An interesting development...

[adarkjudge]

[To say that the other Yugi had been watching like a hawk after the puzzle was stolen would be an understatement. Usually, he was more than happy to lazily watch from the back of their mind, or just rifle through their memories when he "woke up" after resting for a while. But lately, he'd been staying "awake," keeping an eye out for threats and carefully steering Yugi around if he sensed one.

But it had given him an odd view he hadn't before. Normally, he'd been happy enough to just watch and let his other personality enjoy himself, but now... he felt a desire to do a few things himself. And so, he'd done something he never did before. Two things, in fact.

The first was that, when he took over, he let Yugi stay awake -- and why not? There was nothing he needed to protect Yugi from now. The second...

Was that he had asked permission, first. Yugi had been shocked -- cute little other half he was -- but agreed, and now he seemed fascinated by the feeling, or lack thereof.

Right now, the other Yugi can be found wandering most anywhere around the Campus, occasionally pausing on the roof for a breath of air or the lounge to munch on a snack.]

Comments

[fluffydeathdealer]

Un! I found the cards this morning, so I wanted to try to see what the future held.

[Especially with recent circumstances.]

But it's strange... It says that something that's both joyful and a disaster is coming up. Kind of weird.

[adarkjudge]

Is that so?

[He moves over to sit opposite Ryou, his eyes scanning over the cards curiously. Joyful and a disaster... he has a guess about that.]

Hm... think it might be an escape attempt?

[fluffydeathdealer]

[The tower, in the upright position. A disaster impending. A sudden change.

The ten of swords, revealing a power beyond control forcing a failure.

The nine of cups, confessing satisfaction and joy. A fulfilled wish.

Yes... it could be related to that, but who can tell? It's all subjective. Wait-]

...

What makes you say that?

[adarkjudge]

"Joy" and "disaster" aren't things that go hand in hand often, are they? So it would have to be something that could be both...

[Unfortunately, games are Yami's thing, not fortune telling. He's vaguely familiar with the Arcana, but not enough to read them. He can make a guess, though. He seems surprisingly serious for once.]

An escape could be both at the same time. "Disaster" would be easy enough to guess that it's not going to be pleasant, whether it fails or succeeds, and "joy" could either mean that someone that didn't want to leave gets to stay because of the failure or someone who's been causing trouble is thrown out so everyone else can relax a bit more.

It could also mean that breaking the barrier requires that "disaster," but the people who survive can escape and end up "joyful" about it.

[adarkjudge]

...that's just a few guesses, though.

[fluffydeathdealer]

...

You're really smart, Yugi-san. Someone I know is planning to make an attempt to leave. So maybe it's related to that.

[adarkjudge]

Heh... I'm just guessing from what I've got here.

[He gestures at the cards.]

Wonder what the "disaster" part will be...

[Over Yami's shoulder, Yugi gives Ryou a bit of a concerned look, clearly worried.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

But that's how fortune telling usually works. Because the cards have multiple meanings, it's usually impossible to read them properly without guessing.

[Woah wait hi. He waves in a friendly manner to Yugi.]

Especially since the cards have different meanings when they're reversed.

For instance, this card- [He taps the Tower.] -can mean a revelation, a disaster, or a sudden change. While reversed, it means that you're avoiding disaster, or afraid of change. But when coupled with this card - the Ten of Swords - it becomes obvious that it's talking about a disaster, because this card means a crisis or betrayal, and is also taken to mean failure caused by something out of your control.

[Shaking his head, he sighs.]

Who knows? Maybe it'll fail, or maybe the disaster means it succeeds.

[adarkjudge]

[Yugi seems surprised that Ryou can see him, but smiles and waves a little too, even as Yami leans over to examine the cards a bit better.]

Interesting... you may have to show me how to read these, Ryou. It could be fun to play around with!

[fluffydeathdealer]

I'd be happy to teach you! It's a fun little hobby. And you can even get specially themed tarot cards, too. Anime, or manga, or fantasy style... mine are more traditional, though.

[He smiles brightly at the two of them.]

[adarkjudge]

Heheh... I'll have to look into that! Why don't we start now, if you're just reading things in general?

[fluffydeathdealer]

Un! Have a seat, then.

[Gathering the cards up, he shuffles them carefully, then fans them out in his hand, face down.]

Do you have a question in mind? It'll be easier to demonstrate if you do.

[adarkjudge]

[He moves to a position a little more comfortable, Yugi sitting next to him to watch even in his ghostly form.]

Hm...

[A question, huh?]

...Will the rest of our friends appear here?

[fluffydeathdealer]

A direct question like that... it'll work best with the ellipse spread. Focus on that question, and draw seven of the cards from my hand, laying them out in a v-shape.

[adarkjudge]

[Both of them focus on it, Yami taking cues from Yugi to pick three of the cards, then taking four of them himself without paying attention to that other said.

That done, he carefully places them in that V-spread, letting the open end face Ryou. He's not entirely sure if this the right orientation, but it should be fine enough.]

There.

[fluffydeathdealer]

That's right! [He grins.] From your side, they're 1 to 7, left-to-right. Card number seven is supposed to be the final outcome, so it's possible to skip straight to that if you're in a hurry. The other cards represent influences and hopes.

[adarkjudge]

This place doesn't exactly give us a lot to be in a hurry about... so start from the beginning.

[fluffydeathdealer]

Card one represents things in the past that have an influence on you and your question.

[Reaching out, he overturns card number one.]

These 'cups' are the cards of the heart. They always have something to do with feelings. This is the third of cups, and it's upright, meaning a positive result. In the past, those people close to you came together out of necessity, but from that necessary interaction grew a strong connection.

[adarkjudge]

[Interesting... that sounds a little like Jounouchi and Honda, and even Anzu, but he's got a weird feeling about it.]

Hm... I see.

[fluffydeathdealer]

If it was reversed, it would mean a feeling of being left out, or pushed aside.

[He taps the second card.]

This card refers to present influences.

[Turning it over...]

The swords are cards of power. Unlike most other cards, this is one whose upright status is negative in meaning.

The eight of swords represents a feeling of powerlessness. Usually the 'imprisonment' meaning is more of a spiritual one, meaning you feel trapped, but it's probably physical, in this case.

But it also means that there's a painful decision to be made, to break free of that imprisonment.

[adarkjudge]

[Hm... a painful decision to break free of imprisonment. Taking into account the spread that Ryou had out before...]

It seems like getting out of here is going to take something more than just breaking the barrier, then, doesn't it? Disaster along with a "painful decision" to get out of imprisonment?

I wonder what we'll have to sacrifice to escape.

[fluffydeathdealer]

Most likely... I can't claim to be an expert on places like this, but it seems only logical that it isn't going to be easy to leave even if the barriers go down.

One of my friends made contact with the barrier once, and the effects were pretty bad. But it wasn't fatal, or lasting. Considering the type of people that come here... The barrier's probably there for our benefit, rather than our hindrance.

[adarkjudge]

I don't see how keeping us all locked in is "benefiting." Though I suppose I've less to worry about, considering what I can do.

[Which is to make people nearly go insane. But hey.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

Yugi-san... what if there really isn't anything beyond the barrier? No air, no space, no anything.

In that situation, the barrier being gone means the air disappears too.

[adarkjudge]

Hm... that's a good point. So you think it's possible that what we're seeing outside the barrier is an illusion of sorts?