St. Annie Cruise, 7th floor, Room 007
Inside the Royal Annie Bar, Artis seated himself in one of the bar seats drinking a glass of Inloen wine as he attentively listened to the orchestra that was made available to listen to the passengers boarding St. Annie.
Currently, there were no more than 40 people who were listening to the orchestra. The group mostly consisted of rich people including children wearing suits as they enjoyed listening to the melodious tone all around the small auditorium.
It had been only 3 days since Artis boarded St. Annie, and he was already starting to feel the effects of a luxurious lifestyle aboard the cruise ship. Sipping his wine, Artis observed the surroundings of the Royal Annie Bar. The polished wood of the bar gleamed under the soft lighting, and the soft seats guests to relax in comfort. The atmosphere exuded an air of sophistication, befitting the prestigious St. Annie Cruise.
'I still can't believe Alice was able to get the tickets to this cruise...How in the world did she get the tickets for this luxurious cruise ship? This ship has everything I ever need. I don't want to leave this at all!' thought Artis.
As the orchestra continued to play, Artis couldn't help but remember the news her elder sister brought when she got the tickets to the cruise ship and that they were going to start a new life there in Aurosia's Grand Dream City. One of the most popular and expensive places in the world.
'Hey, Artis! Pack your bags! We are moving to Aurosia next week! Say all your goodbyes to your friends because your sister finally got a big break!'
'What?' Artis replied confused.
'To think she still hasn't explained how she got the tickets or what the big break even is...All she told me was to pack my bags and I followed!' grumbled Artis internally as he remembered his conversation with Alice.
As Artis was done drinking his wine, he decided to stay for a while until the orchestra was over. As soon as it was over, the audience clapped their hands and waited for the next performance.
As the orchestra cleared their instruments, four waiters came in carrying a Grand Piano and a stool accompanied by a lady in a white dress revealing a bit of her pale skin, she had fair features having long and silky black hair as she took on the stage, nervousness visible on her face.
Artis leaned on ahead, interested in her performance. He might not show it, but with magic, he was also interested in learning how to play a Grand Piano, unfortunately, he could never properly learn it as their family could not afford to buy a Grand Piano.
As the Piano lady took her position to start playing, Artis, especially looked forward to hearing what the lady had in store for the crowd.
But, he was soon met with disappointment. He could not understand what the piano lady was playing at all. But to his surprise, the crowd was not reacting to the performance at all.
This made Artis a bit taken aback, but he continued to listen either way. As he kept on watching, he could observe a bit of panic visible on the lady's face while she was performing which caused the performance to suffer even further.
After the performance was done, to Artis's surprise, the crowd neither reacted nor applauded at the performance. The Piano lady bowed her head and left the auditorium before the next performer came.
As the next performer came which was a dance performance, Artis wasn't that interested in the dance as he left the auditorium to either have a meal or just go to the pool area and sit there having a sun bath.
He wandered around the cruise for a while, unable to decide where to go. As he wandered around the hallway, he stared at the decoration that went into creating the walls with a red carpet decorated on the floor. He couldn't help but admire the mahogany doors with gleaming brass handles that led to the private cabins of the cruise ship's guests. Each door bore a polished brass plaque engraved with the room number, adding a sense of exclusivity to the accommodations.
He kept wandering around and found himself on the very first floor where various shops of different companies and stalls where passengers were enjoying themselves eating various dishes were visible.
He kept wandering around sensing the glamorous aroma of various foods like Florian Dumplings, Casacona Ice creams, Aurosian Noodles, Ingian Tea stalls, and many more.
Feeling a little bit hungry, he decided to indulge himself having a plate of Florian Dumplings.
"Give me a plate of Florian Dumplings. How much does it cost?" Artis asked.
"That would be 4 Sickle. Thank you very much." answered the stall owner.
"4 Sickle!," replied Artis shocked at the price, 'That's way too expensive, it better have 10 pieces or something!'
Artis paid for the dumplings only receiving 8 pieces in a plate. Crying internally, he began eating the dumplings savoring the taste of the fillings as he dipped it into red chutney to eat the rest of the dumplings.
"Delicious! It was completely worth 4 Sickles! Will definitely buy again!"
As Artis continued to eat his dumplings without any care in the world, he noticed a strange eerie stall that was covered with dark purple cloth with a board outside, that read "Divination Stall: Know your Past, Present and Future!"
There was not a single soul visible in front of the stall. Curious about the stall, he decided to visit it.
As he stepped closer and pushed aside the cloth, he felt as if he was being watched by an unknown and mysterious entity that could read his soul and his entire being.
"Welcome!" shouted a manly but happy voice that seemed to have belonged to a young adult and shocked Artis as he took a defensive position to protect himself.
Realizing that there was no threat, he released his defensive form and looked at the man who was tall and lean, smiling at Artis, wearing a black suit and a magician hat chiming a monocle on his left eye.
Artis blinked, taken aback by the unexpected greeting. The man's appearance was peculiar, with his eccentric attire and the monocle adorning his eye. Despite his initial wariness, Artis couldn't help but be intrigued by the enigmatic figure before him.
"Uh, hello," Artis replied tentatively, eyeing the man with a mixture of curiosity and caution. "I... I wasn't expecting to find anyone here. What is this place?"
The man chuckled, his smile widening as he gestured to the stall behind him. "This, my friend, is the Divination Stall. Here, I offer insights into the mysteries of the past, present, and future. Would you care for a reading?"
"Ummm...Sure! How much do I have to pay?" Artis asked skeptically, still eyeing the man with caution.
The man blinked before he chuckled, "I would have charged you, but since you are my first customer today...I'm willing to let it go and charge you for free! It's on house today!"
Artis raised an eyebrow, surprised by the man's unexpected generosity. Despite his skepticism, he couldn't deny his curiosity about what the divination stall had to offer.
"Well, in that case, why not? Free things never hurt!" Artis said with a shrug, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Excellent!" the man clapped his hands, "Now that that's clear, what divination would you like? Runes? Tarot reading? Palmistry? or Globe reading?"
"Ummm...I would like Tarot reading...and I would prefer to know my past, present, and future!" answered Artis.
"Alright!" the man answered happily as he out of nowhere pulled out a deck of tarot cards from his black coat surprising Artis a little bit.
Shuffling the deck, the man placed the cards in front of him and indicated to draw any 3 cards from anywhere.
Artis, a little bit scared gulped and pulled out the first card that indicated his past.
The Moon!
"The Moon!" began the man, "It symbolizes confusion, illusion, and hidden truths. In your past, you may have experienced periods of uncertainty and ambiguity, where reality seemed elusive and your path was obscured by shadows. This card suggests that you may have grappled with your subconscious mind and navigated through the murky waters of your emotions. It hints at introspection and inner exploration during this time."
Artis nodded, listening intently, absorbing the interpretation of The Moon card. He did not understand why he drew The Moon card. Sure, he experienced some periods of uncertainty that confused him but feeling that it meant something else, he drew his next card that symbolized The Present.
[Note: 1 sickle = 5 USD]