under the moon

                 he   looks   down   at   his   boots,   as   if   they   could   provide   an   escape   from   the   feeling   gnawing   at   the   pit   of   his   stomach.   his   hands   slip   back   into   his   pockets,   eyes   flicking   up   to   her   with   a   subtle   shift   of   curiosity,   eager   for   something   to   pull   him   from   the   weight   of   the   thought   he’s   already   trying   to   bury.   “ …   you   got   another   one? "   he   cracks   a   half-smile,   an   attempt   to   keep   the   tension   light. “ i   don't   know,   somethin'   with   a   bit   less   walkin’   away. ”

☾ ⋰ even though she wants to argue the notion that the message has a different recipient, she refrains. she doesn't know tommy all that well— time away from home apparently meant a crowd of people she had never known but— denial typically means resonance, her mind supplies. & with a seemingly open heart to hearing more, she doesn't want to push before the spread allows. ❝ come with me ? ❞ it's half invitation, half command. hana walks into her reading room, cards still set-up in preparation of going into their cubby. she rounds the small table, pushing the cards from their stack into a face down fan. ❝ point to one, let's see what calls out. ❞

               micaela’s   nerves   were   already   on   edge   as   she   stood   there,   arms   crossed   tightly,   trying   not   to   let   on   how   tense   she   was.   the   other   girl’s   sigh   didn’t   bode   well,   and   micaela   felt   her   stomach   twist   ┈   a   bad   sign,   just   her   luck.   this   is   exactly   why   i   hate   this   psychic   crap,   she   thought,   cursing   herself   for   coming.   she   tried   to   laugh   it   off,   forcing   a   smirk.   “   alright,   lay   it   on   me   ┈   am   i   going   to   die   next   week   ?   ”   she   joked,   but   there   was   a   flicker   of   genuine   worry   in   her   eyes.   she   tilted   her   head,   feigning   nonchalance,   though   she   was   more   invested   than   she   wanted   to   admit.                the   words   seemed   to   land   too   close   to   home,   stirring   a   need   for   answers   she   hadn’t   let   herself   confront.   just   the   other   day,   she’d   been   pressing   the   bakery   girl   for   details   about   the   latest   murder   in   town,   and   the   reminder   made   her   lips   twitch   with   unease.   maybe   i   should   be   more   careful   with   my   questions.   she   bit   her   lip,   unexpectedly   moved   by   how   accurately   the   cards   seemed   to   pin   down   her   situation.   she’d   come   here   seeking   answers,   a   direction,   something   to   help   her   make   sense   of   things.   her   voice   dropped   to   a   whisper   as   she   finally   spoke.   “   so   …   your   cards   are   saying   i   should   give   up   ?   forget   heather   ?   ”   she   barely   choked   out   the   words,   as   if   admitting   them   would   make   them   real.   maybe   she   seemed   unhinged,   grasping   for   meaning   in   a   place   she   didn’t   believe   in.   but,   right   now,   she   was   desperate   for   any   kind   of   sign.

☾ ⋰ the follow - up question brings pause, the name itself seems almost haunted. hana quickly registers the source of familiarity from teenage curiosities regarding the reason for her parent's protective demeanor. heather visser : red creek's first lamb forced to slaughter. she feels especially guilty for this card now, as if personally responsible for what drifted into micaela's path. ❝ let's not jump to that. sometimes it just means to proceed with caution, y'know ? like, it's just one issue that's going to seem more impossible the harder you push. ❞ it's a stretch & hana knows it. some readers would argue that it means the battle is already lost– & she supposes that battle has been, in some way. she thinks of its correlations to questions. how it's a resounding no. but it definitely seems like a plea for bad karma, to derail someone clearly exploring a hoard of grief. hana steps back, gesturing a hand toward her room. the stack of cards lies abandoned on her table, waiting to return to their home. she offers a seat instead. ❝ you wouldn't mind hearing a little more, would you ? we can do something simple, two or three more cards. might help paint a better picture. ❞

there was a way to brontes being , to life in red creek . from a young age , she's known that a small town can be the most dangerous . every move she makes is meticulous . for her well - being , for her survival . there's a method to being seen in town but not being trapped in town , to allowing people to have seen you but not having been roped in . she toes the line between outsider and local . the detachment is all she knows . and though she's usually good at walking around unscathed , lately she's been caught in the act as proven by hana kneeling down beside her . " is it ? " voice cheery in default setting when addressing most of the community , " sure , i'd love to know . if it's a sign and all "

☾ ⋰ ❝ that's perfect, because i wanna know what has it crossing a room to meet you where you stand. ❞ hana hums happily as she swipes up the card. there's an accompanying zap of adrenaline each & every time someone agrees to hear her readings. she turns the card over, front facing bronte at first; presenting it like a prize to her captive crowd of one. a small 'oh!' leaves her when she peers over the edge of the card— the devil looking back at her. though the card's bark is world's bigger than it's bite, she knows that it isn't always a welcome card to see. ❝ —it's not a bad card. ❞ she rushes to explain, offering a smile to bronte that's only slightly nervous. the picture on the card paints an intimidating story, she realizes, so she presses the card to her own heart instead. ❝ it can mean that you're making crazy reckless choices lately. ❞ self destructive is often a term that comes up with the card. ❝ or— that you might be acting a little over - indulgent in your personal vices. i'd think– like, a sign to slow down & reconsider some things. see if what you're doing is holding you back. ❞

☾ ⋰ she can only smile as she collects darcy's card from the floor. she shakes her head, ❝ i'm so vetoing your ability to reject this message. it's just for you ! ❞ she partially knows that the other is simply indulging her, that the cards never spoke to them in the same ways— but the other part of her is excited to read a message meant for one of her closest friends. disclosing the purposeful message behind a card & watching a person's face light in recognition— it's almost like taking a peak into someone's diary. she nudges her way into darcy's personal space when she stands, flipping the card after a mumbled count of three. the judgement card sits in her hand. hana tilts her head, curiosity getting the better half of her. ❝ something you're not telling me ? ❞ she teases, bumping her shoulder. hana does look over to her curiously, ❝ it usually means you should anticipate a big choice to make. and you need to, like, really trust your gut on it. ❞

☾ ⋰ ❝ this one's free, silly. ❞ hana laughs, willing the card from it's spot on the floor with a well - manicured nail. her overall demeanor probably doesn't help a reader's reputation of being a money grab— or however people wanted to put it. ❝ it's just for you, so it'd be a waste to not hear it & i'd feel bad charging you to flip a card, i think. ❞ she over - explains herself this time, because there's a piece of her that wants everyone in town to take the readings seriously. as she turns the card over, a smile plays on her lips. a card that hana personally beholds as a breath of fresh air sits in her hands. ❝ ee, exciting ! this one's the ace of swords. means you're on the brink of somethin' new & probably good. trying anything new lately ? ❞

☾ ⋰ hana rolls her eyes as she stands upright, although she isn't entirely annoyed. any attention is great, positive attention even better. she bites the inside of her cheek to keep an excited smile from spreading across her features. head tilts like she's heavily debating the answer. ❝ hmm... let's see what card has to say about that, yes ? ❞ she flips the card & shrieks out a little laugh : in her hands sits the fool. she can think of more than one person that would love to know the card he pulled. she turns it to him like a gift. ❝ so, this one isn't bad. it was just funny to flip around. it's all about fresh starts & taking risks. ❞ and also warns of the dangers of blind optimism & delirium, but she can tell him about that later. ❝ lucky for you, it also means yes. ❞

— (via purplebuddhaquotes)

it's an dull ache, one that never really went away but seeing hana again after all these years ... the dull turns into sharp stabbing pain. she discreetly rubs at her chest and puts on a toothless smile. this was way she came back, right? resolve the unresolved. it was worse than she thought it would be. " an old habit. " she replies, as if hana wouldn't know the old her. the two of them were two sides of the same coin, constantly pretending. they didn't use to pretend around each other. " i guess the rumors of your return were true. " she gives hana a once over, confirming with her eyes that the real hana is in fact in front of her. " guess that makes us both weirdos, since we both returned. " she gives hana a wink, attempting to be casual.

☾ ❝ don't i know it. ❞ she hums offhandedly, helplessly familiar with all of willow's old tics. the fact that she isn't met with a stone wall is invitation enough for hana to take a seat rather than aimlessly hover. she slides into the familiar booth, pushing her bag into the corner. ❝ ugh, unfortunately. blame it on red creek's weird gravitational pull or whatever. ❞ moving to the opposite side of the country certainly wasn't enough to make small - town michigan feel any less like home. ( well, that & the fact that her reality tv star status could only take her so far. ) she brushes her hair away from her face, offering up a perfectly smile of her own. ❝ when did you get back ? ❞ and why, hana wonders but doesn't ask.

「 ✏️ 」 he   shifted   his   weight,   one   boot   scuffing   the   floor   as   he   scratched   the   back   of   his   neck,   giving   a   small,   sheepish   smile.   this   place   —   sisters   of   the   moon —   was   far   from   his   usual   haunts.   still,   that   swinging   storefront   sign   outside   had   been   bothering   him   for   months,   rattling   in   the   wind   like   it   had   something   to   say.   fixing   it   up   was   something   he’d   planned   on   offering,   just   a   little   gesture   for   a   shop   that   seemed   like   it   could   use   a   steady   hand.   he   looked   down   at   the   card   that   had   practically   floated   into   his   path,   like   it   too,   was   set   on   catching   his   attention.   “ not   usually   the   kind   of   thing   i’d   put   much   stock   in,   but… ”   he   gave   a   shrug,   trying   not   to   look   as   out   of   place   as   he   felt.   “ i   reckon   if   the   cosmos   went   through   the   trouble   of   tossing   it   at   me,   i   oughta   listen,   right? ”   he   stuffed   his   hands   in   his   pockets,   glancing   from   the   card   to   hana   with   a   curious,   almost   hesitant   expression.   “ should i be worried? ”

❝ see how they're walking away from it all ? ❞ she tilts it to tommy so he can see the imagery that comes with it. ❝ lots of people think this means there's something you need to let go of to welcome growth. break out the comfort zone & all that stuff. ringing any bells for you ? ❞

   so,   why   she   found   herself   slipping   into   sisters   of   the   moon   just   before   closing,   𝘀𝗵𝗲   𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻’𝘁   𝘀𝗮𝘆.   maybe   she   was   curious,   or   maybe   it   was   something   else   she   didn’t   want   to   admit,   even   to   herself.   but   no,   she   wasn’t   guided.   she   didn’t   believe   in   that   kind   of   thing.   logic   had   seen   her   through   her   career   in   forensics,   and   logic   would   keep   her   grounded   here   in   red   creek,   even   as   whispers   about   the   recent   murders   twisted   through   town.   𝗄𝖾𝖾𝗉   𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋   𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗍   𝗈𝗎𝗍   𝗈𝖿   𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌   𝖺𝗇𝖽   𝖿𝗈𝗅𝗅𝗈𝗐   𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋   𝗁𝖾𝖺𝖽,   she   often   reminded   herself.     as   she   wandered   through   the   shop,   fingers   tracing   along   shelves   lined   with   crystals,   herbs,   and   strange   artifacts,   a   card   suddenly   fluttered   to   the   floor   by   her   feet.   she   paused,   brow   raised,   thinking   it   was   a   𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗽   𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸   ┈   probably   a   way   to   draw   customers   into   getting   a   reading.   it   was   a   tarot   card,   lying   face   up.   her   arms   crossed   over   her   chest   defensively,   her   stance   firm.   “   alright,   humor   me,   ”   she   said,   against   her   better   judgment.   she   didn’t   know   what   the   card   meant,   and   a   part   of   her   𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗂𝗌𝗍𝖾𝖽.   but   another   part,   a   part   buried   deep   under   years   of   skepticism,   felt   a   prick   of   𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘺   she   couldn’t   quite   shake.

❝ this one means, um– you should tread carefully, for lack of better words. ❞ it's never fun to be the bearer of bad news, especially when the advice was never exactly solicited. ❝ not all battles are better won, you shouldn't follow every means to an end, there's more to see than what benefits your goals— all that sort of stuff. ❞ she frowns a little, pressing the card to her chest. ❝ look, i was just about to leave for the day, but if you had more time– i wouldn't even charge. ❞

" i thought it was me that was cursed but -- " she's muttering under her breath, only becoming louder for the next part, " i'm starting to think it's this town that's cursed. " willow had chosen to spend halloween in new york with some college friends. she wasn't anticipating coming back into town to find a beloved babysitter murdered. not that she cared for the girl, the liao's never had the luxury of her services.

☾ a familiar voice pulls hana from a monotonous routine. one the would've sparked excitement before now tugs on her heartstrings in a different way — maybe it's guilt from their hastily severed ties. it's a scenario she's purposefully avoided for months & maybe this is divine intervention; a sign to face it head on. willow has a past with another version of hana, one that's hard to get in touch with these days. new hana would face her with a confident smile. ❝ talking to yourself ? ❞ she asks, tone chipper despite the way heart threatens to claw out through her chest. ❝ i wouldn't say cursed. maybe a weirdo - magnet, though. ❞

do you ever think about this quote by mary lambert because i think about it all the time

Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters

natalie wee, our bodies & other fine machines

sam sax, hydrophobia