[AW] Whatever It Takes

[Regis]

"I am the one thing in life I can control. I am inimitable, I am an original."

With renewed vigor the rambunctious pair made their way from the main citadel, breaking away from the side of whoever it was that was supposed to be watching him without a second care. He zipped from one stall to the next, browsing everything he could given his lack of height before moving on. There was dazzling jewelry, extravagant outfits, exotic fragrances that tickled his nose and caused him to sneeze, and even a place selling sweets. Maybe once his parents had returned from their solo stroll he would try and bring them back here and ask if he and Milo could get something.
 
As Prince and fox weaved through the crowd, they stopped periodically to watch the myriad of performers, politely wedging their way into the front if at all possible. The sword-swallowers were impressive but frightening, the haunting voices of the singers awe-inspiring, but what captivated Regis the most were the tiny dragons that blew fire and flew through the air with more finesse than any Pegasus he’d ever seen. There were whoops and hollers from the crowd around them as they looked on, and Regis joined in with a cheerful shout of his own, followed by a joyful bark from Milo.
 
Once the performance had ended and the crowds began to disperse, Regis had been interested in going up to see if he could meet one of the dragons, but had backed out at the last second when the trainers turned their backs to him. He frowned, discouraged, but not wanting to bother them, he decided to continue their adventure through Denocte’s infamous bazaar.
 
Regis nearly missed the tent, the ruby glimmer of its canvas catching his eye before it was too late. Coming to a stop, he inspected the entrance quizzically for a moment before casting his gaze down to Milo for his opinion. “You wanna go see what’s in there, Milo?”
 
Ever eager, the young fox’s mouth parted, tongue lolling to the side in a sort of smile. "Let’s go!" It was the only answer Regis needed to hear in the depths of his mind – a phenomena he still couldn’t really explain, but didn’t care to.
 
Passing between the two blazing fires, Regis was mildly surprised to find that the tent was lacking of any wares for sale, save for a pile of lavish looking pillows. The mare he would have previously assumed was a shopkeeper ordered him to sit, and not thinking much of it, the Prince did just that. ”Okay,” he said as he bedded down on the pillows with Milo curling up beside him, back pressed into his side, and once settled Regis looked on at the silver-eyed mare with dual-colored eyes of equal parts wonder and confusion.

”I didn’t know cards could speak,” he said with a furrowed brow, but he was curious nonetheless. It took a brief explanation before he truly understood what was being asked, which was followed by an understanding ’oooh’. Lips pursing, Regis thought long and hard; a single question was so hard! But with a bit of time, he finally decided on something.
 
“… Oh, I know!” He exclaimed at last, ”How can I make sure all my friends and family are happy?” It was, after all, the only thing he had ever wanted in his short existence.

”Speech”

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@Official Night Account
Open to anyone else, too!
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aimless | odeen

[Official Night Account]

A Reading,

“A noble question, young prince.” The old mare says with a youthful and almost devilish sort of glint in her gray, aged eyes. For a moment it's easy to wonder if she's really blind or if all that grayness is nothing more than another trick of the light (or a trick of magic).

Between them the cards, held loosely in her magic, start to dance. They arc between them and fall again. Two piles of them of the twist like serpents, around and around on the table until the whole tent is alive with feral cards. Here and there it's easy to catch a glimpse of a cup, a sword and something that looks almost like a moon even though it seems more black than silver on the ruby cards.

And then, just as suddenly as they started to dance, the cards collapse like corpses on the table. There is only one pile now and the mare draws three of them (with a flourish) from the deck and lays the cards face up before the Prince.

The first is the seven of cups, the second the four of swords and the last the ten of swords. Here the mare grows serious and beaks the silence with a sigh before she starts her reading. “It will not be an easy task, young one, to make sure everyone close to you is happy. The cards say there will be trials ahead, both in yourself and in the world.” She tries to smile, to gentle the darkness of the cards, but she's old and cold and her smile looks too full of teeth to be soothing.

“Stay strong and keep your eyes pointed to all the light in your heart instead of the darkness in the world around you. If you do that you might succeed in chasing away the sorrows of those around you and replace the with love and joy. Someday I think, Prince, you will be a great savior of a troubled world.” The mare quickly shuffles the cards back into the single pile before rising from the pillow and vanishing behind a shroud of silk.

But in the space she once filled two words seem to echo over and over again, like a chant. “Stay true.”


@Regis