Hui, if she were to pass by this particular cafe on this particular afternoon, would find a very tired looking goth messing around with a tarot deck at one of the tables outside. Unlike most goths Hui would come across meddling with tarot decks, however, Hui would notice that something is actually happening with the cards. Something subtle, but magical. What do?
The strange, sparkly, woman would stop by the cafe and grin as she grabbed n adjacent seat. “Gotta be careful asking the fates for favors around here,” she’d say with a grin. “Some of ‘em actually answer. And others just cause trouble.” As if to demonstrate, she extended a hand. “I’m Hui. How’s it hanging?”
Hester nodded some more, tapping her fingers on the table.
“Let’s see… Which one of my family members will I encounter next? Is that a good question to ask?”
Hui raises an eyebrow. “It’s an interesting question. Good for a start. Hmmm…” The grin was almost dragon like. “So focus on the thought of your lineage. Tap the needle thrice. With your hand, not the nail. And don’t prick yourself, aim for the center,” she said with a smile.
She nodded a little. “What and who, wu and wei…imagine a path leading between yourself and those others. Think of fate and meeting as threads, and focus on the needle.”
Hester nodded, transfixed on the needle and listening intently. Lucky for her, strings was largely how she thought about magic in general, so she focused on the dim threads between herself and her family, both between the individuals and up through the bloodlines. She tapped the needle three times, as she was bade, and waited for further instruction.
Hui dropped a few drops of black liquid from a mascara bottle onto the needle after Hesters hand left it, watching the needle vibrate slightly. She then produce a pencil from somewhere, and proceeded to scribble patterns that appeared on the ink. They weren’t Atlantean, but they weren’t Chinese. Hui blinked. “Huh. I think it’s....French, or one of the romance languages. Weird.” She handed Hester the note. “Normally, I get trigrams, not writing. Not sure how we did that.”
She eyed the needle again. “Still neat to know the luopan needle trick still works when south isn’t exactly where I’m used to it being,” the woman blinked a little. “Oh, hey one more symbol. June. Any relative with a birthday in that time frame? Or an anniversary, maybe. The date’s in June, but it’s in the third constellation, so that’d mean a marriage, probably.”
