A slow nod left him as he eyed the card in Lexi's hand for a moment. "You can. We'll do three cards. Best to shuffle the deck again" Strange thing it was, to pop up again, but then again he could see how it was applicable to Lexi just as much as it was to himself. They both had a lot to learn in the area of relinquishing and accepting, in just letting the answers come.

Lexi nodded her head and began to shuffle the deck again. Meticulous as ever. Once she had shuffled to her heart's content she set the cards back down, split the deck, and drew the card. Flipping it over she set this one down as well. "The Heirophant," she mumbled.

Sabel had to blink at the next card, and then at Lexi. Slowly, he reached out again, taking the card carefully and examining it. He vaguely recognized it and the story behind it, and it took him another moment to remember the meaning behind it.

"In the story, the Heirophant represents an old wise man who gives hope to a 'fool' on how to move past the fear of losing everything." His brow furrowed a little again. "He tells this person, that they can give up what they are in fear of losing so that there is no longer any power in that fear, or they can acknowledge what they will still have should the fear come to pass. For memories stay as eternal things."

"As for the meaning, it's about bringing spirituality to worldly problems, and creating a peace in chaos. But it's important to watch how stubborn you are, how much you are clinging onto things." Reaching out with his free hand, he tapped the deck between them. "In this it is important to remember your last card, the hanging man."

Hopefully that spoke more to her than his guess-work of what it could mean to her did. Replacing the card, he let out a slow breath. "So far, I think the Tarot deck is letting us know this year is going to be one interesting ride." One of change and learning, and in some ways that was terrifying.

Lexi furrowed her brow right along with him this time. "This is a bit eerie if you ask me," she mumbled. She had to wonder if the wise old man was Mr. Ikenna, though. Perhaps he could help her on her path. Or something like that.

"I am afraid of losing everything though...but most of all my sanity," she mumbled. She couldn't very well let go of that, could she? Shaking her head slightly she repeated the same actions as before, only this time she simply drew the top card instead of cutting the deck.

The card that appeared when she flipped it was that of the Chariot. Still... made no sense to her. She looked to Sabel again as she set the card on the floor.

"That would be a pretty scary thing to lose." Sabel nodded in agreement, his voice quiet as he watched Lexi shuffle the cards. "But maybe, the card is saying to let go of that fear, so you won't lose your sanity. If you let go of your fear of losing everything, there is no longer any fear or ability to lose anything, and therefore you won't lose your sanity because you can't lose anything." He hoped somewhere there was an ounce of sense in that statement.

When the Chariot was pulled, a slight smile touched his lips. "Not creepy. Divination." Letting out a slow breath, he tilted his head at the last card. "Struggle, usually between opposites. A battle and a victory. Overcoming obstacles though it may be difficult. It is about unifying opposites with well placed control, moving in a harmonious direction with seemingly opposing forces. It can also be a symbol of motivation to something that has come to a stop."

Looking up at Lexi, he rested his hands on his knees, the small smile still present. "An interesting year indeed."

Lexi gave a little shrug at Sabel's summation of what the card could possibly be saying. She didn't know one way or the other. It all confused her a bit. "The thing is... there is always something to lose. Sometimes it can be a material thing... or it could be you lose yourself," she muttered.

Nodding her head Lexi leaned her head against the wall and sighed letting her eyes fall closed. "I don't want a battle... I don't want confusion or any of that other stuff. I want simple. For once. Simple and safe. Can't that ever be a possibility?" she said with a hint of bother to her voice.

For a good moment, Sabel watched her, slipping the chariot card back into the deck and tucking it safely away in it's little box. Once that box was in his pocket, he shifted over to sit beside her and wrapped his arm around her. His eyes went from her to the armor in the gallery, a slow breath leaving him though his voice was surprisingly light.

"Well, that's one way to see it. But, I think Miss Denver, what the general message of your reading is, is that there is change coming. Forward progression, momentum and a great deal of learning. But it is good change. It is the type that answers questions, quells fears, and sets you forward with hope." Turning his eyes back to his friend he gave her a warm smile. "I think your divination deck today is telling you not to fear because the future is going to be beautiful."

"Yeah, but what is it going to cost me to get these fears quelled and these questions answered?" she said as she leaned into him a tad once his arm was around her.

Beautiful future? She couldn't help but feel a little cynical about that. She had the worst track record when it came to beautiful things... She ended up wrecking them. Real good.

"I am not so sure I want to go into Law Enforcement anymore, Sabel," she muttered miserably as she lay her head on his shoulder and pouted. She just wasn't sure about much of anything anymore.

A slow sigh left Sabel. "Well, if you want to believe the cards, then I would say there is no cost. But don't let them weight on you so." He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I'm not a professonal remember?"

Her next question concerned him a little bit but at the same time was somewhat of a relief. "Why not?"

Lexi gave a small shrug type thing. "Yeah I know that you aren't a pro, but it is still bothering me a bit," she said miserably. She left her head on his shoulder and sighed.

"I don't know why, to be honest. Maybe Law Enforcement... maybe I am not cut out for it," she said with another shrug. She probably wasn't.

The frown was back on Sabel's expression. "I'm sorry. I didn't know it would..."

With a slow breath out, he looked back at Lexi. "And you think I'm cut out for following orders like a soldier without any allowance for protest and very little expression of personal opinion?" A small chuckle left him as he shook his head. "Do you want to go into Law Enforcement?"

Shrugs left her again. Seemed she was doing a LOT of that lately. "Don't worry about it." Seriously. She worried a lot about a lot of things.

"Following orders I can do. Been doing it for a long time anyway. I don't know if my heart is in it anymore. It is all I have ever wanted to do, Sabel. I mean... I have never considered anything else. But... perhaps it is time I started. I can't duel... apparently my one sided view on things is a problem... and perhaps I am not mentally stable enough to deal with it," she said with a sniffle.

"Lexi," Sabel shifted a little so he could look into her eyes. "If there is one thing about you, it is that you are strong willed and stubborn." Pause. "Okay, that's two things and apparently I can't count, but the point is those are the two things needed to get where you want to go." Perhaps willpower and determination would have been a better wording. "If it's something that you want to do, don't be afraid of it. Try it and see how it goes. You'll never know unless you do."

"Plus, our worlds don't end if we don't know what we want to do right this minute. We are still very, very young."

"I have known since I was old enough to realize what Aurors did that I wanted to do that too. I saw first hand the kind of... trash that needed to be cleaned up by the Aurors. I can't help it if my personal experiences have clouded my view on things... But wrong is wrong and it don't matter how you cut it..." she said as she averted her eyes. Strong willed and stubborn. Lately she had been made to feel foolish and a bit like a failure to boot.

"I know our worlds won't end and I know we are young... but this is the only dream I have ever had. And now I am not sure if it is the right thing for me," she admitted. "Maybe I should get a nice desk job somewhere." Stay away from as many people as possible.

"Then again, perhaps I am being a bit sensitive." Who knew. She just felt like a failure.

This time, he turned fully to Lexi, gently cupping her chin and turning her eyes up to him. "Lexi, if it's your dream, don't give up on it. Don't you dare. You haven't come this far to have a simple desk job."

Lexi let Sabel pull her chin up and looked at him with her sad eyes. "What if it was a stupid dream... one I can never achieve? I have so much to learn in two years... well the rest of this year and two more," she said with a little whine to her voice.

Sabel's eyes turned a little flat, not cruelly so, but to let her know she was being unbelievably silly. "And you will learn it. And you will achieve it. The only reason you may not achieve it is if you don't try."

Sabel... the eternal optimist? Interesting. Lexi just gave a slight shrug and averted her eyes. She really couldn't pin point what had made her feel this way, but it wasn't a ood feeling to have. Not at all. She really just wanted to slide through the rest of her magical education and maybe... go model with Brody... orrrr run a shop or something.

"Maybe," she said reluctantly.

This obviously wasn't helping or working.

With a heavy breath, he pushed himself to his feet and offered both hands down to Lexi. "Common. Sitting here wallowing in maybies and what-if's isn't gonna make anyone feel any better."

Lexi blinked a few times and then reached up and took his hands. "Where we going?" she asked. Was SABEL DAKEST going to suggest something FUN?

"We are going outside." Sabel began in a chipper voice as he wrapped his fingers around Lexi's hands and pulled her to her feet. "And we are going to make a snowman, maybe some belly tobbaganing and a snow fight. Then we are going to come back in and have hot coco until we are full."

Lexi gave a small giggle as Sabel pulled her to her feet. "Oh my. I can't believe you are planning to have fun. Without me pushing you to," she siad with a fit of giggles as she moved up beside him and slipped her arm around him. "Sounds like fun. When I own you at this snowball fight you can serve me hot cocoa on a silver platter," she said. She began to lead the way from the armory and out toward the grounds.

Chuckling, Sabel rolled his eyes playfully. "I do have fun without being pushed. You just seem to catch me whenever I am in periods of deep, pensive thought." Following her out, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and shook his head with amusement. "I don't have a silver platter though. But I can get you the hot coco."

Ava Jade stepped into the armor gallery, taking a deep breath and trying to clear her head. Why was she letting herself stress out this much? She'd never been this bad in the past... Maybe it was because she couldn't do the Quidditch team. I didn't even get to try out... After buying a broom upgrade and everything, she'd been too overwhelmed with her required classes to make even one Quidditch try-out. She'd wanted on the team since her first term at Hogwarts...

She closed her eyes and rubbed them, then remembered she had make-up on and had probably just smeared it. Oh well. She actually surprised herself by smiling for the first time all afternoon: wandering the castle all by herself, looking like she had just rolled out of bed, and falling behind in her classes every minute she wasn't in the library -- and yet she actually felt happy. Maybe even a little slaphappy...

Quote:

Originally Posted by iluvtowrite

Ava Jade stepped into the armor gallery, taking a deep breath and trying to clear her head. Why was she letting herself stress out this much? She'd never been this bad in the past... Maybe it was because she couldn't do the Quidditch team. I didn't even get to try out... After buying a broom upgrade and everything, she'd been too overwhelmed with her required classes to make even one Quidditch try-out. She'd wanted on the team since her first term at Hogwarts...

She closed her eyes and rubbed them, then remembered she had make-up on and had probably just smeared it. Oh well. She actually surprised herself by smiling for the first time all afternoon: wandering the castle all by herself, looking like she had just rolled out of bed, and falling behind in her classes every minute she wasn't in the library -- and yet she actually felt happy. Maybe even a little slaphappy...

Fletcher was... ah... doing homework. Right. He was work-ing on getting a detention and that had been one of his goals from home so... here he was! In the armor gallery, touching the pieces of armor.

What? They were shiny and cool, like old-school stuff real Champions used to wear.

So he carried on in (what he thought) was an empty armor gallery, poking pieces here and there and debating wearing an actual helmet around the school. Just for looks.

He turned a corner, walking carefully around the edge of a sharp shield, and nearly bumped into a fellow Puff. Puff girl, that was. She looked younger but a little tired or something... eh. He didn't really know her. She wasn't his problem, except for the bumping thing.

"Whoa, sorry miss," he apologized lightly. "Didn't see ya there." He smiled and started walking off again, trailing his finger out to touch the chain mail on one knight's glove.