Jaxson set his go-cup with its Marie Laveau's Voodoo Bar logo on it down on the table. It was only mid-February and the nights were still chilly, as evidenced by the people wandering by in their jackets and coats. Zipping his own leather jacket up higher around him he reached back and pulled the end of his ponytail out from beneath the collar. He picked up his Tarot deck and shuffled it a few times before taking a deep breath in and slowly letting it out. He started dealing the cards out one at a time, six cards in a straight line face up. Temperance reversed, the queen of swords, two of wands, 5 of pentacles, 10 of swords, 9 of cups. He started reading the cards, frowning as he did. He could expect upcoming discord today, and an unexpected bitter woman, along with vague promises of a payoff if he stayed determined enough and pushed through it, though there would be some depressing events in the meantime. He kept staring at the cards, pondering their implications when a voice interrupted his thoughts. "Shouldn't you be over in the square with the rest of the con men?"
He blinked and looked up at the woman who was talking to him. She was attractive enough, about 5'5" with a small runners build and short cut brown hair. She looked down at him with a vague air of disgust. Maybe it was the attitude she gave off, maybe it was the way she emphasized the word men, maybe it was the way she held her own go-cup, sloshing it as she moved with her words. Discord and an angry woman already. Maybe it was the fact that she had passed up a fairly well known female card reader just two tables down. Hell, he didn't even need magick to read her, it was so damned clear she might as well have worn a shirt saying pissed off with men. She was obviously a few drinks in and by what clothes he could see under her coat she was dressed for a club. If he had to guess she went out looking for a man for something and either hadn't come up lucky or had driven all would-be suitors away with her attitude. "Now, cher," he began, giving her a wide innocent smile. "Why you wanna think dat I be some con-man? Jus cause I be out here wit de's here cards?" "So, what, you some kind of fortune teller then?" "Sometimes." "Huh. And I bet you wanna get paid for ripping people off." "I dun try to do nothin' of the sort, cher, when readin da cards. I only tell you what da cards tell me. And normally I like to make a few dollars off mah services, but for you, cher? I make an exception. I see you be in a hurry and all so I do you a quick reading and you dun have to pay me a thing. How be that?" "Uh huh. Whatever. Not like that junk works anyway."
Jax simply smiled up at her and collected the cards already on the table and began to shuffle the deck. He then passed the deck over to her and asked her to cut it however she liked. She took them, snorted and cut the deck before handing it back to him. "Alright, cher, we gonna do a simple spread here. Five cards. The first," he said as he flipped over the top card. "is your past. The Knight of Cups reversed. You have trouble with your man at home, no? Maybe dat why you be out here tonight?" He flipped the second card. "Your present. The fool, reversed. You have a decision to make, but you're being indecisive about it. And now you not so sure coming out here tonight was the best idea. Not exactly what you were looking for, no? Now lets see what it is that is gonna be affecting you. Things you may not be knowin' about." He flipped the third card. The devil reversed. Three reversed cards, not great signs. "Tha devil. Indulgence in things that aren't always tha best for us. With it like this though upside down, it means that those indulgences aint necessarily gonna work out for tha betta." He looked up at her. She was swaying a bit as she took another drink of whatever was in her cup. Her eyes were a bit distant and not completely focusing. He wasn't sure she was even really paying attention to what he was saying. He mentally shrugged and turned over the fourth card. The five of pentacles. "Some advice to keep in mind. Dun give up so easily. You may be feelin depressed and lost but you're gonna need to try to work through your problem instead of runnin' from it. And finally your outcome." He turned over the final card, laying out out before her. The nine of swords. He looked up at her again. "You want some advice, cher? Put your cup down and walk away. Go home to your beau and you work things out. It be better off for you, no? I don't think you wanna stay out here no more." "What's the last card mean?" "Don't worry bout it. It aint important. After all, dis all fake, right?" "Just tell me." "It don't be good. Wit tha rest of your cards, cher, it say bad things happen and I think they gonna happen if you keep on wit what you doin out here tonight. So go home, sleep it off and things be better in da morning, no?" "Whatever, asshole. Fuckin' loser, fuck you."
She took another deep drink from her cup before storming off. He watched her walk off, sighing. People don't listen. But they never did anymore. He could tell them they'd win the lottery tomorrow and they'd laugh at him. She quickly became lost in the crowd as he turned back to the table and began to gather up the cards. Was it going to be worth it to stay out here tonight? He took another drink from his cup and began to shuffle the cards again, thinking about heading over to the square proper to set up and see if he could make some cash. A moment later he heard the sound of tires squealing and brakes screeching. He looked up towards the street and the noise to see a car slamming on brakes as it plowed into someone who wandered into the street not paying attention. He caught a glimpse of the figure, a woman, as she tumbled over the roof of the car and into the street behind it. The woman he had just finished the reading for a few minutes ago. Already he could hear the screams of people, the yells for someone to call 911, to get an ambulance.
Jaxson stood up from the table and picked up his cards, sticking them in a small bag that he dropped into a pocket on his backpack. He walked away from the table, leaving his cup behind, already fishing the keys to his bike from his jacket. Yeah, it wasn't going to be worth it. Besides, the old man would want to see him soon anyway. He hadn't stopped by for his regular 'lessons' that week.
_________________ Saint Annihilus - Patron Saint of Dealing with Stupid Customers
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