[closed] The Fortune Teller
Characters: Ando Daisuke (Die), Lau Henry, Oh Hyerin (Raina)
Rating: PG-13
Setting: New Athens after Raina's grave visit
Summary: Henry and Raina go to a faire, during which they encounter a not-so-mysterious fortune teller.
Raina was dressed appropriately for the season, sporting her long orange coat and black mittens. It had been a relaxing afternoon spending time with her father, but she had decided to call Henry before she would head back to New Harbor. As long as she was in town, she might as well see an old friend. There was an ulterior motive, though... as she was aware there was a faire in town and didn't want to go alone. She stood on the curb in the spot where she had asked him to meet her, just outside of the faire grounds, the wind blowing at the ends of her golden-brown bob cut. Large eyes darted around in search of the young man.
Henry was desperate. He had received a call from an old friend just before his last class for the day started. Totally torn between a friend and a lesson, he even hesitated to walk inside the classroom, gaining looks from his classmates. A friend nudged and asked him what he was doing, standing frozen in front of the class, and that the class was going to start very soon. Henry could only give him an I-don't-know-what-to-do look while holding his phone in his hand. He had said yes and he couldn't take it back now.
Few minutes later, Henry was running (late) to the meeting point, looking here and there for a sign of his friend, and when he finally found her, he ran up to her, breathless, head down and hands on his knees. "Sorry..I'm late..."
The girl was starting to wonder if something bad had happened to Henry on the way there and was about to call him again when he ran breathless up to her. She flashed a pleasant smile. "Ahh, I thought you were bailing out on me!" she joked cheerfully. Had she known he was skipping class, she wouldn’t have bothered him to begin with. But now that he was here, she didn't want to waste any more time. "Let's go?" She pointed to the sign that invited them into the faire. "I'm dying for a caramel apple!"
After catching his breath, Henry took a last deep breath before flashing a casual smile, not wanting to worry her, with him skipping class and all. "Yeah, sure, let's go," he replied and slipped his hands into his jeans pockets, discreetly checking if the gun in the back of his pants was there - which it was. "Caramel apple, huh? That's so like you," he commented, walking toward the faire. He should just enjoy it while he was there.
"Come on, you can't tell me you don't crave sweets once in a while," Raina said disbelievingly as they entered the grounds. As someone who had dedicated her life to pastries, there was no denying her perpetual sweet tooth. "Ah, there!" Without much thought, she scampered over to the stand that sold the sweet treats, getting out her wallet to purchase one. "Do you want one?" she asked Henry over her shoulder.
Henry could only chuckle at that, shaking his head as Raina -literally- bounced and skipped over to a particular stand. Shrugging, he said, "I'm not as much of a sweet freak as you are, so." He flashed her another smile -maybe a grin-, his eyes narrowing into a line as he did so. He opted to look around instead; there sure were people around, and he was all but feel less safe, because in a big crowd like that, anything could happen.
Raina shrugged. "Suit yourself!" She bought one of the tasty caramel apples on a stick and bit into it, her eyes smiling as soon as she tasted the sweetness on her tongue. Soon, she rejoined Henry as he looked around at the crowd. There were different attractions, games, a ferris wheel, but Raina really didn't have an intention to take part in them unless she felt the urge. For now, she was simply enjoying her candy apple and Henry's company.
Die was running a fortune telling booth. It amused him, a little - telling people the good things that would happen to them if they made certain decisions, telling them the bad and the wrong, if he liked them. He was doped up to hell - had to be, to see them - but no one seemed to mind his silly, friendly manner, and he'd always had an inviting, boyish smile. The curtains of his booth went up as the girl he'd been talking to left - and right outside, he saw the face he'd been waiting for. Ah. There they were.
He made sure to smile, and wave, when the girl looked in.
The sign caught his attention, a fortune telling booth. His reaction was; he scoffed. Who would go around telling people their futures when no one in this world knew about it? He saw the fortune teller inside the booth as the curtain went up and provided him a good look of the person. "Come on, where do you wanna go now?" he asked Raina, turning to face her.
There was something oddly alluring about the way this fortune booth was set up, and Raina couldn't help but stare as the man inside waved to her. She bit into her apple and crunched curiously, listening to Henry's question and answering once she had swallowed. "Wanna get our fortunes read?" she inquired with an excited smile. "It could be fun!" Raina didn't know much about this sort of thing or if any of it was real or not, but it couldn't hurt, right?
Die sat behind his table, dressed in gypsy-style clothes and beautiful in a very... Roguish way. He did a trick with a silver coin - rolling it over his fingers and twisting it through the digits, his eyes on the two of them.
Henry was about to protest to Raina when he saw the fortune teller doing a trick with a coin. Something about it seemed so familiar, like he had seen the silver coin somewhere. He was silent for quite a while before finally finding his voice again. "Okay, fine. Just..make it quick," he sighed, wanting to rub his temples with his fingers but that'd only make him look old - older than he actually was.
"Come on, it'll be great!" she encouraged when it seemed like Henry wasn't into the idea. In general it seemed like the boy did not enjoy being out in crowds, but there was little that Raina remembered about his personality since they were kids. Now that they were adults, she was getting to know him almost as a completely different person. A bit cautiously, she stepped into the tent with her eyes wide and curious. "Hello," she said politely to the man before she inquired on the price of this service. "How much…?"
He waved his hand. "Fo'you?" He spoke with a delicious French-cajun accent, his eyes bright and playful. "Nothing. You sit on down, Cher, I tell you all de good t'ings." It was strange - to hear that accent out of an obviously Asian man. But he was putting on an act to make her smile, and hopefully, it would work.
Following Raina into the fortune telling tent, he heaved an inaudible sigh, relenting into her excitement - well, he wouldn't be in a faire himself hadn't it been because of the girl. Henry was actually glad he kept in contacs with her, for no one could make him do silly (yes, he thought it was silly) things like this other than her.
When he heard the fortune teller talking in a French accent, his brain and memories clicked together. He had a hunch, but he wasn't sure. Was it really him...?
The accent did in fact surprise Raina, and her eyes widened as she brought her mitten to her mouth to cover a small laugh that threatened to escape. She was sure he was faking it but she didn't want to be rude just incase he actually talked like that. "Thank you." Slowly, she stepped fully into the tent and sat down, the warmth of the indoors heating her puffy, round cheeks. "I'm not sure exactly how this works," she chuckled, glancing at Henry for a moment.
"Have a seat, cher," Die motioned to the plush chairs across the table. "Yo'fren can sit down too. Mebbe he can sho'me a coin trick." A grin, as Die reached across the table and plucked a coin out from Raina's hair, or so it seemed. "You know dis one?"
A simple coin trick was all he needed to be convinced. Hiding a smirk, he casually sat down and asked, "are you hiding coins, Raina?" Henry trained his eyes on the mand before him and reached his hand, plucking another coin that looked the same as the fortune teller's. "Because I can totally pluck them out of your hair," he smiled brightly at her.
Raina's eyes did not move from this mysterious man as he spoke, even when she sat on the plush chair. He pulled a coin out from her hair and she blinked, eyes widening even more. When Henry performed the same trick, she couldn't help but laugh melodiously, covering her mouth again. "Wah… ! I wish I could do things like that!" When she lowered her hand, her nose caught the slight scent of something distinctive, but she hadn't been exposed to it enough to recognize it as any sort of drug. She curiously looked between them as though she wondered if they knew each other… though it was entirely possible that the fortune teller had somehow known Henry could do such a trick even if they hadn't met.
Die grinned - it brightened his face and he looked like a twenty-something again. "You still got it, Henri," He said, looking over at Raina. "And you, mon cher. I will tell you dis: don't let de past hold too tight on you, or you never gonna be able to get untangled." He reached, touched her hand, almost flinched as a thousand futures - more - pulsed through his mind. "But your father... Don't chu be worrying about him. Things are going up, but sometimes dey don't feel that way. But the blue dress you see - you deserve that, You'll wear it, sometime soon."
Henry blinked. He was sure he hadn't told the man his name yet. Though, anything could happen - his father was a famous mafia leader in Canada anyway. "I've grown up, Ace," he retorted, rolling his eyes jokingly. Waiting as the man read Raina's future - or so he thought, whatever.
Raina's mouth opened a little when the two males called each other by name. So they did know each other! But before she could inquire, the fortune teller was spouting out information about her future… accurate-sounding information. She could only stare in awe as he placed his hand over hers and mentioned her past and her father… two things she could be very emotional about. As for a blue dress, she had no idea what that meant, but he seemed to really know what he was talking about. She looked at Henry in disbelief, almost wondering if - since the two clearly knew each other - he had told this man about her… but even Henry didn't know about her past since they were kids. When he was done speaking, she found herself speechless, so she stared blankly at this 'Ace' man. Quite frankly, even though he had given her good advice, she was a little scared at what had just happened.
Die smiled at her - it was more tender, almost fatherly. "Don't be scared." He dropped the accent; leaned back. "Nothing I say in here leaves my lips again. Personal policy." He pushed back his red, red hair - tied it into a tail. "Your secrets are safe with me."
He listened to the future that was told. It was quite eyebrow-quirking, because neither of the youngers understood what it meant, well, except for the fortune teller, of course. Henry couldn't say anything - it was none of his business anyway, but when he saw Raina's blank expression, he knew she had a slight fear towards Ace. He brought a hand up and placed it on her shoulder, patting there a couple of times for reassurance.
It was a bit relieving when he seemed to speak in his real voice, ensuring that he wouldn't tell anybody her 'secrets'. That didn't change the fact that she hadn't really been given a reason to believe that 'psychic' people existed until just now. Henry's pats on the shoulder were also comforting and she finally spoke to Ace. "Th-thank you," she said, clearing her throat so she wouldn't sound so small, and offered a smile of gratitude. "Thank you so much." It meant a lot for her to hear that she wouldn't have to worry about her father so much, not that it would stop her from doing so anyway. Finally, she looked between the two men. "How do you two know each other?"
Die leaned back and grinned. "I taught Henry the only coin trick he knows." He said, reaching down to grab a cracker from his lunchbox. He had the munchies something fierce. "But that was a long time ago."
Scoffing, Henry folded his arms disapprovingly. "Whatever, you were younger back then, Ace. What are you doing in a place like this anyway? Quite a bad hobby you have here," he commented - when had he become such a commentee? He didn't know. "And by a long time ago you mean nine years ago," he paused for a while, "my father disapproved of you coming back, you know."
Raina listened to the men converse, remembering the candy apple she still held in her hand, and chomping on it vociferously. She and Henry still had a lot of catching up to do after all these years, and while he had been a little open to her, there was still a lot she didn't know about him. In general, the people she'd been meeting lately were very mysterious, which was exciting for someone as curious as her. Tons of random questions popped through her brain but she decided to just let them talk for the moment, gaze flicking between them.
"It seems to me that you have some bad hobbies too, Henry," Die replied quirking an eyebrow. "He who lives in glass houses, and all that. Besides, I like doing this. Putting minds at ease - helping, in my own way. No one will let their children wander to talk to gambling bums who teach card and coin tricks, anymore." He chuckled and shifted - stretching out his arms. "And of course your father disapproved, he thought I was a male hooker or something, I'm sure."
"Bad hobbies, huh..." he chuckled, leaning into the chair as he made himself comfortable there. "Well, whatever, my life is mine anyway, and I'm done playing the heir of my father's company," he shrugged, maybe yawning a bit. Besides, there's still my brother, he noted to himself. It hadn't been that long since the last time he met his brother - in a club he was working at, for God's sake - but it was unnerving for him, he wanted to know how he was doing.
"My father didn't think of you as a male hooker," Henry replied. And smirked, "but as a male slut."
Raina finished her treat and fiddled with the stick in her mitten'd hands. She took in the vague information, still not exactly sure what Henry's father had to do with anything, but now she learned a little more about Henry that she could ask about later. The dialogue exchanged between the two was entertaining and she had to suppress some more giggles until she could no longer contain them. "Huh??" She laughed at Henry's last statement.
"Oh, so I didn't even have sex for money, I just had sex." Die laughed. "My pride, it hurts. I have no dignity, anyway, look at what I do for a living." He laughed and reached for another cracker, and his pipe. "Do you mind?" He looked at both of them, back and forth. The futures were starting to make his head throb, which was a sure sign he needed another hit.
Henry hummed at the statement. "Mm, something like that. He wasn't too happy with that - heck, it wasn't a big deal," Henry scoffed again (it seemed to be his latest hobby to do so), remembering what his father had provided for him after they got home that day years ago. When Ace reached for his pipe, he raised an eyebrow and gave the man a look. "Smoking is bad for your fragile body, uncle."