I wrote this chapter's concept in Britney's story as one of the sort-of-new chapters when I was revamping. It turned out better than I thought and ended up being one of my favourite chapters in her story. All my disclaimers about tarot readings are there.
Intersession: Guys' Night II Part Two
Coney Island - 3:15 AM
They didn't win the Thor plushie but they wouldn't let that ruin their night.
"Look at that," Daniel says, gesturing to a deep purple tent between a candy apple booth and a custom t-shirt making station. "You want to get some tarot readings?"
"You're the last person I thought would be suggesting that," Xavier states.
"Agreed," James and Imanu say before grinning at each other for synchronicity.
"I know," Daniel says, "there's no real science or logic behind them but the girls did it for Iqadi's bachelorette party so, for Imanu's bachelor party and a sense of shared human experience, let's do it."
"Sure," James says, welcoming himself inside first. The other three follow.
-o-
The tent flaps close behind them and it's dark inside minus a string of dingy lightbulbs that flicker above them. A tall and slender woman walks out from the back, circling the table to greet them. She throws an arm out before bowing. Her skirt and hair billow as her necklaces, bracelets, and earrings jingle with her movement.
"Welcome, gentlemen," she greets, opening her arm to a table with exactly four chairs on one side. There's a fifth one for her. "My name is Faustina and I will be your reader tonight."
Everyone takes a seat and she pulls out a deck of cards from what seemed like thin air. There's more than just the standard deck and she shuffles them with such ease as if the movements are second nature, automatic. Eventually, she spreads them out face down. All of them have a set of constellations drawn on them.
"Every card has a meaning, a prophecy," Faustina explains. "It comes with a story to predict your future and help you find your life's desires. To help you out, people come with a question or a hope. I tell them to pick five cards and I'll read your answers. Who's first?"
The guys look at each other. Are they really about to do this?
"I'll go," James says excitedly. They're really going to do this.
James takes his dear sweet time picking his five cards. He puts some thought into his choices as if he knows which ones he wants. As he selects them, he flips them over. A flying monkey is playing the trumpet, a skeleton holding two scythes across its rib cage, a spindle, three people standing under a glowing triangle, and two bunnies surrounded by cups.
Faustina nods approvingly which makes James excited.
"One major part of your life ended," Faustina explains, "but a new one full of change and transitions will start. You're a bit scared because you want to return to a happier time when things were simpler and you're unsure, but you know life is full of good and bad. If something good happens, it'll become bad but that's fine because it'll get better. All you need is self-reflection."
"I do that all the time in the mirror," James says as if this information is mind-blowing.
The other guys roll their eyes. Of course, James gets the narcissist cards.
"You must self-reflect or else the consequences of some choices will catch up to you," Faustina continues, "and could affect those around you. You're comfier in a group dynamic and you don't want to break it. If that happens, be the first to reach out and gain control to fix it."
James nods approvingly. He looks at the others. "This is fun."
"We'll see," Daniel says as Faustina reshuffles the deck. He looks at her. "I'll go."
Daniel looks at the cards once they're spread out. He peers over them for a few seconds before choosing one after an interval of three cards followed by four alternatively between. He was three and Emily was four when they had their first kiss. Daniel flips over his cards and observes them. There's a king sitting on his throne in front of a fire, a naked woman standing behind a pedestal with her arms open, a man with three swords crisscrossed above his head, a man on a horse with five candles behind him and another in his arm, and a topless mermaid.
"Nice choice," James says with a small laugh, referring to the cards with naked women on it.
"Thanks," Daniel responds with a sour taste in his mouth. These don't look that good.
Faustina smiles a little from the corner of her mouth. "You've achieved your goals, encountering great unity, wholeness, fulfilment, and achievement. Your love life seems to be moving into its next stage but you can still have small arguments here and there."
"Well," Imanu says to him, "you got your Ph.D. and you're getting married."
"Maybe you'll fight over table centrepieces," Xavier says before laughing.
Faustina smirks a little. "You must be aware of how your future will change. There's this inner voice inside of you that you will one day trust. Listen to him. You're not in sync with those emotions because you let it control you."
Daniel's mouth goes dry and none of his friends say anything. He knows what she's talking to and watches as she collects his cards to reshuffle. His Hulk. The one part of his life that he would get rid of in a heartbeat. Every time it made an appearance, it nearly destroyed his life. A child. A car crash. His graduation. It almost killed his friends and fiancé because it got out of his control every. Single. Time.
Imanu clears his throat, looking at Xavier. "Do you want to go or should I?"
Xavier glances at Daniel who's still lost in his haunted thoughts. "I'll go."
When the cards out, Xavier doesn't think. He picks and flips five randomly. There's a bird-like animal with its wings out and rays shooting out, a hand reaching out for the sun, a man looking over eight staves with one in his hand, a king wearing a star, and a queen on her throne wielding a sword. Xavier pretends not to notice the concern on Faustina's face. Crap. He should've thought about them like James.
"You think you completed your life of struggle," Faustina starts, her tone sadder than before, "but you've only started to grow responsibilities. You think you're prepared, successful, abundant, and radiant but you neglect your personal issues. You give people strength, vitality, affection, loyalty, reliability, but your heart is heavy because your love for her feels like a burden. You're too attached. You believe that love is more than a feeling because it's an adaptation to life's events. You're getting too exhausted to fight but keep going. Your experiences and emotions have become your personal prison."
Xavier slowly nods when she's done talking. Has he been able to move on from Britney? No. But hearing those words make him believe that he will be in so much more pain from his heartbreak as time passes, especially if she doesn't come back. All he has is his school life to distract him and he didn't think he was screwing himself over.
"Pretty accurate," Xavier relates as Faustina collects the cards. "Really, really, scarily accurate."
"Now, for you," Faustina says, laying out the cards for Imanu.
Imanu shakes as he picks his five cards and flips them over. He prays that they're good cards. There are six staves on top of a hill with an animal at the bottom that has another stave, the skeleton with scythes again, two interconnected snakes coming out of two cups, the bird-like creature with rays coming out of its spread wings again, and a man standing with ten swords crisscrossed behind him.
"Oh boy…" Imanu mutters.
Faustina meets his eyes and smiles a little from the corner of her mouth. "Your life has changed as well, pretty recently. You've been scared, uneasy, but you welcomed the transformation. It could be because you're trying to get away with something you don't want to be discovered. You had a night where you had to think on your feet and did something unlike you. It led to your partnership built on focus. You and your bride have become strong, committed, loving and equal with intertwined feelings."
"Wow…" Imanu mutters, a little creeped out by the accuracy. Down to that night with the Contingency Plans. He smiles a little to hide his insecurities. "That's pretty true."
"There will come a time when you'll overcome your obstacles when you'll become more comfortable with who you are."
"Sounds good."
"But it'll be followed by a time of disaster. A force greater than you can comprehend will hit you that you'll never have seen coming. You'll feel pain when there is nothing you could've done."
Spoke too soon. "Noted."
Faustina grins, collecting the cards. "Sorry for spooking you last three. I don't control the cards' messages. Would you like to do one more?"
Honestly, no, but they feel like they can't move from their chairs. Apollo would've lightened the mood by laughing at his reading. If they can't have Apollo here, maybe they could mimic his presence with a reading. Maybe there's the chance it'll predict his arrival.
"One for our friend," Xavier explains. "He's uh, he's out of town. We thought he'd be back today but nothing."
Faustian nods as if she knows their situation. She's a fortune reader, after all, so they wouldn't be surprised. "Each of you picks a card." She reshuffles the deck and spreads them out. "For the fifth one, pick it together."
The guys look at each other. Are they really going to do this? Sure. They have nothing to lose.
They pick the card in front of them when their arms stretch out. Each of them flips it over. James picked a woman wearing a cross and sitting on a throne. Daniel picked the skeleton with scythes. Xavier got the rabbits with six surrounds cups. Imanu picked a flying angel pouring water from one cup into another. Without discussing, they all go for the card right in the middle. Daniel flips it over and it's a knight on its horse.
"Your friend has changed," Faustina explains. "The person you know is dead. He keeps resisting the change that the divine female bestowed upon him. It's difficult for him to listen to the new path illuminated for him. His life and memories have vanished now that he's somewhere new. He's disconnected from who he was because his new goals are painful to follow."
"This seems a little extreme," James starts, scooting back in his chair. "Maybe we should -"
"Apollo has a clear vision on what to achieve but he's anxious. He has an event he doesn't expect soon. He's angry, frustrated, and at an extreme loss for power. He's trying to compensate for something that he doesn't have control over. At the end, he'll find a greater purpose and meaning in his actions."
-o-
They left the tent so emotionally drained although it's barely been thirty minutes. Just with five cards each, their souls were opened and exposed. Xavier lies across the grass, looking up at the night sky. James stands nearby, tapping on his phone as Daniel and Imanu sit beside Xavier.
Xavier clears his throat. "James, do you still want fireworks?"
James looks away from his screen. His eyes are wide as he lights up like a firework. "Yes! Are you serious?" He looks at Daniel. "Is he serious?"
Daniel has taken off his glasses but knows that James is looking at him. He's tired as well. "Go for it!"
James claps excitedly as he shrinks and flies away to get some. Daniel puts his glasses back on and sighs.
"Are you sure about the fireworks?" Imanu asks them.
"Use me as the shield," Xavier responds tiredly. "I don't care. Do you think I'm too attached?"
Imanu pauses. " … my English is bad so I didn't catch what she said, but it sounded fake to me."
Daniel groans. " … dammit, I can't use that excuse."
Xavier laughs a little. "That's a good answer. Can we talk about Apollo's reading for a second?"
"I picked the death card!" Daniel yells in a hushed tone, making his words sound forced. "I know that it didn't mean death death, but it was death! Faustina said it herself that the old Apollo died!"
"You and James got the death card too," Imanu points out. "Maybe you're drawn to it since you pulled it twice."
Daniel scoffs. "But James got a great fortune, as James always does. We got something about life changing. She didn't say died in ours. He forgot about us because why else wouldn't he be here? He's off doing something new and -"
"Daniel," Imanu says, cutting him off. He notices that his friend is shaking. "Apollo isn't alone up there. Britney's with him, isn't she?"
"You don't think -?" Xavier starts before cutting himself off.
Daniel and Imanu are silent. The air around them is thick. Nobody wants to bring up that possibility. Although the mantra, it becomes true when you say it, isn't always real, it's finding the courage to say it that makes it grim. They can barely stomach it but maybe there was a coincidence to them not winning the Thor plushie and getting those cards for themselves and Apollo. Maybe there was a truth in the stars but they didn't want to admit that either.
Xavier raises his head and sees his friends in a petrified state. "Don't tell me you're believing that? I thought you would be the last person to believe in all this."
"You heard what she said. It was freaky. You believe it since you almost asked -"
"Because it's true for me!" Xavier screams, putting his head back down against the grass. "Not for him or Britney."
"You don't know that. Don't you remember the readings with the girls?"
Imanu looks at him. "Those came true?"
"They told you theirs?" Xavier asks. He didn't hear anything about this.
"Emily blabbed," Daniel confesses.
"What was it?"
Daniel hesitates on continuing. " … Britney hallucinated you and kissed Angela."
Imanu says nothing but Xavier remains more paralyzed that before. He shouldn't have asked. He's not picturing that nor ever asking Angela about it. Ignorance is bliss. If only he could have the last minute of his life back. To distract them from their woes, James flies back in and grows to his normal size. His too excited smile is alarming.
"Alright," James starts, "I've returned with fireworks but I forgot to get a lighter thing so I was planning to use my bioelectricity. How does that sound?"
Nobody says anything because that is the dumbest and most dangerous idea he could've ever come up with.
-o-
The Next Day - Wakanda's Palace - 11:45 AM
Imanu returns in Wakanda. He quickly went through the formal welcomes and walks right up to his room. When he walks inside, he sees Iqadi at her vanity. She turns when the door opens and she's beaming brightly. A reason why she didn't greet him down there was because she knew that he would've preferred to see him privately. As if he wanted to be in a crowd of security. But he's glad to be home and seeing her so bright.
"Hi," Iqadi greets.
"I love you so much," Imanu responds.
Before Iqadi could ask, he makes his way over and kisses her. Iqadi smiles as he holds her waist, wanting him to put her down on their bed.
"You were gone for a night, not a year," Iqadi says before continuing to kiss him. "You must've enjoyed yourself, didn't you? Unless you didn't. Did James do something?"
Imanu parts for a second, seeing the concern on her face. "No, no, it was great. James played with fireworks, almost blew up Daniel's car - it was better than any of us could've ever asked for."
Iqadi smiles, calming down. "That makes me so happy."
"I know." He continues to kiss her.
Like in Britney's story, all the cards were picked with a random generator. I read the descriptions and crafted a fortune. Same case scenario, the cards were scarily accurate.
The first Guys' Night chapter:
Emily's Counterpart - Chapter 220: Guys' Night I
The girls getting their readings:
Britney's Counterpart - Chapter 276: (Britney Braun) Bachelorette Black Magic
Get ready for sophomore year!