Azazel looked to Clauneck for a moment before turning their eyes back to the spread before them.
"Yes?" Clauneck prodded, though their tone betrayed no emotion.
"The cards say... We will separate. But the event that will cause this separation is... A betrayal." Azazel finally managed, lowering their head.
They couldn't believe it. Why would the cards suggest that? The pair of them were siblings, twins--friends! They were family, they were all each other had! Azazel couldn't imagine either of them doing anything to harm the other.
"Hm," Clauneck sighed, looking over the cards, before taking up Soul Snatcher--the one in the 'outcome' position--and staring at it.
"It does seem as if there is little room for interpretation. Especially with such a spread and question asked." They hummed.
"But... I'd never go against Star. And she--"
"'One's loss is the gain of another.'" Clauneck interrupted, though talking to themself, almost as if they weren't listening to Azazel. "Star has always been the more independent of you two, I must say. You can never know what she is up to, the times she goes off into the Cradle on her own."
Azazel opened their mouth to protest, but... No sound came out. Why didn't anything come out? They wanted to defend Star, to insist Clauneck was just speculating, but... Clauneck had a point.
Star had been leaving to explore the Silk Cradle on her own more and more, even when Azazel warned her of the danger. So all Azazel had been able to do was do spread after spread of cards, begging them to show that she would be safe, praying that no harm would befall her.
And every time they had said so.
And every time she had come back perfectly fine.
They were already adults, after all. Was it selfish of Azazel to think they would have stayed here their whole lives?
But why did Star have to be the one to leave? Azazel didn't want that. It was too painful. They weren't brave or confident or even very sociable like Star was... It was safe near Clauneck, so there they had stayed, day in and day out.
Clauneck wasn't really great company, being noncommittal in just about everything, and Azazel didn't think they could stand being alone with them for very long.
Would they be there for the end of their days, all to stay safe? Would Star gladly turn her back and leave them behind for her own freedom?
Perhaps, instead of being betrayed, they would...
Azazel snapped to attention, not noticing Star's arrival. They hurriedly grabbed at the cards still on the ground, shuffling them before handing them back to Clauneck, who took them without even blinking.
"Just. Doing some readings. That's all." They managed.
"Hah, see, that's why you're so much better at that kind of stuff than I am." Star laughed, moving to sit down next to her sibling. "You spend all your free time practicing--I still haven't gotten five-card spreads down very well, I always forget the order!"
Azazel managed a weak laugh, but their thoughts were still swirling, so it died rather quickly.
"So, where'd you go this time?" They asked.
"Oh, well I went to visit that cute girl I told you about a few days ago," Star began, donning a mischievous smile. "And turns out she's free tomorrow night! So one thing led to another, and I've got a date!"
"Ah, that's... That's nice." Azazel sighed. Star hooked up with people often, so they admittedly didn't actually know the specific girl she was referring to, but that wasn't really what bothered them.
"You think you'll ever find somebody to settle down with?" They asked after an awkward pause.
"Probably." Star said with a shrug. "But that'll likely be after I find some place to live."
"Oh... You're... Thinking of living somewhere else?"
"Ah, c'mon, Azazel, we gotta sometime. Clauneck's not exactly a typical parent, but I think almost 25 years of freeloading's gotta get to almost anyone."
Clauneck, smartly, made no comment. They merely let the sheep talk between themselves.
"And it'll just be you, then?"
"What, you playing the dependency card now?" She scoffed, raising an eyebrow. "Azazel, I love you, but... Even twins gotta split up and live their own lives, you know. I'd be lying if I said I never thought we'd always be near each other, but... It's just not realistic. Not in this world."
Ah...
Azazel stared at the ground, fists clenching. So the cards were right, then.
"But hey, that won't be for a while, so--"
"But it'll still happen." Azazel cut in.
Star turned to look at her sibling, confused.
Azazel stood up, and looked down at Star, brow furrowing.
"Then... Rather than let it happen, rather than depending on the cards for assurance, I'll... I'll forge my own path!"
Star now stood up, cautiously raising a hand to reach for her sibling, but they stepped away, eyes narrowing.
"I'll walk my own steps, I'll build my own life... And I'll do it without you!" Azazel snapped.
"What are you--Azazel!" Star cried, but their sibling was already running. Before Star could go after them, they had vanished into the shadows of the night.
Star stared in silence, unsure what to do, before slowly turning her gaze to Clauneck for some sort of answer.
"Skilled as they may be with reading the cards," Clauneck began, without looking to Star. "They fall victim to the same reliance on them many do.
"And little do they realize, by attempting to challenge them, they end up obeying them all the same. The cards only spoke of one betraying the other. It never said which one."
Clauneck was still staring at the card they had picked up initially--Soul Snatcher.
"But did they ever realize the nature of the betrayal... ?"
Star knew it was pointless to probe Clauneck for any meaning to their ramblings. They would often talk in circles, and one would only end up more confused than before.
"My, it seems I chose a rather inappropriate time to pay a visit." Came a new voice from the shadows.
Star and Clauneck lifted their heads, and from the darkness appeared a looming figure, one the pair recognized instantly.
It was Shamura.
"There is no need for you to apologize on their behalf, lamb." Shamura said simply. "It is of no insult or concern to me, who is in the middle of a breakdown."
"Of course, thank you..." Star managed, but frowned.
"Is something the matter?" Shamura asked, tilting their head.
"It's just... I shouldn't have said anything to them about what I was planning. But now they've run off. They don't do well alone in the slightest, and it's dangerous at night, so if they get hurt, it's my fault, and--"
"Swallow that worry, lamb." Shamura interrupted, tone level, but still commanding. "You are not suited for it."
Star nodded slowly, looking to the ground with her head still bowed.
"What brings you here on this evening, bishop?" Clauneck took the opportunity to ask, despite knowing the answer already.
"A private matter." Shamura said, glancing at Star.
Star, who had glanced up, didn't need to be told twice.
"In that case, um, please excuse me Bishop Shamura. Clauneck. I think I will go look for Azazel. Perhaps I can calm them down..."
"It is dangerous, as you said." Shamura noted, raising a claw to make Star pause. "A few of my attendants wait just past the perimeter. Take one as a guide."
Star paused, staring at the bishop incredulously. Shamura was actually offering her a means of protection?
"Th-Thank you Bishop Shamura!" She then stammered, bowing once more. "Your mercy is boundless."
And with that, she left, vanishing just as quickly as her sibling had into the darkness.
Shamura stared after her for a moment, before their eyes turned back to Clauneck. For them, it was business as usual. This hadn't been the first time they had arrived while one or both of the sheep had been around, but it was easy enough to give them reasons to vacate so they could speak to Clauneck in private.
"You'll need to make your decision soon, it seems." Clauneck said with the faintest chuckle. "Lest you risk losing the benefit of choice."
"This turn of events has certainly made me take pause." Shamura murmured. "Both of them are quite dependent, thanks to your rearing. They long for safety and attention. But Azazel had the weaker will, up until now, and would have been the prime candidate."
"And now?"
"I am unsure. I was hoping that Azazel's fear would make them an easy vessel to deal with, should Narinder have no choice but to use them. But they've revealed their true colors, their true potential for initiative. Starwatcher, on the other hand..."
"What about her?" Clauneck asked idly.
"Desperate for outside approval, making her easy to string along. But it would work both ways. Narinder knows how to target desires. However, she's also more selfish, thinking of herself above all else."
"Quite the conundrum, indeed."
"Mmm. If I'm to set up the lamb of prophecy properly, I will need more time. Azazel must be found."
"You still haven't told your fellow bishops of the prophecy?" Clauneck asked, tilting their head.
"I want all the pieces in place." Shamura scoffed.
"A fitting stance for the wearer of the Purple Crown."
Shamura let out another sharp exhale, but then turned away.
"You'll receive your payment for the past year's work shortly. That was what I had originally come to report. Along with seeing how the lambs were."
"Very well. Thank you for the notice, Shamura."
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