An Ill Omen

The sun was already beginning to set and Typhon had not yet finished getting everything he needed to make dinner for the night. His father was surely waiting at home for Ty to return. He began to pick up the pace and hurry home. All he had left to get was pork from the butcher's shop a few streets over. Shop lights were just starting to light up, one by one as the sky got darker. He loved the look of the village at night. All the different colored signs illuminated by lamps and neon lights were always a pleasant sight.

As he walked towards his destination enwrapped in the view of the city, a voice called out to him, "You there, boy in the mask."

He was surprised at the sudden snap from his daydreaming and turned to see that it was an old woman with white hair who was calling for him. She was sat alone at a folding table just outside of a bar.

"Come here a moment will you?" The woman beckoned, waving her hand towards her table. Layed atop the table was a large deck of cards with solid black backs. Ty had never seen playing cards like them before. The woman placed her hands on the deck and smiled at him, "would you like your fortune told?"

It was an odd question out of the blue, but not too uncommon in the village. Many people of different beliefs made their home in Hoshigakure. It was a city for all types of spirituality to find its place. The old woman was short and plump and her hair was tied back in a bun. Her robes were a deep purple and reached all the way to the ground. She was seated in a beat up wooden chair and had what looked like a tip jar under the table.

Typhon was in a hurry, but the woman was very insistent that he try it. Out of almost pure awkwardness he relented and sat down, placing his grocery bags next to him. He had never had his fortune told before and figured this would be a good opportunity to experience something new.

"Why not?" He laughed nervously, "So how does this work?"

The woman gave a wide smile and said, "First I need you to shuffle these cards for me. Think real hard about your life so far and where you want it to go from here. Your thoughts and energy will flow into the cards and I will read to you what they divine."

It sounded a little corny to Ty, but he would simply comply. He picked up the deck and began shuffling. While he did he thought back on his life. He remembered a time when both of his parents were alive and well, before his mother's death and before his father's injury. They were a happy family, making it through each day with each other's help. Things were different now though. His mother was gone and Ty was left to care for his father. Things were looking better these days though. His father had been looking better and Typhon had gotten a job as a shinobi. He realized that he had spaced out a little and finished shuffling the cards. He placed the deck back in front of the woman and folded his arms. He was skeptical of fortune telling, but playing along seemed like the right thing to do.

Without a word the woman took the top three cards off the pile and laid them out on the table. He wondered what the significance was, but she started speaking before he could really give it any thought.

"Since no question was asked of them, the cards will reveal your future in a very general way. There's no telling what it could be about." She would say as she took the first one in her hand and flipped it. There was an image of a man on it, he was dressed in fancy robes and attended by servants. The card read 'The Emperor' on the top.

"Upright Emperor, hmm someone close to you, someone you respect greatly. Interesting..." she would trail off no longer looking at Typhon. She was intently studying the cards as she spoke. The next one seemed to be upside down, it featured a woman wearing a lion's skin as a headdress. "Strength and its reversed. Often a bad sign of things to come. It will all depend on the final card."

The woman flipped the last card and a solemn look came to her face. It was also upside down just like the previous one. It showed a skeletal rider atop a pale horse. He held an hourglass in his hands. The nameplate read 'Death. She could clearly see the worry in Ty's face and sought to reassure him.

"Death often gets that kind of reaction from people, but do not let the name fool you. It often does not appear as an omen for someone actually dying but moreso foretells significant change. Reversed like it is usually refers to fighting back against something. Though it rarely means something good." She would say resting a hand over Typhon's shoulder. The fortune teller would close her eyes in thought, mulling over the fortune her cards were telling. She sat there like that for several seconds before finally opening her eyes. She looked extremely serious.

"I believe what they are trying to tell you is that someone you respect, a friend or possibly a family member, will be faced with a great challenge. Something that you yourself will struggle with. It is not a good omen, nor is it a death sentence, but it is one to be wary of." She would release his shoulder and lean back in her chair, "please do be careful."

He was shocked to say the least. This woman seemed so serious even though it was just a card trick. He was not worried in the slightest about what she had just told him. Instead he simply thanked her for the reading and dropped a few Ryo in her collection jar before heading off to finish his shopping. He needed to get home to bring food for his father after all. He had wasted enough time already.

With the fortune teller already no longer on his mind, Typhon would press on with the task at hand. It did not take him long to get the meat and he headed home ready to apologize for being late. He kicked off his shoes at the door and took his mask off right in the doorway, placing it on the hook next to his dad's mask. "I'm home, sorry I'm late. Dinner won't take long!" He would say as he came around the corner into the kitchen.

His father was there, laying face down on the floor next to the sink. Typhon felt his heart sink as he dropped his bags and rushed over to check on his dad. He was doing so well lately. He couldn't just have kicked the bucket for no reason. Luckily he was still breathing and he didn't seem badly bruised from the fall. He quickly laid his father down in bed and called for the doctor who knew his condition best. According to the nurse at the practice he wouldn't be able to come check on him until the following morning. All that Ty could do now was wait. He was restless and angry that he had spent time frivolously while his father needed help. Who knew how long he was laying there waiting for someone to help? He was kicking himself for not being there sooner.

The old woman's fortune weighed heavily on the young man's mind. Could this have been what she was talking about?

(Exit)
(WC 1303)

Claims

+3 chakra
+10 speed

(1300 words to finish learning Poison Mist ) (Thread for previous WC)

Approved