'Nother day, 'nother dollar. [Open]

There's no finer thing than going about your life knowing that you are completely reliant on yourself and no other. Other people may have families and jobs that they go to and live for, but fundamentally it is in the struggle that one may discover a truer self and experience things to develop a more refined sense of self.

Those were the things on Rook's mind as he ambled through the residential district of Centre City looking for a place to be.

Finally, he settled on a relatively open intersection with light foot traffic. In a matter of moments, he set up a folding table he had built himself and a couple of chairs. Idly, he shuffled his tarot cards as he watched the Normals pass by in the scurry of their daily lives. Oddly enough, he was rarely harassed out here doing his thing. Normals were such suckers for tarot readings. The thing that made it a particularly lucrative pastime was the very fact that people knew he was Different, and they fancied him as an amazing novelty for seeing and understanding things they didn't think he was capable of.

Setting his cards aside for the moment, Rook leaned back in his chair with a rare artifact he had bartered for most of an hour to obtain- a paperback book that was practically falling apart in his hands. Keeping one eye on the written words and another on the crowds for any sign of trouble, Rook settled down and waited for a customer.

Theo flopped down into the chair opposite Rook and put on a rather terrible southern belle accent, "Oh sir, I do hope that there is a tall dark and handsome strangeah in ya'lls cahds for liddle oh me." He batted his eyelashes, then dropped the accent "I'm also hoping you're up for a drink later because I have had a particularly nasty day."

Theo pulled out two small apples, bit into one and offered the other to Rook.

Rook couldn't help but laugh at this stranger and his terrible facsimile of an accent. He laughed, and the sound of it was strange and unfamiliar. It reminded him for a moment of days long ago that were happier than these, before his parents had suddenly stopped coming home. Still laughing softly, he shuffled the cards with a bit more intent as he let those far off feelings dwindle away.

"Well if you don't mind me pointing out the obvious, ma'am," he began, still trying to curtail his amusement, "But you've just taken a seat in front of a tall, dark, and handsome fellow- don't need cards to tell you that. As far as a stranger? Well, you're stranger than anyone I've recently met," Rook said, letting the smile from his laughter linger to imply he was joking.

Setting the cards down for a moment, he took the proffered apple and enjoyed an enthusiastic bite. It was always nice to be paid in advance. "If you don't mind me asking, mister, could you be a little more specific about this nasty day of yours? I don't know how things go by you, but I tend to think that most days have a nasty tint to them. Explain, if you would."

Leaning back in his chair, Rook chewed his apple, all eyes on this odd fellow with the strange look in his eyes.

He chuckled in response "Good to know you're friendly, otherwise that stunt woulda killed me. My day, up to this moment, has consisted of being beaten" he pointed at his lip in a melodramatic fashion, it was on the verge of being a flourish, "then offered a job that has me fighting in that arena thing. That woman has to be the single most terrifying woman in all of existence. Just take all your exes and mash them into one person and add a dash of Norm viciousness and there you have it." He twitched his eyebrows up and down once for emphasis.

"So what do your cards say? How soon am I gonna snuff it?" It was probably an inappropriate level of chipperness in that question, but Theo was in an adrenaline-fueled mood. "Theo Fletcher, by the way."

Rook laughed again, immediately set at ease. It didn't take a Normal's mind to know that the man in front of him was Different, which meant that Rook wasn't going to have to be on the alert for a sudden thrashing. Besides, this man Theo seemed to be quite the comedian.

"Mah man, you keep asking me things that I don't need tarot cards to tell you. Real pretty lady, kinda gaunt? Looks like she's always caught between kissing you on the mouth and calling you son or tearing you apart with her bare hands and eating you alive?" Rook didn't have to wait for confirmation. He knew exactly who Theo was talking about. "That lady is a fucking monster, ya heard me? You get wrapped up with that broad, and your days are numbered. Look at me, sittin' here talkin' to a fuckin' dead man. Looks like I caught crazy from you, right?" he said, only half kidding.

Rook began to spread the cards out in a celtic cross layout, looking at the creepy little pictures that didn't have names under them. Looking back up as an afterthought, he said "Rook Robinson, by the way. Pleased to meet you."

He eyed the layout, looking at the cryptic little messages that his intuition gave him. The Fool, The Tower, swords everywhere, Strength... so many powerful symbols in all the wrong places.

"The cards don't say anything that we don't know, mah man. You're all out of choices, and you gotta see this through. But if you get an honest way out of it, you better take it and run. Otherwise, you're a dead man," Rook said.

He gathered up his cards again and laid the deck to the side in a neat stack. It was hardly worth an apple, but that was the joy of being paid in advance.

Theo laughed, "Yeah, that crazy is damn contagious. Gotta cover your ears while you talk or it leaks out." He looked at the cards as the guy, Rook, layed them out and really did tell Theo nothing he already had figured. Still, it was somewhat reassuring to hear it from someone else. But to find an honest way out of what he'd gotten into would prove an interesting challenge. "You described the woman to a T, friend. I honestly didn't know whether to cover my jugular or... well," He shot a look down at himself and shot a 'you know what I mean' look.

He suddenly didn't want to think about that anymore, having several unpleasant mental images rush to mind relating to the joke he'd just cracked. Theo pointed at the cards. "You do this for a living, tarot cards?"

Rook grinned at the 'you know what I mean look,' and literally said, "I know what you mean. I'm not saying I agree with you- I wouldn't touch that lady with someone else's equipment for fear she would find me at the end of it," he said.

"Actually, when it comes to me and money, I ain't worried about shit. My dad, when he was about my age and still walking the earth, figured out how to process wool into more durable and colorful strains. This company out in Houm bought it off him ages ago and still cuts a check for it every week. This tarot thing, if anything at all, is just a death wish disguised as a good bit of fun. If I had any damn sense at all, which mind you I don't, I would be far away from here right now and behind and inside something realy fuckin' sturdy, you dig? Instead, I'm just downright tired of walking the earth and hoping I can piss someone off enough to find a little mercy."

The fact that he had spilled so much personal information all at once to this stranger did not bother Rook in the least, likely for the reasons he had just stated.

"How about you, mister?" Rook asked politely as he began breaking down his setup.

Theo nodded, he knew what the guy was getting at. Which wasn't to say he was of the same frame of mind; Theo himself was rather attached to being alive and always planned to keep it that way - the sweet embrace of the crypt was not sweet enough to entice him to beg the reaper for a favour.

"Well I got plenty of sense and a good brain in my head, but - damn it all, if my mouth doesn't get me in shit more often than I like." He chuckled mirthlessly, "I have a good brain, a good penhand and a whole lot of stories to tell - this world hasn't outworn its welcome for me just yet, but every day it feels like it's sick of me ya know? If I had my way and didn't need to sell shit to buy other shit, I'd stay in my humble little abode out Boarding House way." Theo smirked, bouncing his right leg casually. What he was saying was all too true if not toned down for the sake of decency. In reality he was confused about the world and how he felt about it - the thoughts that tried to force themselves to the surface of the mess that was his brain were too... controversial in nature, so he fought to beat them into submission and bury them.

"I write and sell penny-dreadfuls to keep food in my mouth... which is actually likewise dreadful, but beggars can't be choosers, eh? And like I said, I was just conscripted into Gladiatorhood... so I may just beat you to that dirtnap everyone's raving about." Theo gestured a willingness to help Rook take down his setup, folding up the chair he sat on. In the spirit of being honest, Theo added a bit more to his miniature speel. He didn't think Rook would find it offensive... not that he'd mind really. "Frankly I hate makin' friends 'cause they just up and die after somehow screwing me over - can't seem to help it though. I appear to have one of those magnetic personalities." He laughed quietly. It honestly did bother him, that last bit. Thank whatever God that chose for once not to fuck him over that he'd been given the ability to compartmentalise that sort of stuff.

'...this world hasn't outworn its welcome for me just yet, but every day it feels like it's sick of me ya know? Rook nodded at that bit as the man kept on for a bit longer. It occurred to Rook that perhaps they both had some serious shit to say and nobody else to say it to. It reminded him of being a kid, choking under the yoke of parental supervision and being absolutely certain that nobody else could understand what it was like to be you.

As Theo made his last remarks on the subject, Rook took the folded chair from the fellow with a gracious nod. Pausing for a moment, he looked at the fellow with somber eyes and a tilted sad smile. "It's not easy, is it?"

There was no need to say anything else or explain what 'it' was. You didn't have to be one of those mindless sheep addicted to telepathic emotion to understand the moment when one man finds a common thread with another that leads to strings tangled up deep in the heart.

The only ambiguous aspect of that question was whether or not it was rhetorical as Rook turned and leaned everything up against a nearby wall after pocketing his deck. Leaning against the same wall himself, he tucked his hands into his pockets and stood there casually just absorbing the moment.

It's not easy. Theo found the euphamism amusing if not radically out of date, overused, and kind of clicheed now. Still true, mind. He felt like his life was a song being played over and over again on one of those old turntable things - Theo had only seen one or two - the ones you had to crank up to get it to work. He felt like it was skipping over a warbling solo and he was just waiting for someone to hit the thing so it would jump to a better bit. Life may not be easy, but though complaining about it was, it wouldn't do much to improve his situation. Theo nodded with a slight rueful smile. It really wasn't easy.

"Look - I gotta get on with making a living." he patted the satchel around his back. "Good to meet ya, Rook. I guess even miserable sods such as myself needs a friend so if you're in the area," Theo recalled already mentioning his abode, "Someone'll know where I am."

Theo gave a salute and started making his way off down the street looking for someone to hock his wears to.