24. Devil's Ivy

"What are these cards?" Mira asked as Pama laid before her three strange cards.

Pama tapped on each one as she spoke, "The Empress, The Devil reversed, and the Eight of Swords."

"Care to explain to us tarot-illiterates?" Bella asked.

"Is the Devil bad?" Mira interrupted, worried.

"No. The Devil by himself probably suggests something else but this is a reverse card. I'll start with the Eight of Swords: it says that you have chained yourself up in some way or the other; that you have been so afraid of the answers that you'd close your eyes everytime the question appeared. It's essentially telling you to break free from fear and also that the answer is always already within you. So stop avoiding and start looking at the answers. You might grow comfortable with them, even. The Devil reversed, however, indicates that this is a period of breakthrough —that you probably already have stepped up to face some of your fears. It tells you that you're probably 'born again', that your fears were from another life and they don't bother you at present. You were probably at your lowest up until now, but it seems like you've taken up the reins of your life. Now, the Empress shows us the same story in a different light: she emerges every time when the world has undergone a dark age. She's here to tell you that everything is fine, to be rest assured. She indicates a connection with nature — the physical one outside or your own nature. It tells you that it's time to embrace yourself and to walk in the path of creation. Now, creation could be anything —be it literary or artistic OR...procreation. "

Mira sat there, stumped and blushing.

Bella started guffawing and playfully hitting Mira's arm.

"We better gift you two some condoms", she said and continued laughing.

Pama smirked.

"Is this a real reading or are you pulling my legs?" Mira asked, her face red with embarrassment.

"I just interpreted the cards. Of course, it's the meaning of each of those cards. Now, what does it mean that they have appeared together?"

Mira and Bella, who had now stopped laughing, exchanged glances.

"Together, the cards are asking you to live in the present, and to nurture the fire that is deep within you. It's asking you to let go of the pasts; to accept the future. You will be able to do so only with conscious help from within. Free yourself from the past and start building a life upon your own beliefs and judgments. But be careful, do not just see a thing as what you think it is, but perceive it as itself first. This, always keep in your mind. "

Pama shuffled the cards again before putting them back in the box.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Sive had already left when Pama, Mira and Bella came out of the tarot room.

"How did that go?" Pama asked.

"He's been taken for interrogation." Kris replied.

"Niiiice. Next time he thinks of something stupid, he'll remember this." Pama said gleefully.

"How're you guys? Hope nobody is hurt." Mira asked with concern.

"Naah. Nobody. But you're about to be." Kris said and grinned.

"Er. What?" Mira blushed.

"Sive gave his sweet son the permission to stay here with us. He'll continue his studies while staying with us. He'll continue to help you out with the bookshop too. So I also thought, why not? Get ready to babysit this big little kid."

"Oooh.. Motherhood. Guess the tarots were right. You just got yourself a kid, girl!" Bella squealed.

Pama burst out with laughter and the boys, Gunny and Leibniz, sniggered. Only Mira stood there flustered. Kris bowed down to her height to look at her face.

" Motherhood, huh? Interesting. I should probably get a reading tomorrow, then, Pama?" Kris winked at Pama who doubled up with laughter.

" What! " Mira was shocked. "You guys are such bullies!" Mira stormed her way to the car before the rest. The others laughed at her cute display of tantrum.

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Back at home, Gunny went of to bed right away, exhausted from the day's work. Leibniz and Pama had left together from the cafe itself, leaving Kris and Mira to catch up over few beers, once they got home.

"Mira, don't be offended by the things the others say. They adore you. Trust me."

"I know. Like I said the other day, I'm thankful that I now have something close to a normal life. I'm truly happy, Kris."

"Good." Kris reached out to pat her head as he said this. She smiled.

"And don't worry..", he continued as he reached to hold her hand, "we'll take it safe and slow." A wicked grin was spreading over his face.

Mira blushed a hue of deep red.

"I know." She murmured under the breath. She was burning with a mix of emotions. She wanted to smile but she sat there, shyly biting her own lower lip.

Kris chuckled. He swiftly got up from his chair and walked over to where she was sitting, to bend down and lock her lips with his. Mira gasped internally, as if she was struck by a lightning of love. She gathered herself quickly as she wrapped her hands around Kris's neck. He picked her up, her legs now straddled around his hips. He, then, carried her upstairs without letting go of her lips. The scene drifted to someplace else behind Mira's closed eyes.

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"Are you ready?" Leibniz asked Nietz.

"Hmm-mm" was the only response he received.

"Is there something bothering you?"

"It's just that... JS has managed to join hands with the Southern clan." Nietz seemed to be brooding over this particular fact.

"So..?"

"It's.. Unusual. The southerners don't accept a nobody. There must be something that he's put at stake. Something that he did to gain their trust. I've been unsuccessful in finding out. Also, this goes against our original plan, too, right? It was him against the rest of us. But now, he's better backed than any of us."

"We will know for sure what his master plan is by tomorrow. And don't forget, you have your support system too. You may not have met them all, but they're more loyal than the southern clan."

"But... I'm wondering.. What if it's too late by then?"

"Then we run."

The line clicked to an end. Leibniz sat staring at the blank screen.