Not a demon nor devil lacked knowledge of the establishment's merit as one of hell's highest-rated spaces for fine dining. It reeked of ambiance, fanciful tables of silver and gold, sculptures of every sin, tiles of red marble, and a ceiling ascending into darkness. Not a spec of dirt or dust from the moment one entered the establishment-- even if their shoes carried it in.
The building was already busy with a few of the larger groups during the late afternoon, although most of the smaller tables remained open. Most who dined held appointments, or otherwise requested tables for two. Unusual was it for anyone to come in alone, however, and even more unusual was it for someone to be simply found in a seat, waiting more than a minute for their server.
And yet there was one, that day; she wore a gown of purple and gold, short in the front but long and flowy in the back. The gold flickered off her dress like stars, more of a accent than anything else. Her sleeves matched the overwhelming purple to gold ratio, although two bracelets defined the secondary color as jewelry, too. One leg was bare except for her flashy heeled sandals; the other had ribbon which crossed itself over several times as it trailed up to her knee. While she wasn't tall by any means, silver strands held great volume, pinned in place by the stars themselves.
Without a care, this particular patron fumbled through her belongings as she waited, every so often shuffling a deck messily atop table-cloth at her table for two.
"Yehiaaa! Table three-hundred needs serving, get your ass over there or I'll serve them your eyes as an appetizer!" Shouted one of the restaurant's hosts as he stormed into the kitchen looking for the waiter.
Saadah looked up from where he'd been taking his break, pacing the back alley behind the restaurant. He could hear the shrill voice of the host from out there and he scoffed. Throwing down his cigarette of rolled Crutch and stomping it out, he pushed the backdoors open and shouted back, "On my way, chief."
With an exasperated sigh, he scooped up a few menus as he passed the counters and stepped out into the bustling dining rooms. Saadah bowed as any guest passed him, some of them running a hand over his hair like he was a dog they wanted to pet as they left. His expression remained humble, however, acting as though any touch from them was the greatest honor. Rounding a corner and coming up to table three-hundred he said, "Welcome, what can I get-" The imp stopped short as his piercing teal eyes met Eve's. A broad grin spread over his face. "What can I get you?" He asked again, lowering his voice as he added, "Nice to see you again."
Amethyst irises settled on the imp as he approached, the woman unable to help but scoff as he asked his usual question. "Oh, I'm not sure, everything on the menu looks so devilishly appetizing." She sighed, picking up her deck of cards and fanning them to her server. There were twenty-two cards total, and although she explained nothing about them, she expected him to play along with her and choose whichever card 'just felt right'.
"Lover's leap to drink, and something with a light flavor; maybe a dish with pasta?"
He nodded to her order, pulling out a small notepad and writing on it. Really though, he was just scribbling. Saadah didn't need anything to help his memory, but the pad was a nice touch that helped him blend in with the normal, struggling staff.
"What are the cards for?" The waiter asked behind his notes, adding, "I'd recommend the Medusa, but the pasta is literally made out of snakes- not sure if that's your taste. They're dead, of course."
"Nooo thank you." She coughed, trying to clear the image of Trauma on a plate. Her eyes cast back to the evening menu, searching for a delicacy more suited to her special pallet. "Maybe the Skogtroll's special, then? The type of meat worries me now, but, um-"
Gazing back up at the handsome waiter, she fixed the cards, spreading them evenly out between her hands. "The cards are for you. To chose one. So just pick whatever calls to you. You can pick more than one, just don't choose the entire deck."
Lowering his notepad, he gave the creator a dark halfsmile. "I'll need to know more about these cards if I'm going to pick one. What's on them? What happens when I choose?"
"You're no fun." She squinted up at him, folding the cards together and reshuffling as she fixed him an explanation.
"I call it the Deck of Many Fates. It has the power to change your own with an overall favorable percentage towards powerful benefits. Of course, no risk, no gain."
She sighed as she drew a card herself, flipping it over to reveal a golden eyeball with red scales surrounding it.
"Euryale: contains a curse. Well, as long as your luck isn't as bad as mine, I'm sure you'll be fine. Like I said, the odds in this deck are in your favor. Favors from gods, holy resurrections, powerful allies-- Why don't I even leave this card out now that I've drawn it, free of charge. Even better odds."
Placing the card down at the edge of the table, she once again evenly fanned the deck, her eyes sparkling in anticipation.
"I'll pass." Saadah said casually to her, putting his notepad away. "See, I never had the best luck." He clicked the side of his tongue in a 'too bad' kind of way before giving her a little bow. "I'll go get your drink and put your order in."
It was only a few minutes wait until he'd returned with her Lover's Leap, a tall drink with pink foam at the top. "And here you are."
As he left her table, she leaned back in her seat, flipping over the next several cards with a disapprovingly bored expression.
'Dungeon, Jester, The Fates'
They stayed placed next to the first card she pulled as she messed with the leftover deck, waiting for her drink's arrival.
As he set the tall beverage down, she reached for it, brushing hands with him briefly before dragging the drink closer to herself. She kicked her legs out and sat right back up, sipping at the foam and reveling in its bubbly sweetness. It restored her mood as she flipped yet another card.
'Ruin'
"How much would they want if I were to ask to keep you right here?"
"I'm at your command." The waiter added, sitting beside her on her seat. He smiled coolly, looking the cards over. "I bet nothing bad happens to you when you pull a card, huh."
She scoffed, making some extra room for him to sit with her. Sooner would she have sat atop his lap, had her focus not been immediately snatched by an unseen situation.
Setting the beverage down, she tugged on his uniform, nudging him downwards as she lowered her voice.
"Dungeon refers to the Castle, Jester is one who lives there, and the fates is external meddling. To put it simply, matching bitchfaces found out I was hanging around their puppy for a lil' while and-- well, it's messy. Especially when the ruin card is involved."
Exhaling a soft sigh, she leaned against him as she shuffled her purse onto her lap. Rummaging through her belongings, she pulled out a ring: a red bull's eye jewel surrounded by smaller tiger's eye gems. Fitting it to her index finger, she gave it a look over before eyeing her company and smirking.
"I've gotten some of the worst cards out the way-- you sure you don't want to pull one before everything goes to shit?"
"To be quite honest, my lady, I haven't the slightest clue what you're going on about." Saadah said with a calm smile. "But whatever's going to happen, I'm still passing on the cards." He leaned against her playfully. "Watch out for yourself, yeah?"
"Of course I do." He said, reaching into his pocket and pulling it out to show her. "And I am worried for you. I'm thinking you're probably immortal, but just in case." Leaning over, he kissed her head. "Be careful."
Surprised, her face tinted a bright shade of pink as he revealed the hidden ring. She lightly pushed against him, genuinely delighted that he'd kept it on him. However, her face shifted to a slightly darker shade as he leaned down, showing an ounce of concern.
"Thanks. You'll be right here, so..."
Taken aback for a moment, she paused for before recalling what she was doing.
"The ring, right, you should be able to hear all this no problem, then."
Taking one final sip of her drink, she gulped it down and released a loud sigh.
As she held out her ring and fussed with it, only gradually would the center gemstone begin to light. She bit her tongue as a link established with its matching pair, cutting through distance and Castle walls. While neither side couldn't see anything, she could at least hear the faint noise of footsteps and the rattling of chains as she held it up between herself and Saadah. A sound fallen on deaf ears if anyone else were to try and listen in.
"Altair? Altair, if you can hear me, shake the chains a bit louder or cough. I got some bad news for ya. Can't really snatch you to talk in front of all those guards."
