"Lori's kid from Lincoln!?" Lisa put her hands over her mouth in shock at the revelation.
-afternoon-
Lincoln accompanied Leni to the mall. The boy was carrying several bags as Leni took him from one store to another, pulling him by the arm.
"Thank you for joining me, Linky."
"Anything for you, honey."
Leni blushed when she heard her brother call her that.
As they walked through the mall, Leni saw one store in particular. She asked Lincoln to wait for her in the dining area while she shopped.
Lincoln drank red fruit juice while waiting. The boy felt very peaceful. One he had long forgotten. Ever since he started in the Battles of Dracoviam, his life has revolved around fighting and fighting more. But now that it was temporarily suspended, he could relax.
"Leni's finally back. She was carrying two black bags."
'Maybe she bought Lucy a gift,' Lincoln thought.
They were about to leave when they passed by a shop selling all kinds of things that could only be found in Lucy's room. There was a sign in this saying: chiromancy.
"Sounds like fun. Want to try, Lincoln?"
"Oh really? I didn't know you were interested in such things. I expect that from Lucy. But not that you believe that."
"It'll just be for fun. Come on!" Leni pulled Lincoln into the store.
In the picture shown was a person whom Lincoln recognized.
"Hi Haiku."
The girl looked up and recognized Lincoln. At that moment, her cheeks turned red, highlighted by the paleness of her skin. Well, her black hair gave her an attractive aura.
"Lincoln? Hey, hi!"
"What a surprise! I didn't know you worked at the mall."
"They recently opened this store, and it's better than my previous job."
"Oh. So what were you doing?"
Haiku didn't want to answer that, so she changed the subject for the better. "What can I offer you?"
"Oh yeah. We want you to read our future."
"Fine. Follow me." Haiku took them to the back of the store. There was a room decorated with curtains on its walls, and in the middle of it was a table with two chairs."
"Who wants to go first?"
"First?"
"Only the clairvoyant and the person consulting can attend a reading. The presence of more than two auras in the same place disturbs the energy and causes confusion in the readings."
"You go first, Leni."
"Thanks." Leni kisses Lincoln's cheek and chimes in with a haiku.
-Inside the room-
Leni sits in front of Haiku. The goth girl handed her a deck of cards.
"Mix them, stop, then mix them again and take out three."
"Shouldn't you mix it up?"
"If I do that, it will be my future that emerges. Not yours."
"Okay." Leni obeys the order and starts shuffling the cards, then takes out three and hands them to Haiku, who throws them on the table.
The cards fall face-up. One falls straight. Another somewhat inclined. And one horizontally.
The first showed a knight carrying a shield with a heart and a falcon standing on his shoulder. In the second, there is a road that extends to the horizon. And in the third, there is a great opportunity in the open sea.
"Paladin, Path, and Twilight."
"What do they mean?"
"Paladin: represents a protective being. Someone you love and who always takes care of you. This is a very powerful card for couples. Are you in love with someone?"
"Yes. That's how it is."
"Do you see anyone as your knight in shining armor?"
"He takes care of me even in my dreams."
"I see. Let's move on to the next one."
"The road: It represents a long journey. Being slanting means that the crossing will not be easy. There will be obstacles. It is not always good for the last paladin to follow. But it looks promising."
"Awesome. And what about the last one?"
"Twilight: It can represent two things. The end and the beginning. A day ends, and a new day begins. Falling horizontally means it's full of possibilities. Both good and bad. But it's up to you to choose which one. Even if it doesn't look good."
"So. Is my future good or bad?"
"It's yours. But if you really want to know if it's okay"
Haiku throws the cards on the table, scattering them face down. "Take one and show it."
Leni holds a card. "This was a girl kneeling with her hands together in a prayer position."
"Hope."
"Is this good?"
"It's very good."
"Thank you, Haiku." Leni hugs Haiku.
The girl was not very fond of hugs, but she let them go at that moment.
After paying, Leni left the room to let Lincoln in.
Haiku explains to Lincoln the same process that Leni followed with the cards.
After shuffling them, Lincoln took out three of them and handed them to Haiku, who then threw them on the table. These were two wolves. One white and one black, with feathered wings and horns, are fighting each other.
The second was a ruined place with a red eye shadow standing in the middle.
The third is a masked old man with a blood-stained bandage covering his eyes, holding a dagger in his right hand and an eye in his left hand.
The first card fell upside down, the second horizontally, and the last face down and tilted.
Haiku opened her eyes wide. Which is what Lincoln noticed.
"What does it say?"
"I don't know. I've never seen these cards fall like this."
"Is it strange that they fell like this?"
"Very much. I have to ask my mentor. Unfortunately, she's not here at the moment."