Memory Lane

Chapter 10: Cardistry

(Mentioned songs: Moon River)

Falcon loved the sound of cards flapping against the wind. She loved the texture of cards, especially brand new ones. Not quite smooth, she found. Not quite rough either. Just right for her grip and so far quite... lovely.

She had her eyes closed. What is seeing? Do you see to believe? Can you believe all that you see?

Deftly she spun a card, one, two, three. She let it fall back into a half-open deck and let it clap shut before she did a revolution cut and then into a sybil cut.

Her eyes were closed, feeling over the cards and the texture and the sound of cards were like birds flapping in the wind.

What was seeing? Is reality all that you see? If that was the case, then were dead people unreal because you never saw them again?

So many questions. If she could not see, did that mean the cards she held were not real? But she could hear them, feel them. Granted, she could mistake them for anything else.

Still... still.

"Falcon!"

That voice was loud, one that Falcon smiled at almost immediately, doing a card spring from her hands and letting her hands clap shut. She lazily smiled, doing a card launch from her hand.

"This is an Ace of Spades," she said out loud, before doing a snap colour change and opening her eyes.

"And this is a joker."

In front of her was a mirror, her expression mirroring the joker's mischievous expression.

Elly was staring at her through the reflection of the mirror, mouth agape.

"How did you do that?"

"Do what?" Falcon frowned, taking a glance at the room around her then at her finished homework.

"Those- those."

"Cardistry?" Falcon asked, bending down to her level. She was short, but Elly was mini-sized.

"Mhm! I wanna learn so when I get back to school I can impress people and make new friends!"

Falcon smiled, holding out the cards. "Here, you've got to be really careful with them. It comes with the grip, see..."

Falcon took a quick glance around the support room. It was open on weekdays for the members to mingle and chat or do whatever, just so they did not feel alone. She let her eyes fall on the Walls of the Dead, knowing perfectly well that she would be on that wall one day. She probably would, yes. She will die one day, and then...

"... like this?" Elly's voice caught her attention again.

"Mhm, that's called the Mechanic's Grip. Try this," Falcon made a motion like she was holding up a ball, and slowly made as if she was letting go of said ball.

Elly tried to repeat, and the sound that Falcon loved hearing so much sounded like a failed pfblflbt as the cards sounded like they were farted out of a machine. Elly pouted, staring at the cards that fell on the floor.

"I hope, Kendrick, you're not teaching her to play Poker or gamble," a low rumbly voice said behind her.

"Marco, why would I do such a thing to such a wonderful kid?" Falcon chuckled, helping Elly pick up the cards that fell. "Elly, that was wonderful, maybe..."

Falcon adjusted Elly's grip, showed her how to hold the cards properly, before standing to greet Marco.

Marco was a big bear of a man, with kind eyes and soft smile. His penchant for lighting things on fire, though, as evidenced by the many burn marks on his arms, was hard to look past.