Angelo and Marie-Ange - Saturday into Sunday, on the beach.

[x-tarot.livejournal.com]

After clubbing, and watching the sunrise, and generally just having a good time, while the kids are wandering the boardwalk, Angelo runs into Angie, and after a borrowed cigarette, she does a reading for him.



The beach was damp, but beaches are. More so in England, and probably more so at night, though Angie wasn't entirely sure about that. Either way, it had been worth it, watching the sun come up, seeing her friends happy at least for a short time. She dug her hands into the pocket of the sweatshirt she was wearing - it seemed she was always wearing that shirt lately, though she wasn't going to admit why, at least, not just yet, and watched the water.

Angelo spotted her standing looking out at the sea, as he made his way along the boardwalk, and promptly changed course to join her. "Hey, Marie-Ange", he called. "How's it goin'?"
"It is good. Quiet, and calm. I could get used to this." Angie nodded, and smiled, though her hands stayed buried in her pockets. "And you?"

Angelo smiled back. "Much the same. 's a nice city, this."

"It is, though it is very English." Angie grinned, obviously joking. Her eyes were bright, even though it was a bit past dawn, and for once, the French girl looked like she had gotten several nights of sleep in a row.

Angelo grinned back. "Is it? Wouldn't know - this is the first time I've been to England."

"Everything in England is very, very English. That is why it is England, and not France." She nodded, looking quite serious, and then breaking into a smile.

Angelo chuckled. "Well, that makes sense, yes", he said, deadpan.

Angie grinned. "I am in a silly mood. It has been a good weekend, I needed this."

Angelo answered that with a heartfelt nod. "Absolutely. Think we all did."

"More than I think any of us knew. I even slept.. " Angie grew thoughtful for a moment. "Most nights, at least."

Angelo smiled. "That's great. No dreams lately, then?"

"None I remember, which is the important part, though I .. am not sure if that is because of the relaxing, or because I've been playing with a new deck ... " She dug in her pocket, and produced a suede bag, obviously by its shape, containing a set of cards.

Angelo glanced down at the card bag. "New way to channel your precog?"

"New, and old. I tried with tarot cards .. a month ago, I think. Mostly, I was bored on the plane, and it was this or listen to Jubilee play with her Gameboy for hours.. " Angie nodded, then shrugged. "It seems to work, at the least."

Angelo nodded back, with a smile. "Well, whatever works so you can get some sleep once in a while, right?"

"Oh yes. If it works, I cannot complain much." Angie tucked the bag back into her sweatshirt, and looked at Angelo curiously. "Are you .. sleeping? I know you were having problems before? If it is not rude of me to ask, that is."

Angelo shrugged. "More than I was", he answered honestly. "Still havin' the odd rough night, but it's not every night anymore, which is somethin'."

Angie simply nodded. Not sleeping was something she knew, better than she ever wanted to. Angelo did look -better-, if nothing else.

Angelo shrugged and abruptly changed the subject. "So who've you been readin' for with the cards?" he asked. "Or just for you?"

Angie shrugged. "Just me, most of the time. Jubilee once or twice.. Doug, .. but not .. really, and they don't really count, because they didn't know about it."

Angelo nodded. "If you want someone new t'practice on, you only have to ask", he offered.

Marie-Ange frowned, looking over at the beach. "I am not sure I can do a full reading here... but I could probably do a fast one. Fewer cards. .. Though... " She brushed some of her hair off her neck, and thought for a moment. She'd had a drink earlier, and some soda.. but it had been hours, and she definitely did not want to have another migraine. Not after managing to avoid the worst of them for days. "This is going to sound .. a bit insane.. "

"I didn't mean right now, necessarily", Angelo told her. "But we can if you want. What's gonna sound insane?"

"Now isn't a bad time for it, actually," The sun just rising, the entire trip having gone fairly well, everyone starting to look relaxed, less just plain broken for the first time in months, if ANY time was a good time, this was probably it. "I just.. I think I might need to borrow a cigarette from you, unless you know somewhere I can get a mug of coffee stronger than Dr. MacTaggart's.. " Angie dug her foot into the ground, a faintly embarrassed expression on her face.

Angelo blinked. "Uh... okay. Sure. I did say you could, after all." He dug his pack out of his jacket pocket and handed her one, taking one for himself at the same time and lighting both. "What difference does it make?" he asked, honestly curious.

"It.. makes the headaches less bad. I cannot prevent them, but it makes it... " She looked at the cigarette curiously, not quite sure exactly how the whole thing was supposed to work. "more like having someone poke me in the eye, and less like having .. Mister Marko stomp on my head." For a moment, she watched Angelo smoke, then with a great deal of hesitation, mimicked him, coughing a bit. "At least, some things do. I haven't had reason to test this yet.. "

Angelo nodded. "Fair enough - gotta be worth a try at least once."

Marie-Ange coughed her way through smoking for a minute, before making a face. "Whatever kind Shinobi got me -better- be easier to smoke than this. I do not mean any offense, but this is somewhat unpleasant. " She shrugged, and dropped the cigarette to the ground, putting it out with the heel of her hiking boot. "Geh. Not half again as bad as Dr. MacTaggart's coffee, but still. "
"That's because I bought those myself", he told her neutrally. "I think Shinobi's probably will be easier - he can afford better."

"I am not sure it will help make them taste better, to be honest."

Angelo laughed. "Maybe not. You do get used to it, though."

"I hope not. I'm not sure Doug would be very happy with me if I started smoking on a regular basis. " Angie grinned, and looked around for somewhere to sit that wasn't full of rocks, or -cold-.

Fortunately, they were near the boardwalk, with its wooden slats - not ideal, but warmer than the stones. Angelo followed her over there and sat down beside her as she got out her cards.

Angie curled her legs underneath her, and shuffled the cards, the colored cardboard flashing rapidly, expertly in her hands. "This is... " She paused for a moment, thinking. "I should probably have you shuffle these, although I am not sure it makes a difference really. It.. it is symbolic though."

Angelo nodded and held his hand out for the cards, going along with whatever Angie thought might make a difference to the reading. "Sure thing."

The cards were handed over with a duck of her head and a smile. "I know, it is a little silly. More because I ignore half the 'rules' anyway. I do not think I am really supposed to carry around the cards with me all the time, but.. it just, " She shrugged.

He took them and started shuffling. "Tell me when to stop. Or am I supposed to decide?"

"You .. are. I think. Its your reading, so.. I think it is up to you." Marie-Ange looked thoughtful for a moment. "At least, that seems right."

Angelo nodded, cutting the cards another few times, then handing them back. "Okay. There we are."

Marie-Ange settled the cards in her hands, and let out a slow, even breath before shuffling them one last time, her eyes closing as she deftly handled the cards. As she cut the deck into two piles, she let her thoughts wander, musing over Angelo, and what she knew of him. Their backgrounds were so wildly different, she was never quite sure how to relate to him, except in the context of the few classes they shared.

With her eyes still closed, she turned over a card from the top of the first pile, and placed it in front of her. Then she took the bottom card, and placed it across from the first. Then, with her other hand, she picked up the other pile of cards, and repeated her actions, taking one card from the top, and one from the bottom, the four cards in total forming a diamond in front of her.

She then once again shuffled the cards together, fingers flashing over the cardboard, and opened her eyes. "One more card, I think... "

Angelo nodded. "Do I draw another one, then?"

"Oui, and place it in the center." Angie nodded, and held out the deck, cupped in one hand.
He took a card at random, and did what she said, placing it on the slats between them, then sat back. "There."

The card showed a quintet of young men, obviously in a brawl, using branches as weapons. Marie-Ange quirked an eyebrow at the card, and looked up at Angelo. "That is the five of wands.. and the placement should .. represent you. It.. honestly does not surprise me that it came up. The picture .. well, it indicates fighting. Sometimes, not always a real fight, I think.. "

Angelo nodded. "Not always a real fight?" he asked, a little confused.

"I think.. it means sometimes, a fight with yourself?" Marie-Ange kept her voice low, not wanting to upset him. "The men on the card look almost the same, so .. I think it can mean a mental battle, and also indicate physical ones as well." She blinked at the card, puzzled. "I .. cannot help but think of you as a fighter, I suppose."

He shrugged, keeping his voice neutral. "You wouldn't be wrong." He paused, before adding flatly, "Think the first part's not all that out there, either."

"I .. wasn't wrong with Doug's either. I am not sure why that happens.. I wish I could explain it. " Angie idly rubbed her temple and pointed at the card closet to Angelo. "When I do a reading for myself, that card usually means a problem I am having, or a question I ask." The card in question showed a white tower atop of mountain, under assault by a thunderstorm. "That .. is The Tower, though I .. suspect then name of the card is a bit obvious, no? It .. can mean change, one that is forced on you.. "

He nodded thoughtfully. "Well, that could be leavin' LA... but this card's not about the past, is it?" He stopped, thinking.

"No, I think it is definitely not the past, though sometimes, I am not sure. It.. could mean a lot of things. The Tower is a vague card." Marie-Ange closed her eyes, and thought for a moment. "I .. am honestly not sure what it means here, besides .. something you should not ignore, I think. It can be a warning as much as an event." She shrugged just slightly.


Angelo nodded, making a note of what she'd said. "Okay. What's the next one?"

Angie looked intently at the card on left of the diamond-shaped spread, frowning. "That...looks odd. " She reached down to touch the card with a fingertip, and as the card moved, another underneath was revealed. ".. Merde. That.. is annoying." The first card showed a heart, pierced by a set of three swords. "This should be what is around you. People, events places. I was going to suggest that the three of swords meant that you .. spent time around people who were hurt, inside. It is a very simple card to interpret.. " Marie-Ange picked up the card, to look at the other. "It stuck to another card, and.. I cannot help but think that is significant."

"What's the other one?" Angelo asked, curious. "And how would you interpret the three of swords?"

"The .. other one is the eight of swords.. " The card showed a woman, blindfolded and restrained by cloth, surrounded by swords. "The .. three usually means emotional pain.. there are.. so many sword cards here.. " Angie shook her head, frowning. "The eight, though... "

Angelo frowned a little. "What about the eight?"

Marie-Ange closed her eyes tightly. The eight was one of the cards she'd started sketching, and she couldn't get her own version out of her imagination. She frowned, and swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. "It is.. spooky. " She opened her eyes, and examined the card. "The interpretation is.. usually someone who is .. trapped, by themselves, or trapped and cannot see a way out. .. it is.. also one of the cards I drew for my art project. "

Angelo nodded. "Any idea what that means together with the other one?"

".. Oui. " Marie-Ange rubbed at her temple again, and frowned. She could feel the tension in her neck growing, and the increasingly familiar dull headache behind her eyes. She struggled for the right words to explain, starting to speak, but stopping almost immediately after opening her mouth a few times. "I believe I know exactly .. who .. it means,' she said quietly.

Angelo frowned, noticing her signs of discomfort. "Who?" he asked simply.

Marie-Ange shook her head, and frowned. When she had drawn the sketch weeks earlier, it was on a whim, a burst of inspiration that just seemed appropriate. A woman, dark haired and drawn, trapped by her own actions, and unable to see a way out. The actual card suggested that there was always a way out, but that it was not always obvious.. or that the person in question could not see it. Perhaps her inspiration had been more appropriate than she originally thought. "Amanda." she said, in an near whisper.

Angelo's frown deepened in confusion. "What about Amanda?" he asked quietly.

"I wish I knew." Angie sighed, and shook her head, clearing some of the confusion and pain from her expression. "For a moment.. .. I thought I had it, but all I have now is just a feeling that she is still .. trapped" She frowned, and stared at the card. "There are so many swords... Doug had all cups.. you have swords. I .. wonder .. that cannot be a coincidence."

"What do the swords represent?" he asked gently, not wanting to push her before she was ready with the precog.

"It depends on the card, but... strength, a fight.. victory. That you .. have so many just .. " She shrugged. "I am .. certain that it is significant. " She pointed at the bottom card of the spread. "That is the six of swords, and.. it is another card with more than one meaning. It .. could mean a trip, though I suppose that might be obvious. I.. .. " She glanced over at the other cards from the suit of swords, and grimaced, gritting her teeth. That could just not be a coincidence. It could -not-.

He nodded. "What do you think it means?" he prompted softly.

Marie-Ange reached up, rubbing the bridge of her nose. The ache behind her eyes had softened to a slight throbbing, and she was reluctant to make it worse, though now she herself was curious. She closed her eyes slowly, and concentrated, bringing the image of the six of swords to the front of her mind. Two figures, on a boat, carrying swords.. if the eight was Amanda and the five of wands.. the man in the boat did have a staff..


Opening her eyes, she focused down on the pile of cards, and frowned. They looked -wrong- now, like they .. were missing something. Details, little details to put the pieces back into the puzzle. "That.. .. he should be grey, not pink. And it.. should not be a boat. There is no water between here and there, except the river, and that is a bridge you can easily cross. Swords? No, not swords, but blades. "

Angelo stiffened. "Grey? He's... me? An' they have blades? What else can you see?"

"He is you, and .. he is you, also." Marie-Ange pointed to the last card, a picture of an old man, dressed in grey robes, holding a staff and a lantern, and rather than facing her, the card faced Angelo. "A staff.. and a blade, and a light to guide the way."

"An' what does that mean?" he asked, keeping his voice quiet so as not to break her vision, if she was having one.

Marie-Ange frowned, trying to concentrate. The headache was threatening to become more than the familiar dull throb. She let her eyes dart between the cards, looking for a pattern. If the five of wands was Angelo, and the man in the six of swords was Angelo, and The Hermit was Angelo... "Plus ca change. The more things change.. "

Angelo followed her gaze back and forth, confused. "What's changed?" he prompted. "Or... not changed?"

Without warning, Angie swore, and jerked her head back. "Ow. Ce mal. Merde!" The headache had spiked itself into a intense snap of pain, causing her eyes to water, and her hands to twitch briefly. ".. I am.. not certain, though.. " Marie-Ange frowned down at the cards. Conflict, travel, a change, and lessons that had to be learned? It did make a lot of sense, actually. "If Amanda asks you to go somewhere with her? Say yes." she said, her tone deadly serious.

Angelo nodded, not even questioning it. "Okay..."

Marie-Ange shook her head, trying to clear some of the lingering fog from the burst of pain. "I am not sure I can explain it.. it just .. felt like the right answer." She sat up, and curled her hands inside the front pocket of her sweatshirt, suddenly chilly.

Angelo nodded, and stood up, holding out a hand to help her up. "C'mon, we should get you back to the others - it's gettin' cold, an' you could probably use some pain pills."

Marie-Ange nodded, and gathered up her cards, tucking them into the pocket. "Aspirin, yes. That would be appreciated." She took Angelo's hand, standing shakily. "Though.. the headache is certainly not as bad as it could be. Did .. any of it make sense? I am never sure when I read for someone else."

Angelo nodded, not letting go of her hand until he was sure she wasn't going to fall over. "I think it did, yeah. Well, some of it, anyway."

"Good. .. I think." Standing wasn't much of a problem, and though Angie's first few steps were tentative, she felt surprisingly steady on her feet, once she was up and moving. "Thank you for.. volunteering." she said, smiling. "I.. .. it means a lot, after the fire dream, that you offered."

Angelo smiled back. "Hey - we're all here to work on our powers, right? An' I get what might be useful advice out of it."

Angie laughed quietly. "I am not sure how useful "Go on a trip with Amanda" is.. "

Angelo grinned back. "Well, you never know."

Angie nodded. "No, I suppose not. Though.. " She grew quiet for a moment, then shook her head. "It is too early to be thinking this much.. " She tucked her hands inside the pocket of her sweatshirt for warmth, and met Angelo's pace as the two walked towards the hostel - and aspirin, and possibly breakfast.