in which avdol gives jotaro a tarot reading...
platonic
"can you give me a reading?" the question rang in avdol's ears. it wasn't new by any means, but it felt odd coming from the particular fellow.
"are you sure you can carry that knowledge?" avdol teased, his hand resting over the cards in his pocket. his brows perked as he observed the man in question.
"yeah," he tipped his hat. "i can carry it." avdol sighed, pulling the cards out to jotaro.
the party had been in traveling in Egypt for more than a week by now, camping in the middle of god knows where. jotaro had been eyeing avdol all day, a question sitting patiently at the tip of his tongue. of course he had waited until everyone had gone to sleep, leaving the duo alone in front of the campfire.
avdol set his cards out, cutting them appropriately. it was routine to him, when and where to cut engraved in his memory. however, this reading felt different, almost unpleasant. jotaro was complicated to say the least; of course, avdol knew from the second he met him that he was destined for a long and winding life, one filled with hardship and bumps. thankfully jotaro was also aware of this.
avdol concentrated his thoughts, allowing the cards to speak to him. he held out the deck. "pick three," his voice stayed low, not wanting to embarrass the other if the group decided to stir.
jotaro wasted no time to grab three cards, his callused fingers brushing the wear and tear of the deck. avdol took the trio of cards, setting them face down before jotaro had the chance to see them.
"this is a simple reading," he began. "your basic past, present, and future." the younger boys eyes were narrowed in on the first card, gaze intense as though it was about to move on its own will.
slowly, avdol flipped the first card over. "the high priestess," he stated. "it symbolizes mystery and secrets."
jotaro inspected the card with his vision, taking in the ornate details.
"does that sound correct to your past?" avdol queried with a smirk toying on his lips. jotaro just nodded, still staring at the high priestess.
avdol flipped the next card, the present. "the star," he chuckled. "how fitting." jotaro brows furrowed as he followed the card as it was set in front of him. "it represents hope for the future and inspiration." once again, jotaro nodded in response.
finally, avdol grabbed the final card. he allowed himself to be dramatic just this once, waving the card in front of the boys eyed before flipping it. avdol's eyes widened as it's face was revealed, followed by a dread made itself a warm pit in his stomach.
"the lovers, reversed." jotaro cocked a brow, unable to see the representation past the two figures on the face of the card.
"i'll find love?" he asked, his leg beginning to bounce ever so slightly. avdol couldn't contain his small chuckle, though it did nothing to put his mind at ease.
"not exactly," he began, setting the card down. "the lovers represents relationships and difficult decisions around said bonds." avdol sighed, folding his hands in his lap.
"however," he found himself fidgeting just as the boy across from him had. "it is reversed. such means separation and loss of these relationships."
jotaro swallowed sharply. "am i..." he closed his eyes. "am i going to lose you all?" his voice was quiet, cracking on the last word. avdol felt his stomach drop. hearing the boy who held his head so high, the boy with the stand with such power and precision falter under the impression of loss was nothing short of heartbreaking. the duo sat in silence for what felt like hours, gazes fixed on the final card.
avdol did not answer jotaro's question. he simply returned the three cards to his deck, tucking them back into the confinements of his bag. "well," he sounded as he clasped his calloused hands together. "it's far past our bed time."
jotaro stood, hands in his pockets. his jaw was clenched, avdol noted. once again, he kept his word to himself. the boy was obviously already plagued with the fear of loss, he didn't need any fuel to the flame. surely, it would not be the last time he would see that card.
