milliways_bar | (no subject)

Seimei happens to be strolling the grounds near the stables as Childermass is exiting them. "Ah! Good afternoon, Mr. Childermass," he says. "Did I miss you coming in? I was very occupied with my research, but I would not have minded the interruption..."

"I came by another route", Childermass assures him, and indicates the trees. "Not quite expecting to, I must say."

Seimei nods. "That happens sometimes. Do you see the lake there? Once an inlet from the Caribbean Sea appeared in it and a whole ship came in. The inlet is still there, although I have not seen the ship in a while."

"I have been shown the inlet", he says with a nod, "though without any mention of the ship. I suppose it was its only way in."

"I suppose so. But I wonder why it was necessary for the ship to come here in the first place. Perhaps she was a guest as much as her crew. I did not have the opportunity to examine her and see whether she was more sapient than seafaring vessels usually are." Hopefully the Black Pearl will return someday, and Seimei will be able to satisfy his curiosity on the matter.

The Black Pearl might, and the Flying Dutchman does whenever the mun has the urge to play Norrington.

"I would not rule it out, here in this place. Though if so, I wonder what she thinks of suddenly being elsewhere - Brewer did not take to it at all."

"Brewer? Oh. I suppose that's why you were in the stables. If I ever manage to talk to a ship in the inlet, I will ask," he says, ~~because that sounds like a great premise for a thread~~. "If her captain permits, and if we can successfully communicate with each other."

"It did seem the place to put him", he agrees seriously, then nods. "I would like to hear your findings, should there be any."

"I will be sure to let you know," Seimei promises. "If Brewer is still restless, I know a spell to calm horses. It works best with some sort of fresh vegetable or herb that horses like to eat."

"He was well enough when I left him, or else I would not have." The last thing he wants is the horse to injure himself in his distress. "But that sounds a useful spell to know."

"I'll teach you how a little later," Seimei says. "There's something I wanted to show you. That thing you said about the Tarot got me thinking..."

He reaches into his sash and pulls out a notebook. It's not a small notebook: it's hard to see how he could have fit it there. (With magic, of course.)

"You said one must know the cards to use them properly. Well, that's half of it anyway. But while I know the cards here" - he taps his head - "I can't really know them here." He taps his heart. "They're too gaijin for me. So I thought: maybe it will work if I make Japanese ones."

Childermass raises his eyebrows, not missing that apparently impossible feat of storage but filing it away for later.

"The artwork? Or the symbology?"

"It's the paintings I have trouble with," Seimei says, opening the notebook and searching for a particular pages "I think I can make the symbology work. I don't want to deviate from the form any more than I have to. Here it is!"

His notebook is open to a page titled "The Lovers." The top two-thirds of the page is covered in keywords and phrases from the Tarot manual he used as a reference, translated into Japanese and Chinese.

The bottom third of the page is taken up with a color-pencil sketch of a man and woman sitting in a wisteria covered pavilion, hand in hand, gazing into each other's eyes. They are dressed in voluminous and multi-layered clothes in a variety of colors. The lady's hair looks to be as long as she is tall. A pair of cranes sits atop the pavilion, the tips of their outstretched wings touching.

"This is the most complete one I have so far. Is it all right if the couple in the picture is married?"