"Miss Juvia? Do ya want I should carry her? She does this a lot, actually an' I'm used to it." Juvia smiled down at the little Firestarter at her hip. "Juvia is grateful for the offer, Kasai, but Saki does not weigh much. Juvia can manage. Did Kasai still want to play games?" The woman shifted a little, readjusting her arms underneath the small girl who was sleeping on Juvia's back. Saki had flagged after their meal, the energy draining out of her visible and somewhat comedic. The other children had helped get her settled on their chaperone's back, and then they all proceeded to the section of the carnival that was lined with games. Juvia was honestly a little surprised the girl could sleep with all of the lights and sounds around them, but with a "family" of twelve little ones, she supposed they were all used to a little bit of chaos.
"Miss Juvia?" She paused, turning to look at the twins behind her. They had spoken in tandem so often that she really didn't quite know which voice belonged to which child, so she looked between them curiously. Kel was staring into a tent set up at the edge of the fairway, her hand clenched onto her brother's sleeve. She was twisting at the waist, the puffy skirt of her dress swaying around her legs. She'd found the thing in a costume shop, and Juvia couldn't resist buying it for her when she saw the little girl's eyes light up. The fabric was a soft pink, and the dress flared out from her hips, layers and layers of material in the skirt turning her into a little princess. Her brother had lingered while everyone else headed out, and when Kel had turned to find him, the boy had run up to her, pulling a large matching bow from the bag in his hands and gesturing for her to move herself so he could fix it in her hair. Juvia had laughed, clapping her hands at the excited squeal that came from the child, and her bright smile had yet to fade.
"What's that?" Kyle looked from the tent up at Juvia and then back, the Rain Woman turning further to see what had caught their attention so fully. "That is a fortune telling booth, Kyle. There will be a man or woman inside who can look at cards and predict an event that is going to come soon, or a love possibility." She stared of dreamily at that point, the thoughts of a certain ice mage catching her focus. The children giggled, this not being the first time she'd done this since they arrived at the carnival.
"Can we go?" Kel finally asked, looking up at the woman with shining eyes.
Juvia appeared to think for a second. She was going to say yes, of course. She loved fortune tellers, and her friendship with Cana had taught her that they could be more accurate than she could ever have dreamed. Sure you still had the conmen who pretended to tell the future to get a few quick jewels but she could feel the magic emanating off the tent in waves and she knew that these were the real deal.
"Of course! You will have to be well behaved though, this kind of magic takes a lot of concentration."
The children all nodded, trying to keep quiet despite the fact she could see the twins were bouncing on the balls of their feet in anticipation. Readjusting Saki on her back she held her spare hand out and Kel grabbed onto it, the girl's other hand still clasping hold of her brother's sleeve.
The inside of the tent was bigger than it looked on the outside, and the children all stared in wonder. Juvia had seen the magic many times before, but the rest of the decorations still fascinated her.
Two women sat at either extreme of the tent, facing each other while a young couple sat in the middle, back to back. One woman had a cup in her hand and was busy swirling the liquid inside while the other stared into a large glass orb that looked like a lacrima but had a storm crashing inside of it. Juvia could even see lightning spark from the inside of the glass, hitting the sides and making Kel jump as the tent flashed with the light. The women spoke in low murmurs, and Juvia knew it would be impolite to eavesdrop. The young man in front of her looked enraptured, eyes so dark red they were almost black glistening as the light flickered across his skin and brought the tattoos on his arms to life. The entire effect was purely magical, and Juvia didn't know if it was a part of the fortune telling or just to add to the atmosphere the deep velvet and gold trim furniture already provided so well.
The children stared in a stunned silence as the entrapped storm died down and the woman nodded solemnly. The man jumped to his feet, his loafers nearly slipping on the floor as he grabbed the woman from behind him and they both bounded out of the tent without a second thought. Juvia wondered what they had been told.
The seers looked up at their group, and instantly Kyle tugged on his sister's hand to go the woman on the left. She was elderly, with a kind face that the two of them just felt instantly that they could trust. They looked at each other, and held a wordless conversation. This woman reminded them of Grandma. Even down to the way she groaned when she put her tea set away under the table.
"Excuse me Miss, but if it hurts to bend down why don't you just use magic?"
Kyle was about to admonish his sister, but the way the woman chuckled as she gestured for them to take a seat halted him.
"Because, my dear, it can be dangerous to be too reliant on magic. If I used nothing but magic then my bones would go stiff and I would be as useless as a fire wizard in the rain."
The twins giggled as they squeezed onto the bench opposite the woman. It had been designed for one person, and they only just fit.
"Now my sweets, what can I do for you?"
Smiling gently at the woman from behind the twins, Juvia turned to stand behind Kasai as he began speaking with the second seer as she asked him the same question.
"I.. I dunno? What CAN you do?"
Juvia tutted, tapping the back of Kasai's head, a small smile crossing her face.
"Kasai mustn't be rude!"
The fortune teller simply smiled, waving a hand dismissively. He was just a child, after all. Picking up her deck, she started shuffling the cards in her hands, humming softly. Juvia shifted Saki on her back again, having noticed the girl's head sliding towards the edge of her shoulder. Once the child was settled comfortably again, the Rain Woman looked over at the twins. They were fully entranced by whatever the older woman was talking to them about. When she looked back at Kasai's table the woman had spread her cards face down across the table, her hands hovering over them as she continued to hum. The little boy looked up at Juvia, his eyes bright as he whispered.
"Miss Vesper said she's just going to pull the cards and see what they tell her."
Vesper paused her motions and smiled at Kasai, a blush creeping across the boy's face. It must have been pretty bright to be visible on his dark skin even in the shadows of the tent.
"You don't have to whisper, child. The humming is just my personal preference. The only thing I really need for my magic to work is a moment of focus and a willingness to let IT direct my hands instead of me."
Her hands started roaming again, her right drifting down to tap a card twice. She flipped it over, laying it on the open space she'd left in front of Kasai so he could see the face of it. He shrank back slightly from the card in front of him, but Vesper just chuckled.
"The devil may look scary, but this card doesn't always mean something bad. It can be a symbol of freeing yourself from bonds, and becoming more independent in your life. You're a growing young man, and I can tell you have a great magic in you. Perhaps there is something coming from these abilities."
The young fire mage scooted forward at that point, puffing out his chest in pride. Great magic? Miss Levy always said he had p-po-potenshion... or something. She had told him that meant his power was going to be great. He peered across the small table at the seer as she let her hands roam again, this time her left catching a card and flipping it before she even realized it had dropped. She slid it across the table to Kasai, her eyebrows knitting together for a brief moment as she did. Juvia almost missed it herself, and she was pretty sure her young charge hadn't seen anything. He was staring at the card in fascination, the face of it being adorned with a chariot being pulled by two vulcans, one seeming to be all black, the other completely white. This was strange enough for vulcans, but they were running on all fours like any other beast of burden would.
"What's this one mean, Miss?"
Vesper had returned her hands to her cards, already searching for another card. Juvia frowned slightly, why hadn't she immediately explained this one? Was it something bad? The seer paused her search, resting her hands on the pile of cards.
"Well, all cards have many meanings on their own, plus the cards that present themselves together can change their meanings. The point is that they are just a suggestion at what is to come or has the possibility to happen. Set like this, the chariot suggests that you are feeling as if you control over your life. This is not a surprising card for a child. Often young ones such as yourself feel this way because you are forced to school or chores. It can also suggest that you are at risk of losing control of your own self. That you have a temper. Does that sound like you?"
The boy's cheeks flushed again as he looked down, nodding slowly. Juvia rested her hand on his shoulder, smiling when he glanced up at her. She squeezed his shoulder gently and his chin rose again, once more turning his attention to the woman across the table from him. Vesper smiled and moved to lift her hands over the cards again. Kasai giggled, pointing at her wrist as he noticed a card stuck to her skin.
"Oh! Looks like the next one presented itself already!"
The fortune teller smiled back at him, reaching her right hand to pull the card from her other wrist and lay it on the table. Juvia was watching her closely this time, a strange feeling settling into the water mage's stomach. Because of this, she saw the color drain from Vesper's face as she dropped the card in front of Kasai, her eyes losing focus. Of course the boy was entranced by the weapons and not the outline of a body that they were stabbed into.
"Oh, cool! Swords! What does this one me-"
The child's words were cut off by a soft wail that was beginning to escape from Vesper's throat, her eyes seeing something that wasn't there. Juvia jumped when the older seer was suddenly behind her partner, gripping her shoulders. The Rain Woman quickly stepped sideways so her back was to the entrance of the tent, whipping her head to check on the twins. They had their heads together whispering about something and hadn't even noticed the event that was unfolding mere feet away from them. Kasai shot to his feet, his hands on the table as Vesper started to cry.
"Miss?! What is it?!"
The older woman had begun to make soothing sounds, rubbing Vesper's back and shoulders to calm her down, but looked up at the boy's panic. She cast her eyes over the cards, her own face paling slightly as she answered.
"The Ten of Swords in that position signifies an unexpected failure or disaster. Sometimes you can control or avoid it, but paired with these other cards... I do not know. As for Vesper, she has a type of magic in her eyes. Sometimes she loses herself in a true sight. She will not remember it when she wakes, so there is no need for you to wait. I would ask that you leave immediately, and drop the curtain on your way out."
Although her words themselves sounded harsh, Juvia could tell she meant them well and was simply concerned for her partner. The Fairy Tail mage nodded, reaching a hand to tug on Kasai's shirt.
"Kel, Kyle, come with Juvia. There are many things still to do before this night is over."
She tried to keep her voice light so she wouldn't alarm the twins or wake Saki, who had amazingly slept through everything that had happened. The young fire mage stepped very close to Juvia, pressing his back against her leg as he stared wide eyed at the young seer who was still sat crying at the table. Juvia, draped her free arm over his shoulder soothingly and turned to the twins as they stepped up to her, clutching a deck of cards between them.
"Children, Gajeel-kun said no stealing!"
She hissed her words softly, worried that after setting off the younger of the two fortune tellers the elder would have them thrown from the carnival if they were found to be stealing. Or worse. Gajeel had trusted her with the children's safety, she couldn't let them be taken. Kyle shook his head, looking up at her with wonder in his eyes as Kel's sweet voice piped up.
"Granny told us to take them! She said we have the magic!"
As if she knew what they were saying, the old woman lifted her eyes to them once again, calling after them as Juvia backed out of the tent.
"Please. Get them help with their magic. They have amazing potential."
Juvia met her gaze and nodded once, pushing Kasai gently out of the tent and gesturing for the twins to follow. She walked out behind them, raising her hand to catch a string that was holding the tent flap open. The group stood there for a moment, readjusting to the sounds and smells that they hadn't even noticed were missing while they'd been inside. Suddenly, the twins giggled and whirled to face their chaperone.
"We have magic!"
A/N - Woo! Got this one out a little faster than I had thought! One more chapter of the carnival, I think and then we're moving on to other things! Believe it or not, I had thought this one was only going to be one chapter to begin with. XD
Huge shout out to Muddyevil, my best friend and partner in crime. She's on fanfiction.net and I highly recommend her to anyone looking for Gajevy fics or Bixanna. She's wonderful.
Also, huge thanks to @breenie731 and @amyponds2nddaughter. I was legitimately blown away by the notifications from you two and it made my week. Ask Muddyevil, I was fangirling so hard about the comments.
Much loves! <3