The Flight Home (II)
"So it is love you seek to know, eh? A very mature question for one so youthful, but far be it for me to stand and say that there is such a thing as being too young to ask of love! Very well, I shall divine your fate in the matters of romance," declares Papus. Gathering the cards from the deck, he shuffles them deftly, eyes closed shut. With an unwavering hand, he draws out five cards and lays them face down on the table once more. "I find that the number five is more suited for the nature of romantic affairs," he explains. "Chalk it up to experience and experiments alike."
Papus flips the first card over. It shows a woman with a lion. "This first card signifies your self in matters of romance. And let us see... ah, the Strength arcana, reversed. You doubt yourself severely when it comes to matters of love. Yet, should you look, there is an inner strength in you that cannot be easily drawn out, a resilience that needs to rise to the fore when romance is on the line."
"Next, we will divine the matters of your partner," Papus continues, flipping over the subsequent card. "The ten of cups. While there is uncertainty, there is also contentment in family life and peace of heart. The future is unclear, but should you commit to a relationship, your partner is someone you can ultimately have a happy family with... though you may indeed be too young to think of settling down!"
With a chortle, Papus strokes his beard and moves on to the following card. "The ace of wands tells of the commencement of an enterprise, or in this case, a relationship. It seems that the time and situation is right for one to begin... should you desire it."
"The potential of your relationship, then, is represented by the Justice arcana." Papus reveals a card where a woman is holding a sword in one hand and a pair of scales in the other. "Justice is equity, it is fairness, it is balance. To have this card define the potential of your relationship means that your partner will be someone equal to you, and it is a relationship that will thrive should you treat them as an equal in turn."
And finally, he turns over the final card. It depicts a skeleton wielding a scythe. "Death, reversed. While upright it symbolizes transformation, the end of one phase of your life and the beginning of the next, reversed it tells of stagnation, inability to change, and a lack of self-esteem in love... and ne'er will love come, should that stay the same. In this position, the appearance of this card advises you to make a change in how you see yourself should you desire a romantic relationship."
With a confident grin, Papus raises his hands and claps them. "And that is all! I hope you have been satisfied with my reading, and surely you will take it to heart, eh?"
You can only give him a quiet nod, not knowing what to make of his predictions; you are not even that sure yourself why you asked about love, although the idea does make your heart beat just a little faster. Whether or not the tarot cards are accurate will be something you have to find out for yourself in the future.
***
Before you know it, you catch sight of the familiar roofs of Scotsfield. You are back. It feels like it has been ages since you departed on that ill-advised trip to the ruins, though in actuality it had only been mere weeks... but you are back.
"This is as far as we'll take you," says Tlalli, ruffling your hair as you prepare to disembark the ship.
You give her the best smile that you can muster and say, "Thank you very much," in as polite and grateful a tone as you can.
"Yeah, thanks a lot, Gramma!" says Elizabeth excitedly.
"Thank you," repeats Sophie, bowing her head.
"Hah, no need to stand on ceremony here," snorts the old woman, slightly embarrassed at the honest display of gratitude. "Anyway, before we say goodbye... boy, there's something I want to ask you." Facing you sternly, she asks, "Would you like to be a Hunter in the future?"
"Me?"
"Yes," nods Tlalli. "You have some talent for it, and if polished I do think you might turn out to be quite the remarkable gem. Of course, at your age... how old are you at the moment?"
"Ten, eleven, maybe?" You venture. You're not fully certain, but it should be around there.
"Two more years, then. I will be swinging by around this floor in two more years... if I'm still alive, I suppose. If you still want to be a Hunter then, I'll gladly take you under my wing and bring you to one of your bases. How's that sound?"
"Wait, what? That's not fair! I want to be one too!" protests Elizabeth. "We can't let Wrinkly have all the fun and adventure now, can we?"
Tlalli laughs. "That's some spirit you have there, girlie. You're really a fiery one, aren't you? But don't you have your father's business to consider? I thought you wanted to be a merchant, hm?"
Elizabeth gives Tlalli a a smug grin, as if she has got it all figured out. "Oh, I know. There's nothing saying that I can't act as a trader while moving around as a Hunter, right? I mean, old Papus here's wandering around like a scholar while being a Hunter, so why not a merchant and a Hunter?"
"Well, you might be right. And that's really an interesting thought," smiles Tlalli, genuinely humoured. "Our association is full of nothing but muscleheaded blockheads and bookheaded blockheads, so a moneyheaded blockhead might be a fun addition to the crew. Alright, if you and your father are okay with it, you can come along in two years too."
"It's a promise, alright?" presses Elizabeth fervently.
"It's a promise," nods Tlalli.
"Hah! Well then, Wrinkly, I'm not going to lose to you!" Elizabeth challenges you with a bright smile. "You'll see, I'll become an amazing explorer and adventurer too!"
Sophie remains silent throughout all this, looking over at Scotsfield. As you say your final goodbyes to Tlalli and Papus, and disembark from the ship, you see some people running out of the village to meet you. Papus does not stay around to talk; before they are here, the airship is already gone.
The old gatekeeper, Mr. Addair, some of the younger farmers with pitchforks in their hands, Elizabeth's portly father, Father McClellan, and finally, Madam Daviana, with Rain in her arms. As they reach you, and see that you and the girls are indeed who you appear to be, their tense faces relax. Daviana holds out a crying Rain, who's stretching her little stubby hands out towards you. You take the child in your arms and she clings on tightly, bawling her eyes out, as if she would never let go of you again. "How strange," murmurs the old matron. "She was quiet all this while but started crying shortly before you came back."
Meanwhile, Elizabeth's father sweeps her up in his arms, yammering panickedly about how glad he was that she was safe. Towering over you, Father McClellan sighs as he places his hand on Sophie's shoulder. "You are going to have a lot of explaining to do, children."
While telling Father McClellan about what happened, you learned in turn what happened to the other children. The twins had wandered their way out and returned safe and sound, no wiser than to what had happened in the ruins. Andrew and Scottie had returned a day later, Scottie full of tall tales about him and Andrew's heroics and how you had kidnapped the two girls. The villagers of Scotsfield did not exactly believe him, but your disappearance with two of the village's maidens didn't leave them feeling more friendly towards you either. Andrew, on the other hand, had become quiet and withdrawn, according to those who saw him. Both Andrew and Scottie left the village with Scottie's dad a week later for reasons related to his work. What that was, in particular, the villagers did not know.
Regardless, Scotsfield had seen enough excitement to last itself the year. At this point, with the girls back safe and sound, the villagers just wanted to get on with their quiet lives and not ask anymore questions.
And so, time passed...
***
After the excitement of your travels, you decide to settle down for a while and return to your daily routine. As your relationship with the villagers had cooled slightly thanks to the incident at the ruins, you wonder if you should attempt to make more of an effort to socialize with them, despite your poor talking ability.
A. You decide to spend more time socializing with the villagers and improving your relationship with them. (Allowed to pick three activities in the next choice)
B. You decide to focus more on your own pursuits. (Allowed to pick five activities in the next choice)
You begin pursuing the following activities in your own free time:
I. Increasing your proficiency with the Astras that you own
II. Practicing your hunting skills (ranged weapons, stealth, traps)
III. Practicing your combat skills (melee weapons, unarmed)
V. Learning more about alchemy
VI. Studying arithmetic
VII. Picking up art
VIII. Reading about astrology
IX. Learning sleight-of-hand
X. Taking up drinking
XI. Learning etiquette
XII. Practicing speech
XIII. Spending time playing with and taking care of Rain
XIV. Spending time with Elizabeth while she helps her father
XV. Spending time with Sophie while doing your daily duties
***
