Gran then slumped down into the booth. Ryn was quick with her hand on Granny's shoulder to help steady her before she fell onto the floor. Not long after, she seemed to recover and snap out of it, back into reality, brushing Ryn's hand away. She cleared her throat, and everyone gave her their undivided attention. "Your guts are right. North is the correct way, my dear. A friend awaits you. They will be surprised by our arrival, however." It came out simply and with a nod of her head.
Thea stared at her for a long time. It was hushed. I didn't know what the hell to say. This shit was way beyond me. I could have sworn I saw the curtain move a little on my right, but the woman shifted in her seat and crossed her arms across her chest, just under her breasts. It made them stick out a bit more than before. It's something I'm used to. Women did it all the time around me. It was like a dude puffing out his chest to look larger in front of the ladies. Tougher. It's not like I'd complained about it before, and I'm not now. Though unlike before, I could not look away or hide it. I wanted to, but did I really? Oh my gods, look at you. Openly staring, wholly unashamed, in front of the woman who raised you. Get it together. Finally, Thea spoke, seemed more to herself than anyone, but it was directed toward Granny and broke me from my daze, "You seers. Not much freaks me out, but a seer is one of those things. Operating outside the realms of both Order and Chaos. Always know how to rattle my chains."
Odd. I didn't quite get the reference. "What do you mean outside? Outside what?" It came out soft and gravelly. Regardless of how hard I tried, my eyes kept focusing on her luscious lips. There was an incredible urge to reach over and pull her close to me. I'd tuck my fingers through her hair to secure her head and then place my lips on hers. Unconsciously, my tongue slowly rolled across my bottom lip, "What chains?"
She cocked her head toward me with a smirk, then I watched as it slowly sunk into a mildly solemn look, "Honestly, it is a terrible figure of speech from a few lives ago. I should wipe that from my colloquy... I'd like very much not to discuss that further. Not so fond memories I should choose to sit in no longer." She looked at me apologetically. The blue in her eyes morphed to a greener color, and then she cast them down to her hands in her lap. A sigh escaped her, "To your previous question, Order and Chaos are the two opposing energies whose balance is necessary for physical creation to remain in its complete harmonious state." She waved her hand to dismiss the subject. I'd honestly forgotten what I asked her. I was too focused on... other things. "More about that at a later time. What did you see, Crone?"
Granny glowered at her, "I'm not some ugly old bat! I still look darn good for my age." She turned her nose up at her. I saw Thea roll her eyes before Gran went on, "Not too sure whatcha mean, though. Possible futures come to me in visual and emotional forms. They are usually out of order and normally have no context. Most of the time, they don't make a lick of sense at all. As I told my boy a bit ago, someone will be there waiting wherever you are taking us. Now then, we should make our way out."
"Young woman." Thea stated and then paused as she soaked everything in. She'd put extra emphasis on the word young, and that wasn't lost on Gran. "Are you telling me that you are completely unaware of the full-on paragraph of prophesy you just gave me?" We all exchanged glances as we watched Granny. A yawn escaped her as she stretched and stood up from the table. It was clear that she was done talking right now. Not that anyone wanted to argue that. We were all spent. Completely drained. Thea sat there momentarily, still watching Granny with what I'm sure were thoughts of protest. Surprisingly, she stayed quiet even as she finally stood.
We followed Philomena to the lobby, and I got my Holo out and ready to pay for our meals per the times this place was modeled after. I was internally debating giving Kyle a tip in the sport of it all. They used to do that, I heard. They would tip if they dined out and the service team treated them right. The Servers were expected to live off the tips they got if you could believe it. Gratuity to pay your bills? You'd be in some serious financial strife at times doing it like that. Nothing was provided for them at all. They had to worry about food, water, and shelter because they had to pay for all that stuff. Necessities for simply living! Can you believe that? It was hard for me to picture; sometimes, I wonder if it was all played up as the years passed. There's no way they used to make people pay for things you needed to survive, right? I get leisure items and extras, but basic survival? People struggled hard until the GA came into play. Very hard to believe, but it's in every book. I'd have to ask Thea sometime.
Even though the place looked empty, Kyle must've been working hard. Sweat dribbled down his cool brown brow, and I could feel his clammy hand against mine as he scanned my Holo. It was odd, but for a split second, I felt a twinge of fear that wasn't mine. I regarded him as he processed the bill. His eyes widened, more than likely at the extra amount, as he smiled and wished us a good day. Probably all in my head. Oddly enough, Thea came up to shake the man's hand and thanked him for "Providing us with excellent service and utmost privacy." His skin flushed a bright red as he smiled and said it was not his job but his pleasure. Yeah... I'm sure it was. I seethed a little inside as she kept his hand in hers for an unnecessary amount of time. She finally broke contact with him and strutted away. Kyle stood there staring at his hand while we walked out. Fuckin weirdo.
We made it back to my Jeep, and I paused. I slipped the key cards out of my pocket and looked at them, at the ladies, and then back down at the cards in my hands. How are we going to do this...? I hadn't really thought about it until this point. Two rooms. Two double beds. Who is going with who? Ryn and I could have time to finish what we star-
Thea snatched one out of my hands and smiled at me. "You stay with your Granny. Us girls will stick together." She winked at me as she handed Ryn the key card. I frowned at the idea. Ryn's eyes sought out mine like she wanted to say something, but she stayed silent. Anger started to grow inside. Why though? What is going on with me? I shook my head and dismissed my thoughts. Nothing else was said as we got into the Jeep, and I began driving. The Sunset was just up the road here. Not even five minutes away. Those five minutes were beautiful, though. Closer to the water here than back home. The air was fresher and crisp as it blew gently through the array of trees. You could smell just a hint of salt in the air, occasionally blowing in from the ocean. Out by us, it was thick and dense. Heavy is the best way to put it, I guess.
The four of us got out, and I ran around to help Granny down, of course. No sooner than I knew she was secure and let go of her, Thea slipped her arm through the crook of mine and held onto it. The sensations from her touch could cause me to go feral. "Don't forget that we still need supplies for the cold climate." She patted my arm, and I couldn't help but look down at her as she smiled. "Why don't you two stay here and get settled? Lark and I can go gather supplies." She flashed me that brilliant grin, and I couldn't help the one forming on my own face.
Thea pursed her lips toward a confused-looking Ryn and winked. Granny just said, 'Okay,' and held out her hand to me. I placed the other card in her hand, and that was that. She spun on her heels and went in search of the room, the tapping of her cane slowly receding. Not knowing what to make of the woman, I turn to Ryn, who was quickly trying to grab things out of the back, "Leave em. I'll get them all for us when I get back." To which, of course, she rolled her eyes. Nothing new there. Maybe she was getting back to her usual self. I'd been worried about her since we left Moaning Caverns, and we hadn't had the right window for a more private conversation. She was a very strong person, so seeing her in a place of vulnerability and hurt was painful for me. Her chestnut eyes regarded both of us and then turned to follow Granny.
