paixaorpg | Leave the Lights On [Active]

Entry tags:

Leave the Lights On [Active]

Character(s): Urd, Genie, Yorda.
Content: Urd and Genie check up on their totally not adopted daughter.
Setting: Mao's lab in St. Destino Hospital
Time: Week 34, afternoon
Warnings: None.

Urd rode sidesaddle on a broom as she flew across the sky, low under the ever present domed ceiling. Weary and lacking her usual luster, she had opted for the broom rather than her usual solo flying as she made the trip to St. Destino. Her heart was hurting and a part of her wanted nothing more than to retreat somewhere quiet and remote so she could be left alone. But Yorda had sounded so frightened...and in the wake of a new arrival named Geoffrey, almost desperate. Urd told herself she was going simply to check up on the girl. If she happened to get comfort from her, that was all the better.

She rode in silence, feeling Genie's presence as he flew behind. When the reached the tall structure of St. Destino, she lead the way to the hospital wing, gliding into an open window.

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“You can’t rush these things.” Genie replied, getting up to check the kettle for Yorda. Guest or not, he felt compelled to be of help. “Brewing tea is an art, just ask Iroh.” As he spoke he swept his finger across the wood burning stove to check for signs of dust. It could use some lemon Pledge. Surely no one would notice if he were to sneak a little cleaning in. Well, notice anything but the enchanting smell of lemony freshness.

“Oh, we should read each other’s fortunes!” Turning to face the pair again, Genie beamed with excitement. “I haven’t done tasseography, tasseomancy or also known in some places as tassology, in years! Oh, can we do it? Oh please, oh please, oh please.”

"It will be ready soon," replied Yorda, glancing at the cake Genie brought her and wondering if she should serve some to her guests. They had said they weren't hungry, but surely a little something couldn't hurt, right? "Who is Iroh?" she asked Genie, glancing over at him. She hadn't spoken to anyone of that name, but she may have caught a glimpse of it over the journals; it was so hard to keep track, especially since there were so many people around.

The girl blinked at Genie's babbling, wanting to ask what in the world all of that was, but he spoke so quickly Yorda could only nod in response to his question.

"Fortunes...?" Urd broke into a small smile, leaning forward to place her chin in her hand. "Sure, why not? Let's see how a genie fares in the fortune telling department." She glanced over at Yorda. "Would you like to know what lies in store for your future?"

How he fared? Genie narrowed his eyes at the goddess before turning to tend to the screaming kettle. He was an excellent fortune teller. The true question was how did a goddess fare when it came to predicting ones future? He had studied under a fortune teller briefly in his later years, having learned the tricks of the trade through hands on experience opposed to the books he was forced to consult afterwards. As he daintily prepared each cup he pondered what experience Urd could have had when it came to fortune telling.

“I’ll have you know I fair excellently and accurately.” He informed the two, though more particularly the goddess, when he approached the table again. “Be careful, it’s still hot. And don’t drink all of it; you’ll need to leave about half a teaspoonful for me to read it.”

Tea was usually served with cake or at least some sort of sweet, wasn't it? The memory of all the tea times she had had with Urd and Genie was enough to get Yorda moving, and she sliced some of the cake Genie had brought carefully, bringing a plate to the table for each of them. Even if they hadn't wanted dinner, at least she could do something.

Yorda waited for her own tea to cool before she drank it, stirring it a little while she did and wondering how in the world Genie was going to be able to tell her future from looking at the dregs. "I would like to know," she replied, smiling a little shyly. At the least, it was something new, and that was always something worth trying.

She closed her eyes and smirked wider at Genie's aimed remark. "Oh~? Maybe you can read mine, too." Urd opened an eye, watching Yorda. "Of course, a goddess' fortune is a little trickier, so I guess I should go easy on you. Maybe you can stick to a love fortune for me."

When it came to fortune telling, Urd was a big fan, even if it wasn't always reliable. Especially when it came to love fortunes.

Love fortune? They had the stars and fortune cookies for those. Though, against his better judgement, he decided it couldn’t hurt to try. He thanked Yorda for the piece of cake before nodding in agreement to Urd’s request. To be honest, he had never tried to do such before but to say no to the opportunity to try something new simply felt wrong.”A love fortune, huh? Well, if that’s what you wish.” Regardless of his lack of experience, Genie could not have sounded more confident.

Sharing a smile with the two, he gently blew on his tea and took a sip, reminded of Belldandy and her premium tea. For a moment, he seemed to slip away.

The princess nibbled at her cake happily in between sips of tea. Genie always made the best cakes, and as good as Yorda had gotten at baking (after weeks of practice and several ruined batches of various baked goods), she had yet to reach Genie's level. She was content to listen to Urd's playful banter with Genie for now, resting in her chair as she did. She'd missed them, and she was very glad they'd come to visit.

At last, her tea was mostly drained, and Yorda offered Genie her cup, the dregs swirling around inside.

Watching Genie drink his tea, Urd smiled a bit sadly. Like the djinn, she too was reminded of the simple comfort her sister always managed to give with just a cup of tea. At the very least, she was glad the two had met and shared some experiences together. She was grateful Genie had shared tea with her sister.

"Hoh, it's about to get serious now," she said after awhile, focusing on Yorda. "I'll just say this, don't be worried in Genie finds something you don't like. He'll probably misread it." She laughed behind her hand, glancing away smugly.

Accepting Yorda’s cup, Genie furrowed his brow. “My predictions are as accurate as they come.” He assured them. He wasn’t all smoke and mirrors like some people. Well, maybe a little smoke but that was entirely different. The genie narrowed his eyes and applied his glasses for greater precision. “Just wait until I read your fortune.” He teased, glancing down at Yorda’s cup. She likely looked forward to it.

Genie’s smile did not last long. Though, whether it was due to concentration or the results of his findings it had not been clear. He turned the cup, examining it from a new angle then turned it back with the handle facing him. Silence followed as he turned the cup again. The fortune was contradicting and by no means by uncertainty. He had read it right, he was sure.

The number of leaves in conjunction with the initial 'A'… Or maybe it was ‘V’, indicated a name that commenced with that letter, and, being near the rim, would make contact at no greater distance of time. It belonged to that of an enemy, a serpent alongside the letter giving warning. “Is there anyone you know whose name starts with an ‘A’ or a ‘V’?” he asked solemnly.

Yorda sat quietly in her chair as her lips curved up in a smile, her hands folded in her lap once she finished the last bite of cake. She blinked at Urd, not quite understanding. "Why would he misread it?" she asked. "How do you read tea?" Frankly, it sounded fascinating. Perhaps Yorda could get Genie to teach her how to do it after he'd finished with everyone's fortunes.

At the odd questions form Genie, she blinked. "I do not," she replied, wondering why he had asked such a thing. "But Almaz lived with us when he was here." Yorda knew Mao must miss him, but all she could do was try to be there for him and hope Almaz would come back.

Urd had spent so much time in Paixao watching Genie that, by now, she could pick up on his more subtle moods and expressions...and he wasn't being incredibly secretive here, either. Feeling a chill up here spine, she slowly sat up straighter, gaze flicking between him and Yorda as a growing sense of unease built up in her. What was this? This was not the light-hearted thing she'd expected. But rather than scare the girl, Urd put on a crooked smile even as he gaze at Genie spoke volumes.

"What's this? Doing a little cold reading?"

Genie nodded in response to Urd’s unspoken words, her gaze alone having easily said enough. Hopefully his did too. They would need to speak about this.

He smiled softly in return to Yorda, the cup in his hold spun gently so not to disturb the leaves inside “Now, now,” he began, leaning across the table to tap Yorda on the nose. “A magician never reveals his secrets.” His smile broadened. “But I’m not a magician. So, we shouldn’t have any trouble with that! All you have to do is take the Magician's Oath and pinkie swear to never ever, ever, ever-” a breath, “reveal the secrets of magic to anyone but other magicians. It’s code, you know.”

Though it was by no means intended as a challenge, Genie decided to treat the crooked smile Urd wore as one regardless. He scooted closer to Yorda and placed her cup down. “You’ll be reading Urd’s fortune next.” Genie told her in a matter-of-factly tone, his hand extended out to retrieve Urd’s cup. “Darling, prepared to be amazed. Our lady does not read just anybodies fortune, for she is the one, the only, Yorda the Amazing!”

From seemingly nowhere, confetti began rain down on them.

That would be a pain to clean up later…

For her part, Yorda merely sat still, aside from a quizzical look at Urd, then Genie. Why were they glancing at one another like that? But they seemed to have a strange relationship, and while she didn't understand it, she thought that perhaps she shouldn't pry. She giggled a bit at the playful tap Genie gave her, smiling, and nodded happily - another thing to learn! It was always exciting to discover something new. "WHat is a pinky swear?" she asked, tilting her head to one side - Genie said the strangest things sometimes.

At the unexpected confetti, Yorda laughed, not minding in the least that she would need to clean it up once the visit was over. She glanced at the cup Genie set in front of her, merely staring at it. "What should I do?" she asked, mesmerized by the prospect of learning someone's fortune in their tea.

"Oooh!" Urd applauded at Yorda's introduction and the ensuing confetti. "What's this, what's this? You were hiding a secret talent, weren't you?" She leaned forward and placed her chin on her hands, smiling brightly at the girl. "Make sure you give me a good one, okay? Can you tell me who my fated person is? The only love for me?"

She pressed her lips together and pointed harshly at the cup, scowling. "There better not be anything about musicians in there, you hear?"

“A pinky swear is a sacred oath going back for centuries now. It originally meant that the person who broke the promise was to cut off their pinky finger but that ‘tradition’ has thankfully been abandon.” He winked at Yorda and gently nudged her with his shoulder. “So you get to keep your pinky, even if reveal the odd secret of the trade.” Genie mumbled the last bit to the girl so that only she could hear. “Just try not to. Who knows, these days they might even start charging you for sharing others magic tricks next.”

Moving on, Genie placed his hands atop Yorda’s and demonstrated how to properly hold Urd’s cup to determine her prediction. “You’ll need the handle facing you to properly read it.” He instructed her. “Don’t worry about finding meanings to the shapes. More often than not you’ll start looking for things aren’t there. Just relax and let your imagination define the leaves.” To invest confidence in the girl, Genie gave her a knowing nod. Love fortunes should have been the last thing on Yorda’s mind; she’d need a clear mind to determine Urd’s fortune.

And, so long as she did not notice the warm glow of the large florescent arrow lit behind them and pointed at Genie, it would remain that way. Who was Urd’s fated person, the only love for her? Genie knew who and without a word had boldly taken it upon himself to answer her question himself.

Yorda shuddered at the mention of someone cutting off their pinky. She stared at her own for a moment, blinking. "I will not tell anyone of a magician's secrets," she told him solemnly. Even if the practice of cutting off one's pinky had been abolished, she didn't want to think about it. Besides, the princess knew that promises were important. She would never betray another person's trust.

The girl leaned over the teacup, peering inside, and pondered the contents. At first, she didn't see anything. Then she thought she might have seen three figures forming in the tea leaves. It looked as though they were tugging the one in the middle between them. During the short time she had been there, Raspberyl had explained what a rival was. Perhaps that was what it was talking about? "You will have a rival for someone you care about," she told Urd, making a guess as to what the leaves were trying to tell her.

She smirked as she watched Genie teach the girl the tricks of the trade. At Genie's flashy sign, however, Urd lowered her chin from her hand and blinked as she felt her heart skip a beat or two. Well, you couldn't ask for a better sign than that. A small, somewhat shy smile on her lips now, she opened her mouth to say something in response to such a bold move. However, Yorda's announcement made her freeze entirely.

"Wait, what?" Urd leaned over quickly, peering into the cup.

He smiled from across the table at the goddess, still amazed by how he could get such a reaction from someone equally as bold as the sign itself. Genie leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table similar to Urd, eager to hear her response before Yorda made her prediction. A prediction he hadn’t, well, predicted! The sign behind him vanished in a cloud of blue smoke as his chin slipped from his hands and fell against the table. As if on cue, he spoke his surprise in time with Urd.

“What?” Genie too tried to peer into the cup, eager to see what Yorda had seen.

At the confused looks on her companion's faces, Yorda tilted her head, wondering if she had done something wrong. Indicating the cup, she simply nodded, looking up questioningly at Genie and silently wondering if he would correct her. "It is here," she answered at last. "Do you see it?" Trying to help, she pointed at the figures so the others could more easily pick it out.

It was easy to see she'd confused the two of them, though she wasn't quite sure why they'd reacted to her tea-reading in such a manner.

...so it was. Urd slowly looked up from the cup to Genie, a thousand and one questions in her mind at once. Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, "But I thought I was --" Then she clamped her mouth shut and sat back, glancing at Yorda with a queasy smile.

"Eh, these...things aren't accurate all the time. It could mean anything!" She lifted her tea cup to her mouth to take a cool, composed sip of absolutely nothing, since the cup was empty. Clearing her throat, she put it back down as if nothing were wrong.

"A-Anyway, we should probably get going. I'm glad you're doing okay, kid."

Genie looked to Urd with concern then confusion. “Get going?” he asked. “But we just got here.” Wrapping his arms around Yorda, he held the girl tight – but not too tight – to express his longing to stay. “Can’t we stay a little longer? Please?” He drew out the word, placing enough emphasis on the ‘e’ to sound as though he were whining. Which, he was, really. And boy was he ever good at it. “Please, oh please, oh please!”

Things had been going well and they had all been having such a good time. Genie hoped the tea had not made the goddess sour. After all, tea did not decide ones fate.

Why was Urd acting so strangely? The short time Yorda had spent with Raspberyl had taught her that having a rival was a good thing, if the way she and Mao had interacted with each other was anything to go by. The glowing girl glanced from Urd to Genie, confused. "I do not mind if you stay," she assured Urd, reaching across the table to hold her hand. "I have missed you both."

Besides, Genie definitely seemed as though he wanted to stay, and Yorda did not wish to push him out so early.

With both of them giving her The Eyes, Urd was hard pressed to argue. Rubbing the back of her neck with a sigh, she stood up. "I know...and we'll talk again soon. I just --" She broke off, giving them both a strained smile. "I need to take care of some things. Left a potion brewing at home." Having lived with Urd, the two of them were no doubt used to her coming and going whenever she pleased, but this time seemed different. "Genie, you go ahead and stay. Help her with her, ah...chili."

The goddess moved to Yorda, bending to place a kiss on the top of the girl's head. "I missed you too, kid." Her voice was low and husky as she looked down at her. She'd lost her sister yet again, but Yorda was here. She'd always be here...surely. "Come and visit us whenever, okay?"

Swallowing back her emotion, she turned and headed out before any other protests could be made. She had a lot to think about and being around them both made her feel too vulnerable, too emotional. She was a selfish goddess that way.

To have left a potion brewing was the equivalent of one saying they’d left their stove on, which in ninety nine point nine cases was just an excuse to leave. But Genie couldn’t care less about her excuse, the real question was why Urd felt the sudden need exclude herself. Yorda’s prediction had certainly been surprising to say the least, but there must have been something more. He looked at the goddess, mirroring the same concern as before. What was it she was running from? Before he had the chance to ask, Urd had already been on her way out.

Turning back to Yorda, Genie looked from the pot on the stove (which had surprisingly yet to melt) and to the girl. He didn’t dare get close to it again for her chili was beyond help. But perhaps there was something else he could help her with. Urd would need some alone time, she had made that clear. And he would grant her that.

He smiled at Yorda, assuring her all was well before summoning a stack of coloured chips in front of her. “Have I taught you how to play poker yet?”

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Leave the Lights On [Active]

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