Fool loved the hustle and bustle of the Academy, loved sitting outside on campus with a blanket strewn on the grass, the scent of the neighboring woods in his nose. He would watch people argue and watch them kiss and watch them tease and flirt and dance, watched them be happy and sad, jittery and relaxed, and he drank it all in like he would never get enough. But today he wanted a change of pace, a new atmosphere where he could enjoy an okay cup of coffee and offer up answers to those who dared to ask the right questions. 

His chapped hands tenderly cupped a wide-rimmed black coffee mug; his deck of cards sat to the right of his elbow. People would sometimes come into the Radish and look for him specifically so he spent a lot of his time watching the door, pleased when he would see eyes searching for someone and then lighten when they spotted him. Then they would usually say something along the lines of what the girl in front of him was currently saying: “Gosh, I’ve been here every day this week. You should really come on a fixed schedule.”

And he would explain, “That’s not how it works.” So she just shrugged it off and huffed as she sat down. Her cheeks were stained red and she had her shoulders hunched in as her body fought to drag some warmth from the air and soak into her gooseflesh-covered skin. “What would you like to know, dear?” he asked and set his coffee mug down, already missing the warmth that it spread through his otherwise cold fingers. Damn his anemia. 

She took her cute knitted hat off of her head and shook out some straw colored hair. They framed her chipmunk cheeks and dimples popped up on the corners of her mouth when she smiled shyly. “A—a love reading, if you can do that,” she said. Ah, well these readings tended to be the most popular, along with questions encompassing fame and fortune. He smiled back at her and nodded his head, gingerly lifting his cards up off of the table. He shuffled them slowly, let his fingers linger over them like a caress, and the girl stared transfixed, blinking when she swore she could see the circular wispy patterns on the back moving like smoke. 

“This card is what you want and this one underneath it is what you need.The last card will be your outcome.” He set the rest of the deck to the side and held his finger poised over the first card. She looked up from the cards to him and he said, “Now remember, this is only the path you’re on right now. The cards guide and the future is never set in stone.” The energy the cards gave off wavered under Fool’s fingers and his eyes flickered, field of vision now taking in the light purple aura of the cards as they strained to wrap themselves in Fool’s own gray and silver. 

The first card depicted two water nymphs held in a loose embrace, looking down into each other’s eyes as they held one up between the two of them. The other was woven over with the roots of one of the nymphs; a small, beating heart hung over the two nymphs and caused ripples to span out on the watercolor card. The nymphs swayed and didn’t look as Fool placed his pointer finger on the edges of the card, causing more ripples to wash over the edges. “The cup here,” he said and pointed towards the cup the two of them grasped together, “signifies commitment in a relationship. But the cup in her tail tells me that this is an old relationship being renewed.” He flipped the next card and a larger heart encompassed most of it; blood dripped from six different points where three rapiers had punctured it from the top. The girl released a sharp intake of breath and Fool shook his head. “This card is what you want, remember? It signifies acceptance, overcoming a grief or struggle to find healing.”

She nodded slowly and Fool turned over the last card. More aqua colors swirled on the small canvas and Fool’s smile widened, delight dancing in his glowing blue eyes. The three mermaids swam around a bubble, dipping their cups in as soon as they poured out, as the card was upside down. “This particular one typically means the celebrations of friendships and family, but since it’s reversed, it’s telling me that a friendship will soon flourish and turn into a romance. They see a very positive future for you, my dear,” he said. The girl was smiling and her chubby cheeks might have been red from the lingering cold or red from her blushing, but she thanked him kindly and scooted out of her seat. 

“A fine future indeed,” he said, scooping the cards up and shuffling them back into his deck.