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xp_logsArriving at Tante's place, Amanda and Nico make their presence felt. Tante is... Tante.
The overgrown road to the bayou that hid Tante's shack had gotten even more overgrown, if that were possible. Trees trailing long strands of moss hung down over the roof of Amanda's car as she carefully navigated the potholes and puddles and encroaching shrubs. The witch had fallen silent once they'd gotten off the sealed roads, her mood reflective. Once or twice, Nico caught her half-smiling to herself at some memory or other.
Yeah, those smiles were either the promise this was going to be good, or the fact her mentor dearest had gone completely insane and was about to take the next turn to murder her by an old tree. Nico sighed; she needed to stop watching cheap horror movies. More than once she was tempted to ask Amanda to tell her more about this Tante person, but once she had fallen silent, it was hard to break the ice. Somehow, she felt like she would also break something important, intangible, but very present. As present as the growing source of energy that practically oozed from wherever they were heading to. Nico was somewhat concerned she would go into feeding mode if it turned to be way too much energy, but she had trained, and trained, and trained, so it better had been worth the effort.
"If I see more trees I'm going to go insane," she muttered, half of her head outside of the window as she eyed the road.
Amanda snorted, and glanced over to her student. "Oh, we're not even in the thick of it yet, Grasshopper," she said as she peered through the windscreen, looking for a particular landmark. The old stump of what had been a huge tree was still there, but even more moss-covered and sinking into the ground. Amanda pulled the car to a stop. "'S about a ten minute walk to Tante's shack," she said, undoing her seat belt. "Watch for snakes."
"Delightful", added as she jumped out of the car, actually watching for snakes. "Truly delightful, she must be booked for visits all year round." It wasn't that she hadn't enjoyed the trip, or the lack of civilization, or the possibility of snakes...okay, maybe she had hated all of that, but in Nico's mind, the people supposed to help you were easier to reach. Only in the movies you had to climb the big ass mountain to find the monastery with the hidden sect of monks that knew how to live forever. Or something.
She was so caught up on her inner rambling that she almost tripped and fell. "Okay okay, I'll shut up now." But there had been talk now, so Nico had the opening she wanted. "Tell me more about this Tante lady? Is she small, smells like rotten eggs and waves a staff with tiny heads all over the place?"
Amanda took the lead, heading onto a path that was barely distinguishable from the rest of the foliage. Holding a branch so it didn't thwap Nico in the face, she considered the question. "Tante's..." She paused, searching for words."She's kinda... she's a bit..." After struggling for a minute or two, Amanda gave her student an apologetic grin. "She's Tante. That's about the best I can do. You'll understand when you see her. But for fuck's sake, be polite. She might not have the power any more, but she's still hellishly scary for all of that. Don't mouth off to her."
That, if anything, made Nico the more interested. "She had a power? Like something really big? Past tense means she lost it?" And she could go on and on, but the remark of the woman being scary shut her right there. Just what she needed, more scary people in her life. "I'll be polite and pristine and lady-like." She was serious, for what it was worth, because she didn't want to cause that much of a bad impression. And if it was important to Amanda, it was important to her.
"Polite will do - lady-like and pristine she'll see right through." Amanda nodded approvingly at the serious tone, however. Nico at least listened more than she had at the same age. "A mambo takes their power from the land, Grasshopper. The earth, the swamp, the plants and animals and whatever the fuck else is in here with us. She's connected to it. Tante gave up that connection a few years ago, passed on the title to a successor, but she's still got the knowledge in her head. And she set me straight a few times, so I figure she can do the same for you." Amanda gestured up ahead - a light was glimmering through the murk under the trees. "We're nearly there."
Nico looked around as Amanda talked. "She must have been quite strong with all the...stuff around here." Nico could tell more or less what it meant to be connected to the land, although in her case, she was 'connected' to the living, perhaps? It made no sense and she wasn't eager to ask about it out loud. "And I'm guessing this successor isn't that close to you...?" In her mind, the one with the power would be the one with the better answers. Looking at the light, Nico started to get nervous. What if something went wrong? What if this Tante Mattie saw what she had done, or what her family had done, and-- Shaking her head, Nico casted those thoughts away. "The Ritz's got nothing on this", added before taking a deep breath.
"Yeah, that? Don't do that. She doesn't like cheek," the witch warned as she took the last few steps out of the brush and into the small cleared area that could be called a 'yard' if you were in suburbia. Here it was a flatish area without as many bushes and trees, plus a charred area where the firepit lived. "And be honest. Don't try to hide anything from her. Odds are she knows everything already and trying to put one over her will only make it worse." Amanda gave Nico a reassuring smile. "I'll be right here with you, Grasshopper. And I wouldn't be bringing you here if I didn't think it wouldn't help."
Nico gulped, and nodded in silence. "So, as long as I'm not a brat I should be fine?" Easier said than done, but Nico didn't want to embarrass her mentor in front of this Tante person. Not at all. She gave Amanda a scowl. "You are damn right you are sticking close. I may not be entirely vocal about it, but I'm pretty scared." She just hoped Amanda was right about this being a good idea, but they were already there, so there was no point of arguing now, was it?
The old black woman sitting out and enjoying the weak sun couldn't have been any less impressive. She was wrapped in a thick multi-coloured shawl, and clad in her usual black dress. Unlike before, she had a cane in one hand, leaning on it slightly even seated. Her back to to them as they approached, and she gave no indication to even suggest she knew they were there.
"And here we are," Amanda muttered, more to herself than to Nico - if she was pressed, she would have admitted to a degree of nerves herself. She stepped forwarded off the path and raised her voice a little. "Hello, Tante. Long time, no see."
"Ja think dat Tante don hear ja, stomping t'rough de swamp like a pair of oxen?" She said irritably. With a slight grunt, she pulled herself to her feet and walked over to the foot of the stairs leading to her home. "Dere's wood in de shed. Keep 'way de damp." Tante Mattie started up the stairs without a glance behind her.
Nico almost, almost said something in return, but her sense of self-preservation was already working overtime, which in turn made her bite her tongue and just follow the woman slowly, making sure she was still close to Amanda. Not saying a thing was perhaps the best way to go. So Nico looked at Amanda and shrugged.
"That would be Tante," Amanda said with a grin. "She's big on that personal touch. The woodshed's over here."
A short time later, Amanda and Nico were climbing the rickety front steps of the hut, arms laden with firewood. Amanda nudged the door open with her foot, strangely not using magic. "Here you are, Tante," she said. She nodded to the woodbox by the stove. "Over there, Grasshopper."
Tante nodded, and turned back to the wood stove. As they dropped lumber into the woodbox, she would pull a few pieces and examine them critically before shoving them through the iron door into the stove. The shack was as it always was; small, secure, even cozy if a little spartan. It wasn't until the old woman had placed the iron kettle on the top of the stove and sat herself at the table did she speak again.
"Dis is de one? Bit of a thing. Hard t'magine power in dat."
No, Nico wasn't going to take offense on that. Or roll her eyes. Or do anything but toss the wood when she was asked to, and then go and place herself right next to Amanda. Yes, she was going to do that and be quiet, and polite. Besides, Tante hadn't asked anything to her; she had just more or less stated she looked like anything but a witch. She could live with that!
Maybe Nico was glaring at the old woman a little now.
Looking up to Amanda, Nico gave her a silent plea for help. Was she supposed to do something?
"Looks can be deceiving. You taught me that," Amanda said with a slight smile - she knew Tante was trying to get a rise from Nico and so far, her student was passing the test. "Family business, you know how it goes."
"Sometimes. Sometime's dey exactly what ja think is dere." She said, and folded her hands on the tabletop. "Let's see dis staff of ja den. Know just what ja dealing wit'."
"Wait, what?", blurted the goth girl at least; Nico was only human, after all, and she had already taken enough of the odd woman's attitude and tried to refrain from speaking, but truly, it was getting a little beyond her limit. "...Okay then", added a second too late, taking a step away from Amanda. "Works with blood", said before biting her finger, wincing a little at the pain, but completely used to the taste of her blood by now. "When Blood is Shed, Let the Staff of One Emerge." And so it came, making Nico feel odd as usual, or perhaps a little more, considering she was being watched like a particularly disappointing lab rat this time. The Staff was colder than usual, and Nico could have sworn it was...wary? Or at least she felt slightly wary now.
Nico waved the Staff a little, and then remembered something. "A little while ago my m- someone cut the connection I had with this thing, but it only took Amanda to, eh, thrust it into my chest again to stick the thing to my soul again. Any reason why it seems to like me so much?" Besides the fact she was inherently evil and destined to Kill Everyone, of course.
Tante sat back, eying the staff and ignoring any of Nico's questions. The old woman's eyes narrowed, and she made a vague gesture with one hand. The staff twisted in Nico's hands, as if trying to escape her grasp. As it writhed, Tante reached down and took a handful of ashes from the bucket beside the stove and poured them slowly on the table. As each flake hit, a sound akin to a drum matched it, and the Staff of One pulsed with each beat. In seconds, the room around them was full of the sounds of percussion, reverberating off the walls and filling the small cottage like a physical presence, all the while, only a deathgrip keeping the staff from flying out of Nico's grip.
Finally, the last ash hit the table, and the noise cut off as if it had never been. Tante muttered something to herself and swept the ashes clear of the table, wiping away any trace of grime.
Amanda had quietly taken a seat at the table while Tante's examination had been going on, watching with concern. "It's bonded to her, isn't it?" she said at last, when the silence had drawn on further than she could bear.
"It is her. In a way. And in a way, something different. De loa gowna ride dis one, childe. Tante see dere marks inside and out. Dat's Samedi's own walking stick in her hands in its way." She said deeply; ominously. She reached into her dress pocket, and pulled out the well thumbed pack of tarot cards that were initimately familiar to Amanda. She spread the pack across the table. "Pick two, childe. And ja, hounsis. Pick two. And ja." Her gaze was now focused on the staff solely. "Ja pick one, if ja don fraid of Tante."
Shit was getting weirder than usual. The whole thing with the ashes and the drums and the pull? Not nice, not nice at all. She managed to keep the Staff on her hands only because she knew it would end badly if she let go of it. The obscure conversation between Amanda and Tante didn't tell much to Nico that she didn't know. "Who is going to ride who?" By that point, Nico didn't know what to believe or not, or if she should even try to make some sense out of it. Nico tried to process the information, but now she was being asked to pick cards. The last time she did that Marie-Ange had been...worried. Nico walked towards the table, and moved two cards at random away from the larger group...and then noticed the Staff of One had placed itself over a single card, and Nico couldn't lift the thing; it was as if the thing had glued itself to the table. Nico understood pretty quickly though, and slowly slid the staff with the card next to the two she had picked, the Staff of One detaching itself from the card once she put it there. "Awesome, I didn't know that trick," she mused to herself more than to the two women. The staff had jumped at Adrianne at some point, though, so she wasn't terribly surprised.
Turning to Amanda, Nico shrugged. "So...your turn?"
Amanda nodded and drew two cards, laying them face down in front of Tante. "Think of this as fact-finding," she murmured to the confused Nico. "Tante's got her ways of finding things out, and this is one of them."
Tante arranged the five cards, so one of Amanda's and one of Nico's were paired on the left and the right, and the one chosen by the staff in the middle. Nico's first card was a Five of Coins, which Tante frowned at for a moment, before turning over Amanda's; the Fool. The old woman's eye flickered from the card to Amanda and back. "Dere is loss coming, hounsis. Dis journey ja takin' wit' her is going to cost you. Soon." She said to Nico, almost sadly. "And what waits for ja at de end is not what ja expect." She said, this time to Amanda directly.
'Is it ever?' Amanda thought to herself, but was careful to keep her fear off her face; Nico needed her to be the strong one. "As long as she's got a shot at getting free of this, I'll pay whatever it takes," she said quietly, glancing at Nico briefly.
This time, it was Amanda's card she turned first; the Page of Swords. Nico's was next, and the lurid image seemed to burn in the small cottage. The Tower lay up on the table, and now Tante leaned back in her chair. "Exploration and investigation, leading ta great change; pain, chaos, destruction. Ja gonwa be an engine of it, hounsis. An engine dat burns up all dat 'round her, 'til de very earth groan and weep." Her voice had regained the deep power Amanda remembered, as she atoned to Nico. "When de dead rise up and replace de living, and de night gone take de place of de day. Dere's a dark day dat comes. And it be de Page dat shows you de way." She said, tapping Amanda's card.
Well, wasn't it wonderful? Nico just stood there awkwardly, watching and listening as a strange numbness creeped up on her. She wasn't going to hyperventilate or freak out; she didn't remember the last time something had made her feel so dispassionate; once again she was shown in her face that her world was far from normal, and that she would end up going through horrible things and forcing other horrible things on her friends and those that she considered her own family. "Perfect", muttered as she watched the cards, sighing a little.
Tante reached for the final card; the one chosen by the staff. But her hand stopped partway there, as the card began to vibrate on the table. It fluttered and shook and slowly rose up into the air. The violent movements increased, and a moment later, the card was spinning wildly, making tight revolutions as if on an axis, too fast to make out what it actually was. It hung in in the air, almost buzzing at the rapid movements, when with a 'whoosh', flames enveloped it, a burning cornona over the table.
"No ja damn well don'." Tante said, and reached out snake quick, snatching the burning card from the air and slamming it down on the table, extinguishing the flames between the top and her hand. The fire had almost consumed the card, and Tante gave the staff a black look. "Ja be right t' be scared. Now ja don face jus' de childe no more. Ja face me."
Tante's burned hand came up from the ruined card, turning it over so that they could just make out what it had been before the flames had started; Judgement.
"Oui," she said to their unspoken questions. "It will come."
The flying, and then burning card made her gasp, but she was truly surprised when Tante grabbed it and managed to settled it down. She wasn't sure of what to think of the woman, but if anything, she didn't want to be on her bad books. Ever. Whoever could defy the Staff of One -and actually get its attention and fear, apparently- was on a completely different level.
The Staff started to get even colder in her hand, and Nico had to let go when she felt it was burning through her skin; it just fell for a second before rising up and piercing her chest, entering Nico and disappearing again; even if she couldn't really tell for sure, Nico had felt the Staff had been a little ruder than usual. Taking a deep breath after it was gone, Nico looked at Tante, and then at Amanda.
"...Now what?"
Amanda looked at Nico, and despite all the strange goings-on, she had a slight smile on her face. "Now we start working on a battle plan."
The overgrown road to the bayou that hid Tante's shack had gotten even more overgrown, if that were possible. Trees trailing long strands of moss hung down over the roof of Amanda's car as she carefully navigated the potholes and puddles and encroaching shrubs. The witch had fallen silent once they'd gotten off the sealed roads, her mood reflective. Once or twice, Nico caught her half-smiling to herself at some memory or other.
Yeah, those smiles were either the promise this was going to be good, or the fact her mentor dearest had gone completely insane and was about to take the next turn to murder her by an old tree. Nico sighed; she needed to stop watching cheap horror movies. More than once she was tempted to ask Amanda to tell her more about this Tante person, but once she had fallen silent, it was hard to break the ice. Somehow, she felt like she would also break something important, intangible, but very present. As present as the growing source of energy that practically oozed from wherever they were heading to. Nico was somewhat concerned she would go into feeding mode if it turned to be way too much energy, but she had trained, and trained, and trained, so it better had been worth the effort.
"If I see more trees I'm going to go insane," she muttered, half of her head outside of the window as she eyed the road.
Amanda snorted, and glanced over to her student. "Oh, we're not even in the thick of it yet, Grasshopper," she said as she peered through the windscreen, looking for a particular landmark. The old stump of what had been a huge tree was still there, but even more moss-covered and sinking into the ground. Amanda pulled the car to a stop. "'S about a ten minute walk to Tante's shack," she said, undoing her seat belt. "Watch for snakes."
"Delightful", added as she jumped out of the car, actually watching for snakes. "Truly delightful, she must be booked for visits all year round." It wasn't that she hadn't enjoyed the trip, or the lack of civilization, or the possibility of snakes...okay, maybe she had hated all of that, but in Nico's mind, the people supposed to help you were easier to reach. Only in the movies you had to climb the big ass mountain to find the monastery with the hidden sect of monks that knew how to live forever. Or something.
She was so caught up on her inner rambling that she almost tripped and fell. "Okay okay, I'll shut up now." But there had been talk now, so Nico had the opening she wanted. "Tell me more about this Tante lady? Is she small, smells like rotten eggs and waves a staff with tiny heads all over the place?"
Amanda took the lead, heading onto a path that was barely distinguishable from the rest of the foliage. Holding a branch so it didn't thwap Nico in the face, she considered the question. "Tante's..." She paused, searching for words."She's kinda... she's a bit..." After struggling for a minute or two, Amanda gave her student an apologetic grin. "She's Tante. That's about the best I can do. You'll understand when you see her. But for fuck's sake, be polite. She might not have the power any more, but she's still hellishly scary for all of that. Don't mouth off to her."
That, if anything, made Nico the more interested. "She had a power? Like something really big? Past tense means she lost it?" And she could go on and on, but the remark of the woman being scary shut her right there. Just what she needed, more scary people in her life. "I'll be polite and pristine and lady-like." She was serious, for what it was worth, because she didn't want to cause that much of a bad impression. And if it was important to Amanda, it was important to her.
"Polite will do - lady-like and pristine she'll see right through." Amanda nodded approvingly at the serious tone, however. Nico at least listened more than she had at the same age. "A mambo takes their power from the land, Grasshopper. The earth, the swamp, the plants and animals and whatever the fuck else is in here with us. She's connected to it. Tante gave up that connection a few years ago, passed on the title to a successor, but she's still got the knowledge in her head. And she set me straight a few times, so I figure she can do the same for you." Amanda gestured up ahead - a light was glimmering through the murk under the trees. "We're nearly there."
Nico looked around as Amanda talked. "She must have been quite strong with all the...stuff around here." Nico could tell more or less what it meant to be connected to the land, although in her case, she was 'connected' to the living, perhaps? It made no sense and she wasn't eager to ask about it out loud. "And I'm guessing this successor isn't that close to you...?" In her mind, the one with the power would be the one with the better answers. Looking at the light, Nico started to get nervous. What if something went wrong? What if this Tante Mattie saw what she had done, or what her family had done, and-- Shaking her head, Nico casted those thoughts away. "The Ritz's got nothing on this", added before taking a deep breath.
"Yeah, that? Don't do that. She doesn't like cheek," the witch warned as she took the last few steps out of the brush and into the small cleared area that could be called a 'yard' if you were in suburbia. Here it was a flatish area without as many bushes and trees, plus a charred area where the firepit lived. "And be honest. Don't try to hide anything from her. Odds are she knows everything already and trying to put one over her will only make it worse." Amanda gave Nico a reassuring smile. "I'll be right here with you, Grasshopper. And I wouldn't be bringing you here if I didn't think it wouldn't help."
Nico gulped, and nodded in silence. "So, as long as I'm not a brat I should be fine?" Easier said than done, but Nico didn't want to embarrass her mentor in front of this Tante person. Not at all. She gave Amanda a scowl. "You are damn right you are sticking close. I may not be entirely vocal about it, but I'm pretty scared." She just hoped Amanda was right about this being a good idea, but they were already there, so there was no point of arguing now, was it?
The old black woman sitting out and enjoying the weak sun couldn't have been any less impressive. She was wrapped in a thick multi-coloured shawl, and clad in her usual black dress. Unlike before, she had a cane in one hand, leaning on it slightly even seated. Her back to to them as they approached, and she gave no indication to even suggest she knew they were there.
"And here we are," Amanda muttered, more to herself than to Nico - if she was pressed, she would have admitted to a degree of nerves herself. She stepped forwarded off the path and raised her voice a little. "Hello, Tante. Long time, no see."
"Ja think dat Tante don hear ja, stomping t'rough de swamp like a pair of oxen?" She said irritably. With a slight grunt, she pulled herself to her feet and walked over to the foot of the stairs leading to her home. "Dere's wood in de shed. Keep 'way de damp." Tante Mattie started up the stairs without a glance behind her.
Nico almost, almost said something in return, but her sense of self-preservation was already working overtime, which in turn made her bite her tongue and just follow the woman slowly, making sure she was still close to Amanda. Not saying a thing was perhaps the best way to go. So Nico looked at Amanda and shrugged.
"That would be Tante," Amanda said with a grin. "She's big on that personal touch. The woodshed's over here."
A short time later, Amanda and Nico were climbing the rickety front steps of the hut, arms laden with firewood. Amanda nudged the door open with her foot, strangely not using magic. "Here you are, Tante," she said. She nodded to the woodbox by the stove. "Over there, Grasshopper."
Tante nodded, and turned back to the wood stove. As they dropped lumber into the woodbox, she would pull a few pieces and examine them critically before shoving them through the iron door into the stove. The shack was as it always was; small, secure, even cozy if a little spartan. It wasn't until the old woman had placed the iron kettle on the top of the stove and sat herself at the table did she speak again.
"Dis is de one? Bit of a thing. Hard t'magine power in dat."
No, Nico wasn't going to take offense on that. Or roll her eyes. Or do anything but toss the wood when she was asked to, and then go and place herself right next to Amanda. Yes, she was going to do that and be quiet, and polite. Besides, Tante hadn't asked anything to her; she had just more or less stated she looked like anything but a witch. She could live with that!
Maybe Nico was glaring at the old woman a little now.
Looking up to Amanda, Nico gave her a silent plea for help. Was she supposed to do something?
"Looks can be deceiving. You taught me that," Amanda said with a slight smile - she knew Tante was trying to get a rise from Nico and so far, her student was passing the test. "Family business, you know how it goes."
"Sometimes. Sometime's dey exactly what ja think is dere." She said, and folded her hands on the tabletop. "Let's see dis staff of ja den. Know just what ja dealing wit'."
"Wait, what?", blurted the goth girl at least; Nico was only human, after all, and she had already taken enough of the odd woman's attitude and tried to refrain from speaking, but truly, it was getting a little beyond her limit. "...Okay then", added a second too late, taking a step away from Amanda. "Works with blood", said before biting her finger, wincing a little at the pain, but completely used to the taste of her blood by now. "When Blood is Shed, Let the Staff of One Emerge." And so it came, making Nico feel odd as usual, or perhaps a little more, considering she was being watched like a particularly disappointing lab rat this time. The Staff was colder than usual, and Nico could have sworn it was...wary? Or at least she felt slightly wary now.
Nico waved the Staff a little, and then remembered something. "A little while ago my m- someone cut the connection I had with this thing, but it only took Amanda to, eh, thrust it into my chest again to stick the thing to my soul again. Any reason why it seems to like me so much?" Besides the fact she was inherently evil and destined to Kill Everyone, of course.
Tante sat back, eying the staff and ignoring any of Nico's questions. The old woman's eyes narrowed, and she made a vague gesture with one hand. The staff twisted in Nico's hands, as if trying to escape her grasp. As it writhed, Tante reached down and took a handful of ashes from the bucket beside the stove and poured them slowly on the table. As each flake hit, a sound akin to a drum matched it, and the Staff of One pulsed with each beat. In seconds, the room around them was full of the sounds of percussion, reverberating off the walls and filling the small cottage like a physical presence, all the while, only a deathgrip keeping the staff from flying out of Nico's grip.
Finally, the last ash hit the table, and the noise cut off as if it had never been. Tante muttered something to herself and swept the ashes clear of the table, wiping away any trace of grime.
Amanda had quietly taken a seat at the table while Tante's examination had been going on, watching with concern. "It's bonded to her, isn't it?" she said at last, when the silence had drawn on further than she could bear.
"It is her. In a way. And in a way, something different. De loa gowna ride dis one, childe. Tante see dere marks inside and out. Dat's Samedi's own walking stick in her hands in its way." She said deeply; ominously. She reached into her dress pocket, and pulled out the well thumbed pack of tarot cards that were initimately familiar to Amanda. She spread the pack across the table. "Pick two, childe. And ja, hounsis. Pick two. And ja." Her gaze was now focused on the staff solely. "Ja pick one, if ja don fraid of Tante."
Shit was getting weirder than usual. The whole thing with the ashes and the drums and the pull? Not nice, not nice at all. She managed to keep the Staff on her hands only because she knew it would end badly if she let go of it. The obscure conversation between Amanda and Tante didn't tell much to Nico that she didn't know. "Who is going to ride who?" By that point, Nico didn't know what to believe or not, or if she should even try to make some sense out of it. Nico tried to process the information, but now she was being asked to pick cards. The last time she did that Marie-Ange had been...worried. Nico walked towards the table, and moved two cards at random away from the larger group...and then noticed the Staff of One had placed itself over a single card, and Nico couldn't lift the thing; it was as if the thing had glued itself to the table. Nico understood pretty quickly though, and slowly slid the staff with the card next to the two she had picked, the Staff of One detaching itself from the card once she put it there. "Awesome, I didn't know that trick," she mused to herself more than to the two women. The staff had jumped at Adrianne at some point, though, so she wasn't terribly surprised.
Turning to Amanda, Nico shrugged. "So...your turn?"
Amanda nodded and drew two cards, laying them face down in front of Tante. "Think of this as fact-finding," she murmured to the confused Nico. "Tante's got her ways of finding things out, and this is one of them."
Tante arranged the five cards, so one of Amanda's and one of Nico's were paired on the left and the right, and the one chosen by the staff in the middle. Nico's first card was a Five of Coins, which Tante frowned at for a moment, before turning over Amanda's; the Fool. The old woman's eye flickered from the card to Amanda and back. "Dere is loss coming, hounsis. Dis journey ja takin' wit' her is going to cost you. Soon." She said to Nico, almost sadly. "And what waits for ja at de end is not what ja expect." She said, this time to Amanda directly.
'Is it ever?' Amanda thought to herself, but was careful to keep her fear off her face; Nico needed her to be the strong one. "As long as she's got a shot at getting free of this, I'll pay whatever it takes," she said quietly, glancing at Nico briefly.
This time, it was Amanda's card she turned first; the Page of Swords. Nico's was next, and the lurid image seemed to burn in the small cottage. The Tower lay up on the table, and now Tante leaned back in her chair. "Exploration and investigation, leading ta great change; pain, chaos, destruction. Ja gonwa be an engine of it, hounsis. An engine dat burns up all dat 'round her, 'til de very earth groan and weep." Her voice had regained the deep power Amanda remembered, as she atoned to Nico. "When de dead rise up and replace de living, and de night gone take de place of de day. Dere's a dark day dat comes. And it be de Page dat shows you de way." She said, tapping Amanda's card.
Well, wasn't it wonderful? Nico just stood there awkwardly, watching and listening as a strange numbness creeped up on her. She wasn't going to hyperventilate or freak out; she didn't remember the last time something had made her feel so dispassionate; once again she was shown in her face that her world was far from normal, and that she would end up going through horrible things and forcing other horrible things on her friends and those that she considered her own family. "Perfect", muttered as she watched the cards, sighing a little.
Tante reached for the final card; the one chosen by the staff. But her hand stopped partway there, as the card began to vibrate on the table. It fluttered and shook and slowly rose up into the air. The violent movements increased, and a moment later, the card was spinning wildly, making tight revolutions as if on an axis, too fast to make out what it actually was. It hung in in the air, almost buzzing at the rapid movements, when with a 'whoosh', flames enveloped it, a burning cornona over the table.
"No ja damn well don'." Tante said, and reached out snake quick, snatching the burning card from the air and slamming it down on the table, extinguishing the flames between the top and her hand. The fire had almost consumed the card, and Tante gave the staff a black look. "Ja be right t' be scared. Now ja don face jus' de childe no more. Ja face me."
Tante's burned hand came up from the ruined card, turning it over so that they could just make out what it had been before the flames had started; Judgement.
"Oui," she said to their unspoken questions. "It will come."
The flying, and then burning card made her gasp, but she was truly surprised when Tante grabbed it and managed to settled it down. She wasn't sure of what to think of the woman, but if anything, she didn't want to be on her bad books. Ever. Whoever could defy the Staff of One -and actually get its attention and fear, apparently- was on a completely different level.
The Staff started to get even colder in her hand, and Nico had to let go when she felt it was burning through her skin; it just fell for a second before rising up and piercing her chest, entering Nico and disappearing again; even if she couldn't really tell for sure, Nico had felt the Staff had been a little ruder than usual. Taking a deep breath after it was gone, Nico looked at Tante, and then at Amanda.
"...Now what?"
Amanda looked at Nico, and despite all the strange goings-on, she had a slight smile on her face. "Now we start working on a battle plan."
