Mind Games - Chapter 32

The technical term is 'cartomancy.'

It's an umbrella title given to any school of magic or mysticism that uses cards as a tool for divination. Note that this isn't limited to just tarot cards and the like, but any sort of selection of cards made of any material used for such purposes. It's fairly common, in fact, to just use a basic set of playing cards to substitute for a tarot deck if you don't have a formal one.

But while you could use a deck of playing cards, a proper tarot deck was more powerful.

More accurate.

There were different patterns you could 'cast' with the cards, as well, called spreads.

One, three, and five card spreads were common, but there were more complicated ones for people who wanted detailed answers on subjects. The more cards you revealed, the more clues you got to the questions you had. Beyond that, there was the positions of the cards themselves. When you shuffled a tarot deck, you didn't try to keep all of the cards in line with each other, you cut them and flipped them constantly. This meant you could reveal a card in a reversed position, modifying the meaning to the symbol on it.

The next layer of cartomancy was the cards themselves.

In general, you had five different kinds of cards you needed to pay attention to. The first four were the standard suits that anyone familiar with a regular deck of playing cards would be able to pick out, though because this was magic they had old-timey names for them that harkened back to the original medieval stylings of playing cards. Pentacles, swords, cups, and wands... each assigned their own platonic element and their own attributes to govern.

Pentacles covered Earth and governed the physical world.

Swords covered Air and governed intellectual pursuits.

Wands covered Fire and governed the realm of passion.

Cups covered Water and governed emotions and relationships.

Taken collectively, these were all known as the 'minor arcana.' The fifth type of card that existed in most modern tarot decks was the Major Arcana set. These existed outside of the standard set of numbered suits, so someone using a normal deck of playing cards would have to choose whether to read the major arcana or just do the minor ones instead. Seventy eight cards total were in a tarot deck, twenty two of those in the major arcana, and the remaining fifty six in the minor.

Which, yes, made using a deck of playing cards to do a minor arcana reading messy, but if you used the jokers and the placeholder cards that everyone threw away when they opened the deck, it could be done.

But I didn't have to worry about that, because I'd legitimately purchased a centuries-old tarot deck from a very nice establishment that wasn't at all a front for illegal drug smuggling.

I set the first of three cards down on the rooftop asphalt under the light of the full moon.

“The Hanged Man, Reversed.”

The card denoting sacrifice or martyrdom, though usually nothing so extreme. In reversed position, it denoted needless sacrifice or a fear of the act itself. Perhaps even a tendency to stall or linger in that state for one reason or another.

The second card.

“Death, Upright.”

Unlike what most horror movies would have you believe, the 'death' card wasn't all that ominous. Usually all it meant was just 'change.' If it was reversed, it could be somewhat nasty, but that wasn't a consideration here.

The third card.

I gathered my Essence and felt it snap into place with the reveal.

“The Emperor, Upright.”

A card of authority and control, but also of fatherhood and responsibility.

Distantly, I could hear the howling of something that sounded like the wind, but wasn't. The wind didn't have intent behind it, and this did. Something running behind the veil of reality had felt what I'd just done, and it didn't like it. I snapped the cards up in my Pocket, jumped off the roof of the abandoned building, and shifted midway down into my male form, throwing off the scent of my metaphysical power and sealing my essence.

I got a block away before I opened up the Apartment and slipped inside.

“Everything go well, Dear?” Himiko asked, her mask smiling.

I hummed as I kicked my shoes off and put on the slippers, the unnerving feeling of being watch – being tracked – having faded. “Another day, another set of problems, opportunities, and solutions.”

Himiko gave me a side-eye and nodded, letting me slip in beside her seamlessly as we continued to prepare dinner. The part of me that remembered being a normal human wanted to remind her that we were making extra for my Dad so he didn't make midnight convenience store runs, but the more attentive parts of me counted ingredients and referenced the recipe before confirming there was more than enough for those purposes as well as our own meal.

That... still caught me off-guard sometimes, operating on a superhuman level.

“I'll need to follow you out your side of the door tonight,” I commented idly, instead. “I think something nasty felt me plucking the strings of fate earlier and I don't want to risk going back to that neighborhood for a while.”

“Oooh... one of those monsters you told about? The Mythology Monsters?” Himiko asked with a grin, showing just a bit of fang.

“Mythos beasts, but yes,” I nodded, chuckling a bit. “This world doesn't have a Loom of Fate or anything like that, but I think there's some kind of... hmm, perhaps... immune system? Whatever noticed me obviously doesn't react to probability-controlling or divination quirks or we wouldn't have examples of those to point to...”

“So it's just... outside context powers?” Himiko asked thoughtfully, her mind still obviously on the ingredients being prepared in front of her.

“That's my current hypothesis, at least,” I nodded. “The fact that they targeted me is encouraging, though.”

“I don't think I agree, but how so?” Himiko replied, frowning.

“It means that, whatever it is doesn't care about the changes I make, for now.” Which, despite the attention it put on me was a benefit. Even if I couldn't feel exactly what it was that had looked in my direction – I didn't want it to get close enough to understand it – I'd felt the Fate around me warp and twist as it reached for me.

Only me.

In the moment, I'd compared it to a howling wind with intent... but perhaps it was more akin to a hunting shark. Something just under the water that was prowling around trying to find out what had made its way into its domain. That made more sense, actually, especially with the way they hadn't surfaced. My phone was still recording the entirely-mundane and disposable camera I'd left watching the space I'd done my proactive divination upon... and nothing had moved.

I wondered...

“Could this be a Hounds of Tindalos situation?” I asked, frowning.

“Puppies? Are they cute?” Himiko asked, perking up as she continued stuffing the dough.

“Ah... saying whether they're cute or not would require them to have a single common form,” I hesitated, pulling a pan out from the cabinets. “Eldritch beings are typically given names according to their purpose rather than any general identifying set of features or abilities.”

“So living quirks then,” Himiko nodded, tapping a flour-covered finger against her chin and making me pause. “Quirks that have their own minds... or instincts, at least? A fire quirk would only know how to burn, but could be a candle or the flame in an oven or a wildfire or something like Endeavor's power.”

“That's... precisely it,” I stated, my mind racing at the implications.

The possible implications.

I couldn't get ahead of myself.

“It's weird, you know... thinking so much faster now. So much clearer,” Himiko commented, tilting her head thoughtfully. “Is this what it felt like for you?”

I hummed in agreement, belatedly placing the pan down. “Probably a bit more intensive on my part, but yeah. You dealing with the influx of memories okay?”

Himiko nodded slowly. “I'm okay, mostly. Except when I look up at the stars, at night. That's when it hits the hardest.”

“I've got some of that, yeah,” I sighed. The heaviest memories of space travel were tied to River, but Cass had ended up in the wild black yonder a time or two herself. I was intensely grateful I didn't have to deal with any space-based shenanigans from Ranma's side of things, though, and the Sidereal's memories...

Well, space was less 'space' and more primordial chaos full of living narratives that wanted to eat people from the inside out, so I didn't have the same issues when I looked up at the night sky. This same associations just didn't exist.

“Could we go into space one day?” Himiko asked suddenly. “I... think I'd like to see it for myself, not just have the memories.”

“If you'd like, I can arrange something. Probably not until Golden Week of next year, at the earliest, but I'll see what I can do. Fair warning, though, we might have to wait until after graduation, depending on certain factors.” I grimaced slightly with the last admission.

“Ah... we're still under quarantine, that's right,” Himiko hummed, finishing up the dish and putting it in the oven before turning to wash her hands. “Has the branch of The Company you work for decided what they need to see before they let us travel? Not that I really want to go anywhere else permanently, but it'd be nice to visit a peaceful world where the PLANTS and ZAFT never went to war.”

“I have to admit, I wouldn't mind hijacking a gundam for a joyride,” I grinned slightly.

“Ah!” Himiko gasped, her eyes widening and clapping her hands happily. “We're planning a vacation! Together! Eeeee! It's just like in those magazines the girls are always talking about! Soooo~cute~!”

I sighed and shook my head, amusement wafting off me in waves. “Just make sure you get enough rest for your evaluation tomorrow.”

…

A few hours later, I had dropped in at home to deliver the food to my dad, had another passive-aggressive un-discussion over when Himiko could have dinner with us, and post a note on my computer that I had to go out 'for work' if he decided to check on me.

I had two more errands to run tonight, just to make sure things went smoothly.

Thankfully, though, I'd had enough time to lay low for my essence to fade when I shifted back to my female form. A quick stop by a conbini for a late-night snack and a pair of energy drinks that shared coloration with toxic waster, and I was good to go.

I gave the area I'd picked out a quick scan, then selected a nice window ledge to sit and wait. It was a deserted street at this time of night, the various neon signs and digital displays casting the empty avenue in a strange half-light that waxed and waned with the clouds drifting over the moon. Resisting the urge to pop in a pair of headphones, I popped an energy drink and grabbed a beef croquet out of my bag. I might have just had a filling dinner five hours ago, but the insane ultra-active lifestyle I was pursuing meant a calorie intake that would match most professional athletes.

Outside of a pair of drunk salarymen staggering home, my impromptu meal passed by in silence. The only observer was what appeared to be a young homeless woman a block down...

...until...

A white-caped figure dropped into the street from a grappling hook, a pristine top hat with a bright gold band of cloth around the base.

I raised my drink to him, “Yo.”

I could feel the awkward stare behind the domino mask. “Ah... you are Ms. Perspicacious Mauve Avenger?”

“Yep,” I nodded.

He stared at me for a moment longer, then snapped his heels together and ruffled his cape out to one side before bowing deep at the waist. “On behalf of my teammate, thank you very much!”

If I was actually a teenage girl, I might have swooned at that. I could entirely see how Kazuho was crushing on the young man so hard. “Both you and she are quite welcome. I was happy to help, even if she wasn't quite so happy to receive my aid.”

Mirio barely caught a laugh as he slowly eased up, standing back into a more normal vertical position. “Ah... Kazuho has been... well, she's very glad she got out of that.”

“I'm sure,” I nodded, then crumpled the wrapper of my last croquet and pulled out a small wet wipe to clean the grease off. “Thank you for coming, Phantom Thief Lemillion. I know it must have been hard to extend so much trust to someone you aren't acquainted with, even if you did have your team on overwatch.”

I nodded towards a building on the opposite side of the street.

“How did you-” Lemillion stiffened.

I waved a hand, “Peace. It's only common sense to have someone watching your back when meeting with an unknown element. Though, a word to the wise, I'd invest in some military surplus binoculars. They tend to have their lenses arranged so that they don't catch the light.”

“Ah...” Mirio muttered, his cheeks going red. “T-thanks, I'll remember that!”

“A very useful purchase, if what the underground heroes have told me is true.”

The Phantom Thief Lemillion and I both turned to regard the third party of our little meeting. Dressed in an off-white suit, a red tie with white spots on it, and wearing his traditional expression of a piercing gaze behind a set of square spectacles, the man looked more like the average salaryman out for a midnight stroll than a famous hero. The only thing that was remarkable about him was the green hair with yellow highlights, something I still wasn't sure was natural or an affectation.

There was a measured inhalation as Mirio took a cautious step back.

“Fear not, Vigilante, I'm not about to arrest you... tonight, at least,” Sir Nighteye snorted, dismissing the older teen with a casual glance. “Not when such significant and potentially deadly activities have been brought to my attention. It is my duty as a hero to decide upon which crimes must take priority above others.”

He turned to me, fully. “Perspicacious Mauve Avenger. I was promised information-”

Before he could finish, I pulled out the packed set of thumbdrives and threw the box containing them at him. A quick snatch of preternatural reflexes saw the hero catch them with a mildly surprised look. “As promised, it's all there Sir Nighteye.”

He blinked slowly at me, adjusting his glasses with his free hand. “You're not going to hold the city ransom for the price you demanded? My, my... what are the egos of vigilantes coming to, these days?”

Even as Mirio bristled at the implied insult and opened his mouth to respond, I snorted and shook my head, not rising to the bait.

“I still want the information that I asked you for, make no mistake,” I informed him plainly, “and withholding it will cause innocents and good people to suffer, but it should be the choice of a hero whether or not to trust another, no matter their credentials.”

The professional hero grimaced like he'd just stepped in something unpleasant as he stared me down.

Then, slowly, he extracted a similar drive to the ones I'd given him, except...

The tiny digital storage device was red, blue, and yellow with a righteous grin atop it all. I could tell with a single glance that it was a piece of All Might themed merchandise.

“Much like the people you have been investigating,” Sir Nighteye stated, frowning at me, “I should not need to inform you that the Shie Hassaikai are – despite their pretensions towards honor – every bit the violent criminals, traffickers, and thieves that the Abegawa Tenchu Kai are. I... find myself uncertain of the wisdom of handing over my own research into their organization to an untrained teenager playing who doesn't even wear a mask.”

“Look, we could continue the verbal jousting until you feel satisfied that you've picked up enough clues to my identity and quirk or I can assure you that I'm going to hand that information over to another pro hero with 'proper credentials' instead of taking action against the yakuza myself,” I informed him, absently stowing the empty can in my hand and retrieving another energy drink as I did so.

Mirio's shoulder's hunched as he visibly fought off laughter while Sir Nighteye gave me a particularly unpleasant look while rolling the thumbdrive between his over-long fingers.

Finally, Nighteye snorted and flung the drive at me with a deft movement, the impact enough to likely bruise a normal civilian's palm as I caught it.

“Thank you for your contribution to the continued safety of those most vulnerable,” I nodded at him and stood, picking up my bag of trash in the process.

“You're not staying?” The Phantom Thief Lemillion asked, surprised. “I thought we were about to discuss strategies to deal with the villains who wanted to poison the water supply?”

“My recommendations are within the information I passed to Sir Nighteye,” I assured the other vigilante. “Given that and the fact that I have other obligations tonight, I believe you'll have a more productive discussion if I excuse myself.”

“O-oh!” Mirio stated, frowning momentarily, then perking back up. “Well, it was a pleasure to meet you! I hope we can work together more often after this.”

“Indeed,” Sir Nighteye stated, still frowning as he regarded me and fixed his glasses again. “It was... an enlightening experience.”

Giving the two one last nod, I turned and walked away, leaving a pair who would have, in another world and time, been mentor and sidekick. I wish I could say that it was amusing to see them so anxiously regarding each other – and part of me did think it was funny – but I was mostly just saddened by the loss of such a strong bond. Even if I thought Sir Nighteye was something of a dick, I couldn't help but feel that both he and Mirio were the lesser for not having each other in their lives.

Maybe, after all is said and done... which reminds me...

Passing by a young girl in ragged clothing with a beggar's pan out in front of her, I pulled one last thumbdrive out and dropped it in with the coins. Blue eyes blinked up at me, her equally blue skin going slightly pale at my singularly unimpressed look. “Bubble Girl.”

Now looking up at me fully, the sidekick tensed. “Avenger. Can I help you?”

“No,” I replied, making her blink. “But you can help both your boss and the Phantom Thief. The information on that drive is unrelated to the current crisis, but should help someone in dire need of it.”

“I'll... see that he gets it,” Bubble Girl nodded, then sighed. “You knew I was a plant the entire time. How?”

I shrugged. “A homeless person would know better to beg in the middle of the night. Their income is dependent on foot traffic, after all.”

The sidekick's shoulders slumped as she took in the empty street around us. “Right, thanks for the tip.”

“Always happy to help the forces of good,” I smirked, walking off towards my next destination. Once I'd made a suitably dramatic exit, I drained the rest of my drink, trashed my waste back, and took off running.

“This is why I need a ride,” I grunted, moving quickly and leaping up a fire escape to gain the high ground. “Goddamn trains need to run at night!”

But I wasn't comfortable going below a minimum reserve of ten credits in case of emergency. At the rate I was going, I really hoped Endeavor pulled through and got my mother out of jail this year. Beyond the fact that it would substantially alleviate stress in my personal life, it would give me enough Company funds to see to a few concerns. I still wanted to purchase another Talent or two as well as get Sweet Home squared away, since it would at least let me park whatever I bought to drive around in somewhere.

And I had plans, but they all required time.

Time was something I didn't have, however.

I was, at least, grateful that I'd managed to pick up Sexual Calibration from Himiko the other night. That would make things between us quite a bit easier when the time came. I wasn't really a fan of keeping the Apartment stocked with dozens of boxes of condoms when we eventually started having full intercourse. Neither of us were fans of the taste of latex, either, as it turned out.

Between that and a reimbursement of ten credits for all the stuff I’d stolen as well as the few divergences I’d noted…

I was sitting at thirteen credits.

If I managed two more, I'd be able to snag a ride.

Still without anywhere to actually store it, though, and I don't think my girlfriend would be terribly amused at a motorcycle being parked in our Apartment.

I dismissed those thoughts and slowed down as I approached the figure leaning against a vending machine drinking a cup of coffee. “Officer Nakamura.”

“Kid,” he nodded. “I got in touch with that detective you wanted me to reach out to and fed him the initial info. They're waiting at that bar you mentioned for the handover. Sure you don't want to come along?”

I shook my head, smirking. “No, I'm afraid I'm underage. I shouldn't be caught near an all-night drinking establishment.”

Nakamura snorted. “That's a laugh. A vigilante like you is afraid of getting tagged for underage drinking, hah!”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the thumbdrive, holding it out for him. “Here, this is the information about the Shie Hassaikai. I've confirmed they have the girl in question and are working towards the goal outlined in the data.”

The seasoned cop looked over the All Might-themed drive, gave me an odd look, then shrugged and pocketed it. “Alright, if that's everything...”

I nodded. “I need to go. I hope you have a nice night, sir.”

“You too, kid. Be careful out there,” Nakamura nodded at me, walking off.

That done, I waited for him to get a block away before pulling out my phone and hitting a saved number. It only took two rings before he picked up.

“Hello, Soudai-san. Are you interested?” I asked.

There was a response, tentative yet affirmative.

“The other half of what I already gave you, yes. You'll find it in your apartment's mailbox when you get home,” I confirmed.

A shaky breath, another agreement, more firm this time.

“All you have to do is make the cocktail I detailed and serve it to the man in the picture. He's a regular and he'll be there tonight. Tell him it's compliments of the thin blond man. That's all you need to do to get your money.”

One final affirmation and I cut the call.

Even without the Loom of Fate that governed Creation, the esoteric senses The Sidereal possessed were acute enough for me to feel the twisting motion of destiny as the consequences of what I'd just put into motion arranged themselves.

There wasn't anything magical about it, though.

A fact I was reassured of when I failed to feel anything beyond the veil of reality focus on me.

“Five days,” I muttered to myself, unhappy with the tally. I was cutting it close, too close in my opinion, but it would have to do. Nighteye would be occupied and unable to intercede in the coming conflict while the Shie Hassaikai would be taken care of as well. That would stop both the first-order threats to the current tenuous peace Japan enjoyed that I was aware of.

Then, Nighteye would have the information to move onto a second-order threat, hopefully resolving that situation and moving things towards a better conclusion there. I'd have to keep an eye on the Shie Hassaikai situation to get what I needed, too. All of that wasn't accounting for the tertiary or quaternary effects being put into motion.

And I had five days before I was supposed to take the UA Entrance Exams.

I sighed and shook my head. Something was going to go wrong with this tight a schedule, I knew it.

Hopefully it was manageable enough.

“Just as much as I hope Rappa enjoys the spiked cocktail,” I sighed. That was a clumsier and blunter approach than I preferred, but it would have to do on the time frame I was working with. Tracking down one of the biggest roofie dealers in Tokyo had certainly been a task, but breaking most of the bones in his arms and legs had left me feeling pretty good before I called the cops. I'd be putting both his cash and his stash of drugs to better use as well.

Checking the time on my watch, I made my way back to the rooftops to monitor the meeting that was about to take place.

I wouldn't be able to shepherd everything, but I had another thirty minutes before I needed to head home.

This was the least I could do.

~~~

Here's the next chapter of Mind Games.

Hitoshi struggles to tie up loose ends as the UA Entrance Exam draws near and the dominoes begin to fall.

Will his schemes come to fruition or will an unforeseen wrench find itself in the gears of his machinations?

Only time will tell.

Well, time and the next chapter, which I'm looking to have out before the end of the month. That'll probably be the last chapter for July before I put the polls up for August. Hope everyone had a good weekend in the meantime.