Inside Lucifer's lavish estate, guests mingled and gathered drinks from the bar. Jimmy sat off to the side, his expression troubled and distant. Raven observed him from a short distance, tuning out her surroundings as she studied his body language, deducing his emotional state. Jimmy's fists were slightly clenched against his pants, his leg restlessly shaking - telltale signs that he was clearly unsettled, despite his outwardly annoyed demeanor.
Sensing Raven's scrutiny, Jimmy knew he had been caught. Lucifer approached Raven with a seductive smile. "What am I supposed to do, Detective?" he purred. Raven snapped out of her reverie, reaching into her pocket to retrieve a deck of ornate black and white tarot cards - the "Occult Tarot" by Travis Mchenry, featuring a moth motif.
"The rules are quite simple," Raven said, her tone both devious and innocent as she looked to Lucifer. "Let me explain."
Lucifer eyed Raven with a curious, fascinated smile. Raven responded with an honest chuckle, her kind smile emerging as she placed the tarot cards on the table before her. "Everyone, may I have your attention!" Raven's voice boomed in the silent party room, echoing slightly. The chatter died down as all eyes turned to her.
"Gather round, everyone. The game is about to begin," Raven announced, finally capturing Jimmy's focus. "These tarot cards will determine Jimmy's fate - not just for days or months, but for the rest of his life. And I won't gamble my own life, since I didn't murder an innocent woman," she added bluntly, with a chuckle, as everyone glared at Jimmy.
A young, confident-looking man in his late 20s approached Raven, his posture meant to be intimidating as he confronted her. "Wait, what evidence do you have against Jimmy?" he demanded, acting as a protective friend. But to Raven, his bravado was mere blind sentiment in defense of a murderer. Raven merely smirked deviously, exuding confidence as she stood her ground, letting out another soft chuckle as the man approached.
Raven scrutinized the man from head to toe, closely observing his movements and body language. She quickly deduced that he was a playboy who worked or managed at Jimmy's establishment. "Your friendship with Jimmy is merely a ploy to profit from him," Raven said with a slight smirk. "Before I expose you to everyone, you will volunteer as my subject."
As Raven circled the man, keeping her arms behind her back, she noticed the wedding ring on his finger. "Your ring is not well-maintained, suggesting an unhappy marriage. Yet you behave as if you are single when interacting with other women here," she chuckled.
The man looked at Raven, shocked and angry. "How did you figure that out?" he growled, clenching his fists in a futile attempt to hide the ring from her piercing gaze.
Raven spoke with a proud smirk, saying, "I am no amateur. What I say is true and proves how I bested your dear sugar daddy." The others looked on, confused but astonished at how Raven had gotten so many facts right just by glancing at the man's ring. Raven disliked when her capabilities were questioned, but she had a way of instantly commanding trust in her words.
"Lucifer, I want you to shuffle the cards thoroughly until I give you further instruction," Raven said, maintaining eye contact with Jimmy as she gave the gentle order. Raven was too excited about the gamble to be crude or harsh. Lucifer chuckled, walked to the table, and gently opened the pack of tarot cards. He shuffled by splitting the deck in half and bending the cards to form a bridge, allowing each card to intermix. "Jimmy, you will be choosing two cards to represent your past and present," Raven said with a smile, watching as Lucifer continued shuffling.
Raven spoke loudly and clearly so everyone could hear, "I will draw his future." Jimmy stood up and walked towards Raven. In an excited tone, Raven explained the point system: "Each card has a number. The past and present will be represented as a negative number, meaning the card must be flipped over. The future must be upright for me to get positive points. So if Jimmy chooses a card, he can flip it over before revealing what he chose."
Jimmy's manager approached Raven with a quiet, harsh growl and walked back to the bar, scoffing at the girls he had spoken to before and walking away, leaving Raven alone. Raven glared at the male as he left. "Now, any time Jimmy draws a positive card, it will be merged with my points. If I draw a negative, it will be merged with his points." Raven looked at Jimmy with a devious smile and asked, "Are you ready to play?"
Jimmy nodded slowly, silently taking in the information. Raven gently ordered, "Lucifer, take the deck of cards to Jimmy and show him the cards face down. Let Jimmy choose two cards from your hand." Lucifer stopped shuffling, gathered the cards, and approached Jimmy with a confident smile. "Good luck," he said, his tone feigned comfort.
Jimmy drew the two cards in silence, concentrating. "Now, Lucifer, step back so Jimmy can't change his mind," Raven said with a smile. "Jimmy, do you wish to turn the cards around or keep their position?"
"I will keep the position," Jimmy replied nervously, his voice shaking but still laced with venom.
Raven's smile widened as she said, "Then flip them over and reveal what your past and present are." Jimmy turned over both cards horizontally, revealing "The Fool and the Hermit in reverse!" Lucifer, his voice filled with excitement and interest, exclaimed as he walked to Raven with the deck of cards in his hands, "The Fool is 0 plus The Hermit, which represents 9. I'm sure you know what that totals up to." Raven smirked at Jimmy, "Now time for his future." As Lucifer showed her the cards in his hand, Raven decided to be extra by moving the cards and grabbing the one in the very center of the deck. Lucifer then took the rest of the tarot cards and placed them on the table far out of Raven and Jimmy's reach
Raven grabbed the card she had drawn and Lucifer's hand, placing the card in his palm and covering it with his other hand. "Protect the card for me," she said with a small, secretive smile. "It would be an honor, Detective," Lucifer chuckled, his tone seductive.
Turning to face the group, Raven announced confidently, "Now I know you're all curious how I found out that Jimmy here was the murderer. I'd like to introduce two people: a terrible rapper named 2Vile and a rising, not-so-good actor named Grey Cooper!" She gestured towards the entrance as 2Vile and Cooper descended the stairs.