2013-10-22 - Unexpected Advice

The shop is a mishmash of all things occult. Dusty tomes line the walls of this small, yet quaint, establishment. Artifacts from many different eras hang from every piece of ceiling and wall not taken up by books or draping sheer fabrics. Statues sit on open spaces on the shelves, hand fans made of fine fabrics and gold are strewn about in a haphazard manner.

At the heart of this shop, a large circular space of overstuffed fine-fabric pillows sit on the floor cordoned off by sheer fabrics hanging from the ceiling, draping the area like a canopy; a low table sits in the middle of the circle, beset with a crystal ball and a few stacks of cards. Incense burn at the table in the private reading area and countertop in the main part of the shop, -- where the customers would traditionally pay for services rendered, -- leaving a smokey appearance to the atmosphere and the thick, sweet smell of nag champa hanging solidly in the air.

The glass door at the front of the shop is painted with the eye of horas, the words 'Tarot Readings' scrawled above the image and 'Madame Xanadu - Advisor, Seer, Trader of occult goods' below. At the far back, hidden by the bookshelves, is a winding staircase leading up to a small studio apartment above the shop.

As a customer leaves to the sound of the tinkling bell above the door a dog shoulder’s his way past them into the shop. It’s a mutt one that looks vaguely golden retriever like but with a muted grey coat. The dog woofs starts sniffing around the shop, hopefully not looking for somewhere to pee. Outside the shop a frustrated voice calls “Lucky!” then a blonde haired man appears in the doorway looking for the dog.

The tinkling of the bell, nor the dog entering her pillowed reading room stops the shuffling of cards in her hands. The assistant, however, yelps a little as the yellow mutt noses his way into her lap at her place beside the mystical woman, Madame Xanadu. "Do not be rude, Lucky," the beautiful, yet elder of the two woman says. "Lucky?" Daena says as the dog licks her hand. "Indeed, now take back my hand so I may see him proper." The cards continue to shuffle themselves, then stop, then lay out.. One. Two. Three. On the table in front of the Madame. Past. Present. Future. "Ah. And here's his owner, I presume," as the cards lay themselves properly on the table.

Clint follows Lucky back into the shop and when he sees the ladies there he stops and with a sheepish expression scratches the back of his neck. “Sorry about this ladies,” he says as he moves towards Lucky. “He’s sort of had a bad upbringing,” he explains as he ducks down to take hold of the leash. “We’ll get out of the way of your… whatever this is,” he says gesturing at the table and the cards. Daena looks down at the cards, her stare seemingly distant as Clint enters and she looks his way. "No need to be sorry, people... and their pets, do not wander into my shop for no reason. I assure you." Madame Xanadu says with a soft smile. Her own stare blank, though curiously in his direction. "Especially one with cards such as yours," she smiles gesturing toward the table, never breaking her hold on Daena. "As for your dog, well... He is kindly enough." She laughs heartily as he mentions a card game. "This is no game, good man. It is your past, your present, and your inevitable future. Madame Xanadu is never wrong. Didn't you read the door on your way in? I though I had the painter make the words legible," she mumbles the last bit, sighing heavily.

“Uh-huh,” Clint says with a nod. “Right, well I am good with not knowing what’s coming. I like surprises,” Clint says and he tugs on Lucky’s leash. The dog lets out a whine then lays his head down on Madame Xanadu’s lap.

"For real?" Clint says to Lucky looking like a man betrayed.

"Fate, Clint," she says with a raise of a brow, "often deals us hands that give us no choice." There's a smile as the dog lays his head in her lap. Her free hand pets the top of the dog's head. "As you see, pets. They know, as do the cards," she adds, Deana's eyes flicking toward the cards as Madame Xanadu's hand stops scratching behind the dog's ear only momentarily to wave at the card's direction. "You see," she says as the first card on the table lifts up and faces Clint, slowly floating upward and stoping at his eye level, "The nine of swords." She scratches the dog's ear again, a soft smile resting on her face. "It is your past. It means, Clint, that you've endured death, failure, deception, disappointment, and despair in your recent past," she sniffs and furrows her brow, "your recent past, but it extends back for quite some time, no?"

http://www.learntarot.com/bigjpgs/swords09.jpg

Of all the things that creep Clint out it’s not that she knows his name, he’s sort of famous after all, or that the card floats, there are mutants who can do that, or even Lucky’s refusal to leave, but the damn card. How many times has he been that guy sitting up with his face cradled in his hands thinking about his past. Still, he crosses his arms and forces a smile onto his lips “Me and most people, though I got to admit that was a good pull,” he answers with practiced defiance.

"I... well, I did not pull it. You did, when you walked into my shop." There are scars on Madame Xanadu’s eyes, giving them the appearance of a blue color, but they have a hint of green that teases the edges. If anyone would dare to look close enough they'd note the woman is blind, still she laughs a little as she runs a thumb down the dog's nose after waving for the next card to float up to the first. "The Magician. He is your present. He stands for, pain, loss, disaster, snares of enemies; self-confidence. Hmmm..." she says, sighing than shaking her head. "You search. You search for someone who is supposed to not be there. A woman," Madame Xanadu sighs, "much disaster has come from searching for woman who care to remain lost. Or... anyone else for that matter," she says as Daena's gaze flits over the last card still sitting on the table. "I am not here to prove myself to you, you either believe me or you don't, either way it has no effect on my life."

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/de/RWS_Tarot_01_Magician.jpg

Clint’s smile vanishes at the prediction. Once upon a time he was ‘gifted’ with telepathy and a friend who was a real psychic dumped some skills into his brain to help him manage those powers while they lasted. The powers went but the skill stuck around, he reaches into those skills now to throw up a basic psychic block. Nothing major but enough to let him know someone is in his mind. “Cute lady, you’re good, a little mutant mind reading power, a little TK and you’ve got yourself quite an act. I mean it, I was carnie when I was a kid I’ve seen a million fortune tellers and I got to say you’re one of the best. Now if you really want to impress me, tell me where to find the lady I’m looking for.”

"I don't poke into the minds of others, that would be rude! Besides, you did nothing to me to deserve such a thing." Madame Xanadu rolls her eyes, an odd thing, perhaps a bad habit from days past. "I've lived too long, to be rude now. Besides you'll believe me or not. Truly, I do not care. I read your energies through the cards, your energy says more than you think. However, as for telling the future... well here." The last floats up and faces Clint, she feels not his mental block. "Knight of Wands," she says, a smile inching across her face, "a dark, young man. I will leave that to you to find out, as I don't like to play the fates. Though, when it happens, you will know. Come back when you do, hmm?"

http://www.learntarot.com/bigjpgs/wands12.jpg

Clint looks at the card. “Huh, no name then,” he says as he looks at the Knight of Wands. “A dark young man,” there is a twitch of frown there. Did she mean John? He hoped not. “Fine,” he says. “If your vague prophecy comes true, I’ll come back, though really you shouldn’t be trying to play the long con with this stuff, short con always works best with the fortune teller gig.” He tugs the leash. “Can I have my dog back now?”

She grins as Daena lets go of her hand and she rises, the dog moving to his owner, as does Madame Xandau. She reaches up to place a hand on his cheek, if he'd let her, her impairment clear now. "You are a good man, Clint, let no one tell you otherwise. That is, if you want to be," she smiles, dropping her hand as a lock of hair falls in her face, she doesn't seem to notice it at all as it covers one eye entirely. "I cannot tell you his name, nor when he will appear. Just that he will, and he's determined. I am not allowed to interfere, archer," Madame Xanadu adds. "If it were a con, I would ask for payment, no? Or take your money. Check your pockets, if you please, you will find your money still there and you will not find my hand out for payment. The reading is free, what you do with it... well, that's up to you."

Clint doesn’t need to check his wallet when she tells him too, he’s already got his hand on it when she moves close to touch his face. Yeah, he’s seen this game played too. Though when she doesn’t steal and there is a sincerity in her tone that makes him doubt if she is con artist after all. “Yeah, I’m a real prince,” he mutters as he steps away from her hand. “So if you’re not a con artist, and you don’t want money for your reading, what’s your game? Why tell me any of this?”

She smiles, chuckling a little. "Why? Well. That's simple. Your energy demands it, the cards do not place themselves whilst I shuffle for no reason. I am very old, believe it or not, I have no reason to take your money. I have my own, plenty of it, in fact." Madame Xanadu walks towards a shelf, thumbing the bindings of some of the tomes there. "It is in my own cards to help those who need it, but I can only help those who help themselves. I am an advisor, of sorts, spiritual, magical, otherworldly, and otherwise."

Clint frowns and crouches down to give Lucky a scratch behind the ear. "You know for an advisor, you're advice isn't too helpful, especially for a man with the amount of enemies I have," he stands up again. "Still thanks for saying I was a good guy, that always brightens my day," he turns to leave.

She chuckles at the bindings of tomes she touches. "You did not ask for any, you just accepted what I was giving you. You will come back, if you find the need. That is," Madame Xanadu turns, though not quite in the right direction, and smiles, "if you stop being such a skeptic and getting in your own way to enlightenment. You're most welcome for the compliment, those are free too. Good day, archer."

Clint stops and turns. “So that’s how it works, I need to ask?” he says turning in the doorway. “Okay, how do I find the lady I’m looking for?” he asks point blank, arms crossed over his chest, Lucky sitting by his feet.

Madame Xanadu's smile turns to a frown. "I have already said, I cannot intervene, just advise." She brings a finger to her lip, worrying it slightly before snapping her fingers. "Do ask in a different way. I cannot tell you where she is," she senses something about Clint, though she cannot see his arms crossed she can feel intense skepticism.

“Egh, it’s fine, I’ll find her myself,” Clint says waving his hand dismissively. He lets the loop of the leash slip back into his hand and tugs it and Lucky stands this time. “Thanks for the advice,” he says and then heads out the door to the tinkle of the bell. As they head out onto the street Clint looks down at Lucky “See, this is why I am not going out anymore, too much weird stuff.”

Madame Xanadu sighs and looks to Daena as the man slips out. "Should've just asked what he could do to find her," she shakes her head as a tome floats out from the shelf. "Go back in there, I've no need of you now," she sniffs, making way upstairs to her rooms.