09-19-2018, 11:33 PM
Asha spoke in her demure manner. She wasn’t a woman of many words, but what she did say only made Rowan think more. Perhaps there was something to be said about that, making every word count. Rowan would never know.
The thought of it taking ‘only one person,’ well, Rowan had not considered that. The words struck home though; visions of that hospital. Rowan’s endless cry over the loss of her unborn child and her husband. The scream carried throughout the whole building. Everyone just dropping to the ground instantly, like a puppet cut from his strings. Five colors of light arraying themselves into a strange shape. Vanishing. Lost completely to Rowan’s mind and memory. Power coming to her fingertips at a whim.
Goosebumps covered every particle of her flesh as the images pulsed in her mind’s eye.
She took a deep breath.
Gone.
With a shake of the head, Rowan was back in the moment, reaching again for her wine.
Rowan downed the glass once more, without a care for the inevitable heavy intoxication that was ebbing into her. She pursed her lips and uttered a few words, all in Creole, under her breath; beckoning Erzulie Freda to bring the Tarot cards back into her palm.
The cards floated through the air by an unseen hand, shuffling rapidly. Rowan took her eyes off of them and looked back at Mikhail, smiling with her usual charismatic candor, “You must not indulge in the movies and media that came before you, dear. How old are you? Not much older than myself, if I had to guess. There were a few X-men movies that had come out when I was only a few years old, they were cute. Aiden and I used to play pretend… I was always this one woman from the story; her name escapes me. What I do remember is that she had marvelous psychic abilities and supreme control over the flames; life and death. Aiden was always pretending to be some bloke with angel wings… I wonder if he can fly now…”
The cards fell into Rowan’s outstretched hand, she didn’t even bother looking as they did. Her hands moved on their own accord and began shuffling the Tarot even more. Without waiting for a response, Rowan looked over to Asha and ignored Tobias entirely, “Yes, I should think it would be a good thing to speak with any good members of this rival Tribe… Am I understanding you correctly? Some of our own world’s myths and legends are indeed based on the past? You mean to tell me some of these allegorical tales have indeed happened?” She was utterly shocked, not speechless though, “Darling, how long ago are we talking? Surely if there were ever literal Gods and Monsters walking this planet… Surely… They would have left some trace of their presence. I do not claim to understand archeology, but why haven’t any of the ‘experts’ found anything to indicate this? Of, we have our mysteries… Stonehenge and that sort of thing, but-“
Rowan’s eyes drifted down to the table and there she spotted three Tarot cards laying face down on the table.
An audible gasp erupted from her lips, eyes bulging from her face. Rowan lept up, the rest of the cards scattering from her hand, falling to the floor in a storm of painted cardstock.
“No… This hasn’t happened in a long time…” Rowan whispered to herself.
Maman Jazmine, Rowan’s old teacher in all things Voodoo and Hoodoo, had told her everything she knew about the cards. One thing stuck out in Rowan’s mind. Anytime the cards fell out of your deck, while you were shuffling them, those specific cards were the word of the Goddess; it meant that the Divine was trying to tell you something. Those cards were never to be ignored.
Rowan reached out to the cards on the table, with a shaky hand. She spun them about so that they were face up.
Temperance.
The Hierophant.
The Emperor.
Turning from the table and her guests, Rowan rushed over to the intercom next to the door. She buzzed it several times until a familiar voice flowed from the speaker.
“Yes, Mistress?” Gareth’s voice asked.
“There are two new guests in the café. A man and a woman. That’s all I know. Find them. Listen for them. Watch for them. Anything that may be off or odd. If you can’t do it yourself, I want to know right away and I will come down and find them myself,” Rowan fired into the microphone of the intercom, clearly impatiently.
“Right away, Mistress. Will that be all?”
“Oh, I shouldn’t have to say it. Bring them up here to my private gathering. Make haste.”
“Of course, Mistress,” Gareth said before the intercom went silent.
Rowan spun from the wall, almost falling into it. She took another deep breath, steadying herself.
You’re loosin’ it girl, she thought.
With a forced, calm expression, Rowan looked back up to her guests.
“Do forgive that outburst. The cards. They don’t… do that very often. It seems like the Café is serving as a beacon tonight. There are two others here with remarkable gifts… Yes… I’m sure of it,”She spoke smoothly as she took her place back on the couch, next to Mikhail.
Rowan rolled another joint.
The thought of it taking ‘only one person,’ well, Rowan had not considered that. The words struck home though; visions of that hospital. Rowan’s endless cry over the loss of her unborn child and her husband. The scream carried throughout the whole building. Everyone just dropping to the ground instantly, like a puppet cut from his strings. Five colors of light arraying themselves into a strange shape. Vanishing. Lost completely to Rowan’s mind and memory. Power coming to her fingertips at a whim.
Goosebumps covered every particle of her flesh as the images pulsed in her mind’s eye.
She took a deep breath.
Gone.
With a shake of the head, Rowan was back in the moment, reaching again for her wine.
Rowan downed the glass once more, without a care for the inevitable heavy intoxication that was ebbing into her. She pursed her lips and uttered a few words, all in Creole, under her breath; beckoning Erzulie Freda to bring the Tarot cards back into her palm.
The cards floated through the air by an unseen hand, shuffling rapidly. Rowan took her eyes off of them and looked back at Mikhail, smiling with her usual charismatic candor, “You must not indulge in the movies and media that came before you, dear. How old are you? Not much older than myself, if I had to guess. There were a few X-men movies that had come out when I was only a few years old, they were cute. Aiden and I used to play pretend… I was always this one woman from the story; her name escapes me. What I do remember is that she had marvelous psychic abilities and supreme control over the flames; life and death. Aiden was always pretending to be some bloke with angel wings… I wonder if he can fly now…”
The cards fell into Rowan’s outstretched hand, she didn’t even bother looking as they did. Her hands moved on their own accord and began shuffling the Tarot even more. Without waiting for a response, Rowan looked over to Asha and ignored Tobias entirely, “Yes, I should think it would be a good thing to speak with any good members of this rival Tribe… Am I understanding you correctly? Some of our own world’s myths and legends are indeed based on the past? You mean to tell me some of these allegorical tales have indeed happened?” She was utterly shocked, not speechless though, “Darling, how long ago are we talking? Surely if there were ever literal Gods and Monsters walking this planet… Surely… They would have left some trace of their presence. I do not claim to understand archeology, but why haven’t any of the ‘experts’ found anything to indicate this? Of, we have our mysteries… Stonehenge and that sort of thing, but-“
Rowan’s eyes drifted down to the table and there she spotted three Tarot cards laying face down on the table.
An audible gasp erupted from her lips, eyes bulging from her face. Rowan lept up, the rest of the cards scattering from her hand, falling to the floor in a storm of painted cardstock.
“No… This hasn’t happened in a long time…” Rowan whispered to herself.
Maman Jazmine, Rowan’s old teacher in all things Voodoo and Hoodoo, had told her everything she knew about the cards. One thing stuck out in Rowan’s mind. Anytime the cards fell out of your deck, while you were shuffling them, those specific cards were the word of the Goddess; it meant that the Divine was trying to tell you something. Those cards were never to be ignored.
Rowan reached out to the cards on the table, with a shaky hand. She spun them about so that they were face up.
Temperance.
The Hierophant.
The Emperor.
Turning from the table and her guests, Rowan rushed over to the intercom next to the door. She buzzed it several times until a familiar voice flowed from the speaker.
“Yes, Mistress?” Gareth’s voice asked.
“There are two new guests in the café. A man and a woman. That’s all I know. Find them. Listen for them. Watch for them. Anything that may be off or odd. If you can’t do it yourself, I want to know right away and I will come down and find them myself,” Rowan fired into the microphone of the intercom, clearly impatiently.
“Right away, Mistress. Will that be all?”
“Oh, I shouldn’t have to say it. Bring them up here to my private gathering. Make haste.”
“Of course, Mistress,” Gareth said before the intercom went silent.
Rowan spun from the wall, almost falling into it. She took another deep breath, steadying herself.
You’re loosin’ it girl, she thought.
With a forced, calm expression, Rowan looked back up to her guests.
“Do forgive that outburst. The cards. They don’t… do that very often. It seems like the Café is serving as a beacon tonight. There are two others here with remarkable gifts… Yes… I’m sure of it,”She spoke smoothly as she took her place back on the couch, next to Mikhail.
Rowan rolled another joint.