Growing up Kitani always felt an unspoken pull towards the strange tent on the edge of the village. One day she let her curiosity get the better of her and peaked her head inside the cloth boundary. The interior was dimly lit with a scattering of candles that barely reached the corners of the small space. The air smelled a mix of a variety of herbs that swirled together to create a fragrance that made Kitani's head spin a bit. She could pick out lavender, nettle, and... catnip? In the center of the tent was a low table with cushions for seating. She pushed herself further into the tent to inspect the items scattered on the surface of the wooden centerpiece, tip-toeing silently through the room. They were cards. Tarot cards to be exact, though Kitani had no knowledge of this at the time. She sat at the table taking in all the imagery, her eyes fixating on one in particular: the Queen of Swords. Gazing at the image Kitani's mind fixated on a thought: she had conquered her curiosity and now it was time to push forward. Achieve new knowledge and-
"Did you not notice the posting? I'm closed. It is vacation time!"
Kitani jumped at the sudden interruption of her thoughts, "AH! Um, ah, I..."
The sharp woman stared directly into her eyes, her piercing gaze fixated. "Well. Spit it out child!"
"I was curious. I was just looking. That is, um, I was... drawn.. here?" Kitani's words came out in a spitfire of honesty.
"Drawn you say?" The woman continued to stare as Kitani sat, still before the cards, but internally shrinking. "I am Griseldis." Her intense gaze seemed to soften as she continued, "You remind me someone I once knew, tell me. What have you heard of fortune telling and the art of Tarot?"
And that was the beginning of Kitani's journey.
--I hope you all enjoyed my little word-vomit of a story!!