THE FORTUNE BOOTH



The Carnival was loud on the calmest of days: raucous calls to passersby, fox-imps hawking their wares and their games to anyone who would listen, and the roar of any crowd that might happen to be watching the performances in the tents. But today, it was quieter: and today, a new voice rang out over the rest, now and then, calling to anyone who might listen.

"Come one... come all! Come to Mother Omabira's Fortune Booth! For but a small fee--any fee--you may have a hand in influencing the fate of those to come..."

At the table before the cloth-draped imp, curled in the smoke of incense and candles, lay three stones. Like purple eggs, they glowed in the candlelight: and different sigils marked all three.

For a fee of any item--anything at all--traded in, visiting Gembounds could choose a stone. As the mysterious voice of the veiled lady assured: "Take your pick, and the stone with the most support will tug on the threads of history."

The first stone held a carving of two creatures cooperating to move an object.
The second stone depicted two strangers, meeting.
The third stone showed several beasts, travelling together.

"Choose wisely..."

Growth had given several new, unexpected surprised. More surprises than average, really. I mean, I doubt most people develop a row of glowing, squishy, poisonous nubs as part of (not quite yet) puberty. Regardless, Niveus was out and about, exploring the strange carnival that ae had found in a strange tunnel. Niveus almost fit in nicely- a new oddity for a freakshow.

But it wasn't a freakshow that had caught aer attention. But a voice hawking goods, chiming above the clamor and noise of the crowd and vendors. Niveus was no stranger to the idea of future telling- ae lived in the bonebound with giggle for cave's sakes! So perhaps ae were a little more vulnerable to whatever this Mother Omabira had in store.

Ae approached the booth, staring with curiosity at the imp and the three purple stones in front of her. A spindly black chitinous arm reached out from where it was normally nestled in fluff as Niveus traced the carving of the second stone. Ae looked up at Omabira "What are these? They look pretty.. and they can tell the future?" Unblinking eyes drilled into the future-teller, "I thought only bones could do that?"

The catawampus has gone from a gutless, feral beast to a gutful, feral beast in an alarmingly short amount of time. It has done nothing but hunt — some of its hoard has been raided as a result, but you know, that was to be expected, and at least the treasures among treasures are still extra extra safe.

Despite this, and because of it, the catawampus is not in the best of moods. It lives by the hoard and dies by the hoard, and if its hoard has been irreparably diminished then, well... the only option is replacement, isn't it? Thus, the master of the house (self-diagnosed) returns, lumbering in bipedally, like a certain bear-like beast from some kind of animated kids' movie.

It investigates the call, as cats tend to do, and decides that, despite not knowing what a "fee" is, it doesn't really like them. Trading something away to get something in return is the key to STAGNATION! Not growth. And the catawampus needs to regrow a whole hoard, so... what to do?

Well, there is one other here, a small bundle of feathers marveling at fortunes and bones and whatnot. The catawampus probably has lots of those things stashed away somewhere, so they fail to interest it. But an egg... an egg of this hue? Engraved like the paintings on the walls? The catawampus has to have a specimen... just a taste of one. Even if it means "fees". Maybe "fees" can mean "deceit".

Eyes dart around the scene. Balder's voice is absent in the heart, in the ears, but never in the mind. Even if she never returns... she has set the stage for mastery. The catawampus, in a brief and miraculous period of actual thought, now knows what it must do.

It comes in behind the bundle of talking fuzz and picks the thing up in something resembling a football carry. Looking straight at Mother Omabira, low, confidential words drift from its maw like rolling fog:



"There was a space 'twixt I and he (it gestures to the fuzzball under its arm)
Now mended, I ask you: lump us;
for what I carry is my fee.
I am a catawamp...us."



It's not the best rhythm the beast has ever managed, but it's still pretty new to the whole... speech thing. Most hunting requires no speech thing. Since Balder up and left, most sleeping or training requires no speech thing either, or listening thing for that matter.

This being said— or, now that speech is over: the catawampus attempts to hand dear sweet fluffball over to Mother Omabira. With one of its free limbs, it simultaneously points at the second stone, the one with two strangers meeting. A one-two punch of irony there, wouldn't you say?

@Niveus

THE FORTUNE BOOTH



Bones..? Mother Omabira blinked. Now there was an interesting thought. But--"No, my little visitor--and welcome to you--welcome!" A grin parted behind thin veil, sharp teeth glinting past the sheer pink. "But no... not read." A clawed hand passed over the stones, her eyes fixing on Niveus. "Not read, but decide."

The Catawampus's arrival sparked interest in her eyes, and she watched as it strode forward, and picked her first visitor up to offer it--as a fee? A smile curled black lips, but she looked to Niveus, instead. "And does this visitor agree to be a fee..? I ask a cost to decide the fate of these caves, for a time... and all within them. But I cannot take a fee unagreed to."

A shrug, delicate; and she spoke again, claws reaching out to tap each stone. "The sigil... of family. The sigil... of strangers. Or the sigil... of many." Her other hand then swept out, and both covered the stones: "But first... a fee." She grinned. "Such power has a price."

@Niveus @Catawampus

This thread is still free for any to join.

Deciding the future? That seems like an awful lot of power. Power that probably shouldn't be in the hands of a weird bird and giant cryptid cat, but I digress. Niveus wasn't phased by Omabira's sharp claws or teeth- who DIDN'T have those, after all? Well, Niveus didn't exactly have teeth, but that wasn't the point! Ae were just about to open aer mouth to ask more questions when huge paw scooped aer and tucked ae underneath it's arm. For a moment, Niveus was silent with pure shock and confusion. But as soon as that wore off.

"HEY!" Ae squawked, wiggling furiously, "LET ME GO! I'M NO 'FEE!'" The 'bird' would swat at The Catawampus's paw angrily, and, when that failed, go in for a vicious bite. Or well, as vicious as ae could be to a creature so much bigger than aerself. Surprisingly, however, it was not long after beak hit flesh that Niveus tasted the irony taste of blood. The paw restraining aer flinched, providing just enough wiggle room for Niveus to tumble unceremoniously onto the floor.

Niveus would quickly right aerself and retreat to the opposite side of the booth, clacking aer beak one or two times out of anger. "DON'T TOUCH ME AGAIN, Y'HEAR?" Ae would squawk, feathers fluffed out. Ae would shoot a couple angry, warning glares at The Catawampus, only turning to speak with Mother Omabira once it was clear that ae was NOT for sale.

"Um," Ae began, awkwardly, "What kind of things do you want? I don't really have anything to give you." Though if she was willing to take a living gembound as payment, clearly she didn't have many limits as to what she'd take. "The sigil of family sounds nice! I have a big family! They're all in Canis right now, I think, though."

@Catawampus

She grinned. Or rather, her grin widened. "Fee. Anything at all."

She did not list all the things in the caves, for there would be too many; but perhaps she had opened herself, now, to a payment of a stick, rock, or a blade of grass. Or perhaps... she didn't care.

"Family it shall be... unless your friend, here," and a clawed hand gestured to the hulking Catawampus, "also wished their input..."

And, of course, unless anyone else turned up to shift the tides of fate.

@Niveus @Catawampus

Bebby skittered into the area excitedly pushing through the crowd. "wait for me! i want one!" she called out, voice high pitched and near screechy.

she pushed her way to the front of the group, pointing an excited paw at the stone of many. "this one this one!!!" she said, grinning.

she paused. oh, right! a price! anything? this'll work! she *threw herself onto the floor, sending a small chunk of red candy flying off its post, bebby scrambling to grab it before plopping it on the table. "tasty candy for you!!! i hope its good!! i grew it myself!" she said, oh so proud of herself.

speech
thoughts

The others were taking their time in deciding--but ahh, this one...

Mother Omabira watched her come, her grin splitting ever-wider. The candy-flecked white cat was decisive, sure, and full of energy: just what she needed to unleash a little magic.

A palm swept out, fingers curling over the offered chunk of candy.

"The sigil of many," she murmured, sweeping the candy away and out of sight like some precious jewel. Then she gripped the purple rock, with three travellers etched over it, and lifted it for them to see. Eyes flicked between the three visitors: three. How very perfect. "You will all--each of you creatures in the cave--find yourselves stronger in company for a time. Seek out others if you wish to grow..."

A purple smoke rose around the little booth, shrouding Mother Omabira and her stones, and her little chunk of candy: and as they all vanished into nothing, her voice echoed outward.

"Let's begin now."

The Gembound have chosen the Stone of Many.

For the next cycle--until November 13th--all Magicka earnings from posts and thread creations will be doubled. In addition, all threads with three or more characters may be claimed for double magicka! (Their start date does not matter, so long as the threads are claimed before the event's completion.)

@Bebby @Niveus @Catawampus