(Auction 2014) Three More Guests: Part Two. Mora

[Zodiac]

The scene is the conclusion of the auction at Lancaster's on Halloween night. Jennifer Hayes, Zodiac's assistant manager, has been charged with passing out the winning cards to the winners of the readings that had been auctioned off this night. Phoenix has already been given hers.

She said good night with a smile and moved on. Some vampires would talk to a mortal all night while others would act as if a cockroach had suddenly stood up in front of them and flipped them off. She did not know this one so she was not going to press the point. She also had no desire to offend the woman nor start a scene in such a crowd. Jennifer moved slowly as she began to search the crowd for the second winner.

*****

Two: Mora

This one, according to Zodiac, she knew next to nothing about. A nodding acquaintance from within the Sangue. If the woman had any major issues, the mystic did not know, so Jennifer put on her best business smile as she worked her way to where the woman was in the crowd. They can't kill you for being polite.

Can they?

Some days she wished she had majored in sociology instead of business. Jennifer imaged the kind of research paper she could write on the subject of vampire interactions. In a majority of ways, they were no different that what they started out as (as Zodiac made reference about one vampire to her in private once "She must have been a ***** before being bitten to be this bitchy now") She'd fail the class, of course, turning in a document like that but would have possibly made a killing in the fiction market if she sent it to a publisher.

"Excuse me, Miss Daradasi?" She hoped that was the right way to pronounce that. "I'm Jennifer. Assistant manger of Pandora's Box. Congratulations on your winning bid." She offered the woman one of the violet envelops with the number two on it along with the business card pinned to the corner of it. "Everything you need to know about claiming your prize is inside. Give us a call when you are ready to set up your appointment. The mistress is looking forward to your visit."

Again, she followed the pattern she had used with the Altaire woman. She thanked her, smiled, and then moved on. There was one left to deliver and thankfully it was someone she knew quite well.

[Mora]

The telepath had won the reading at the auction house. She was still sat in one of the many chairs, the crowd around her were filing out one by one as Mora simply sat there, one leg crossed over the other, the palms of her hands sat perfectly centre in her lap. She found herself chewing on the bottom of her lip as she finally stood up moments later. She needed to pay the woman. So walking up to the small table she began to fill out a check, one for Zodiac. The other for Pi, the owner of the auction and fellow mentor of TFF. She handed them to her thrall, Ophelia who had happened to be tagging along.

• ”Make sure Zodiac, and Pi get those cheques, hun.”

She said and waved her off before making her way over to another auction. She was about to take another seat when a woman coughed, and caught her attention she turned on the spot and looked at the woman, a human to be exact address her by her last name. Formal, yet polite. Miss Daradasi Moss orbs looked this woman over as she spoke again. Ah, she was the assistant manager to Pandora’s Box. She nodded, this woman was an acquaintance of Zodiac.

• ”Hello Jennifer. Thank you. I will.”

She took the offered card and looked over the details waving her hand to the woman she slipped back through the crowd.

Several days later she dialled the number given on the card, booking an appointment with Zodiac through Jennifer – who had answered the phone and had been awfully polite whilst doing so. After a long discussion about schedules, it was hard work finding two days that worked between two people who owned so many businesses it was settled eight o clock in the evening at Pandora’s Box, on a Friday night. Which was tomorrow. She thanked the woman before hanging up.

The next night Mora was dressed in a pair of black leggings and a white ‘Vaccines’ band tee. She slipped inside the Pandora’s Box five minutes before she was supposed to see Zodiac, with a warm smile she found Jennifer.

• ”Hello Jennifer, It’s me Mora.”

She cocked her head to the side, and smiled warmly at the assistant manager of the store.

[Zodiac]

The redhead looked up from the box of Halloween decorations she was filling up for storage at the sound of the voice. Already in one of the aisles sat several boxes of decoration for the approaching holiday season. "Well hi there." she smiled back as she traded cut out Jack-o-Lanterns for her appointment book and checked quickly. "Okay, let me go tell the boss you are here. One moment, please."

*****

The girl sat back in what some called her purple throne relaxing. One hand absently rubbing the back of the small owl's neck that perched on her shoulder as she read from an old book. She glanced up as Jennifer walked into her parlor.

"Your eight o'clock is here. Miss Mora. One of the auction winners."

"Oh good, she should be an interesting read." Zodiac turned the page.

"What are you reading?" Jennifer squinted at the spine but could not read the tile easily. On the reading table sat a English / Latin translation book and a notepad.

"A collection of some of the writings of Thomas Aquinas. I found it in Jonah's old book shop." she replied as she laid the book on her reading table and spoke a quote aloud into her friend's mind.

“Omnes angeli, boni et Mali, ex virtute naturali habent potestatem transmutandi corpora nostra,”

“Meaning what? Sorry, my Latin is not what it used to be."

"All angels, good and bad, have the power of trans-mutating our bodies”

"Okay, and what does that have to do with anything?"

Zodiac rolled her eyes as she shook her head. "Such a statement does not make you think or stir something within you? Aquinas wasn't a hack writer. Put years of study into before her committed things to the page. He believed that the various supernatural entities that fill our mythology and reality were the results of heavenly hosts or fallen angels at work. Is an intense concept, to me anyways. Maybe it explains a few things going on around us now."

"Okay, I get it now." the girl lied as the gypsy stood up and followed her out of the parlor into the small hallway. The mystic spotted her guest, smiled, and waved for her to come back to where the two were. Zodiac looked at the large cage sitting ready and encouraged the owl off her shoulder and onto the back of her hand. The owl began to screech his dislike of what was happening now.

"Now, now, Stone Cold. You had my attentions for over an hour. I have things to do now." her mental voice whispered as she sat the bird on the large perch and closed the cage door. "And you know I can't let you loose in here in case Ginny wants a re-match with you."

Once the cage was locked, she turned to her guest and inclined her head in greeting. "And welcome to Pandora's Box. Blessings of the night to you and yours, Miss Mora. Hopefully we are going to have some fun this evening and learn some things in the process." she smiled brightly. She approached the woman and gave her a hug. She could see it in the girl's aura a hug would not be unwelcome. "So, you got any questions before we get started? Anything we discuss tonight stays between us. I promise you that."

[Mora]

Mora nodded her head at the assistant manager as she slipped away to go tell Zodiac about the telepath’s arrival, so she waited patiently. Moss orbs looked around the area, there were things across the walls, spiritual things. Mora was fascinated by then as she admired each piece until she heard Jennifer come back out. They feet shuffling against the floor, Mora turned her head to look at the duo and smiled at Zodiac. She began to make her way to the woman. Smiling warmly at her. Mora stood at the threshold of the Mystic’s parlor and peered inside curiously. She was excited, it was a nervous kind of excitement. She didn’t know what to expect and that she suspected added to it.

• ”Evening Zodiac.”

She told the woman as she followed the Mystic. The woman welcomed her then to Pandora’s box. Her lips didn’t move though, the woman spoke telepathically into her mind – the familiar feeling of someone’s mind stroking her own. It was welcomed. She often spoke telepathically herself. She didn’t judge her and let the woman wrap her arms around the telepath and hug her. She returned the hug herself, and wrapped her own arms around the woman’s slim form. It lasted for a little bit before they both drew away equally.

• ”I have no questions, although. I am quite excited. I’ve heard many things about your readings.”

She paused, re wording herself.

• ”All good things, I just can’t wait to see what you can get for me.”

An excited shrill left her lips as she settled herself down. Shrugging off her jacket and slipping it around the back of a nearby chair. She was sure Zodiac didn’t mind if she made herself feel at home. Her curious eyes were still looking around the room, probing each thing. Wondering what was used, and how. Curiosity always kill the cat, especially this cat.

[Zodiac]

It was nice, for a change, to see someone so relaxed as Mora entered the parlor and made herself at home. As the norm, most first timers were apprehensive (or down right freaked out) in the experience. Zodiac picked up her book and laid it to the side, then dropped a blood pack into an already simmering kettle of water.

"It pleases me you have heard good things," she smiled and nodded at the woman. "And forgive my manners for speaking to your thoughts without asking first. A natural condition when I was alive followed me when I was turned. I can hear the spoken word very well, but was and still am unable to speak from my lips." she studied her guest for a few moments then moved toward a small cabinet and began to search the contents. Another glance at Mora, and she pulled a green table cover out and laid it out on the reading table.

"So, I will go over 'the basics' here. Assuming you have never had this done before," the gypsy began to explain as went to get cups and saucers from the cabinet. "As you concentrate on your question and nothing else, you will shuffle the deck. Each time you think it is enough, I will cut the deck and ask you to shuffle again. We will do that three times. Then one card to represent you and ten cards to tell your story. Those cards will give us hints and clues as we go along. Each of them adding to the overall picture that hopefully will give you insight to your question."

A practiced hand poured a measure from the blood pack into both cups. She clipped it closed and sat it back into the water to stay warm. She returned to the table and sat a cup next to Mora then sat down across from her in her 'throne'. "Normally I serve tea to my mortal clients and offer refreshments as well, but in our case this will have to suffice. Consider it the equivalent of a therapist inviting you to lay down on a couch. This is meant to be a soothing experience, not rigid and cold. The more relaxed you are, the more clear the results will be."

Movement near the floor caught her eye as Ginny, her familiar, decided to announce she was in the room. The large, long haired Maine Coon sniffed about Mora's feet a bit before rubbing against her legs, then moving to Zodiac's side of the table and jumping up into the girl's lap. "Well, you have the 'boss lady's' approval it seems." she grinned while opening a drawer on her side of the table to inspect several bundles of silk of various colors sitting inside.

[Mora]

Mora waved her hand in an ‘I don’t mind’ manner. She really didn’t have an issue with someone speaking into her mind, it was comforting. It was just automatic comfort, because she was a telepath herself. She smiled then, the pearl white of her teeth showing as she sat in the chair, watching Zodiac potter around, like she was unaware of Mora’s presence – a being in its natural environment. She looked at the book, the thick book that was placed to the side.

• ”I don’t mind, it’s quite comforting actually.”

She said, with a shrill of laughter as she watched the woman then head towards the cabinet and pull out a green sheet – her favourite colour. She rubbed the palms of her hands together in excitement. This was going to be good, so very good. Zodiac then came over finally, with two cups in hand, placing one where she would be sitting – and then another in front of the telepath, she automatically took the cup and brought it to her chest, letting the warmth rest against her skin – before she brought it up to her lips, blew the steam away briefly and took a sip. The iron taste was welcomed as she swallowed and let the blood easily flow down her throat – sustaining her.

She let out of a relaxed ahhh.

The cat came in then, rubbing against her legs as the woman peered at the feline before lowering her hands to brush the cats fur, being sure to get behind the ears – a cat loved that spot. She knew this because she used to have one, when she live back in Queens. She then looked back at Zodiac, listening to the rules – how things would go and what to expect. She wanted good results, no she hoped for them.

• ”Sounds good to me.”

The excitement plain in her features!

[Zodiac]

She would have to say, it was delightful for once to have a happy client. Usually when people came to her, they were filled with visions of doom and gloom and was wondering how much worse could things get and they KNEW the cards would tell them the worse they could imagine would not even come close to the reality, but Mora reminded her of a child bubbling on the edge of a new discovery. Wide eyed and eager to see what she could see and learn. She could not help but smile in return.

Zodiac pulled open the drawer on her side of the table and laid out a notepad and a couple of pens. Then she focused her attentions on several bundles of silk that sat inside the drawer. She glanced between her guest and the bundles several times before withdrawing one of them and closing the drawer. She then wrote Mora's name at the top of the empty page and did a quick list of numbers 1-10 and a simple word: sig. "I take notes as we go along," she explained.

The gypsy lifted the bundle and placed a soft kiss upon it before untying it. "What I will need you to do is shuffle the deck while thinking about your question and only your question. Nothing else. Too late to wonder if you left the gas on in your place or what is one of your childers up to right now. Focus is the key to making this work. Once you feel you have shuffled enough, you will sit the deck back down onto the cloth, then I will cut the deck and you will shuffle again while thinking only of your question. We will do this three times and then I shall begin to see what the cards have to tell Miss Mora."

Zodiac took hold of two corners of the silk wrapping and pulled the deck to within Mora's reach. She then sat back with her cup and sipped as she watched. "Whenever you feel you are focused and ready, you may begin." One hand petted the cat gently as she relaxed and slipped into her own state of mind for such an undertaking as this. It was a bit difficult to stay sedate. Mora's mood and nature was infectious it seemed. She felt like she was peeking over the same hill with her now wondering what was waiting on the other side.

It was, to say the least, refreshing.

[Mora]

ooc: Permission given to move It a long a little, so writing Zodiac cuts the deck too.

Shuffle the deck, it didn’t sound so bad. She nods her head and reaches over to grab the deck that had been placed close enough to her. It had been wrapped in silk before, the way Zodiac had kissed it thought. She wondered why she had kissed it – but she didn’t ask. She was scared too; the woman was a gypsy, a fortune teller, a vampire. She didn’t want to know the woman’s secrets. She would keep her curiosity reigned in and let the mystery wash over her. With the gentlest care she could do (for a vampire.) she picked up the deck within her hands and began to shuffle it. One card on top of the other like how you would shuffle a deck of cards before a game of poker.

After a minute or so of shuffling, she places the deck on the table and watched as Zodiac split the deck for her, before giving her the deck again. Mora repeated this process. She continued to think about her question. What she wanted out of this reading, she tried not to think about Judas, her family – wether or not she had left the stove on. She snickered silently to herself before handing the deck back allowing Zodiac to re split it.

The deck was given back to her a final, third time and she began her last shuffle. Eyes closed as she let herself empty, the one question prominent against the fringes of her mind before finally, she opened her eyes revealing the inquisitive moss orbs of hers and handed the deck back to Zodiac, with a smile plastered on her lips.

• ”I’m excited.”

She repeated for probably the twentieth time already tonight. She could hear the content purring from the cat, Ginny was it?

[Zodiac]

Zodiac smiled as Mora expressed her excitement yet again. She enjoyed the vibes she was picking up off of her guest now. There was always visitors who gave off such a positive feeling, but that was after several visits yet Mora was there from square one. Another unique quirk to file away for future reference.

Ginny had settled into her lap finally, purring softly, as the girl pulled the deck back to her side of the table. Once again, by the corners of the silk wrapping the cards rested upon. "One card to be you, and ten cards to tell your story. It begins with yourself, the atmosphere around you, the obstacles, the goals, the base of the situation, the recent past and future. Then three cards to tell us what is at your disposal to help reach your goals and finally one card to suggest what may come in the end."

Gently, her fingertips pulled the first card from the pile. She studied it for a few moments and smiled as she laid it off to her left. "This night, The Page of Cups will represent you and who you are. The Cup Page represents a person who is playful and spontaneous. A romantic soul who embraces compassion and imagination with childlike joy. Sensitive, creative, emotionally resourceful, affectionate, tender and loyal. Sometimes easily distracted from things but not from disinterest or laziness. You are still growing, gaining experiences, yet also exceptionally connected to your intuition. Feeling things deeply and intensely. So forgive me, I have only met you and talked with you for a few moments, but this seems very right to me to be a representation of you for this."

Purple hued nails-one hidden within a sliver claw tip- pulled a second card from the pile and laid it beside the Cup Page. "The general air around you as far as what is going on in your life currently. The Eight of Wands. A card of swiftness. Perhaps things are beginning to finally happen for you now. Plans and goals finally bearing fruit. You are finally about to come to the end of your goals, end of the journey and your hard work will be bringing you great rewards, but perhaps things are moving far faster than you have planned. That can be a bit unnerving or scary depending on what is happening. Or you just feel things are moving around you and you just aren't keeping pace with things. Kinda like the 'It seems like just yesterday this was discussed and now its almost done' type of thing. If the world around me would just slow down a bit."

A third card was taken and laid in the center of the table away from the first two. "Normally, those first two cards would be hidden under this one, but I prefer to leave them to the side for visual reference as the reading grows." the gypsy explained.

"The issue. What is stopping you from reaching your goals. Even if this card sounds good, it may not be the best thing for you at this time." She took a sip from her cup and focused on the card. "The Two of Swords. A card of peace. Peace can be a trap as well as a blessing. You may feel you are at a point where you are somewhat...stuck? There maybe so many options at your disposal in this moment that you fear making a move in case it is the wrong move therefore your hands are tied and you are stuck. Understandably this is not a position in which you would prefer to stay, so you desire with great strength to push out of it, but you don’t know where to start. And, if things are going along at a smooth and easy pace, why would you want to do something?"

Zodiac tapped the Eight of Wands. "Perhaps it links in with this. Things are happening and to stay in pace, things must change. You are unsure what to do now for fear of causing damage to things you do not want to see damaged. Is totally understandable and is not a weakness on your part at all. Perhaps some who know you wish they were as balanced as you are, or appear to be. Balance is a good thing, but holding place for too long leads to stagnation. Nothing changes in you while the rest of the world continues to grow, evolve- or de-volve as I see it sometimes. If you were not such a caring soul," her fingertip brushed over the Page of Cups. "None of this would matter at all. You know your actions will effect others in the process. You may want, or need some change in your life, but have no clue which way to go. That does not make you unique, dear. Everyone goes through things like that."

[Mora]

So this was where the fun would begin. She rested her back against the chair, crossed one leg over the other and simply watched Zodiac work her magic. The way she handled herself, suddenly gained composure and tackled the cards like a professional tarot card reader. Mora placed her fidgeting hands in the centre of her lap and waited. The woman in front of her had said there would a specific card to represent her. She nodded and waited for it to be unveiled. Then after a moment the card came onto the table. Resting in front of Zodiac. Mora canted her head to the side and looked at it, she looked at the brush strokes, and she instantly wanted to take the card and examine it further. Mora was open minded yes, but she wanted to know how a single card could represent her – know what was on her mind, know her feelings – even her bubbly personality.

The words she spoke, the words that were to represent the Telepath made her blush, if it could show it would have. She agreed with all the things she said – she had told many people, that when she became their friend she would be loyal to them no matter what happened. She nodded her head, and let her golden hair fall loose on her shoulders caressing the flesh there.

She moved onto the second card, Eight of Wands. She looked at it with those green hues, then listened to what Zodiac had to say. Things were going well for her, her fourth business was going well – she had someone new, things were good with Judas. She believed nothing was going wrong for her. Then Zodiac turned over the third card, Two of Swords she placed it in the center of the table, away from the other cards. She explained it was a card of peace but there was something in her eye when she explained this, that there was more too it, that for her it wouldn’t be peace – and she was right. She leaned forward in her chair then, placing her fingertips against the table cloth.

• ”You can tell all this from cards.”

Mora looked fascinated.

• ”A wonderful gift.”