[restricted] happy birthday to me~

[ohmaiden]

Iphigenia is sitting in the common room, eating some sweets and flipping through magazines. She's pretty pleased with herself--it's her birthday today, and to know that she's survived another year without, you know, getting her throat slit, is reason to celebrate, in her opinion

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[silvereyedphage]

Muraki is just passing through the main room, on his way to meeting with his student, when he spots Iphigenia. He pauses, approaching her, smiling. "You seem in high spirits, Iphigenia. Is today an auspicious day?" he asks.

[ohmaiden]

She looks up, grinning. "It's my birthday!" she chirps.

[silvereyedphage]

"Then birthday greetings are in order," he says, finding a small padded footstool and perching himself on it before reaching into his breast pocket and taking out something small, wrapped in a black silk handkerchief embroidered with a triple moon design in red. "I'm afraid that I don't have a gift, but if you like, I could cast a divination for you. Are you familiar at all with the tarot?"

[ohmaiden]

She shakes her head. "No, what is it?"

[silvereyedphage]

He unwraps the bundle, showing a set of cards, which he fans out before her, image side up, for her inspection. "It's a set of seventy-eight cards, each with an image on it, which represents a possible aspect of human life and experience. Each image has a meaning to it, an earmark for something important in life which the reader or the one read for would do well to keep an eye on for whatever reason." He collects the cards and starts to shuffle them carefully. "In lieu of a more tangible present, I would be honored to divine what this day might well hold in store for you, if you would like a peek at it."

[ohmaiden]

"That sounds fascinating! I'd love that," she says, grinning.

[silvereyedphage]

"Your word is my command," he says, continuing to shuffle the deck, then selecting a card from the top, the bottom and the middle of the deck before laying them out on his thigh.

One moment while I hunt up my Rider-Waite deck: I kept finding the Gothic deck, which I'm still getting used to using...

[ohmaiden]

She waits patiently, hands folded in her lap.

sure! :)

[silvereyedphage]

He turns over the first card, showing an image of a young man leaning on a leafy wooden staff, standing before a palisade of similar staves. "The Nine of Wands... That means strength in opposition or a calamity that has passed: Have you been through something terrible, but come through it all the stronger for having endured it? If you'd rather not discuss it, you can always give a simple yes or no."

[ohmaiden]

She grimaces a little. "--Yes, I have, actually." She looks down.

[silvereyedphage]

He reaches out and lays a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm very sorry to hear that, but it's in the past and you have a likely brighter present at your feet," he says. He turns over the second card and frowns a bit. "Hm. The Eight of Swords, not a fortuitous card either, as it can mean bad news and conflict or something unforeseen occurring."

[ohmaiden]

"What do you mean? Will something bad happen to me?"

[silvereyedphage]

"You may hear or discover something unpleasant, but it's not clear what it is: the cards are really only a guide to what could be, they don't set those possibilities in stone," he says, leaning in a little and giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "I've told this to Steerpike, in the course of teaching him how to read the cards: they are a guide, and they offer possible courses, but you are the master, or should I say, the mistress of your destiny."

He turns over the last card, an image of a young woman or a young man pouring water from a pitcher into a pond while silver and golden stars shine down. "All is not lost: this is The Star, one of the Major Arcana; that means hope and bright things to come," he says, his smile returning as he looks up at her through his fringe.

[ohmaiden]

She smiles a little, shivering at his touch. "That's good, then, right?"

[silvereyedphage]

"It's very good news: if you have, say, a fixed star to set a course by, then you will pass through these dark things and grow stronger," he says, retracting his hand, but resting it on the arm of her chair. "Is there someone who's become that fixed star to you."

[ohmaiden]

Iphi blushes. "...Maybe. Just a little."