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Charles is yawning when he comes into the Bar and walks by Joshua before turning around and looking at the cards,

"I wouldn't have expected to see you with Tarot cards."

Joshua looks up and smiles. "It was Mom's thing, actually. She used to do readings all the time, mostly for fun. I think she just liked to see people's reactions, and then tell them that it was full of crap after she got them all flustered. I just find it interesting how people see what they want to. Cards tell a story, that's all. I don't think either Mom or I could tell the future, but it is useful in its way when you want to know how to tell stories."

"That makes sense. We all like to create stories around our lives. I usually think of readers as people more on the edges or at someplace like Coney Island. May I join you?"

"Of course!" Joshua smiles, and stops fussing with the cards for a moment. "Well, there are people like that who read cards, but they're the ones who actually think pieces of paper tell the future." He shrugs a bit.

"Belief is a powerful thing but being able to read their minds made them much less interesting. Will you show me how you do it and do you want some tea or coffee?"

"Tea would be lovely." He grins and reaches down to his bag and pulls out a book. "And I'd be happy to. Sorry about the book. I haven't done this in quite a while and I forget some of the cards." He picks up the deck and starts shuffling.

"No need to apologize, I'm curious. Do whatever makes you comfortable,"

He spots a rat and orders them some tea, tarot and other mystical ideas are something he knows about. Due to some of the people he knew in Oxford and because he knows its what people will think of when he says what he can do.

Edited 2013-08-24 21:35 (UTC)

Joshua shuffles the cards a few times, cuts in in half, then half again, then puts the deck on the table. He deals ten cards: six in a cross pattern and four in a line beside it. "Alright. This is the one I usually do. It's a Celtic Cross. It's better than the quicker ones because it gives a deeper story about what's going on." He turns the first card. "This one is indicative of the situation, or the person themselves. "Seven of Cups." He checks the book and nods. "This is a situation, one where many different choices are possible. the choices might be overwhelming or varies, and a lot of care must be taken in what is eventually decided."

"That's accurate,"

The rat returns with the tea service, its a generous one with sandwiches and scones.

"Next, we have what's crossing the situation, what's hindering or challenging whatever is going on." He flips the card. "Four of cups. Basically... apathy. There's a feeling of either boredom or discontent, even though nothing might not actually be wrong or going on."

"Interesting, that wouldn't fit at home but it would make sense for someone here."

"The next card is the distant past of the situation." Flip. "The Moon. Deception, and uncertainty, highly-charged and fluctuating emotions. This is a situation in which you should be careful and not act hastily, so the situation can resolve itself. Things might not be as they seem."

Joshua blinks at the cards for a moment, but shakes it off.

"What is it?"

He's not focusing on Joshua's thoughts as this process is fascinating and a little calming. Its not something he believes in but it might present some new ways to think about various situations.

"I... don't know yet. Just a few strings of things that I'm wondering about." He flips another card. "The recent past: Empress. Growth and prosperity. Bringing a situation to fruition, happy conclusions and good rewards for work and efforts."

"Now that's easy and sounds like my dissertation."

Joshua cracks up. "That's hilarious, because I saw mine as well." He shakes his head and flips another card. "This is the immediate future of what's going on. Ace of Pentacles." He makes another face at the cards. "That's a specific, quantifiable material gain. Something important, sometimes a financial windfall, but many times just a gain of some kind."

"Gains are always nice but not always simple to pinpoint,"

Cerebro is nearing a point where they can truly start using it.

"Yeah. Sometimes a gain can be something small that you realize is important later." He flips a card and his eyebrows go up into his hairline. "Best Possible Outcome: Two of cups. This is a relationship, many times a romantic one, which is close and powerful. It's sometimes seen as a True Love or soulmates, but it could just be an extremely powerful connection to another."

Charles takes a long drink of his tea as he thinks on Iris and Erik and many what ifs then smiles at Joshua,

"Relationships are wonderfully rewarding."

"They are." He flips a card and makes another face. "This is something affecting the situation: Knight of Cups. Generally the face cards are specific people, but they can be more metaphoric as well. As a person, the Knight of Cups is a romantic and idealistic person, someone with their head in the clouds. As a concept, this is an offer accompanied by a high level of emotion. It can be either a romantic offer or one of interesting and engaging work."

"I think that's probably me back home."

"Possible!" Joshua eyes it for a moment before he flips the next card. "Dear god, I don't know if I've seen this many of one suit for a while. External Influences: King of Cups. A loyal, kind, and well-loved person. Someone who has a great care and concern for others, not ambitious, but someone who could achieve a high position anyway. This person is creative and empathic, but could also be seen as withdrawn and conflict-avoidant to the point of passive-agressiveness."

"Perhaps it suits us both. I'm not certain as I don't know a lot about tarot."

"It's possible. That's one of the things about cards. It helps you see different things about a situation. Two or three different people can see two or three different things in the same spread." He flips the second-to-last card. "Hopes and Fears." He winces, pausing. "Ten of swords. This is one of the worst cards. Basically, you're fucked. A feeling of loss, an ending of something, possibly the beginning of another, but it's distinctly an ending, many times not a pretty one. Ruined plans, things that don't happen how you want them to."

"That's something I'm always wondering and worrying about as there are many ways everything can go wrong."

"Frankly, it's the ultimate worry, isn't it? Everything's fucked." He turns the last card over. "This is the result if nothing changes, the end result of all of this..." He waves a hand at the spread. "Knight of Wands. If this is a person, it's someone who is energetic, warm and exciting, full of ideas, but tends to be hasty. If it's a situation, it's a move, a change of scenery, or a long journey being taken."

He sits back and looks at the entire spread. "Looking at everything, it is somewhat balanced, as it does have all of the suits, but it's leaning heavily towards relationships and connections. It's also one that indicates a fairly powerful past, along with some pretty powerful people affecting the situation."

"Balance is good and I try to achieve and find it when I can."

Regulus was expecting Flourish and Blotts', in the process of getting his school shopping done (and... you know, getting away from his mother for a bit), but he won't argue with Milliways.
The cards make him double back, though. "Hadn't realised Muggles had those as well."

"Yeah. There are some people who think that they do actually tell the future, but I mostly use them to tell stories. My mother taught me, and I'm reminding myself of how it works and what's going on."

"They don't actually tell the future any more than anything short of the Sight does, and even that's open to interpretation. But Professor Device says they're easier for people who don't actually have any divination talent to work with than mucking about with crystal balls and tea leaves."
Sorry, Joshua, you've stumbled into Regulus' favorite elective. Not that he's not also good at Arithmancy, but divination is just plain fun.
The way his professor teaches it, anyway.

Edited 2013-08-24 22:44 (UTC)

"I can see that. If you're actually relying on the cards rather than your own mind, you're going to miss so many things. If you rely on your instincts and your storytelling, you're going to do much better."

Regulus shrugs. "I do all right with them, but the focus of the class is interpreting things other people have said. If you've only got one or two answers, you're doing something very, very wrong."
At the very least, 'playing silly buggers with everyone' is always a valid answer. Especially if you're talking about Nostradamus.

"Ah, so vague prophecies that are possibly people on LSD rather than actually telling the future?" Joshua smirks.

Edited 2013-08-24 23:05 (UTC)

"What's LSD?"
Sorry, Joshua. Regulus may be from 1976 but he's not from your parents' 1976.
"I strongly suspects Nostradamus was just messing everyone about. Most everything else, you've got to keep in mind that prophecy speak usually has several layers to it, and if you stop at the most obvious one it won't actually help anyone. There are occasionally prophecies that come to pass, but not very often."
And usually when they happen, no one lifts a finger to help the person in the middle of the mess.

"Lysergic acid diethylamide. It's a hallucinogenic drug. Basically it makes you see shit that isn't there." He makes a face. "One of my roommates tried it once. It was... awful." He shrugs. "I just... I can't see how a prophecy could help anyone. All it would make me do is try to make sure it didn't happen."

"Generally, what they make people do is assume the person it's about will have things well in hand and not lift a finger to help them."
How that's supposed to make anything better, Regulus has no bloody idea.

Joshua laughs. "Exactly." He shakes his head, idly picking up the cards and shuffling.

"I enjoy the class, but I can't see trying to make a living from it."

"Do people actually do that? Do you guys have Tarot Readers and fortune tellers?" Now he's a bit curious.

Regulus nods. "We do. Most of them are full of bunk. And if you're very lucky, you get one who only sees doom and gloom everywhere."
It's obvious from his tone that that isn't very 'lucky' at all.