Maia and Maki could search all the dictionaries in the world but they bet that they wouldn't be able to find the correct word to define her.
Her, their blonde and blue-eyed sister whose voice resembles that of a canary. The one and only beautiful and mesmerizing songbird of the Kuwa Circus that was stationed in the Lucky City.
As soon as her song had ended, Maddox let out a snort but clapped along with the crowd nevertheless. Magnus stare at Maddin proudly as he clapped his hands.
Damian cleared his throat to calm himself as the realization dawned on him. He was for a second mesmerized by Maia's older sister. It wasn't cheating per se but in his vocabulary it already was.
"Thank you all for coming to see this show. Remember, this matchmaker is open for business right after. So be sure to drop by"
As Maddin gave her final speech on stage and exited, the group stood up and left the tent.
"Open for business my ass, she wouldn't even see me. I only saw her one time and she immediately said no without even giving me a chance to talk"
Maia listened to her older brother's rant as they walk towards the matchmaker's booth. Maddox had been rambling on and on about how Maddin won't even talk to her for more than 5 minutes.
Magnus insisted on going to her right after. Their travel didn't last a whole day but when they arrived, the show, Maddin's show was already starting.
"She said she will be by the matchmaker's booth?"
"Oh yeah, since her gift has something to do with charm and love, she said that she decided to use it for business"
Maia looked around and immediately spotted the booth where people were starting to line up.
"I'll go check it out"
Without even hearing her brother's protests, she grabbed Damian by the arm and dragged him towards the booth. There were three men at the front of the booth lined up before them.
"Hey Maia"
"I'm pretty sure a group of men wouldn't be allowed inside the booth so isn't it much better for just the two of us?"
Damian couldn't argue anymore when Maia pointed at the first man to enter the booth. Two men who were stationed in front of the booth say who comes and goes, like bouncers guarding the booth.
Damian let out a sigh, he had a feeling he was in trouble.
"Why do I feel like for some reason you're angry at me"
He asked sheepishly towards Maia to which the lass only shrugged. He scratched the back of his head before leaning in to whisper in her ear.
"Your sister is charming and captivating but I am still so much in love with you"
Maia felt her cheeks burn slightly red. She squinted her eyes and eyed Damian who was now smiling sheepishly at her. She wondered how was it possible for him to just know why she was annoyed and all.
"Smooth talking your way out as always"
"It always works doesn't it my love?"
Maia could the butterflies fluttering in her chest. He only smiled briefly at Damian when the bouncers in front of the booth welcomed them.
"Inside you go"
The two men briefly said. Maia and Damian looked at each other before going inside.
"A couple this time? Oh, this is fun. It has been so long since I met one"
Maddin was smiling brightly at them. Maia knew instantly just how warm and affectionate she was. Surprisingly, she instinctively knew that she liked Maddin as a child.
"Oh please do sit down"
Both Maia and Damian sat in front of her, a small table in between them laid out cards, tarot cards.
"You're new"
"We're travelers and well we just thought to try this out"
Maia was the one who answered Maddin to which the older girl only nodded before she shuffled the tarot cards and placed them on the table one by one.
"So this is how it goes. You each pick three cards and I'll foretell what the card means and signifies. My lady first?"
Maia nodded and picked three cards that Maddin set aside. She then urged Damian to take his pick.
"Now which one of you should I read first?"
"Him"
Maia wasted no second answering Maddin. Damian cleared his throat as he sent a soft glare toward Maia. Maddin laughed as she stare at the silent bickering of the couple in front of her.
"I could already tell that the two of you have a good relationship"
Maia smiled back at her.
"I have a question before we start"
Maddin nodded at Maia and probed her to start her question.
"Do your cards only foretell a love match?"
Maddin laughed at her question.
"No, depends on what you chose it could pertain to your current situation, family relationships, or issues. Is that all?"
"Yes, you can start"
Damian switched stares between the two before gazing at the tarot card. Maddin flipped the three cards in their order of choice.
"Ace of Cups, Hierophant, and Justice, those are your choices"
Both Maia and Damian waited for the meaning of the cards.
"An ace of cups represents profound love and happiness. A bliss you feel in your current relationship, that was a good start. The hierophant signifies tradition, conformity to morality, and ethics. Most times people who pick the hierophant had sacred marriage in their minds."
Maddin made a glance and smile at Maia then back to Damian to which the other blushed because he was thinking of marriage when he chose the cards.
Damian cleared his throat to gulp down the nervousness when Maia stared at him.
"And the Justice?"
He quickly asked diverting the topic back to the tarot cards.
"Justice represents fairness and life lessons but in your case, it emits a rather negative energy. Injustice, dishonesty, and the failure to take responsibility, that's what's weighing you down now"
The images of children locked up in the Front House flashed in his eyes. This short period of uncertainty didn't go unnoticed by Maia.
"Now, for the lady."
Maddin who sensed the sudden quiet environment between the couple decided to move forward and flip the three cards that Maia chose only to be frozen by her selection.
"What's mine?"
Maia calmly asked as she stared at Maddin. Maddin placed the cards on the table neatly before pointing to each one.
"The lover's card signifies harmony, love, and alignment of values. The wheel of fortune card, karma, and change of destiny. The turning points of a person's life cycle."
Maia stared at her sister before taking the last card in her hand. She already knew what it was.
In her memories, this was the card that she would always pick when she was young. Maddin hadthethe same set of cards back then and she would always pick this one out no matter how much shereshufflede the deck. Maddin's eyes followed Maia's movement, from the card to her.
"The Hermit, a card that represents loneliness, isolation, and sadness but also signifies a solitude of some sort and spiritual enlightenment."
"How?"
Maddin's question drowned as Maia smiled at her.
"I guess even after 15 years, the hermit was still following me wherever I go"
Maddin's eyes welled up with tears when she realized just who the person right in front of her was. Her hair and eyes were new to her and she could barely recognize her but her gut feeling never betrayed her as she uttered.
"You're Maia, aren't you? You're my little sister, right?"
Unlike with Magnus and Maddox, Maia surprisingly felt a different connection with Maddin. As her tears betray her, she smiled warmly at her. With tears flowing down her eyes, she uttered the words she found easy to say.
"Hi Ate"