Unexplored territory

Posted on 17 May 2026 @ 10:11pm by Lieutenant Ryan Collingway & Lieutenant Nicholas Miller

1,644 words; about a 8 minute read

///Carnival, Nightime////

The small urchin looked at Nick as he wandered the carnival by himself. Perhaps an easy mark? She decided to try, and ran up to him. "You look lost," she declared. "I can show you something interesting at the carnival. More interesting than these silly games. Gaila's Fortunes can show you your future. She's never wrong."

"Never wrong? Really?" Nick asked the child with a grin. "It's nice to meet you by the way.... I'm Nick." He took a step back and quickly glanced around, surely there was an adult nearby that was looking for the small girl but he didn't make any immediate eye contact. Curious now he knelt down and made eye contact with the child. "And what would be the name of Gaila's prohept hm? If she's never wrong then naturally she'd send her most trustworthy of followers to find me....."

"I'm just an honest worker at the carnival, sir. Gaila has waters from the temple of Boreth...although I don't think she follows him religiously." Realizing that she was talking too much, she pointed at the tent. "Over there if you're interested." She quickly ran off.

Nick's head tilted to the side and he thought for a few moments. This had all the feeling of a rabbit hole but his curiosity had been piqued and he carefully brushed the cloth aside as he entered the small enclosure. He didn't immediately see anyone and stood there for a moment, pausing to look over his shoulder but the small girl was already long gone. "Well...... hm. I'm interested....." Miller said quietly to himself with a grin.

Gaila was sitting on her stool, smoking her pipe that left a long burning taste in the air. "Welcome, Seeker," she said to Nick. "If you are looking for answers to your future, Gaila can tell you anything you want to know. Of course, the information will depend on what you are willing to spend." Her beady eyes studied him carefully.

She helpfully pointed towards the sign, telling him she could read his cards for one credit, he could look at a crystal ball for two, or taste the fabled waters of Boreth for five.

"What do you want to know from the future, young man?" she asked.

As he read the sign Nick considered the laws of averages. He'd already encountered a less than direct point of contact and now had to decide values based on vague points of exchange. There was a game to be played and recognizing that Miller smiled. "I'd be most curious to hear what the ball has to say first before the cards give it clarity." While part of him was still curious what the young one had to play the fences of this particular corn maze were coming into definition.

If Gaila was disappointed, she didn't show it. She raises the velvet cloth off the ball, which glowed with inner light. "Form a question you wish to know firmly in your mind. Then, gaze into the ball and tell me what you see."

After she spoke, she changed the herbs in her pipe and began to smoke them. Unlike previous times these ones were more potent, meant to promote relaxation, among other things.

An aroma filled the air and as was his nature Miller was curious. The vapors were both sweet and pungent at the same time and even after only a few short breaths he felt more comfortable and calmer as well. While still skeptical Nick wasn't yet concerned, he'd chosen to observe the sphere as the median option and had enough credits to explore his options at the carnival. Gaila had instructed him to form a question in his mind and one immediately came to mind, a query he'd asked himself almost every day of his life.

"I see......" Nick paused for a moment, memories of his recent training sessions outside of counseling coming to mind. "A variety of paths. Chaos. Exhaustion at trying to be too many things at the same time." He exhaled slowly, there was no danger in venting other than the risk of a few credits. "Perhaps the cards might lend guidance?"

The scent in the room was growing stronger and Nick slid into the chair opposite Gaila. "I think we all would like a hint now and then as to what the next move is...."

Gaila set the pipe down on the table, the smoke still wafting in the tent. She handed him a deck of cards. "You may look at the cards. Choose one that represents you, and return it back to me."

Nick reached out and took the deck in his hands, feeling the thickness and traction of the cards in his hands. This was a deck that had been used thoroughly, the cards worn and flexible. He slowly slid one card out placed it on the table face down in front of him. As he handed the cards back to Gaila he kept eye contact, disregarding the surroundings and her hand motions. Instinct told him slight of hand was at play and the relaxing sensation was in part due to the wafting entrails of herbal smoke.

She did use basic spread and studied the cards carefully. "We will look at your past, present, and future." She turned over the tower. "Your present is indeed surrounded by chaos. The tower represents a need for change, for transformation. But you don't know how to do so. Many people depend on you, but you are unable to help yourself. Of course, it is important to understand how we for to this state. So we will look at the past."

She lifted up the eight of Swords. "Trapped. Unfulfillement. You walked away from something that didn't suit you. Or perhaps someone? Either way, perhaps it is not as resolved as you think. The chaos from your past may be biting towards your present, and will factor into your future. Speaking of..."

Gaila uncovered the final card. Death. "Do not be worried. The death card doesn't mean literally death. Perhaps death of an idea. A path abandoned to make way for a new one." Her beady eyes narrowed. "But it could also indicate danger along that journey. Important to know in your line of work, yes. But unfortunately I can't be more specific than that."

She glanced at the cauldron. "Not through the cards, at any rate," she added.

Nick stared for a long moment at the last card revealed. It was a concept that took processing even for counselors far more skilled than himself. Termination. The end result. Final judgement was a process that every patient he'd ever interacted with had to encounter via their own path. But the order of the cards did make some sense; a tower, a sword and death. There were many interpretations to those signs but whether it was the burning herbs or his own internal conflicts he could see the pattern. Fighting to defend against the inevitable.

Without warning he reached for the fabled waters and took a sip, carefully at first then a generous swallow. If the end game of the interaction was a few credits then so be it, if anything he'd already been entertained far more than the value of some pocket credits. As a counselor it was often difficult to vent, relax and just enjoy what time there was to experience. As the liquid hit the bottom of his stomach there was a feeling of warmth, a signal that he chose for the moment to disregard. "So.... from the cards I am fighting to preserve everything I can, from the ramparts to the moat, despite knowing it is a losing battle?"

"Seems like you need to shake up your routine, young man," Gaila said as the waters took affect. "Try something different."

"Perhaps......" Nick trailed off as he looked around, the colorful tapestries around him blurring with trailing hues as he turned his head. He closed his eyes for a moment and exhaled, memories coming to mind of a chaotic day in the Academy. Miller had stayed up too late with a few of the other cadets and as the morning sun rose he'd been detained running through the quad screaming about spiders. Naked. The naked part had gotten him in some trouble for sure. Realization began to fight back against the fog swarming his mind and Miller had a good idea of what was happening. Only this time there weren't any 'friends' encouraging his idea that getting rid of his uniform would make the spiders go away.

Miller sat back down and breathed slowly, in through the nose and exhaling much slower through his mouth. Looking to Gaila, who was also slowly becoming a swirl of colors Nick concentrated, struggling between his curiosity and the effects of whatever he'd ingested. "My purpose..... that's the question huh? The one we all ask......"

"Indeed. Sadly, our time is nearing at the end." Gaila bent down, retrieved a small sack, and gave it to him. "Take this as a show of appreciation. For being such a good sport. And I sincerely hope you find a future you'd like."

"Only one way to do that....." Nick said as he took the small gift, being sure to leave a few extra credits for entertainment value alone. But Gaila had also given him a few questions that his mind was determined to sort out. "Thank you, I wish you as much peace as is possible in life." Miller almost laughed a bit, he could definitely tell that the rest of the evening was indeed going to be an adventure. He bowed slightly, for whatever reason, and left the tent. From inside Gaila could probably hear him laughing as he walked away.

--- End Log ---

Lt Nicholas Miller
Cns
USS Arawyn

And

Gaila (NPC)
Apb Natasha

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