Eyes on the skies [Andre]

[Kasia nó Gentian]

I wasn't sure exactly what sort of sign my Dowayne would have to receive before I was allowed to have my debut but I knew getting impatient wouldn't do any good. It was better to keep practicing and appreciate the time I had before I was auctioned off to the highest bidder and took the chance on ending up jaded because of it. We weren't like Valerian but that didn't mean some people with harsher tastes didn't end up at our House looking for answers just like everyone else, or that bitter people didn't hope to get good news from the future. Perhaps they'd even want me to speak to the dead, and that was part of my duty even if I didn't like it very much.

The day wasn't too hot so I'd decided to take a small walk along the side of the street before the various Houses. I wasn't allowed to leave the Night Court without a chaperone but so long as I didn't wander far no one was likely to notice where I went. If I did get in trouble I'd likely only get scolded for something so small, or perhaps not. Octavian's mood was always uncertain and while we were supposed to see our Dowayne as a sort of leader he never did much of that. My slippers made almost no sound against the cobblestones and my attention was completely on the sky, my head tilted toward the clouds that moved slowly overhead.

[Andre nó Dahlia]

I had decided to take a walk outside for once. It has been a week or so since my auction and first assignation. I felt like I was in limbo. The comtess - Alora I believe her name was - was pleasant company and she gave me a good sized patron gift to lime my marque. Though I hadn't made an appointment with the marquist yet to do so. I didn't have the freedom that older adepts had, even partially marqued ones, seem to have. It was a nice day outside anyway, and I didn't want it to go to waste.

Outside on the street, I paced and looked down into Night's Doorstep. It was taunting me, telling me to tempt the arm of the Dowayne and steal into the lower echelons of night's entertainment. But before I could even take a step towards the Doorstep, I noticed a young woman. I didn't recognize her, so she may not even be from Dahlia. She was looking up to the sky and I altered my course so she wouldn't hit me. Though... "You could run into someone if you're head's in the clouds."

[Kasia nó Gentian]

There was a voice near me and I heard it somewhat belatedly, then turned my head slightly sideways to look in that direction. A boy, near enough my own age I suppose, but very tall and far too stern. Maybe he was another young adept like Jourdan, or a trainee, but since I wasn't sure how far I'd walked I didn't know. I couldn't recognize him in any case.

"I'll only bump into someone if I'm meant to, don't worry," I assured him in a confident tone, blinking my silvery eyes once and then returning to the sky. "It wouldn't be so bad though, I never walk very fast or step down very hard." I wasn't sure what he'd think of me but that didn't really make much difference anyway. People either found something in other people that pleased them or they didn't.

[Andre nó Dahlia]

She was pretty enough. About my age, and there was a somewhat distant look to her eyes. I wasn't exactly versed in all the Houses of the Night Court, but I knew enough to make the guess that she could be from Gentian.

"That's good to hear," I replied. "You could be knocked down by another going faster than yourself." I was being polite and, for some odd reason, watching out for her.

[Kasia nó Gentian]

I didn't know this person but he was being very nice in worrying about me and I gave him a small smile and another glance. There was something very stalwart about him. A knight card maybe, or a king, but I would have to check. Sometimes people could be more than one thing, which made them at once fantastical and confusing. "You're right, they might, but I'm really hoping they don't," 'I said, feeling a little bit of strain in my back and straightening again. "I don't think I should put off my debut, it took long enough already. It's just that the clouds were moving and I was wondering why."

[Andre nó Dahlia]

"Would you mind if I walked with you? Just to make sure no one bumped into you." I looked up to the sky where there were indeed clouds that were moving. So, she wasn't all that far behind me...maybe. "You should have your debut soon," I said. "I'm Andre, by the way."

[Kasia nó Gentian]

"That's a nice offer, and I don't mind," I replied, stretching my arms over my head for a moment and letting the sunlight dance through my fingers. "It's surprising to meet you, Andre. I'm Kasia, from Gentian House." With another wider smile I brought my arms back down again and looked toward the sky, cocking my head slightly. "The clouds aren't moving in perspective, something is moving them. The wind perhaps?"

[Andre nó Dahlia]

"I'm from Dahlia." I moved and stood next to her, trying to see what she saw. I looked at the clouds for a moment. "Perhaps. Something has to move something. The wind moves the clouds, wheels move wagons and carriages, feet move bodies." Wow, that was deep.

[Kasia nó Gentian]

"But there's no way to tell if it is the wind," I said in a bluntly honest tone. "It could be the whim of the gods, or some other force. Maybe the sky isn't a sky, but is a pool of water hanging over us. That wouldn't make much sense for most things except for the rain though." A part of my mind wandered over those thoughts, seeing what all of it could mean, but I turned my head and looked at Andre for a moment. "What brought you out today? Is something wrong?"

[Andre nó Dahlia]

"How can we know it's the whim of the gods or another force if not the wind? And no, the pool of water doesn't make much sense." I brought my gaze down to look at her when she asked what brought me outside. "It's such a lovely day, it'll be a shame to waste it. No, nothing's wrong."

[Kasia nó Gentian]

He had an odd way of answering things, as though every question needed to have a final solution even though there was no way to prove it. That may have been what I was missing because I was more than happy to believe in every possibility until there was proof, and even then there was the chance we were looking at it wrong. "It is a lovely day but I don't know one way or the other about the sky," I said in a speculative tone. "And it's probably good that nothing's wrong. Are you hoping that it will stay that way?"

[Andre nó Dahlia]

"For the time being, yes. As for the sky..." I looked back up towards it. "Maybe we weren't suppose to know what makes the clouds move." Other than the wind, I didn't know what would make the clouds move. Kasia seemed to have her head figuratively in the clouds. Granted she was from Gentian. But House shouldn't dictate if one should have their head in the clouds.

[Kasia nó Gentian]

It's not often that someone bore with me so long when they didn't seem interested in what I was saying or to understand that, but since Andre was a Dahlia it was good that he was chivalrous. Stopping for a moment I brought my head back to where I could look at Andre more easily and reached out, resting a hand lightly on his shoulder. "I know I'm odd, you don't have to feel like you agree with me," I told him in a more present, less dreamy tone. "We can talk about something less confusing if you'd like. That shirt does look nice on you."

[Andre nó Dahlia]

I wasn't exactly agreeing with her, but she can think that if she wishes. I looked to her when I felt her hand lightly on my shoulder. "My dear Kasia, I believe that we're all odd in our own special way. Some more than others. We should love that quality." I looked down to the shirt than back to her. "Thank you. That dress looks lovely with your eyes."

[Kasia nó Gentian]

"Thank you," I replied with a smile and nod, then glanced around so I'd know how far I'd gone in my walking, my hand falling from his shoulder to hang at my side. If left to my own devices I could have gone all of the way to Mont Nuit before the buildings blocked my view and reminded me to go back before I got into trouble. "I think you've managed to keep me out of trouble today. I should repay you for that." A light breeze caught the edge of my gown and I shifted it slightly to keep it from tangling around my feet.

[Andre nó Dahlia]

I returned the smile and looked around. We were still near Mount Nuit, so we hadn't gone too far. "Well, that's good." I arched an eyebrow when she mentioned repayment. I watched her shift when a breeze caught the hem of her gown. Repayment of the sexual kind was out of the question; especially since she hadn't had her debut. "What sort of repayment?"

[Kasia nó Gentian]

Sometimes when people asked about a return on a kindness I had to wonder exactly what they were thinking I would do, but even though I was trained as an adept and knew how some men though I knew he thought I was odd. But people had the right to think what they wanted, even if it didn't make sense. After all I still believed it was better not to know some things when other Gentians disagreed. "I could read your cards, or runes, or if you wanted a favor I could do that as well," I replied honestly, blinking slowly. "Why, what did you want?"

[Andre nó Dahlia]

I thought about, and there wasn't anything that I wanted at the moment. "There's nothing I can think of that I want right now. But if there's something, you'll be the first I'll think of." Maybe we'll meet on the Longest Night.

[Kasia nó Gentian]

"You don't know when your next assignation will be?" I asked curiously, mostly because everyone else I'd met wanted to see what could be, even if it wasn't set in stone. That made him different though and that was interesting. I could always think on it later, or maybe ask Felicja to draw a picture for me. Sometimes they helped me to sort out what my mind was showing me. "But you still didn't say what you wanted. Does that mean I shouldn't have asked?"

[Andre nó Dahlia]

I shook my head. "No, I don't know when my next assignation will be." Though I hoped that Comtess Alora would ask for me again. I rather enjoyed that night. "Oh. I'm sure you were right in asking. I merely do not want the payment or favor to be too much for you."

[Kasia nó Gentian]

"That's nice of you," I replied, another smile moving across my features and likely crossing into my silvery eyes, then brought my hand to his cheek and patted lightly. "I think you're a very sweet boy, but you don't get to show it very much. What kind of House is Dahlia?"

[Andre nó Dahlia]

I returned the smile. She patted my cheek lightly. "Thank you. I think it's part of Dahlia's training. As for Dahlia itself... Unbending and unyielding. Like we're not to show emotion, or very little." I was still an unlimed adept of Dahlia, so I had little to use to explain.

[Kasia nó Gentian]

"But why can't you have emotion and be unyielding?" I asked curiously, then brought my hand away from his cheek and brought out my tarot deck to keep my hands occupied, since I doubted he was going to be patient much longer with my more physical way of reacting. Touching did help with my readings though, as it gave me a straight conduit into the person's spirit and then the cards showed me what I needed to pay the most attention to. "Don't you want to feel anything?"

[Andre nó Dahlia]

"I do want to feel. It's the training. It's taught in Dahlia that Naamah bestowed herself to the King of Persis like a queen. Each House has it's own story it tells. I'm sure Gentian tells a different one from Dahlia." I didn't mind her hand on my cheek. I actually enjoyed it.

[Kasia nó Gentian]

"But Queens feel things. Queen Coretta cried and looked sad as she went to the Temple to grieve her sister," I suggested rationally, shuffling the cards between my hands and offering the deck to him, smiling a but more mysteriously. "Will you please shuffle these? I think your mind would be a very deep place that's hard to reach and I'm curious."

[Andre nó Dahlia]

I looked at the deck of cards for a few seconds before I took them and shuffled. "Yes, Queens feel things. Mayhap I didn't word my reply right." I finished shuffling and handed them back.

[Kasia nó Gentian]

"I don't know that you worded it wrong, but I don't know about Dahlia," I said candidly, watching him with the cards and wondering if he was afraid what I'd see or not. As I took the cards back I brushed his hand slightly and felt the rush of connection through it, the way the spirit stood ready to bare itself for the asking. I'd never read a patron; would they be as easy to get the sense of? Fanning out the cards in front of me I gave Andre an intent look. "Now you ask a question and then pick a card, and the card will tell me the answer, and if you want I can tell it to you."

[Andre nó Dahlia]

I wasn't afraid of what she would see. I was still with her wasn't I? She fanned out the cards and I thought of a question. Will I see Kasia again? I reached out, eyes closed, and removed a card from the fanned cards. I opened my eyes and held the card out without looking at it.

[Kasia nó Gentian]

He drew easily enough and I waited to take the card with only calm understanding as he kept his eyes from it. Sometimes the pictures on them could be frightening and perhaps that was why he didn't want to look, or maybe he didn't want to see what he couldn't understand. Nevertheless I looked over the card, then spun it on my fingertips to see whether it was correct or reversed. Sideways- a choice then. The Ten of Cups. "It's a good card," I told him, looking it over and letting my eyes go a bit more abstract. "Security, happiness and the answer you expect. There is always friendship and harmony in this card, see the rainbow and the cups hovering in it, the people standing together? Whatever your answer there's happiness as the pot of gold at the end. But all of this can be changed by being withdrawn, starting with a quarrel that will drive others away. Do you understand?"

[Andre nó Dahlia]

I looked at the card and saw the rainbow and the cups she had mentioned, and the people standing together. "I do." So, there was a good chance of us meeting again, but I guess I shouldn't be withdrawn. Or quarrel to drive others away.