Recovering from The Exam (Open)

(Takes place a few hours after the Entrance Exam)

Well, that could of gone any better, at least, that's what Yuriko thought in regards to the entrance exam, where she almost failed it. Ohh, if Ryouta was around he would of been very disappointed with her as she strolled into the hotel that she was taken too after the exam and was given a key to the room that she will be staying in for the night.

Upon entering the room Yuriko placed the card deck on one of the bed pillows before lying face first at the end of her bed, sighing loudly as she thought about her performance for the day. "Dammit, I suck at this." Yuriko lamented. "The Teachers at my new school are going to pick on me for not knowing a single thing about this game." Yuriko sat up as she lamented to herself once more, turning towards the card deck at her bed pillows.

"I wonder what you think of me now..." She said to the deck, slowly sitting up. "Do you think your happy that i've made it this far?" She asked the deck. Even though it doesn't talk as she crossed her leg and sighs.

"At least I made some friends today." And for Yuriko, that counted as a victory for her.

Yuriko would hear the door open again and find Shiki standing within the doorframe. She continued to have the same blank expression she had earlier but was now preoccupied reading what appeared to be a small book. As Shiki looked up to head to her bed, she would notice Yuriko.

"Oh, you're here."

Her tone carried no distinction if this was here being mildly surprised or mildly disappointed. As Shiki placed her things down, she'd look at Yuriko, quietly reading her expression.

"I sense negative energy from you. Are you still troubled from earlier?"

"Negative energy? Sure that isn't you tracking that in, Murasaki-san?"

A peppy voice came atop the top bunk of a bed. With a flutter of blanket, a tangle of silver hair and mirthful purple eyes emerged to greet Shiki at the threshold. Murasaki stifled a yawn and swung over the bed to look down at Yuriko's place on the bottom bunk.

"Hi! Hope you didn't mind me dropping by. Just doing a little recharge after a long day."

She smiled warmly at the two others. "So, roomies?"

"Hmm?" Yuriko looked up to see the door opening and soon watches as Shiki entered the room. She realised that it was the girl that she met at the Entrance Exam, and it seems that she has sensed the negative and sad energy that Yuriko was displaying...Although it was mostly negative energy that Yuriko displayed.

"Huh? Oh hey Shiki!" Yuriko happily waved to Shiki before falling back onto the bed that she was on. "Yeah, I had it pretty rough at the Entrance Exam and i'm feeling pretty down, and worried. Mainly because of how I might do once I start school." Yuriko explained her predicament to Shiki before looking up to see Murasaki at the top bunk.

"Sure, we can be roomies. I'm pretty exhausted too. I guess you already know about my negative energy situation as well." Yuriko guessed to Murasaki before sitting up on the bed and looking at Shiki. "How are you doing Shiki?" She asked.

Shiki's flinched upon hearing Murasaki's voice. Looking up lazily, she then understood she was in the room and gave a small wave.

"Murasaki-chan," she said. "Hello. I'm afraid I would know if I was emitting negative energies. Plus, I always make sure to bring charms to ensure the balance of my personal auras. It could not possibly be me."

Her tone suggested she was serious and that she did not get it had been a joke.

Yuriko eventually opened up about her malaise at which Shiki started shaking her runes. She tossed the bony tiles into the air and catching them. She read them carefully.

"Fate suggests I perform a reading for you to assuage you," she told Yuriko. "Perhaps knowing about your future will give you confidence."

And then tossing the runes a second time.

"They also say being roommates will not harm me, no. I accept this arrangement."

Murasaki giggled at Shiki's deadpan response. Deliberate or no, Shiki was setting herself up too be an incredible straight man. She shifted the blanket out of the way, grabbed the railing on the side of the bunk, and vaulted down to be on level with the other two.

"Well, Yuriko-chan, how about it? Do you want a fortune?"

Yuriko paused, oh...Shiki was being serious, but she seemed surprised that she was quickly prepared to bring out charms and read out fortunes it seems. As she wants to read Yuriko's fortune as fate told her so, after thinking for a few seconds, Yuriko shrugged.

"I mean, if it could tell me that I might have a good future then I guess it would hurt to try out my fortune." Yuriko decided as she held out her hands in case they were needed. But then she slightly lowered her hands.

"Oh, do I uhh, need my hands for this or..." Yuriko asked Shiki.

Shiki shook her head. From her satchel, she pulled out a velvet pouch with a yellow string. She gestured for both Yuriko and Muraski to come down to the ground as she knelt. From the pouch, she revealed a long set of narrow cards, much longer and thinner than the cards they used to duel and with intricate images.

"I shall do a reading with tarot cards," she said. "We can do a general reading to predict your current situation."

With this, Shiki started placing the cards on the ground and sliding them against each other, allowing the thin paper to spill and spread. Once Shiki shuffled the cards, she collected them again and spread them out.

"Please pick seven cards," she said.

Shiki then looked at Murasaki.

"Murasaki-chan, would you like to have me do yours next?" she asked.

Murasaki smiled softly.

"Well, I..."

...wouldn't stop you from giving it if you really wanted to, but I'm not super interested.

Really, Murasaki wanted to learn more about her new roommates, the timid, doll-like girl, and the stoic, yet serene girl who shared a name with her. Murasaki's instinct was to shoot from the hip and speak her mind, frankly, plainly, and earnestly. She found a sort of virtue in disagreeing respectfully, and immediately, as not to let things hang, but there was something in Shiki's milk-toast affect that gave her pause.

Shiki's shuffling was meticulous, was neat, was fluid. How many dozens of hours had she sunk into practicing her divination? It seemed to Murasaki that Shiki had foisted all her agency into her runes, her oracle bones, and cards, but didn't that mean that now, Shiki was earnestly asking for her two new friends to share in something she loved deeply? There might be no quicker way to learn about Shiki than through her cards and how she read them.

A radiant grin burst onto Murasaki's face as she leaned in to look at the cards. "Well, I was waiting for you to ask!! But first things first. Let's see what the fates have in store for Yuriko-chan before we talk about me."

"Oh, a tarot reading? I always wanted to have one done." Yuriko smiled as she joined Shiki and Murasaki on the ground, sounding a bit excited in her tone of voice about the tarot reading. She watched as Shiki placed seven cards in front of her and Murasaki, who wanted Yuriko to go first, causing Yuriko to gulp slightly, but never the less she began to make her choice.

After twiddling her fingers first.

"Uhh, lets see..." Yuriko was bad at making decisions, but she thinks she knows what she should pick, and she moved her hand towards seven card. "I pick these seven." She decided as she looked up to Shiki. Hopefully it would give her a good reading.

Shiki would look at Murasaki, anticipating her response. It took Murasaki awhile, but when she finally agreed, Shiki nodded briskly.

"Alright, I shall predict your future after Yuriko-chan's," she said.

Yuriko herself had finished selecting her cards in order, at which Shiki would place the seven in sequence in a "U' shape of sorts, making, in a sense, a horseshoe. The cards revealed would be: 1) the Devil, 2) 8 of Cups, 3) The Hierophant, 4) The Aeon, 5) 7 of Swords, 6) 4 of Cups, 7) 7 of Disks.

Gingerly placing her hands over them, Shiki looked at the images as if reading a book.

"First, I will explain what the seven positions in front of you mean," she said. "The first card refers to a wish or desire you have that you don't want to admit. The second card refers to the people that come to mind to you with regards to your situation. The third card refers to someone who can provide you guidance. The fourth card refers to the methods you need to perform in order to gain deeper insight. The fifth card refers to barriers in your life. The sixth refers to limiting relationships and the seventh refers to what you worry about most."

After this, she picked the first card on the spread. "Your first card is the Devil. Despite the ominous nature of the name, the Devil actually refers to creative energy and freedom outside of conformity. This suggests that there are people who "demonize" you in a sense for the way you are whether because of your methods, beliefs, or skill or shortcomings. And this card suggests that you treat people that ridicule you or treat you differently with humor and lightness, much like the Devil himself.

"The second card is the 8 of Cups. This card refers to stagnation. Laziness. It suggests that you've exhausted your energy on people who are like this and that you perhaps need to set limits and stand by yourself against these people. Perhaps you need to say 'No' more in your life or detach yourself from unhealthy individuals.

"The third card is the Hierophant who is a spiritual master. He is considered a wise spiritual master and can provide guidance. In this spread, it is suggested that to guide yourself during your situation, you can look to someone in your past who serves as a guide and inspiration. Perhaps someone close to your heart can inspire you with regards to your dueling. Does anyone come to mind?

"The fourth card is the Aeon. This highly discriminatory card suggests omniscience and transcendence. Perhaps it means to drop your current view about something so that you can see a bigger picture, or see things in a different light. Perhaps you can look at current situations in a different way in order to gain deeper insight. Think of times you've been ignorant because of hardset beliefs. Try to view things on the other side. You may just find something new.

"The fifth card is the 7 of swords. This refers to discouragement and despondency. You've suffered defeat and feel that there's no need to go on. This card warns you though that your fears have nothing to do with reality. It's time to look past your discouragement and look at things in a more objective manner. This could refer to your own self-doubt and failings and to detach these failings from your own personal value.

"The sixth card is the 4 of cups. This refers to tenderness, love, and care. Someone or many people care for you and have done so in plenty. Perhaps you are taking these relationships for granted. Or perhaps you yourself are highly devoted to someone emotionally. However, being too devoted has its downsides. It's time to consider whether you depend too much on the love given to you. Or whether you yourself give too much love to someone without considering yourself.

"The last card is the 7 of Disks which refers to restriction, resignation, and hesitation. This card suggests your ability to deal with things is blocked by fear and heavy expectations. This card prompts you to take a look at yourself and the things that weigh you down with moving forward. It tells you to have courage and believe all that happens in your life is for your betterment."

At this, Shiki looked up at the two of her roommates.

"Well, what do you think?" she asked.

"Hehe. That's pretty neat. Though when you put it that way... It definitely just kind of seems like eclectic advice, I guess." Murasaki nodded and grinned. "I mean, maybe that's the best we can do without literally seeing the future. Live our best lives and all."

Yuriko looked at the sevens cards that she had chosen, they were revealed to her yet she was confused by some of them. "Why do some of these cards look like that they belong in a regular game of cards. Aren't tarot cards the only thing allowed in these kinds of readings?" Yuriko asked Shiki.

But the reading began.

And Shiki began to symbolise what the devil card meant for Yuriko, who was slightly scared by the card as she thought it meant that she was going to do an unspeakable action that would cause people to alienate her.

But it was something good...Kind of.

"So, what your saying is. I'm like Satan?" Yuriko sounded surprised instead of shocked but she kept quiet as Shiki revealed the other meanings of the cards, keeping quiet until the two of them got to the hierophant card and Shiki asked a question.

About someone in Yuriko's past.

"Yeah...Yeah. I do." Yuriko didn't want to reveal it as she looked away as she listened to what the last four cards meant to her lightning up in surprise as Shiki finished.

Yuriko kept quiet after the reading, until Murasaki finished speaking about her reaction to the reading.

"Hmph." Yuriko nodded twice, once at Shiki's direction and the other at Murasaki's.

"Your right Mura. I have to live my life to the best and I can't be let down and look past at my mistakes at the Entrance Exam." Yuriko looked down at her hand before looking at the roof.

"I can do better for my brother's sake." She then looked at Shiki.

"Thank you for the reading Shiki. I do need to take a look at myself in the future." She smiled.

When Yuriko pointed out how her cards were like playing cards, Shiki shook her head, perhaps a little too forcefully for the situation.

"Tarot cards also have numbers and class cards," she said hastily. "They are referred to as the Minor Arcana. What you're referring to is the Major Arcana. Both exist in tarot and can be used together or separately."


There seemed to be an eagerness to her voice when talking about the tarot cards. While her tone didn't really change, there was more stress in her words and speed.

Murasaki shared her own take on Shiki's advice on being eclectic.

"I can see how one may think that," Shiki said pensively. "But all I can say is these are the cards the universe willed. It is the best I can do, indeed."

The smallest smile would come upon the fortune teller's face when Yuriko expressed her gratitude. Shiki would acknowledge it with a small nod before turning to Murasaki.

"How about you, Murasaki-san?" she asked. "We can try answering a question of your own."