The Spirit Fox Floriana

She lounged on a sofa in a loosely tied robe. Silver grey fox ears stood out of long hair of the same color. A silver grey tail with a white tip, gently swayed over her legs.

I had met a few beast-kin growing up, some having worked for my family. Their relationship with humans varied across the kingdom. My father and his predecessors had always been open to non-human species and there were a number of beast-kin communities that existed in his lands. As a race they had a great variety, having minor traits of different animals. I had heard that there was a greater population of beast-kin in the north since there were less humans overall.

"Madam Floriana, a replacement client for you." The waitress said.

"Thank you. I was wondering if I was going to have spent the night alone." She said.

After being ushered in, the waitress closed the door behind me. Floriana slowly stood and walked with swaying hips towards me. She leaned in close, placing a hand on my chest and breathing in deeply.

"No need to be nervous." She said.

I was more weary than nervous. This woman had been watching me, I was sure of it. The waitress offers me the best room for only an extra gold and drags me up as soon as possible. It was all too convenient. The real question was if Kloan was also involved.

What was also off was I didn't have a chill in my heart.

"My friends paid without my consent. I'm perfectly fine with just chatting for a bit." I said. If I was being set up I thought I might as well complicate their plans. Which is why I was disappointed when I saw the look in her eyes and her genuine smile after hearing me say that.

"If that's what you desire." She said, though it seemed like this was something she preferred and took me over to a small table with two chairs.

"I do offer other services." She pulled out a deck of cards and began shuffeing them. After she allowed me to cut the deck she laid 17 cards upside down in a predetermined pattern.

"Tap a card." She said and I tapped the card closest to me.

She flipped over a card with a golden moon on it. "A greater chance for prosperity. " She turned over the card on its right, an overturned apple cart. "But you will have to work for it at great danger." Then she flipped over the card on the moons left, a tree with different types of flowers blooming from it. "You will have many people around to share in both the reward and challenge."

She then gestured for me to pick another card. It was a lone figure walking down a road at night. "The night walker in this position signifies justifiable suspicions." After flipping over the card next to it, a burned tree, she frowned and flipped the card on the other side, a man hanging from a tree by his foot. "These cards together signify a useful curse."

"Ha. How so?" I asked.

"You may know that something isn't right but won't be sure what is wrong, sometimes until it's too late. Pick another."

She flipped over a moss covered stone. Without saying anything she flipped over the cards next to it. "I could tell you what these cards in these positions should say, but I'm not sure that's what the cards mean."

"Really?" I said.

"The only reason I can think of would be if the cards I have can't actually speak the right words. All I can say is that there is something ancient about you." She said.

I reached out to tap another card but she stopped me.

"The last part isn't for you." She turned over a card with a couple kissing on a bridge. Next to that was a broken wall, followed by a burning feather.

After laying the last card down, she paused before speaking in a monotone.

"I have a highly developed spiritual sense. If I don't have a client I'll look out into the bar to see if there are any interesting souls. I asked the staff to get you here without you catching on. Did you?" She said.

"The waitress was a little eager." I said.

She shrugged. "She's still new. I wanted you up here because the moment my eyes landed on you, a spiritual mark formed on my forehead. I couldn't tell from that distance but when you came in, I saw the same spiritual mark on you. It's starting to fade but I can just make it out. Care to tell me what they are?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." I was being completely honest. This was only the second time in my life that I experienced that type of feeling.

"Hmm. You don't seem to be lying." She said. "Something decided that the two of us need to be connected." With pursed lips she looked me over. "Your soul is the hardest to read that I've ever come across. But if I'm not mistaken, you're curious about this as well."

"So you brought me up here because you're curious about my soul?" I asked.

"Of course. For an expert like me, a soul like yours is of great interest. I have a better way to read your soul if you're interested." She said.

"What would I have to do?" I asked.

"Just what men usually do in a ladies room." She gave me a seductive smile.

She was right, I was more than curious. Especially since her entire demeanor changed after revealing the last three cards. I just wasn't sure I wanted her to know anything about me.

"Maybe at a later date." I stood up and gave her a small bow.

When I reached the door she said. "Don't take too long. I don't think it will be good for either of us."

I gave her a slight nod before I left. Coming back down the stairs I saw that only Kloan was still there.

"Ah there you are. A bit quicker than I expected." He said as I got to the table.

"Where'd everyone else go?" I asked.

"There's a place closer to the bunk house that's got cheaper beer but it tastes like shit. Now that we're already a few in the bag it wouldn't matter. And it'll be a lot easier to stumble into bed. I was just waiting for you because of this." He lifted up my sack containing all my possessions.

"Thank you." I said taking my sack from him.

"Let's get going then." He motioned towards the door.

"I'm not sure I plan to stay at the bunkhouse with the company." I said.

"If you're going to be an adventurer you need to learn how to save every copper piece." He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and guided me out of the bar.

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In the rafters above, a figure that no one was capable of seeing, smiled. They wore shabby clothes and a cracked and broken mask. Its festival colors chipped and faded.

'What luck to run into such a bright little star?' They thought to themselves. 'Thrice blessed. Once by the Lady of Twisted Fates. Second by the Elder of Cold Sight. And lastly by the Walker of Ancient Woods. It would be terrible to upset them. But how great it would be to fool them.'

With that he stepped off the rafter and was outside in an instant.