forum mj and ice's excellent roleplay adventure

Started March 31, 2022 by @larcenistarsonist group

tune

lol alright!

hey uh I'm really struggling wwith coming up with a good starter, because I don't quite know how to as I don't yet have a real character to use. So if you could do even just a small starter of Will like…walking through the town or whatever, that would be great? if you're willing?

oh yeah totally asld;kfjasdlf I have time now, no worries my guy

Sorry about the change in plans!

"I shouldn't be doing this," Will mumbles to absolutely nobody in particular. His head is ducked, eyes trained on the ground with his journal and a book under his arm. The cobblestone streets smell of rain, the petrichor yet to be polluted by the blacksmith and the baker's mixed aromas. The shops are barely opening up, the morning sun hovering above the treetops of the Woods. Will's eyes flick towards the forest. His jaw sets. His mind ignores the constant call.

He passes the Estonvale Town Hall, barely catching a glimpse of Mayor Vaine through the rain-speckled window. Don't go into the forest, Mayor Vaine preaches at every one of his speeches. Well maybe you should shut up, Will always wants to retort. He keeps his mouth quiet. The town doesn't need any more reason to ostracize him.

Will snorts at that. The irony. He readjusts his books and spares a quick glance over his shoulder. Only the early risers are out on the potholed streets. Schoolchildren too engrossed in whatever gossip circle they're apart of, butchers slicing up their latest slab on a wooden countertop, newsboys belting the newest headlines atop of soapboxes. None of them will pay Will any attention. It's the pretentious old hags and the snooty pointed-nose men he has to worry about. They're the ones WIll has made enemies of with his smart mouth and fiery eyes.

The alleyway is colder than the street, causing a shiver to roll down Will's spine. With another anxious glance over his shoulder and a determined huff, he rapps on the nearest door, the sound jarring and crisp. On the door in an ancient text reads: Fortune Telling.

After a few moments of wait, the door is opened. The woman who opens it is older, perhaps her late 50's or early 60's. Her features are showing the signs of her age, but she was also clearly beautiful when she was young, and her aging face still retained traces of that beauty. She wore a long, dark dress, and a simple black kerchief over her greying hair. Her eyes were a dark green, and she was shorter than William. "Hello there, young man." she greeted, backing up to let him in. "Welcome. What can I do for you today?"

Inside, the building was lit by the dim light coming in the window, lanterns, and assorted candles dotting various surfaces. It was also clearly both business and home for her. A black cat sat on a velvet cushion, watching Will through half-opened eyes. It was warm inside, a fire lit in the grate. Crystals hung from small lines, catching and reflecting the light, and also sat on the surfaces of the bookshelves. There were books, many of them aging and ancient and worn, and plants too. There were rugs on the floor and tapestries on the walls, and overall the whole place oozed of eccentricity and magic.

"Here for a fortune, or a love potion?" she asked, winking and letting out a laugh. Did she know what he was here for? Maybe she did; assuming she was a real fortune teller, and not a charlatan pretending at being one.

Will's lips tuck under his teeth as he takes in the room. It's… unexpected, but then again, what is Will supposed to expect. He and this woman are most likely the only two in all of Estonvale with some sort of magical prowess; she might as well be a fraud. Will sighs again, noting the heavy smells of incense lacing the air. It's too dark, too stuffy and too cluttered for Will's taste, but he needs to stay. He needs to get to the bottom of his dreams.

"Uhm, fortune…" Will says. "And maybe some guidance," He adds. "Please." He folds his hands in front of his waist, his fingers knitting and pulling at each other. "If it isn't too much trouble." Even though the door is safely shut behind him, Will looks over his shoulder. He opens his mouth, his breath catching temporarily in his throat before he manages to mumble out a response. It's rare Will struggles to grasp the right words. "I've been having nightmares."

She listens quietly to his words, and nods. "I see. Come, sit down." she leads him into the sitting room, which is just as eccentric as the rest of the place. She directed him to sit down, and then started the process for a pot of tea. "What do you wish to deal with for your nightmares? If you are after a remedy for deeper sleep, the apothecarist down the street can provide better help than I. However…" she sat herself down, studying him. "If you are here for divination of the meaning, that I can help with." she seemed sincere, and perhaps like she could really help him. The cat stirred sleepily, padding over to Will to inspect him.

Will takes a seat on the plush, brightly colored and patterned stool with a short, polite nod - his short ponytail slightly loosening. He looks down at the table in front of him. It's dark blue that shimmers whenever Will moves his head. It gives him a headache. "Well, you see, I'd rather get to the bottom of them. They're… troubling and I'm hoping that you could assist me in deciphering their meaning." Will slightly leans away from the cat. Animals had always unsettled him. He's much more of a flora man.

The cat meowed faintly, and the older woman snapped her fingers at it. "Simeon." she said to the cat. The cat meowed again, then moved away, curling up on a cushion again and watching the goings on. She returned her attention to Will, nodding slightly. "I see. Can you tell me a bit about them?" she brought out some crystals, setting them on the tabletop. One crystal was clear as glass, the other a deep purple. Another was dark as night. She also set an old deck of cards down, facedown on the table.

"Well, you see, I dream of snakes." Will shudders from an invisible breeze. "I dream of snakes with red eyes. I always die at the end of them. I always wake up with an aching heart." He closes his eyes and rubs his palms over them. "I can never go back to sleep after them." He peers through his fingers at the woman. "Does that mean anything to you?"

She stared at him for a very long, silent moment. "A large snake?" she asked. "Larger than any normal, real snake could possibly be?" there was a note of worry in her voice, which was…strange, to say the least. Why would she be worried about a massive snake appearing in Will's dreams? What kind of awful sign could it be? Nevertheless, she was indeed worried, and she picked up the deck of cards, shuffling through it as she awaited his answer.

"Well-" Will hesitates for a brief moment, clearing his throat. "I never see all of the snake. Most just its face…" He sighs, carding his fingers through his dark brown hair. "The snake varies in size… but…" He pauses. "Yes, the snake is usually larger than usual." He swallows the lump in his throat. "A lot larger than usual."

She swallowed faintly, continuing to shuffle the deck. A card fell out, and she looked at the face of it, and hissed between her teeth. "Does it look like this?" she slid the card across the table so he could see. Painted on the face of the card was an obsidian colored snake with eyes the color of blood. Four white scales were clustered near its head. In the background of the card was the silhouette of a man, void of any details. At the bottom of the card was written "VII. The Snake". The whole card was beautifully painted and wondrous in its detailing, but there was something sinister about the image itself. There was something frightening in it.

Will's eyebrows knit together as he leans closer to the card. His dreams all flash in front of him. The ones where there's a dagger in the tail of the snake, the ones with venom on its fangs, the ones where it's wrapped around Will's chest and constricting. His heart skips a beat. "Yes," He says, his voice barely a whisper. "That is the snake plaguing my dreams." He looks up, wide eyes darting to meet the woman's. "Please, madam, what does this mean?"

She stared at him for a long, silent moment. "Do you know the stories of the Fates?" she asked softly. She waited a beat, then continued. "The Snake is one of the eldest of the living Fates, ranking seventh overall. There are 13 known Fates, though more may surface eventually." she took a breath, eyes moving to the card on the table. "The Snake is a card of great evil. Of pain, and misfortune, and ill-gotten power." her gaze moved back up to Will, taking him in with an intensity she had not had before. "He cares for no one but himself. His destiny is to someday be killed by the ninth Fate, the Martyr." she pulled off the next card on the deck, setting it down before Will. It depicted a young man that looked vaguely similar to him, his throat slit and his eyes crying blood. "The Martyr is a card– and a Fate –of self-sacrifice for the greater good. He is regarded as one of the better of the Fates." she shook her head a little bit. "The fact that The Snake is appearing in your dreams…" she trailed off, looking troubled. "It is not a good sign for anyone."

(by the way, what she means by "living Fates" is that some of the older Fates have already found their destinies and passed on)

Will's eyes flick from the cards to the woman and back to the cards, his heart throbbing so painfully slow in his chest. As she explains the Snake, Will finds his chest tightening… as if the Snake himself had coiled around his ribcage. However, the unsettling, constricting feeling in his chest is meager compared to the plummet of his heart upon seeing the card: The Martyr. "What does this mean?!" Will demands, his voice raw. "What is- what is going to happen to me?"

She shook her head softly. "I…I am afraid that I am not sure. It isn't clear." she got up and poured a small cup of tea, handing it to Will. "Drink this. I can read your tea leaves and it may give be a better understanding of your future." she pulled the two cards back, shuffling them into her deck. "I can also do a card reading for you, and that too will help you to gain clarity." she seemed troubled, her brows pulling together in an uncertain, perturbed line.

(ayyy 69- nice)

Will looks between the woman and the cards, his eyes searching for anything solid and stoic to land on. He jumps slightly when the woman sets the mug down in front of him. One of his hands press to his racing heart while the other shakingly wraps around the mug handle. "I- uh, yes ma'am. Please, would you be so kind to read my cards." He nearly cringes at his stuttering. Will is the fire-tongued and unwavering- why is he so anxious around the woman and her silly card deck?

(ayyy)

She shuffled them for a long moment, then fanned them out. "Pick three. Whichever feel like the best choices to you." she instructed, waiting to see what cards he would pull. "Place them face down on the table." she would flip them over herself; it tended to be better that way, as it made the readings easier.

Will nods, taking a long breath to try and still his shaking hands. His long fingers brush over the fanned cards, plucking two right next to each other from the left end and then a third from the middle. He sets them down on the table in a perfect row in front of him. You better not be fooling me, woman, Will groans internally. I refuse to be a jester for your charlatan establishment.

She set the cards he didn't choose aside, and flipped over the first card. It was the Martyr, those bleeding eyes staring up from the painted card. "Ah. This first card is the one that embodies you. You are prone to sacrifice of yourself for others, though perhaps not to the extent that the Martyr does. You are selfless, and believe in the greater good over your own life. You stand firmly for your beliefs, even if it brings you suffering and anguish." she said slowly, keeping her gaze on the card rather than on Will. She moved to the next card, and flipped it over. This card was of a handsome, but tragic young man with a crown on his head and a rose in his hands. The thorns of the rose had pricked his fingers, and blood ran down them. The man's eyes were averted, looking down at the flower rather than out from the card. The title at the bottom said "VIII. The Prince". She sighed softly. "The Prince stands for starcrossed and doomed love. Love that can never be, and will always end in disaster. Love that goes against the better judgement of all involved, that leads only to the ruin of the two involved."

"Of course," Will mutters upon seeing the Martyr flipped over, sarcasm and venom dripping from his voice. As the woman explains the meaning, Will finds himself relating to her words. It's frightening. His heart is pounding and his eyes are swimming with stars like the ones he sees twinkling on clear nights. The Prince makes his heart squeeze. The fortune teller describes the meaning behind this one, Will's teeth gnawing on his bottom lip. "Oh," He mutters, barely a whisper of his breath.

She flipped over the final card. The Snake. She frowned slightly. "The Snake, as you already know, stands for pain. Given your other two cards, I would guess that this pain is brought about by love, and by your own selflessness. I do not believe that the Snake, in this circumstance, stands for his more common meaning of evil and ill-gotten power. Here, in this context, the Snake is a symbol of pain and misfortune in your future. Given the way your cards are laid out…" she studied the cards for a moment. "The Snake in your life will be a person that you care about, who will bring you pain and suffering. I would think it will be a romantic relationship, but it could simply be platonic. Given the destinies of the Martyr and Snake, you will defeat the Snake in your life, though it will hurt you a great deal." she paused for a moment. "Of course, the Snake in your life is not truly the Fate. The cards merely represent things in your life."

(little does she know–)

Will's jaw sets as the woman finishes reading his future. The Snake. A loved one. One that will send Will through hell and back because of his own selflessness. "The Snake," he says quietly. Someone he loves? Well the only two people in the village Will actually cares for are his mother and father, and they're both too mild, loving and mundane to ever put Will through this prophesied pain.

"Is that all?" Will asks, his voice quiet and his mind still racing. The Snake? Before she answers, Will stands from the colorful stood, his head slightly dizzy from the rush. He isn't sure if he wants to hear more. "How do you accept your payments?"