them, capturing her lips in a kiss that felt like the culmination of years of unexplored emotions, bursting at the seams. The room seemed to hold its breath, enveloped in the tender embrace of their connection.
The kiss was a delicate dance, a fusion of nostalgia and possibility. Marceline's lips, once filled with a mischievous smirk, now conveyed a vulnerability that resonated with Bonnie's own uncertainties. It was more than a meeting of mouths; it was a collision of their shared history and the uncharted territory of a once-again budding romance.
Their breaths intertwined, creating a silent symphony that echoed in the quiet space. Marceline's fingers traced a gentle path along Bonnie's jawline, as time seemed to stretch, allowing them to savor the sweetness of the moment.
A moment that held the promise of something new.
As they finally pulled away, a shared understanding lingered in their eyes. The room, now illuminated by the soft radiance of the stars outside, bore witness to a kiss that marked a turning point.
It was a kiss that whispered of rediscovery, of acknowledging the depth of their connection, and embracing the unspoken desires that had lingered in the shadows for far too long.
In that intimate space, tarot cards scattered around them like roses, long forgotten, the echoes of their shared past resonated in the present. Marceline and Bonnie found themselves standing at the threshold of an uncharted journey, one meant to be rekindled. The room, filled with the hushed aftermath of their kiss, managed to hold the promise of a future where their intertwined destinies could unfold in unexpected and beautiful ways.