(no subject)

[twiststheblade]

Outside is better than inside, even if it is cold and wet and grey. Miho's used to wet and grey, although cold is a little less common. Besides, it's different, and different is good. Less people, and if she sits in the right place, and faces away from the buildings, she can pretend that Milliways isn't there. Of course, it doesn't really matter, because it is there, and she still can't leave.

She can sit and stare out over the ruffled lake, though, and smoke, and pretend that the growing litter of cigarette butts around her feet doesn't attest to the fact that she has nowhere better to be.

Comments

[destroy_restart]

Some people smoke many small cigarettes. Some people affect smoking one huge cigar instead.

Small, fierce, angry, silent - interesting subject.

[twiststheblade]

Small, fierce, angry, silent, and with flaring nostrils and keen ears that hear him coming long before he's in sight, and alert eyes that watch him as he comes around the small outcropping that's partly hiding her from the path.

Her eyes are the only part of her face that have any expression, though - slightly wary, supremely confident.

[destroy_restart]

"Nice place for it," Tower said, instead of a greeting.

He suspecting he wouldn't get an answer, but that was no reason not to talk.

[twiststheblade]

Not a vocal answer, certainly, but a swift flick of her eyes out across the lake, and back to him. Not curious enough to ask who he is, with a tilt of the head of a quirk of an eyebrow, but not, oddly, perturbed by his prescence.

e can stay, if he likes. The scent of his cigar is quite pleasant.

[destroy_restart]

Tower puffed on his cigar and looked out at the lake, savouring the presence of the small, extreme fate beside him.

So many twisting skeins...

[twiststheblade]

Miho smokes in silence, unsurprisingly. She drops the cigarette when she's done, grinds it into the damp ground with the tip of one small, scuffed, soft-soled boot.

As fas as she's concerned, she's rather uncomplicated.

[destroy_restart]

"So, tell me about you," Tower said, as if continuing a conversation they were already having. "Don't tell me you don't want to - everybody does."

[twiststheblade]

That earns hima slightly more pointed look, and something that could, in the right light, if he squinted, perhaps be mistaken for a faint smile.

No, she doesn't really want to.

[destroy_restart]

"Well, I can always look you up," Tower said. "I lack a flat surface, though. Do you happen to have a table somewhere?"

[twiststheblade]

That does earn him a reaction, although only a very small one. The rock she's sitting on is fairly flat, if that would be acceptable.

[destroy_restart]

"If you'd move over just a little bit?" Tower asked.

[twiststheblade]

She's not totally lacking in curiosity, even if it isnt reflected in her expression. So she slips sideways on her rock, and looks expectantly at him.

[destroy_restart]

He got out a pack of cards and started shuffling them calmly.

[twiststheblade]

And she calmly watched him.

[destroy_restart]

After a bit, he held out the shuffled pack to her. "Lift some of them off the stack, please?"

[twiststheblade]

Miho impassively reaches out and cuts the deck. She's never been much of a one for this sort of frippery - but then, this is Milliways. And a woman who was one of her best friends, years ago, was a tarot card.

[destroy_restart]

Tower took back the cards and put the cards the fierce, silent little fighter had cut underneath the others. Then, he spread them out, face down, on the rock, three rows with twenty-six cards in each row.

"Grab seven random cards out of those and give them to me," he said.

[twiststheblade]

Miho looks at the cards, flicks her black eyes briefly up at him, then swiftly and neatly picks out seven cards, stacking them as she picks them up, the first card at the bottom of the pile, and passes them to him. Her gaze rests on his face, impassive as always.

[destroy_restart]

Tower quickly added three cards of his own, then spread them out in a pattern, face up.

Then he stared at them for a while.

"Wow, are you weird," he said, admiration in his voice.

[twiststheblade]

Miho transfers her gaze to the cards, smiles a little sadly at the Queen, then looks back at the man.

Okay, why is she weird?

[destroy_restart]

"Just look at that!" Tower said, shaking his head.

"Only cups and pentacles on the left side - wealth, creativity, wishes fulfilled, and material safety. Six of cups in that position - background of wealth, security, tradition. You know what you want and are a consummate professional - that's the page and eight of pentacles. And again, security, family wealth in your past - ten of pentacles. Then we get to your future, and it's full of swords, oh my. Swords, swords, swords. Loss of honour, pain, degradation - enmity, guilt, that's the five. Then death - that is you. You've had a loss you're still grieving for. Unless you are death more literally, which is always possible here, which is why I like this place. People around you find you undecided, maybe even unrealistic. Don't know why they would, unless they're in denial about death. What you expect - more swords, perhaps also a woman of cool rationality? Who is she. However, with what you're doing now you're just not getting where you want to. At the moment, you are stuck. Very interesting; I'll need to keep an eye on you. Nice to meet you, I'm Tower."

[twiststheblade]

Miho looks down at the cards, then back at Tower. She tilts her head to the side for a moment, then smiles, just a little sadly. The first expression he's seen, perhaps.

She purses her lips, and, swiftly, concentrating, picks up the cards and the deck, and sorts through them, lays out a single line of cards.

Six of cups, eight of cups, the Emperor. She looks at that card for a moment, face set, before placing it, reversed, next to the five of swords.

Then, she raises an eyebrow, and looks to see what he'll do.

[destroy_restart]

"You can't or won't talk at all, right?" he said. "Oh very clever. At the end of your childhood, you rebelled against your father and went your own way - because he was a traitor? Or you betrayed him because he was not what he was supposed to be, too strict and cruel perhaps? Both, even?"

[twiststheblade]

She looks at him, and bites her lip, then elaborates a little. If that's not clear enough? The five of swords is placed on top of the Emperor, and joined by Death. Literal meanings all the way.

[destroy_restart]

"You took the swords and killed him?"

[twiststheblade]

Close enough.

She gathers the cards back into a pile, and passes them back to him.

[destroy_restart]

He in turn held them out to her again. "Want to take those? You use them well and could use them."

[twiststheblade]

She gives him a curious look, but she's not about to reject the gift. The pack of cards goes into a poclet, with the same movement as the pack of cigarettes is withdrawn, along with her battered old steel zippo.

Flick-spark-inhale.

[destroy_restart]

"Oh, you remind me," he said, and he had his cigar again that had not been in evidence during the reading.

My, she was promising entertainment, just watching her twist through her fate. Tower dcided to definitely keep an eye on her.

[twiststheblade]

She gives another of thos impassive looks, emotion hidden deep behind fathomless black eyes, and returns to the all-important business of watching the lake, and smoking.

He's welcome to stay.