"The Ace of Spades," Samira muttered to herself as she walked into the city. She wasn't a part of the guild back when it was the true center of the guild hall, and she certainly wasn't around for the destruction that had occurred some time ago. The city thrived though, having been rebuilt after all of that chaos, and even though the guild hall wasn't located there anymore it still had very strong ties to the guild whose members protected it. The city was still an impressive sight every time Samira saw it... which admittedly was one, perhaps two times. The Ace of Spades wasn't exactly a frequent spot that the summoner visited, even if she were a part of the esteemed guild whose history was significantly intertwined with that of the city's. So, what could have made her decide to take the day and make such a rare stop? The answer was simple. Cards.

Not typical cards, of course. The cards in mind were of a different sort. It was only in a recent encounter that she was reminded of a past incident involving tarot cards. Samira knew very little about them and what they represented. One of her spirits had given his knowledge on them, but it was information she didn't particularly trust to be accurate. The avatars of those cards had also given explanations, but the whole experience was confusing. Complex. Much too intricate for one simple interpretation. She had planned before to get another opinion. Someone that she had heard was much more experienced with those sorts of cards and their fateful meanings. Granted, those plans had long been delayed significantly, but no more. Getting a reading and gaining some knowledge about the subject had been bumped up to the top of the priority list. So just who did she have in mind?

'Gaia Sabin Dyer? That modeling girlie? Woooo. I do like her style. Did you see her in all of those Sorcerer's Magazine issues? I almost feel sad that she's the married one.'

'A decent and talented girl like that would not be interested in you regardless of her relationship status. You should be grateful to be spared the embarrassment of being rejected.'

"Please refrain from sharing those sorts of thoughts with me. I find them to be disturbing. But, yes. If the sorcerer's magazine is enough to go by she does do modeling. I would prefer to acknowledge her as her more respectful position as one of the Aces of the guild, however, so do remember that if any of you decide to give her a hello." Samira pondered what she just said for a moment and immediately back tracked after imagining the horror that would be unleashed upon the Ace if any of them came out. "I retract my statement. Remain where you are until I am done. None of you can control yourselves."

'And here I was about to demand modeling advice for the upcoming celestial beauty pageant. Damn shame.'

"Your sarcasm is noted."

'I can still ask for an autograph, right? I need it for my top and popular mages of the world collection!'

"No autographs." Honestly. The woman didn't need to be pestered with autographs when she probably got so many requests for it as it was. Besides, Samira preferred it if such chaos didn't distract the Ace from doing a reading. That probably required patience and concentration... a calm mind filled with absolute tranquility... a mind that could reach a transcendent state so it could be filled with all the answers and mysteries of the universe!... or something. She didn't rightly know.

'Not that I care or anything, but what makes you think she's going to be in this dump of a city anyway? And at some local inn no less? She's probably off partying and living the rich life if she's seriously that freaking popular.'

"The same way I know that she is experienced in handling tarot cards, of course. From rumors. People have mentioned her talents even outside of the Sabertooth halls and the Ace of Spades. It is not a secret she is hiding." Those rumors were quite varied in actuality, and Samira didn't know just how accurate they were. The location of where Gaia normally did her readings made sense. The Red Dragon Inn was a hot spot in the city with many travelers and locals providing customer traffic. The day also made sense. It had to be a Friday. That was the day that you were most likely to find the tarot card reader. That had to be Gaia's day off from her other duties, right? Yes. That was the most logical assumption. It couldn't have been all those other far fetched theories she had heard in passing.

The telepathic conversation continued as Samira made her way to the large inn. She entered it casually as if she had been there a numerous amount of times. She hadn't, of course, but pretending it was a familiar sight helped her forget the awkwardness of it all. The stares she paid no mind, nor the whispers and audible comments being made as she made her way to one of the back corners of the inn. In many ways she was grateful that no one had a mind to stop her or say anything. She could get right to where she needed to be in peace.

Samira stopped her steps once she had reached a table. Not just any ordinary table. Those were abundant enough that she could have just sat at any old table in the front of the inn. No. That one was specially marked with a lovely rich purple cotton tablecloth that was delicately decorated with golden embroidery. Stars and moons covered it completely, the golden color design shimmering in the candlelight that dimly lit the small space. There was also a woman sitting by the wall. The one she expected to be there. Gaia Sabin, or rather Lady Gaia that day, she supposed. The Lady title while she was in her tarot reading mode had been another one of those rumors she had heard.

In truth, the Wizard Saint wasn't all too sure where to go from there. What exactly was the appropriate way to request a reading? She supposed the best way was to just start with the basics. "Hello, Lady Gaia. Are you available to do any readings at this time?" For all she knew the Ace did readings by appointment only these days so the question seemed legitimate enough. In the back of her mind Samira felt a bit silly for asking though since no one else was sitting in the other chair. At least she'd get credit for being polite.

(Word Count: 1122)

The bewildered look on the Ace was what Samira had expected. Not because of who she was with those titles of hers but because she had indeed asked such a ridiculous question that it was absolutely shocking. The renowned tarot reader probably thought she was the equivalent of a clueless tourist at that point. It was mildly embarrassing at first, but the smile that appeared on Gaia's face reassured her that maybe her negative thoughts were inaccurate. Thank goodness! Perhaps she had not made a complete fool of herself with the very first sentence she had spoken to her guild Ace.

Now that she had been welcomed to take the empty seat for herself, Samira did so with no further hesitation. It felt strange to be sitting there at the Red Dragon Inn. The summoner wasn't sure why. It wasn't the first inn she was a guest in, although granted it certainly was much more lively than some others. Perhaps it was getting the reading that made her a bit anxious. It was a new experience, yes, but there was much more to it. Maybe deep down her subconscious was greatly concerned about what the cards would say. After her encounter with those tarot deities perhaps she had a right to be. Now she was starting to silently wonder if she really had allowed herself to become that superstitious. At least it was a reminder to herself that even at the peak of power there were still things that were out of her league.

A question was then asked. A reasonable one that some would have thought to have an obvious answer. She was there to have a reading. She had even said as much. Samira did not look down on the question though. Not after making her own self look silly, and especially not when she saw wisdom in the question. Gaia surely wanted to know the reason why a reading was desired. After all, Samira had rarely even visited the Sabertooth Guild Hall, and never once had she shown interest in a reading before. "I had an encounter recently..." Samira trailed off as the inn suddenly grew louder than it had already been. Her gaze lost focus on the other summoner as she turned her head to glance at the patrons that were now singing and standing atop of their table. Others in the room began to join in and even clap to the tune. Goodness. Did Gaia really always have her tarot readings at the inn? The tarot reader truly must have had such a high ability to focus that it was unrivaled even by a Goddess of Ishgar if so.

Samira shook her head slowly with mild disapproval. Tables weren't meant for that, but she saw no reason to outwardly speak her thoughts and ruin their fun. The inn was their world and comfort zone, not her own. Different rules applied. Gaia's voice brought her attention back to where it was meant to be placed. Her verdant gaze fully focused on her and even widened slightly. Now it was her turn to be surprised. "I am flattered by your words," she began to say with a smile. Hopefully it did a fine enough job on hiding the embarrassment she felt. Phrases of that sort she still wasn't quite used to hearing. She probably never would be. "You are an important part of the Sabertooth leadership though. The Magic Council may have labeled me as one of the Gods of Ishgar, but I am still also a normal member of the guild like most. It is your right to call for an introduction at the very least. As for how..." Samira's eyes dulled and her mind went blank. Did... did she never register her iLac information with the guild? Not that she would have really answered it. She was terrible at using that device for its actual purpose. Nevertheless she couldn't remember actually doing it. The guild could have exploded and she would have never known until the rare chance she actually waltzed right into its realm and found nothing but rubble. "I guess I need to make that part a bit easier to do. Expecting everyone to have access to a celestial courier to contact my spirits instead is a bit much." A small timid laugh came after her words, followed by her clearing her throat in an attempt to move on before the Ace had the idea of looking into her paperwork to find more errors and missing information.

"How do these readings work exactly?" Samira asked curiously, placing her arms on the table and leaning forward slightly to be better heard over the singing in the background. Now she was letting her lack of knowledge on the subject come to light. "The last time I was in the presence of such cards their avatars wanted to kill me. I am fairly certain that is not how a real tarot reading should be done. At least, I hope it is not. A repeat of that experience would undoubtedly be far less pleasant."

(Word Count: 847
Samira Total: 1969
Thread Total: 2569)

Samira smiled when Gaia blushed and then displayed modesty with words. Samira had once been an Ace herself for a different guild. It might have felt like a lifetime ago by that point, but she recalled what it was like. Even if the paperwork was all Gaia claimed to do that was still a vital part of running a guild. Without it, well, Sabertooth wouldn't be one of the more well-known guilds out there. She didn't feel the need to say it, however. Gaia surely already knew that.

The statement regarding the goal of being named a Wizard Saint was intriguing. Many mages aspired to become one someday, but this was the first time Samira had heard of her being partially the reason for it. The realization that one of her own goals was coming to pass brought with it confusing emotions. She had wanted to do her best to set an example and be looked up to, much as she had looked up to and idolized the Wizard Saints of the past. Now that she had seen examples of it being a thing she was not sure how to react. The mind had been blown. Maybe they'd get deeper into that conversation another time. Like, over a cup of coffee or something. Not in the noisy inn where Gaia had her tarot reading shop set up. After all, the next customer could walk in at any moment. With that potential fact in mind, the summoner thought that it best to spend what time was available on the readings.

At first, Samira had thought what she said had offended Gaia. Instead, as it turned out, it was the existence of those tarot avatars that was the true offense. More than that though the Ace had known what she was referring to. Her eyes widened in mild surprise. Samira did not think it would have been so easy to explain or be understood. The probability of being considered crazy was higher. Gaia really did know her stuff. Already the idea of coming to her instead of another tarot reader was proving to be wise.

Gaia drew one of the cards and, without looking at it, confidently described its meaning. It was more than some simple magician's trick, though. They were also her summons. That explained a lot. If her connection to the summons were anything like her own then there was no way Gaia would not know which of the cards would be drawn. She probably knew the order of the whole shuffled deck without even touching it. Moreover, unlike the previous avatars Samira had encountered, the ones that would come from Gaia's call were kind and not corrupted.

When the Temperance card was placed down, Samira took the invitation to get a better look at it. She leaned forward a bit, reaching out to gently slide it closer a couple of inches. It was a beautiful card. If the summon that came from that looked exactly like what was pictured Samira was sure there'd be quite a bit of jealously coming from one of her own summons. Kukulkan, the feathered serpent, was quick to deny that line of thinking the moment it crossed Samira's mind. The Wizard Saint ignored the mental comments that flooded her mind. Gaia had more to say that was a lot more interesting than a summon denying jealously.

"So you have encountered them as well. I suppose I should not be surprised considering your type of summoning magic. They most likely could not resist being drawn to you." Gently she slid the Temperance card back to its original spot to allow the other summoner to reclaim it. "In my case they were used for someone else's vendetta against me. As unfortunate as it may be, since they survived the encounter with you, I can also assume they still exist after the encounter with me." It was a shame indeed. Samira did not know that they had attacked others in the past such as Gaia, Kenna, and someone named Masha. That would mean that even when destroyed in their own realm the tarot avatars were immortal. They would continue to live on and continue their attacks on unsuspecting mages. Samira leaned back in her chair and sighed, both in disappointment and concern. No one could fully win against everything. She already knew that. The feeling of failing to rid the world of something dangerous never got easier though.

"A proper reading would certainly be an enjoyable experience. I am curious to see how it works." Samira's frown faded, her excitement taking over her emotions again. What would the cards say? It was a mystery that she needed to know. Right now. Once more Samira sat straight up and focused on the types of readings Gaia said she could do. She concentrated, thinking everything over. Would it be asking too much to do all of them? Yes, yes it would. What if someone else came in for a reading? She couldn't hoard all of Gaia's time! She had to choose just one!

Out of the ones suggested the last two sounded best. Samira always valued advice so that was a tempting choice. A reading of actions and possible outcomes also sounded mysterious and interesting. Where was a coin to flip when a girl needed one? "I did not realize that there were so many different versions of a reading." Her mind was still blown just by the small selection she was given. No doubt there were even more advanced options. As a newcomer to receiving readings she'd just stick with what was suggested instead of asking for something more complex. "It is difficult to choose just one, but I think I will go with the assessment and advice reading. I will also take your suggestion of the cards being summoned in a smaller form. Not just because smaller versions sound cute, although that is a big part of it. As someone that shares the same general style of magic, I am also interested in seeing what your summons are like."

(Word Count: 1012
Samira Total: 2981
Thread Total: 4179)