Soren nodded. "Oh, i see." He said with a small smile. "That's cool." He shifted slightly, adjusting his sleeves. His white streaked hair was messy, as if he had simply run his fingers through it before putting his crown on, and was hanging down into his face.
Celeste’s fingers itches to push his hair out of his face, sort of surprising her. “Maybe we’ll have time for that story some other time.” She said, smiling at him as she gestured to the cards. “Two more, to complete your fortune.”
He chuckled softly, and flipped another card over. "Alright." He replied. "And what does this one mean?" He asked, looking at her curiously. There was a smile on his face, his unique, blue eyes bright. Far different from how he normally looked. Exhausted and overworked.
“Another letting go card.” She said, pulling her gaze away from his eyes to look down at the card. “The Hanged Man. You’ll find yourself at a crossroads soon, and you might have to let go of something to make the right choice. The cards say you need to prepare yourself apparently.” She joked lightly, eyes scrunched at the corners with her laugh.
Soren frowned slightly. "And what the hell am i letting go of? Do your cards say anything about that?" He asked. What am i letting go of? The crown? My title? …Mikhail? What? He raised an eyebrow, looking at her. "Er, pardon my language."
“Don’t worry about it.” Celeste said, waving off his swearing. “I don’t really know. The cards don’t give me specifics, most of the time. Is there anything you’ve been holding onto, something you maybe should have let go of? Someone? Usually, it’s something to do with the past.”
…Alana? He shrugged, hesitating. "I don't know." He replied. "I don't…" He sighed softly, closing his eyes for a moment. It's Alana, isn't it? Her memory. All the little reminders about her. Her death. He raked a hand through his hair.
“In any case, it’s usually never immediate. Letting go and getting over these things.” Celeste said, shooting him an understanding look. “The cards understand that. It took me…I don’t even know how long to come to terms with my mother’s….death. My fortunes knew that, and just offered a gentle reminder that the past isn’t something to try and live in.” She looked off to the side, watching a hummingbird flit around a flower bush.
Soren nodded. "Alright." He said slowly. "Alright." He looked at her. Her mother…right. Right. That's who she is. I keep…forgetting. he sighed softly. "Shall we do the last card, then?" He asked, straightening his sleeves. I need to get the Witch Bloods, too. He realized. They're a reminder of…a lot of things. Memories flickered through his head. His father's descent into insanity, his mother withering away to nothing. His sister's broken, battered body.
“Last card. Something tells me this one’ll be good.” Celeste said, noting the look on his face. She’d worn it herself plenty of times, and knew it would do him no good to slip further. “They haven’t been the nicest today, but I’ve got a good feeling.”
Soren gave a small smile, and flipped the last card over, waiting to hear what she would say about it. He hoped she was right, and it was something good. Of course, he wasn't going to put too much stock in some little cards, but still. Would be nice if it was a good one this time.
The card looked ominous, a hand painted skull impales directly on a sword, wrapped in roses and what looked like a grey silk shroud. The word death sat at the bottom of the card, in thick letters. Celeste, however, grinned when she saw it. “Called it!”
Soren raised an eyebrow. "How is a card labeled death a good thing?" He asked, looking at her in confusion. "Who or what is going to die?" He made a face slightly, still watching her with confusion in his blue eyes.
“Nobody!” Celeste said happily, lifting her eyes to meet his. “This is one of my favorite cards! It’s supposed to mean change. Like….rebirth, you know? Sure, you could think of that change as a death, of ‘old you’, but rebirth isn’t something to be ignored.”
Soren blinked, and nodded slowly. "Oh, i see." He said. "Alright. That's cool." He shifted. "So, all in all…my fortune is marriage, letting go of things, and a rebirth? Oh boy." He chuckled slightly. "Sounds like a hectic time for the country."
“For you.” Celeste corrected, shaking her head. “This isn’t a fortune for the country, it’s a fortune for you. And the cards never said marriage, just to think about your love life. You don’t really have to listen to pieces of paper, anyway. Just keep in mind what they say.”
Soren shrugged. "What I do affects my country." He replied. "So if it's difficult for me, it's difficult for them." He chuckled softly. "Oh don't worry, I know they're just cards." He said with a shrug, stretching with a soft sigh.
Celeste shrugged a shoulder, smiling still. “I’ll probably never get that, I guess. The best advice I can offer is focus on you, but I don’t really know how much of that ruling thing works.” She turned over the cards once more, and with a quick swipe, returned them all to a stack, wrapping a piece of cloth around them and tucking them in her pouch. “But I can give you the advice of a professional meddler and card reader. When the cards say to talk to someone you trust, you really should. Keeping all of your burdens to yourself is never good.”
Soren shrugged, and sighed softly. "The people I trust are few and far between." He muttered under his breath. "But thank you, Celeste." He said with a soft smile. "This was… enlightening, i suppose is the correct word." He chuckled softly, raking his hands through his hair, then adjusting the crown before it could fall off.
“Well, I’m glad you don’t consider it complete nonsense.” Celeste joked, stretching her arms up in the air. She was back to wearing her usual loose white shirt, though she’d pushed the sleeves up while reading Soren’s cards. The sun hit her face, making her skin almost glow. “So what are you up to, today? More resting?”
He smiled slightly, then sighed. "Yes. Sort of. My version of resting may not be the same as yours and Lena's, but yes." He replied, then frowned slightly. "I haven't gone to see Mikhail yet…I should." He said, mostly to himself. Mikhail had been his best friend and closest advisor for years now.
“There you go! That’s not exactly resting, but it’s better than nothing.” Celeste nodded, her face still turned towards the sun with a smile. Once again, there were bees buzzing around her, and one could assume she’d been busy feeding them.
Soren chuckled. "Yes…" He stood. "I'm going to go visit Mikhail, would you like to come with me? He might want to talk to you about what happened." He said, looking over at her. Bees again. He thought with a mental chuckle.
Celeste’s eyes blinked open in surprise as she looked at him. “You sure you don’t want to talk to him alone? I can always answer any questions later. He’s your friend.” She said, tilting her head. A bumblebee landed on her shoulder, huddling up in the crook of her neck.
Soren shrugged. "I know what he's going to say. He might lecture me less if there's an audience." He gave a sheepish grin. "So. It's mostly from selfish motives." He said with a chuckle.
Celeste huffed a laugh, nodding slightly, careful not to upset the bee. “Alright then. I’d love to go with you. It’s something to do, as well. I’ve spent most of my time in the library today.”
He nodded, and offered her his arm. "Oh, the library is amazing." He replied. "I wish i could spend more time there." He started walking back into the castle. "By the way, you might not want to take your bees in."
“They’re not my bees.” Celeste said, after accepting the arm without any hesitation. Either way, she whispered something in that same language she’d spoken to the cards in, and the bees dispersed lazily, buzzing happily. “The library really is amazing. I’ve been in plenty, but never one quite that big.”
Soren nodded. "My mother used to love to read. It was because of her that the library is so big. I'm not complaining, though. When I have the time, which is basically never, I go to the library and just…pick a random book." It makes me feel closer to her and Alana. They both loved it so much.
“That’s always fun to do.” Celeste said with a nod, smiling. “When I was younger, I wanted to read every single book in the world, because I was certain that would teach me everything I needed to know to help the world. Obviously, that was kind of an impossible hope, reading that many books.” And yet, I still wanted to. I thought maybe it would make me smarter than my father, would help me heal his touch.