Brain Vomit: So a Fortune Teller and an alleged thief walk into a bar...
Takes place a week to a month after this and an undetermined amount of time before Jhettic Rim.
--
Once again, she had come to the conclusion that she didn't like the more foresty areas she had been traveling through, lately. Sure, it was easier to stay concealed (which she'd admit, was quite a challenge with her bright red coloring), but the fact of the matter was, she felt out of place in a way she couldn't describe.
To say nothing of the traveling companion she had somehow gained. Where she was a red Orchaeya, this woman was a blue. To be more specific, she was actually green, but a bluish hue compared to the other races of their species. Where the red was more reserved and closed off, the blue was talkative. Flirtatious. A tease and well aware of the fact. And it made her a little uncomfortable to be around this stranger like this.
But as things had worked out...
"Why are you with me again? I mean, I prefer to travel alone." The red glanced at her counterpart, still confused at the woman's strange ways compared to her own.
"I told you, dear. We should stick together." The blue grinned playfully, that intentional mysterious response that was starting to become a little irritating. "Besides, a red Orchaeya traveling alone through this area? Sweet, you should know that's asking for all kinds of trouble. Especially since you aren't familiar with these roads."
"Y'don't become familiar unless you've traveled them. And I'm traveling them." The red Orchaeya shrugged.
"Mmm." Was the blue's reply. "I suppose if we're going to be traveling together, I ought to be able to call you something other than 'hey, you', sweet. Altalita Bastion." She inclined her head slightly, in a sort of respectful manner which contrasted with her eclectic attitude.
The red Orchaeya hesitated for a moment before responding, as if deciding which name to give. "Rosa. Call me Rosa."
This earned an arched eyebrow in response from Altalita, as well as a curious glance as they walked. "I suppose if you don't want to give me your real name, sweet, that's your prerogative. But that does say worlds about you, let alone the fact you had to think about it."
To say that the uncomfortableness grew a little would be putting it lightly. Rosa, as she was apparently called, shifted uneasily as the two of them headed down the foresty path. In an attempt to change the subject, she glanced at Altalita, "Why are you traveling, anyway? Your sort doesn't usually hit the roads like mine does."
Altalita snorted in a way that was admittedly a little unladylike. "'My sort', sweet? I almost have to ask what you're implying there--But, a question like that deserves a response, I suppose. I travel the roads simply because I wish to." A dismissive shrug, and a cryptic response followed. "It's perhaps my fate. I'm a fortune teller by trade, and traveling is perhaps the best way to get what I need done accomplished."
Rosa blinked, "Er, I meant was, you have that kind of air like a priestess of Raphalla or something. Not like a woman who'd be wandering the roads like I seem to be doing." She shrugged slightly as well, "A fortune teller? As in, a real one, or one of those sideshow ones?"
Altalita shook her head, "Mmm, no, I'm not a priestess by any stretch." Altalita waved a hand, a sort of dismissive, mildly annoyed gesture more at a memory than the assumption, "I'm surprised that news of my.. ..disagreement with one of them hasn't spread as far as a few of my acquaintances like to lead me to believe." She turned thoughtful for a moment before responding to the question, "More Divine given, really. If I were a sideshow fortune teller, I'd be traveling with a merry band of misfits. Which if I were, I would seem to have misplaced." A playful grin at her own joke crossed her face as she glanced at Rosa.
"Uh huh..." Rosa simply eyed Altalita a little dubiously and sighed, shaking her head. "So where are we going, then?"
"My camp isn't far from here, and it should do for the night." Altalita idly replied, stretching lazily as she walked.
"I still don't get why you're doing this--"
"I told you, sweet--"
"No, no. I mean is it that you want something from me? Because if you do.."
Altalita waved a dismissive hand, "Please, dear. I don't need anything from you, I'm simply doing this because I wish to, no ulterior motive behind this whatsoever." That may or may not have been a lie. Whether it was or not, Rosa didn't really know. Either way, she wasn't sure whether to believe this fortune teller or not.
Though she wasn't going to turn down a safe place to rest, nor a free meal, either.
And Altalita was correct, it didn't take them terribly long to reach her small campsite just off the road. Rosa was glad to sit down, having been traveling all day.
"Now, you haven't told me the reason you're traveling, dear." Altalita settled down as well, smoothing out the dress she was wearing as she did.
"... I suppose if I said to 'see how far the roads went', you wouldn't believe me?" Rosa stated simply, watching Altalita idly.
The other woman chuckled a bit, "If I had a silver piece for every time I've heard that, sweet..."
"I figured you wouldn't accept it at that." Rosa sighed a little bit and ran a hand through her short hair. "..The truth is, I don't really want to talk much about it." Rosa shifted her weight uncomfortably.
"Mmm, whatever it is, you really don't want to talk about it, do you?" Altalita observed Rosa for a moment. "It doesn't matter, I suppose." She shrugged slightly and shifted her weight, leaning back on one hand for a moment. "Although you seem like you're on the run from whatever it was."
"...You said you're a divine caster--you aren't--?"
Altalita snorted again, "Pfff, no. Doing what I do is far more than simply casting, dear. I have to know how to read people in their actions." The woman did a dismissive wave of her free hand, shifting her position slightly. "But what I can tell you, is that you've fought a lot in your life. Who or what, I don't know. You've run a lot. Afraid of who you are, and who--"
"Okay, okay." Rosa raised both hands, "You've made your point, you can stop, now."
Altalita regarded Rosa for a few moments, though. "...Mmmm, perhaps. But you really should do more with your life, sweet. Maybe you'll find your purpose down the road, or across the sea."
Rosa blinked. "...What's that supposed to mean? I know my purpose."
"Of course you do, sweet." The fortune teller simply grinned enigmatically
--
Once again, she had come to the conclusion that she didn't like the more foresty areas she had been traveling through, lately. Sure, it was easier to stay concealed (which she'd admit, was quite a challenge with her bright red coloring), but the fact of the matter was, she felt out of place in a way she couldn't describe.
To say nothing of the traveling companion she had somehow gained. Where she was a red Orchaeya, this woman was a blue. To be more specific, she was actually green, but a bluish hue compared to the other races of their species. Where the red was more reserved and closed off, the blue was talkative. Flirtatious. A tease and well aware of the fact. And it made her a little uncomfortable to be around this stranger like this.
But as things had worked out...
"Why are you with me again? I mean, I prefer to travel alone." The red glanced at her counterpart, still confused at the woman's strange ways compared to her own.
"I told you, dear. We should stick together." The blue grinned playfully, that intentional mysterious response that was starting to become a little irritating. "Besides, a red Orchaeya traveling alone through this area? Sweet, you should know that's asking for all kinds of trouble. Especially since you aren't familiar with these roads."
"Y'don't become familiar unless you've traveled them. And I'm traveling them." The red Orchaeya shrugged.
"Mmm." Was the blue's reply. "I suppose if we're going to be traveling together, I ought to be able to call you something other than 'hey, you', sweet. Altalita Bastion." She inclined her head slightly, in a sort of respectful manner which contrasted with her eclectic attitude.
The red Orchaeya hesitated for a moment before responding, as if deciding which name to give. "Rosa. Call me Rosa."
This earned an arched eyebrow in response from Altalita, as well as a curious glance as they walked. "I suppose if you don't want to give me your real name, sweet, that's your prerogative. But that does say worlds about you, let alone the fact you had to think about it."
To say that the uncomfortableness grew a little would be putting it lightly. Rosa, as she was apparently called, shifted uneasily as the two of them headed down the foresty path. In an attempt to change the subject, she glanced at Altalita, "Why are you traveling, anyway? Your sort doesn't usually hit the roads like mine does."
Altalita snorted in a way that was admittedly a little unladylike. "'My sort', sweet? I almost have to ask what you're implying there--But, a question like that deserves a response, I suppose. I travel the roads simply because I wish to." A dismissive shrug, and a cryptic response followed. "It's perhaps my fate. I'm a fortune teller by trade, and traveling is perhaps the best way to get what I need done accomplished."
Rosa blinked, "Er, I meant was, you have that kind of air like a priestess of Raphalla or something. Not like a woman who'd be wandering the roads like I seem to be doing." She shrugged slightly as well, "A fortune teller? As in, a real one, or one of those sideshow ones?"
Altalita shook her head, "Mmm, no, I'm not a priestess by any stretch." Altalita waved a hand, a sort of dismissive, mildly annoyed gesture more at a memory than the assumption, "I'm surprised that news of my.. ..disagreement with one of them hasn't spread as far as a few of my acquaintances like to lead me to believe." She turned thoughtful for a moment before responding to the question, "More Divine given, really. If I were a sideshow fortune teller, I'd be traveling with a merry band of misfits. Which if I were, I would seem to have misplaced." A playful grin at her own joke crossed her face as she glanced at Rosa.
"Uh huh..." Rosa simply eyed Altalita a little dubiously and sighed, shaking her head. "So where are we going, then?"
"My camp isn't far from here, and it should do for the night." Altalita idly replied, stretching lazily as she walked.
"I still don't get why you're doing this--"
"I told you, sweet--"
"No, no. I mean is it that you want something from me? Because if you do.."
Altalita waved a dismissive hand, "Please, dear. I don't need anything from you, I'm simply doing this because I wish to, no ulterior motive behind this whatsoever." That may or may not have been a lie. Whether it was or not, Rosa didn't really know. Either way, she wasn't sure whether to believe this fortune teller or not.
Though she wasn't going to turn down a safe place to rest, nor a free meal, either.
And Altalita was correct, it didn't take them terribly long to reach her small campsite just off the road. Rosa was glad to sit down, having been traveling all day.
"Now, you haven't told me the reason you're traveling, dear." Altalita settled down as well, smoothing out the dress she was wearing as she did.
"... I suppose if I said to 'see how far the roads went', you wouldn't believe me?" Rosa stated simply, watching Altalita idly.
The other woman chuckled a bit, "If I had a silver piece for every time I've heard that, sweet..."
"I figured you wouldn't accept it at that." Rosa sighed a little bit and ran a hand through her short hair. "..The truth is, I don't really want to talk much about it." Rosa shifted her weight uncomfortably.
"Mmm, whatever it is, you really don't want to talk about it, do you?" Altalita observed Rosa for a moment. "It doesn't matter, I suppose." She shrugged slightly and shifted her weight, leaning back on one hand for a moment. "Although you seem like you're on the run from whatever it was."
"...You said you're a divine caster--you aren't--?"
Altalita snorted again, "Pfff, no. Doing what I do is far more than simply casting, dear. I have to know how to read people in their actions." The woman did a dismissive wave of her free hand, shifting her position slightly. "But what I can tell you, is that you've fought a lot in your life. Who or what, I don't know. You've run a lot. Afraid of who you are, and who--"
"Okay, okay." Rosa raised both hands, "You've made your point, you can stop, now."
Altalita regarded Rosa for a few moments, though. "...Mmmm, perhaps. But you really should do more with your life, sweet. Maybe you'll find your purpose down the road, or across the sea."
Rosa blinked. "...What's that supposed to mean? I know my purpose."
"Of course you do, sweet." The fortune teller simply grinned enigmatically