food glorious food [open]

[drewthetower]

WHO: August, his aunts, and Literally Everyone
WHERE: August's very small house
WHEN: Early February
WHAT: His aunts are in town, that means food, which means his aunts told August to invite people over, which means he is inviting folks from the Zodiac app
WARNINGS: August swears? Like a lot?

aunts are here. if you can see this you're invited to food. feel free to bring your own dishes, Marianne'll love that


actually if you're veg or gluten-free you might wanna bring something, Marriane never met a meat she didn't like and this kitchen ain't GF-friendly by virtue of me loving bread

August's place looks about like you'd expect a college kid's rental to look: small, not the newest, and hilariously crowded. It does have two bedrooms, but only technically. The second bedroom is tiny, and is also where August technically sleeps.

What? Did you think he wasn't going to turn the master bedroom into his craft room? Please.

When you arrive, you'll be greeted by one of three things:

-Julian cawing happily and landing on your head (if he knows you personally)

-Marianne (small, a bit rowdy, always eager to embarrass August or Cat) calling out to August in French, August replying in French, and then Catherine (taller, calmer, and always ready to bemoan why both her wife and nephew-son are wimps) sighing and turning to you with a "hi, you must be friends of August!"

-the above, but with loud and colorful swearing from the kitchen instead of Marianne and August bickering. Listen long enough and you'll probably learn to swear in another three languages!

If you brought food, Cat'll take it and set it on August's tiny table or the card table they brought because they know their son. If you didn't, Cat will point out the stuff already laid out--and there is a lot. On top of the typical relish tray and other snack-y foods, there's already three types of salad, two kinds of soup, a pot of chili, a crockpot full of very fancy cheese dip, another crockpot full of hot cider, a third that seems to be full of some kind of bean dish, and whatever else Marianne is making.

If asked why they brought so much food for what was likely going to be just August, August will say "they're empty-nesters" before dodging whatever Cat is throwing at him for that pun while Marianne cackles in the background.

Comments

[thavnairian]

[He holds up his hands.]

No, no, I understand how that part works—I wouldn't touch them unless you wanted me to impart my aether for something.

I just wanted to see what your arcana look like. We have something like this at home, and it's something people use to channel power directly from the heavens. It's similar to something I can—er, could do. At one point. So I know a little...

[drewthetower]

Oh! Sure, no problem. My deck's bird themed [surprise surprise] so, like. Death is just a murder of crows instead of a grim reaper and stuff like that.

[And so August starts to lay out his cards by arcana, putting the majors at the top and making sure the minors are in order.]

There's some with slightly different names or cards but for the most part, this is it.

[thavnairian]

One of your arcana is death?

[He makes a face.]

I bet that causes issues when you draw it. Let me guess: it doesn't actually mean death except in really specific contexts, because the cards are like that?

[He hums as he looks them all over, enjoying the artwork even though it's less familiar than he guessed.]

Huh... so if this is a standard Earth tarot deck, it's interesting. The major and minor arcana on Hydaelyn are all named different things, probably because of their strong ties to the constellations. It makes sense you wouldn't have the same constellations here, so you wouldn't have the same stories either... [mumbling] Only one moon...

If I'm not mistaken, I think this is at least twice as big as an astrologian's deck, too.

[drewthetower]

It doesn't even mean death at all! It just means there's change coming, and it's usually good! The Tower is the problem card, that one's change but in a big fuckin' way! Usually chaotic!

[Someone has Strong Feelings on this.

But he lets Amal look them over.]

Astrologians? Like, astrology?

[thavnairian]

Kind of like the Spire I'm familiar with.

[He curls his hand beneath his chin.]

Yes, that's right. Astrologians study how to harness the power that lies in the heavens above whether they can see the sky or not. There's also a more popular school of thought that isn't combat oriented at all—they can predict the future with some certainly merely by studying the stars. Unfortunately, these people also tend to be the most close-minded and focused on the old ways... my teacher told me some stories about his friends nearly getting murdered a few times.

I can't tell you much more than that, though, since I didn't practice it myself. It's just something I looked into to help ground me when I was starting out as a geomancer.

[drewthetower]

Geez. Here astrology is just like, looking what constellation was doing what when your were born and saying that explains everything about your personality. No one gets murdered for that!

[thavnairian]

We have that too, but it's just as unreliable as you'd think. [He leans on the table.] People love to tell me I was born under Oschon, so that means this or that... I'm not even from Eorzea, which is the only place out here worshiping the Twelve. People from my area worship different gods and have different names for the stars, so it's always funny when they try to give me fortune telling for western people.

[drewthetower]

Ah the good old "what do you mean you have different gods no that's not right" shtick?

[thavnairian]

My favorite part is hitting them with the story about how the human-looking gods swapped heads with the animal-looking gods. Maybe they'd have fewer stories about gods fighting if they just swapped places once in a while... or heads.

[drewthetower]

Does anyone where your from have stories about how the gods are infallible, because that's a thing here.

[thavnairian]

I mean, sort of. The Twelve are held in really high regard, and there's lots of faith in Halone's judgment if you're a particularly devout citizen of Ishgard... but I don't think there's a lot of fervent, blind worship outside that. If the Twelve ever really existed like the stories say, they basically created everything and then disappeared.

[drewthetower]

And people accept that? No insisting otherwise?

[thavnairian]

I think if you went into the city square and screamed that Rhalgr sucks you'd get some weird looks and that's about it. We don't have... churches everywhere in Eorzea, and definitely not outside of it. There's a couple altars and the occasional chapel out in the middle of nowhere, but I think in general people keep to themselves.

Except Ishgard, which likes to remind everyone that Halone loves them the most and no one else, but that's changing. Slowly.

[drewthetower]

Except for that last one, it sounds amazing. There are some parts of America where you can walk three feet and find five churches and they all hate each other. It's nuts.

[SMH]

But, hey, since you're not from here, mind letting me give you a quick reading? My deck is being fuckin' weird and if it's being the same kinda weird when I read for you then something is definitely up.

[thavnairian]

That is... so weird to think about. Aside from some rituals, people might have a particular god they like but they never shun the whole. The only friction you see is between the people and the local population of beast tribes, who have their own elemental gods they worship, and that's less about religion and more about territory and shared history.

[And it's getting better, at least.]

Oh, a reading? I can't pretend I'm not a little curious. Do you need me to do anything?

[drewthetower]

Nah, just take a seat and--no, Julian, those are not yours, I don't care if you think they should be.

[August just sort of gives his bird a Look as Julian is clearly about to take off.]

It's your earrings. They're shiny, and he's a raven. [Anyway.] Do the...astrologians have three card readings?

[thavnairian]

[Amal turns and looks at the raven with a little bit of alarm.]

Excuse me, I look way better with these on. See? They're a warm shade of gold so they flatter my skintone.

[Right... so. He sits.]

Past, present, and future?

[drewthetower]

[Julian just caws, disappointed.]

Yep. Don't blame me if the cards call you out, by the way, they do that.

[Shuffle shuffle...

Ace of Pentacles, upright.]

At some point, you got a job offer or the chance to do something and you took it, and whatever else was happening, it was probably the best thing for you. Either it made you stinkin' rich or there was some serious spiritual enrichment, but whatever it was it was fucking good.

[thavnairian]

I'm guessing you aren't trying to scam me for money, so I won't hold it against you. This time. [He winks slyly.

The first reading earns an eyebrow, and then he glances away.]

Hahah... well, that isn't wrong. Best decision I've made in my life. Probably the only good decision I've ever made, honestly...

Of course, if you're a... consistent mistake from the moment you're born, and someone dangles a chance to make a difference in front of you, who can say no?

[drewthetower]

Eh, people aren't mistakes. We can be fuck-ups, but there's a difference.

[Anyway. August isn't going to dwell on it or let Amal dwell on it so, next card!

High Priestess, reversed.]

So, aside from the whole fucking...isekai bullshit going on, something's going down that might have you being pulled in different directions or being forced to chose between two sides in some drama or just being messy as fuck and it's making you doubt everything. Trust whatever your gut is telling you, and if you think someone is keeping important secrets: yeah they probably are.

[thavnairian]

I suppose.

[He won't pursue it. The High Priestess is a very interesting card, and almost, almost familiar to him, besides. He wonders what it could mean.]

That word again. [A soft, mirthless chuckle.] But that does make sense.

I watched some big noble guy disown his kids in front of me— the same kids I've traveled with the past few years. I think the real mess is going to be exactly what's left of the guy when I see him again.

[His tone is light and even, but there is a very real threat behind those words, even if it isn't directed at August.]

[drewthetower]

[Oh, August can tell.]

If you can find a way to livestream that back here, I'll have popcorn.

[He's only half-joking. August has Opinions about people ditching their kids for no good reason, okay.]

Anyway, last card.

[Ten of Cups, reversed. August swears.]

Okay, shit's fucked. I dunno what shit, but shit's fucked. Everyone is getting this card!

[thavnairian]

I'd better tell the secretary that I'm starting an international accident on purpose.

[As an orphan it is absolutely personal. He waits for the last card patiently, only to straighten up a bit when August yells.]

That's... peculiar. But I don't think your cards are broken. If anything, they're probably picking up on the magical energy you can't see.

What does that card mean?

[drewthetower]

Disharmony and confusion in relationships, usually. Familial, romantic, platonic, all that jazz, anything from a shit work-life balance to complete inability to meet your partner in the middle. And I have no idea why every single person not my aunts have gotten it.

[thavnairian]

Disharmony, confusion... everything happening at once...

[He thinks for a moment.]

We're all part of the network except your aunts, right? Maybe another gate is about to open.