#high fall

“I’ve only got twenty bucks, and I was going to save it for the ride home. I’d rather have a decent thing to eat without making Zed pay for it than…” Avery leaned in closer to a little figurine carved out of wood. It looked like a fetus, and it curled up tighter into its fetal position as she drew closer.

“If that was your one purchase, I’d wonder about you,” Fernanda said. “Pregnancy charm. You brew tea with it in the steeper ball or kettle. If there’s an iota of a chance they could get pregnant, they will.”

“Huh,” Avery replied, leaning back and stepping back from that… whole table. Not that there was an iota of a chance.

Fernanda went on, “In some circles, it’s the only kind of card you can play. It’s more useful for putting someone you know into a compromising position than for drinking yourself, because the pregnancy comes on hard and heavy. Depletes the body to make things happen.”

“We have a variety of materials, miss, some made of softer wood, to be gentler or subtler than others,” the seller said. “Some…”

He didn’t finish that last sentence, but did touch a charm that looked like it was carved out of obsidian, edges sharp. The fetus carving had three heads.

[...]

“Can’t make heads or tails of this,” Tymon said.  “Feels like you have to ask about every item, but they almost get annoyed if you try.”

“You pick up an idea of it,” Fernanda replied.  “Living charms tie into life.  Fruit that looks artificial, with grapes that look like jewels?  Appearance-focused, or status.  Ephemeral baubles for ephemeral effects.  A solid, inflexible key for solid, inflexible effect.  Structure.”