First Reply Strands of Fate

[Kal]

'Destiny. A fancy word for probability or a tangible phenomenon? Either way, it can be nudged.'​

The streets of Coruscant were beyond busy, numberless beings surging to and fro like swarms of ants, tied up in everything from politics to business to plumbing. Most had somewhere to be. Most walked right past.

Out of all who passed, only one person would find themself stopping before an ornate stand on a major thoroughfare, perhaps curious about the strangely-dressed gentleman behind it or driven by a feeling they could not possibly explain. Whatever their reasons, they would not wait long. It almost seemed as if he had been expecting them.

"Welcome, welcome! Pick a card - pick your destiny!"

The stand was bare but for five cards, four facing upwards and one down. The Chariot, the Fool, Justice, The Hanged Man, and the wild card. No explanation was given as to how this was supposed to work.

---

The pitch is simple, Kal is not doing divination. Instead, he will follow your character in spirit form, doing his darndest to twist the course of their day to fit whichever card was fit in a literal or symbolic way. Yes, he is trying to win a bet.

P.S. If you pick the wild card, use the site and link it in your post.

 

[Iris Arani]

Wandering through the streets of Coruscant was a more common occurrence for Iris as of late. Mostly for training. Not Jedi training, but more.. Personal training. Getting used to the swirl of colors that was so blinding when this many people were so close together. When she was younger this would've reached the point she couldn't go outside. Not that her room helped her to escape the flow, but at least she could feel safe in her home.

Yet there was an oddity. A different shade that didn't blend fully with the others. It's where Iris wandered towards.

"Welcome, welcome! Pick a card - pick your destiny!"

Destiny? The Padawan tilted her head, looking between the cards and the figure behind it. Then she shrugged, reaching for the random card with a faint smile. She didn't know what this was about, who this person was or what the cards even meant, but it seemed fun. "What's this mean?"

Kal

 

[Kal]

She picked the wild card. Interesting. It communicated a lack of belief in this nonsense, which was sensible enough.

How was she to know that today would be different? "Ah, Judgement. An interesting choice, young Jedi. I shall not waste your time waxing poetic about its meaning, for you will know soon enough. Destiny waits for no woman!"

Spinning on his heels, coat swirling around him, the 'seer' abandoned his stand in order to walk past the woman, over to the nearby railings, then over said railings. Given that this was Coruscant, most present barely raised an eyebrow.

Mere moments later, the wacko flew up and away in an airspeeder, but not before yelling: "Destiny!"

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris just.. Blinked.

Her question hadn't been answered asides from a name, which was already written on the card. She wanted to ask more, but then the seer was gone? Her attention had only been pulled to the card for a moment, but when she looked back he wasn't there. Wide eyed she looked around, just in time to see the man hop over the railing. Was he like Kai in that long drops didn't hurt him?

That's what she assumed. No one was crazy enough to just throw themselves off a ledge. That she'd met at least.

And he was back. Again the padawan blinked, raising a hand to wave goodbye to the figure screaming Destiny into the horizon. At least he seemed to be happy? A smile formed as she turned on a heel to go back down the street, judgement card in hand. A couple steps, and she was already lost in the world of color around her. Destiny or not, the conversation had been forgotten.

"Maybe I should go paint somewhere again.."

 

[Kal]

His body departed on its own, while Kal remained behind, swiftly trailing in Iris' shadow.

Once upon a time, he had struggled to conceal himself from Force Users, but practice made perfect. It did not hurt his odds that he rarely represented a direct threat to them, a trend that continued in this case. It wasn't as if he had been planning to have her killed if she picked the Hanged Man, he wasn't some psychotic Sith Lord.

Already, tentative tendrils stretched out ahead of them, subtly nudging everyday occurrences to correspond with her 'destiny'. A holoscreen switched to footage from a recent celebrity-involved trial, and... ah, perfect.

Re-routed by Kal's unspoken suggestions, a wild-faced man suddenly stood in front of Iris, a home-made sign in his hands. "Doom! We are all doomed! The Maw will devour us all! Repent while there is still time!" He almost could not believe his luck, but then the recent Mawite attacks had made the unhinged even more so.

Reading the marauders deranged manifestos certainly didn't help.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris blinked.

There.. Were no words for this. She watched the crazed man only for a moment, though never really looking at him. Instead she looked around him, observing his colors. His panic was real. His fear was real. So she smiled. Doomsayers were something she'd actually experienced before, back home. An old woman who lived in the alley by her apartment usually went on about how..

Actually, Iris couldn't remember much about any conversation with her. Just that the woman was adamant and truly afraid of something. Just like this man was.

She reached out, setting a gentle hand on the man's shoulder. And reached out to touch on the colors. Simply to calm him. "C'mon, why don't we find you someplace to eat some lunch?"

Kal

 

[Kal]

She had, quite unexpectedly, calmed the man. Her words helped, as did her mannerisms, but it was a little nudge of her own that pushed it over the edge. Fascinating. Kal certainly had no intention of thwarting this development.

"... I'm not sure I've got should be, I mean, something needs to spread the word?"

The man seemed to have deflated somewhat as if he had been pushed onwards by adrenaline that was suddenly absent. Up close he seemed ragged, tired. One of those who had fallen through the cracks left by the recent strikes at the very heart of the Alliance. Perhaps he had received no help, perhaps he had wanted none.

Even at this moment, Kal did not cease interfering entirely - harmless little tricks, choosing one word over another.

"I looked into one's eyes. A Sith. He saw me. Judged me. Decided I wasn't even worth killing." A shudder as if he had been deep in memory, and then he looked embarrassed.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

A horrifying experience for sure. One that Iris understood, at least in her own way. When she was captured, put in a collar. Her smile dimmed to something more understanding as she removed her hand from his shoulder. "Whatever the reason, you did survive." That's what mattered. The Padawan reached out, motioning to his sign. "Is it alright if I see that?" If he didn't want to get lunch, the least she could do was help him.

No sooner was she given the sign that she painted it. Brightened the colors, made it something beautiful to look at while keeping his message. Something that might make him smile when he looked at it himself.

Kal

 

[Kal]

The man did not complain when she borrowed his sign, nor when she turned a message of doom into a more hopeful warning to face the coming dark. It was amazing how quickly she could disarm someone - metaphorically.

At last, a worthy opponent.

A criminal would have been easy enough. Tip-off the proper authorities with damning evidence. Bam, Judgement. She was a far harder nut to crack, however; he couldn't in good conscious interfere with a nice enough person's life to an excessive degree, nor prevent her from helping others. He would just have to get creative to make this work.

Meanwhile, the man looked as if he meant to go, before quickly turning back to offer a soft thank you.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"Try and go to the soup kitchen at some point, okay? They've got really good chowder." She waved her goodbye to the man as he turned and left with now paint covered fingers, still smiling. It'd been an unexpected stop, but the colors in the man seemed brighter. Not by much, but hopefully she'd actually been able to help him in a way others hadn't. Though, now she was hungry.

With a soft hum she turned to head down the street, looking around for some place to eat. A corner shop cafe! Her smile brightened as she neared the building. The wonderful scent of bread filled her nose as she wandered inside. She should have enough credits to get a fresh loaf. Oh! Maybe she could bring it back to the man from before! With that happy thought she waited in line, hands clasped behind her back.

Kal

 

[Kal]

There was something thoroughly innocent about how the Jedi behaved - it reminded him somewhat of Melydia Gold.

The corner café was open and accessible, but not without opportunities. As Iris entered, she would find herself the subject of a judgemental glare from a middle-aged human woman, the likely cause her paint-covered fingers. The man at the counter eyed them too, but decided that it would only become his problem if it got on something he'd have to clean.

Paying customers were paying customers, after all - it was hardly the weirdest thing he'd seen today.

"I hope you're not going to eat like that." The woman, on the other hand, had only needed the gentlest of suggestions to get involved. A combination of nosiness and a genuine desire to help others avoid the unhygienic.

Excellent practice for Kal, overall - identifying useful individuals quickly was a valuable skill.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris seemed utterly oblivious to the judgmental stares at her current paint covered state. All her life since she first learned how to paint people used to try and get her to wash up, only to realize she just didn't care enough to remember. Too off in her own world. The colors of such judgement were put to the wayside as always, but Iris was no longer as ignorant of the world around her.

"I hope you're not going to eat like that."

She blinked, turning her gaze to the woman, then to herself. The bits of paint that covered her hands, her cheeks and hair. Even her Jedi robe hadn't been spared from her whimsical nature of art. And for once she felt embarrassed. Without a word she hurried off to the bathroom to get clean, only to arrive back still covered in paint some minutes later. But with her hands clean.

She gave the older woman a bright, kind smile. "Thank you." Then turned to order herself a couple loaves of bread to share with the man from before.

 

[Kal]

The woman seemed pleased that the Padawan had listened, but her dubious look returned as she returned having cleaned exactly nothing beyond her hands. Still, at least it was better than nothing. "You're, ah, welcome."

Paint-splattered customers were unusual - paint-splattered Jedi even more so.

This current iteration of the Order was likely closer to everyday society than its more monastic counterparts, but there was still a gap. The waxing and waning of trust, the fragility of public image, and the inherent apartness that came with being a small, relatively insular minority - and one endowed with strange, near-incomprehensible mystical powers.

There was an opportunity for judgement - the distrust many Alliance citizens felt towards the Order.

Iris Arani​

 

[tarotcard]

He drew the Knight of Wands. Intriguing. It suggested a sense of skepticism in this mystic art, which was understandable.

How was he to know that today would be different? "Ah, the Knight of Wands. A fascinating draw, young Jedi. I won't bore you with its symbolism, for you will experience it soon enough. Adventure doesn't wait for any man!"

With a swift turn, his cloak billowing around him, the 'seer' left his station to stride past the man, towards the nearby railings, and then over said railings. Given that this was Coruscant, most present barely batted an eye.

Just moments later, the eccentric soared up and away in an airspeeder, but not