The air inside the Fortune Teller's tent was thick with some kind of strange smelling incense, spicy and somehow sour all at the same time. The clown nose was out in front of him, right in the center of the table. It was, in fact, between both himself and the Fortune Teller. Her two normal eyes were looking down at the clown nose, while her third eye stared at Shawn as she spoke.



"You have done well bringing this to. In the dark times, if you have something to hold on to, which is yourself, you'll survive. Now comes the time to make a choice. To join our Order. Or go off and make your own way."

"We have several positions in the Circus that I believe would fit for someone like you. Several positions that would work well with our Order."

Melinda began to explain to Shawn the consequences of action and non-action.

OOC: Shawn Chooses

Option 1: Shawn Chooses nothing. The Fortune Teller withdraws her support for Shawn. Shawn goes about his life as normal. However, Shawn is no longer protected by 'the deal' made with Mr. Cherrywinks. He is also not under the protection of the Fortune Teller nor the Order.

Option 2: Shawn Chooses to join the Fortune Teller's Order, taking up the position as a budding Circus Magician. Shawn will learn different skills, gradually at the Fortune Teller's discretion to serve the Circus. Shawn will be under the Order's protection. Shawn's tinkering with the dark forces of the Circus will begin to have an impact on his real-world life.

Option 2: Shawn Chooses to join the Fortune Teller's Order, taking up the position as a budding Ventriloquist. Shawn will learn to supernaturally channel his hidden, boxed up feelings through the Dummy, at the service of the Order. Shawn will learn skills in illusion and obfuscation. He will be under the Order's protection. Shawn's tinkering with the dark forces of the Circus will begin to have an impact on his real-world life.

Shawn had a decision to make, but in his mind he'd already chosen. He'd committed to the Fortune Teller and the Order, and he couldn't back out. As for his position, even now, despite his exposure to all the horrors of the Circus (especially after all the horrors of the Circus), ventriloquist dummies and puppets still viscerally terrified him. "I'll become a Magician..."

"So be it." Melinda stated. Then she produced a long scroll of parchment, rich with cursive letters. She slid it across the table to Shawn, reams of paper scratching the rough table surface. It seemed like some kind of contract.

Shawn took the piece of paper and tried to read it. Mom wasn't here to read it for him, after all.

The document was written sdrawkcab (backwards), sealed in blood, covered with various occult symbols, with a space for Shawn's signature:

   We, the influential together with others, have today accepted the covenant pact of Shawn Cramer, who is ours.

    And him do we promise the love of women, the flower of virgins, the respect of monarchs, honors, lusts and powers.

    He will go whoring three days long; the carousal will be dear to him.

    He offers us once in the year a seal of blood, under the feet he will trample the holy things of the living and he will ask us many questions; with this pact he will live twenty years happy on the earth of men, and will later join us to sin against God.

    Bound in the Underworld, in the council of demons.

    The seals placed the Proprietor, the master, and the demons, princes of the lord.

   Signed:
   Melinda - Fortune Teller, writer.

   Signed:
    X______________

The vast majority of the contract went way over his head; he had only the vaguest idea of what a virgin was, or why the carousal was so important. Wasn't that like a merry-go-round or something? He supposed it made sense in the context of the Circus. Still, he was past the point of no return. Even if he didn't understand it, he still had to move forward. He took a deep breath, and signed the contract.

A flourish of almost magical glitter swirled across the page as Shawn's ink touched it with the feather. As the ink dried it took on a solid, almost rock-like form. Then the Fortune Teller spoke.





"Being a magician is about more than just parlor tricks, although it must start there. Our practice is much more complicated that just that. We seek to gain souls and essence. To do this, you must, eventually, be willing to commune with the darkness. And touching the world below--beyond the Circus involves risks. But that is something that we, and the Order, will help you with."

Shawn sensed that this was his opportunity to ask questions, and he had one burning this very moment. "These tricks you're going to teach me, can one of them make someone forget something? Like, umm, Tweedberry?"

"Tweedberry." The Fortune Teller chuckled. "I see you must have been to the Pawn Shop. He gets most first-timers on that shop. Even a few of the way-ward spirits from the other realms that would prefer to forget their tormented pasts have bargained to get Tweedberry from Crowley's shop."

"But the fact of the matter is that Tweedberry grows wild in the Circus. You could say that it's everywhere around the Circus."

"Nevertheless, if you're looking for something more permanent, take this." She slid a key across to Shawn.

Shawn carefully picked up the key, as if he wasn't sure if it was fragile or explosive or both and looked at it. "How does it work?"

As Shawn lifted the key off of the table and uttered that phrase, the Fortune Teller's hand came down on his own with surprising quickness, trapping his hand against the table. Her arm was thin and reedy, but the hand itself felt like it weighed as much a heavy stone.



"It works...." Melinda said "The same way everything works here at the Circus." she explained, the point someone more sharp, crisp  in the air with that hand, heavy as a brick resting on Shawn's own.

"With souls." Melinda said, and the third eye glinted something red. A pale hue of shiny red over the black pupil as it stared as Shawn.

"Everything works with souls. And this first one is free." She lifted her hand up, freeing Shawn's hand, the blood flowing back into it with a hot, pulsing rush.

"Remember, every time you use the magic of the Circus, you borrow from the Circus. And what you borrow, are souls. This first soul, I give you for free. You only need to place the key alongside Bobby's head, open it up, and take the memory out. It will work. The magic will come from a soul. After you have done that, return, and I will show you were the soul came from, and where you will store the future souls you must take."

Shawn was a little taken aback at how much Melinda knew about his intentions, though considering she was a fortuneteller, he supposed it made sense. The thought of taking souls opened up a little pit in his stomach, though it was far too late for cold feet. He put the key in his pocket and nodded. "I understand."

"Go." She said, waving him away with her liver-spotted hand. "Go ahead and take care of your personal business with Bobby." She emphasized, with a little crook in her smile. As she said that, that third eye glistened again. Shawn was sure, he didn't know how, that....

OOC: Shawn Rolls Wits + Occult with the following result

0 Successes: ...actually, Shawn wasn't really sure what he was sure about in that instant. The thought seemed to disappear, like a distant sound carried by wind.

1+ Successes: ...(Shawn learns about something)

OOC: 08:40, Today: Shawn Cramer rolled 1 success using 6d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s with rolls of 3,6,4,2,4,9.  Wits + Occult + WP.

It was the eye.

That's was what caught Shawn's attention. The third eye. It flickered back and forth faster than the other two. Situated on Melinda's forehead, Shawn got the sense that it was capable of seeing far more than normal eyes--but only when it wanted to. If anything explained how The Fortune Teller was able to know what Shawn's intentions were towards Bobby, the answer was in that third eye. It, perhaps, was the most powerful part of the Fortune Teller.

Shawn was sure of it.

Shawn filed away that important bit of information for later. Then, he pulled out his rabbit's foot and concentrated on his desire to go home.

OOC: Shawn Joins Thread

Shawn: Bobby's Worried