Oddly familiar|Clan Lhach Linnod, Naurorod

[aivea]

Flare sits outside his home, turning the medallion with an emblem of Taed on it over and over in his hands. He'd never seen one before and no one in his family even followed that particular Force, even if they all felt a healthy respect for Taed. And yet it felt familar to him ever since he'd picked it up from the sand near Linnod. He frowns at it before looking up.

"This doesn't make much sense..."

[Darastrix]

Ember, a local mystic, is making her way back home with a bundle of fresh candles when she hears the man speak. She stops dead in her tracks and looks up before actually looking around.

Spying Flare, she tips her head to one side and asks, "Were you talking to me?"

[aivea]

Flare looks at Ember then back at the medallion before standing. "Well, not directly but maybe you would know. Why does this feel familiar to me even though I've never seen it or met any followers of the Force whose name is opposite the emblem on this? It doesn't make sense."

He holds out the medallion, emblem side up, toward Ember for her to look at.

[Darastrix]

"Hmm, Taed...." Ember takes the medallion and looks closely at both sides before returning to the man.

"Well, I really can't say right off why it's familiar to you, but I can attempt a divination, if you like. My home is um...let's see..." She turns in a small circle before regaining her bearings and pointing in the direction she'd been walking before. "That way!"

[aivea]

"That sounds good," Flare replies with a quick nod. "A divination would help, I'll bet."

He waits for Ember to lead him rather than risk going the wrong way.

[Darastrix]

Ember heads off in the direction of her small home, which isn't very far away. She opens the door and steps aside to allow Flare to enter.

"Make yourself at home," she says cheerfully. "I need to put out these new candles."

The front room is simple and serves as both an area for guests (when she has them) and for doing her divinations. A shallow bowl sits on a low table surrounded by cushions, with a stub of a candle next to it. A shelf near the table holds a few rough crystals, labelled vials and jars, a polished mirror, and a mortar and pestle.

[aivea]

Flare nods and takes a seat, wondering just how she'll go about the divination. He looks around the room for a few seconds before looking back at the medallion while he waits.

[Darastrix]

Ember sets the bundle on the shelf and takes out a single candle, black for Taed, and sets it on the table. She goes into an adjacent room and returns with a small pitcher of water, which she pours into the bowl. Ember sets the pitcher down and takes a seat in front of the bowl.

"all right, can I have a hair from you?"

[aivea]

Flare looks a bit puzzled before nodding. "Okay... Take any one you think will work."

He doesn't seem to know what hair has to do with this.

[Darastrix]

"I like to include a bit of the person if I'm doing a divination about them," Ember explains, reaching over to quickly pluck a hair from Flare's head.

She wraps the strand around the candle and touches her sign to light the wick. As the heat from the flame melts the candle, she tips the it so that the hot wax drops into the bowl and cools, forming patterns suspended in the water.

She spends several minutes staring into the bowl, watching as drop after drop adds more complexity to the overall pattern. Once she feels the pattern is complete, Ember extinguishes the candle and begins to interpret the pattern in the bowl.

"This is very difficult," she murmurs. "I can't see everything, but I can tell you that in a past life, you were a priest of Taed, which would explain why the medallion feels so familiar."

[aivea]

Flare blinks and frowns in puzzlement. "And here I thought that even if there is such thing as past lives, I didn't have one... I suppose when I am not busy as a hunter I could try to find out who I was back then. It might be fun, right?"

[Darastrix]

"It could be," the blonde mystic replied, smiling. "And I've learned to never jump to conclusions regarding things of this nature. The most unlikely things can be found to be the truth."

"Oh! What did you say your name was?" Ember asks. "Did you say? ...or did I ask before? Did you ask my name? Because if you did, I know you'd have told me yours in return. At least I think so, anyway. Most people do. I can't remember either way...." She trails off briefly, then shakes her head.

"Well, if I didn't say, I'm Ember," she finishes with a bright smile.

[aivea]

"My name is Flare," he answers. "I was waiting to see if you'd guess my name before a said it."

Flare puts on the medallion rather impulsively before asking, "Any ideas as to what sort of thing could be clues?"

[Darastrix]

Ember tilts her head to one side, thinking.

"Dreams can give hints to past lives, among other things. Um....things, people, and places that seem familiar like that medallion does can be clues. Since you were a priest of Taed, you could try praying to him for insight, too."

[aivea]

"Do you think success is likely?" asks Flare.