01<@Ardweden> [Hank steps into the Fringe, going first! The thick smell of incense greets him along with smokey air, and the door closes with finality behind him. He hears a cackle from ahead. "I see you have returned, Hank Morris."] 01<@Ardweden> [The store has shifted since he was last here; while still filled with old trinkets and the occult, a considerable amount of space has been cleared in the middle of the room. Medea's there, looking just as Hank remembers, smiling a smile filled with crooked and missing teeth. She's seated at a bare wooden table with a candle flickering slightly off its center. There's one seat opposite her.] 06* Hank responds in the most cordial way he knows how. "Yup." He's a bit disappointed that Helen isn't here, but he tries not to let it show. He approaches slowly, looking at the trinkets for anything interesting. 01<@Ardweden> [Hank finds dream catchers, vials filled with herbs, and pungent incense. He finds jars with clippings of some sort, ancient and tarnished jewelry, and luck charms of all sorts.] 06* Hank looks them over. "This stuff actually work?" 01<@Ardweden> ["They can be *made* to work."] 06* Hank looks at her. "How?" 01<@Ardweden> [Medea raises her eyebrow. "Is that what you wish to learn tonight?"] 06* Hank shakes his head. "If ya put it that way, no." 01<@Ardweden> ["Then sit, and I will endeavor to give you the answers you desire."] 06* Hank sits! "Aight. First question: Why do I feel like we're bein' targetted?" 01<@Ardweden> [Medea holds up her hand. She hands Hank a deck. "First, please shuffle these."] 06* Hank raises an eyebrow. He takes the cards and shuffles. "If'n ya wanted t' play a game of Texas Hold 'Em, ya shoulda just said." He puts them on the counter when he's done. 01<@Ardweden> ["Divination is hardly an appropriate plaything," Medea replies as she reaches a wrinkled hand over to cut the deck. "You are going to flip a card, and it will show you a lesson - one you are trying to teach yourself."] 01<@Ardweden> ["After that, I will allow three questions, each of which I will attempt to answer to the best of my ability through this medium."] Sounds cryptic as heck, but okay. I'm game. 01<@Ardweden> [Medea gestures for Hank to go ahead.] 06* Hank flips a card! 01<@Ardweden> [Hank flips Justice, and he sees a young woman in shining armor raising her sword to the heavens. Medea ahs. "Justice. Appropriate for the Maid of Orleans, though I expected a somewhat more spiritual card for her."] 06* Hank tilts his head. "I dun get it. What kinda lesson is that?" 01<@Ardweden> [Medea smiles slightly. "You're fond of the idea of bringing justice to those who deserve it, do you not?"] Well... yeah. How's that a bad thing? Aside from, y'know, gettin' the authority mad at me. An' making enemies. An' stuff. 01<@Ardweden> ["So is the Maid, but you must be careful; Justice is dangerous when not tempered by mercy. It's fair, but it's *always* fair. Should you continue to grow to become The Maid of Orleans, you will be able to make those suffer who deserve it - but you will also make everyone who deserves suffering do so."] 01<@Ardweden> ["And some day, the sword may turn on you. Justice can protect, but it is not ultimately about protection."] 06* Hank frowns. "Hang on. You sayin' I should let people get away with bad stuff sometimes?" I mean, all it takes for evil to win is for good men to do nothing, y'know? Some British guy said that I think. 01<@Ardweden> [Medea shakes her head. "Justice - The Maid - simply teaches you to be aware of your actions. Should you tread that path, everything has resonance."] So basically, yer remindin' me I signed that contract. I didn't fergit it. 01<@Ardweden> [Medea frowns slightly, but she says nothing.] Anywho, ain't like this is easy. Most of the time I don't even know what really goin' on. Hard to make a judgement call when we're always in the dark. 01<@Ardweden> ["You have three questions with which to illuminate your path."] Aight then. So far we've done this dream walkin' thing to save two people, an' we workin' on savin' a third right now. An' all of 'em have been close to one of us. So I'm askin', who or what is targetting our group? 01<@Ardweden> [Medea draws a card: The Wheel of Fortune. She lays it down, looking at it silently. "Happenstance," she says. "Not purely. No coincidence is pure coincidence. But the Wheel is not generally choosey about its targets. That is the what. As for the driving force..." She draws another card: Death. And lays it down.] 01<@Ardweden> ["This isn't strictly death," she clarifies, lest Hank get the wrong idea. "But it is a force that's slow, persistent, and left unchecked will change things irrevocably."] 06* Hank frowns at the cards. "Ain't too sure I follow ya." 01<@Ardweden> ["Death, as a card, does not mean death - death as a thing does not mean death as you know it. It does not mean the end. It simply means change... to the unknown, to the irreversable."] Right, I get that. What I mean is I don't see how it relates. Somethin's changin'... stuff.... maybe fer good or bad, and the fact that it's comin' after the people we care about is just a coincidence? 06* Hank pauses, then adds, "Erm, don't answer that if'n it counts towards my three questions." 01<@Ardweden> [Medea stops, her hand hovering over the deck. "I won't." She sets her hand down.] 06* Hank sighs. "Aight. Next question: How can I protect my sister from anythin' related to this dream walkin' business? 'Cause if the 'coincidence' keeps happenin' the way it has, it'll be someone I care about it next, an' I ain't lettin' whatever-it-is get its paws on her. 01<@Ardweden> [Medea shuffles the cards back into the deck, cuts it, and draws the top card: The Tower, with a clock tower struck by lightning, birds flying from the sky and beasts crowding below, followed by the Nine of Swords, with a man awake at night, clutching its head. "Restore The Tower, and she will wake before Death may occur."] That don't really explain much. 01<@Ardweden> [Medea shrugs with one shoulder. "The Tower," she adds, "is another unstoppable force, and one you should be familiar with. Violent and sudden change rather than gradual. One can only *truly* fight the inevitable with the inevitable."] So we need to force a change before a change occurs. 01<@Ardweden> ["A fair assessment," Medea says with a small smile.] 06* Hank chews his lip, thinking of a third question. "Hrm." 06* Hank rubs the back of his neck. "No offense, but I feel like half the questions I wanna ask would just leave me with more questions." 01<@Ardweden> [Medea nods. "This is often the difficulty with answers, but there is no changing their nature."] 06* Hank folds his arms. "Hrm... Aight..." Aight... Who can I trust to help me restore the Tower?" I mean.. I'd've asked what I can do, but I coulda ended up with an answer like "stop the change." So.... yeah. This way, at least I know who's got my back. 01<@Ardweden> [Medea chuckles. She starts drawing cards: The Chariot (with a driver who looks a lot like Kali), The Sun (with a dragon like Hien), Strength (with a samurai holding open the lion's mouth in a storm), The Devil (with a very Imp-like figure). "Your allies, at least presently."] 01<@Ardweden> [She draws another card: The Hanged Man. "One who has sacrificed much for knowledge, he's reluctant to leave his prison but happy to share with those who are willing to hang themselves as well." Another card: The High Priestess. "One who *may* be persuaded to assist, her knowledge in spiritual matters is great."] 01<@Ardweden> ["As is her knowledge of The Tower's, The Hanged Man's, and Death's history."] 06* Hank frowns. "That'd be great if I had any idea who these people are." 01<@Ardweden> ["Your allies have been asking questions as well; perhaps they can assist you."] So's that it? The only people I can count on are my allies, who have about as much clue as me, this hanged fella and this priest woman? Or person, even. Ain't no one else? 01<@Ardweden> ["That's who you can easily count on. You could create other allies, certainly, but those are the most likely to assist you, as of this moment."] You didn't mention the Raven, though. Or the Walrus fella. Hell, you didn't even mention yerself. Unless yer the priestess? 01<@Ardweden> [Medea simply smiles.] 01<@Ardweden> [And then... reaches her hand to the deck, drawing three cards at once: The Sun, The Moon, and The Star. She tosses them on the table; they each have crossed keys.] 06* Hank looks at them, frowning. "What was the point of shufflin' them if you had some trick to drawin' them in order like that? 01<@Ardweden> ["Everything can be seen as a trick, child. Now - you've asked enough questions for one night."] 06* Hank points at the three cards on the table. "So you're not gonna explain what these mean, then?"] 01<@Ardweden> ["The Lunatic Fringe," she says, "And those who appear here."] Ah. 06* Hank half-smiles. "So not the High Priestess." 01<@Ardweden> ["Your answer." She gestures to the cards, now almost a mess on the table.] 06* Hank comments on that. "My answer's kind of a mess." 01<@Ardweden> ["Trust is a messy business."] 06* Hank gets up. "Ain't that the truth. Well, thanks fer the answers, anyway. Still more than I knew before." 06* Hank looks over the charms again, before picking one out. "How much?" 01<@Ardweden> [Medea laughs, then says, "One day of silence."] 06* Hank blinks a few times. "... Say what?" 01<@Ardweden> ["Pay me back with one day of silence - no speaking. Make certain it happens within the next cycle, and the charm is yours to keep."] 06* Hank sighs. "I know I'm gonna regret this... Aw, what the hell." He slips the charm into his pocket. "Maybe this weekend." 06* Hank pauses, and asks, "I ain't gonna lose my voice over this, am I?" 01<@Ardweden> [Medea cackles. "That would be a much higher price for a much more valuable trinket."] 06* Hank grins. "Think I'll stick with this one, then, thanks." 01<@Ardweden> ["You're very welcome. Don't forget your day of silence."] 'S long as I get to pick when it is. 01<@Ardweden> [She smirks. "Within reason, yes."] What's that mean? 01<@Ardweden> ["Before the end of the next cycle. There is a time limit."] 06* Hank nods. "Aight. I gotcha." 06* Hank pauses. "What about, like, when I'm dreamin'? Does that count?" 01<@Ardweden> [She laughs. "When you're dream walking? Yes."] Figures. 06* Hank heads out. "Thanks again." 01<@Ardweden> ["You're more than welcome, Hank. I hope to see you next cycle."] 01<@Ardweden> [Session End!]