You don't say

[Phineas]

Sayer was tense and stood motionless, breathing in short gasps through his open mouth.  He was frightened.  He briefly looked at the stones before looking up at the halfling.  "Laren, are you all right," Sayer asked with concern.

[Phineas]

http://rockdovestudios.com/griznuq/laren_reading-001.jpg">

Not to scale. Stones enlarged for legibility.

[Wildfire]

That moment of casting the stones triggered something within the Eye. A deep vibrational humming began to sound and a blue light came from within the pouch in which it was held.

Both Laren and Sayer could feel a bizarre energy in the room. The energy moved about from this place to that in seemingly random patterns. Sayer could sense that there was nothing at all random about it. There was intent in it's movements.

It came to rest directly over the board with the stones and the candles. It intensified. The table began to jitter and shake slightly not upsetting either the candles or the stones upon it.

Laren could feel that the Eye was looking for something. He was not so sure what it could be but he could feel the greed dripping from it.

Without warning, the vibration, glowing, and humming stopped. Laren's sight returned to him. His hands were shaking as though from a rush of adreneline, the residue from the energy still coursing through his body. Before him were the candles, the stones, and a choice.

[Griznuq]

Seeing no reason for waiting, Laren opened his hand and let the stones drop. He watched as they hit the table, bounced around a moment and finally came to rest.

[Phineas]

Using the hand resting on the table, Sayer reached over and removed the pouch.  "Please hold your fist so that your palm faces down over the center of the table.  Hold your arm straight out so that your fist is about six hand-lengths above the table.  As you hold the stones, focus on your question.  Focus on the question that brings you to this table."

After transferring the pouch to his other hand, Sayer once again rested his fingertips lightly on the reading table.  He looked briefly at the ceiling, watching the numerous shifting shadows cast from the small candles.  He paused a moment, drawing a slow cleansing breath.  When he spoke, he did not look at Laren.

"At the moment of your choosing, release the stones."

[Griznuq]

Laren's hand went into the pouch. The stones were cold and smooth. He hoped that his hand was big enough to hold six of these stones at once.

As Laren's nimble fingers sifted through the stones he was reminded of a game he'd played as a youth. You out your hand in a bag and pulled out stones like this. Smaller stones with one smooth side, the other had a character on it, from whatever language his grandfather was teaching him. The idea was that you were supposed to spell words with them.

Before he realized it, there were six stones in his hand that almost seemed to cling to his fingers as if magically attracted to the flesh of his hand. He removed his hand from the pouch.

[Phineas]

"Clear your mind," Sayer said in a hushed voice.  "On the center of the reading table is a pouch containing 24 rune stones.  You shall choose six of these stones for your casting.  You shall not use your eyes within this selection process: as you touch the stones, listen to your spirit, for it will sense the stone to choose.  Listen to your mind, for it will know the stone to choose.  Listen to your body, for it will feel the stone to choose.  Once you have chosen six stones, we will then perform the reading."

The only light in the room was from the small candles.  Sayer turned, resting the fingertips of one hand lightly on the reading table.  He now stood profile to Laren.  "At the moment of your choosing, please place your raised hand into the pouch and chose your stones.  Please keep your hand in the pouch until all six stones have been chosen.  Once you are satisfied with your choice, conceal the chosen stones within your fist and then remove your hand from the pouch."

[Griznuq]

This was certainly not like anything of which Laren had ever been a part. One time he watched an old lady in his home town read someone's palm, but by all accounts she was mad. Laren wondered then, just how mad she really was. He would have more than likely made fun of Sayer back then too.

The thought made Laren a little ashamed. He hoped that unusually observant fellow wouldn't notice.

Laren's right hand was moving almost before he realized. It was the hand with which he did almost everything. It was the hand he was most comfortable with.

I wonder if choosing it in comfort means anything? Maybe I should have gone with the left, as it's the hand I am more uncomfortable with. This task is certainly not something with which I am comfortable... Laren decided not to worry about it. All it was doing was making him nervous.

He held his right hand up, and tried to think about his duty. He hoped that he could get through his task and live to see the end, but he knew that survival needed to be a lesser priority.

[Phineas]

Sayer bowed slightly in acknowledgment as Laren finished speaking.  He did not comment on Laren's words, but instead placed the worn leather pouch containing the rune stones in the center circle of the reading table.  "Let us continue.  Clear your mind."

Sayer held his hands up, leading Laren to copy Sayer's exaggerated motions.  Sayer spoke in a strong, clear voice.  "We shall clap three times: once to awaken the attention of the mind," -- clap! -- "once to awaken the attention of the spirit," -- clap! -- "and once to awaken the attention of the body."  Clap!

Sayer turned to Laren, instructing him that they face each other.  "You are my Querent, and I am your Counsellor.  Our relationship is symbiotic.  We bow, showing our respect."  With fluid and practiced movement, Sayer bowed deeply from the waist.  He waited for Laren to hold his bow before motioning to stand up straight again.

Sayer then turned to face the reading table.  "These are the tools that will assist us in our reading.  We bow, showing our respect."  Again, Sayer bowed low, waiting for Laren to follow his lead.

As he lead Laren through the opening ritual, Laren's words were repeated in the back of Sayer's mind.  My future, at least until my task is done, does not have room for my own self preservation. It cannot be allowed to influence my decisions.  This troubled Sayer.  There were two schools of philosophy among diviners: the Fatalists, who were the traditional majority, believing that all events were predestined and that divination merely gave us glimpses of the inevitable; and the Volitionists, a young, radical minority who believed that all events were consequences of choice and divination gave us a glimpse of the possible.  Sayer was a strong proponent of Volitionism, and Laren's comment only reminded him how deeply rooted -- and accepted -- Fatalistic thought was in this society.  Could not Laren achieve the goal of his task AND achieve self preservation?  Could not Laren's future hold both possibilities?  Sayer believed that it could, but only if Laren chose the proper choices.  Laren would have to be convinced of this possibility. It must influence his decisions.

Sayer stood straight and remained facing the table, gesturing to raise hands.  "We clap one last time," -- clap! -- "awakening the attention of the stones."  Sayer paused, his voice returning to a softer, conversational level.  "And that," he smiled as he turned to Laren, "concludes the opening ritual.  You will now make another choice: please face the center of the table and raise forth a hand to draw the stones."

Please raise your left or right hand.

[Griznuq]

Laren thought for only a moment about the words Sayer said. It was as though a weight was lifted from laren's small frame. He knew what Sayer's words meant, and even though they substantiated the fact that this danger was quite real, they also eliminated some doubt. It made Laren feel that he had made the right descision. This was in some small way, a relief.

"No, I am quite comfortable with their placement. As a matter of fact, even moreso now. Your explination makes perfect sense, you see. My instincts are telling me there's danger. Quite a bit if it, this much I already knew.

"Unfortunately, I do not have the luxury of being able to consider the danger. My first thought would be for self preservation. This is not, in this case a viable option. Were I to opt to go with my heart on this one, the danger would no longer be mine. I cannot allow the actions of my family to fall on shoulders not my own.

"SO yes, your observation is accurate... But as you say, the future is what we make it. My future, at least until my task is done, does not have room for my own self preservation. It cannot be allowed to influence my descisions. This duty I hold above all else. The lives of thousands may be at steak."

Laren had never really considered that before he actually said it out loud. Up until that point, he'd only really considered the damaged that the eye had already caused; the death of his family, the ordeal through which Kit was going at that very moment, the countless lives Crimson was destroying looking for Laren and the eye... But now he realized, if she were to get this eye, who knew what could happen. Ashe perhaps would know. I should have asked him... Then again, last thing I need is more pressure.

Laren drew a deep breath but said no more. He merely stood, watching the dancing flames of the candles.

[Johan]

I really like Sayer...he must be loads of fun at parties!

[Phineas]

Sayer did not look at the candles nor did he acknowledge their placement.  His full attention was on Laren.  "You have put things the way that you think they should be, but this was not your first thought," Sayer said after a moment's silence.  "This arrangement was not your first choice.

"I noticed that you hesitated," Sayer said, moving slowly towards the table.  "A hesitation is a disagreement with a part of oneself.  You see, there are three parts to a person: the mind, which controls our thought and understanding; the spirit -- sometimes known as the soul or as the heart -- that governs our feelings and instincts; and the body, our physical self.  When we hesitate, that means that one part of us disagrees with another part.  We have experienced a time when our heart told us that danger lurked behind us, but our mind disagreed and ordered our body to ignore that feeling.  We have experienced a time when our mind told us that we have chores to do, but our body disagreed and dictated that a nap is more important.

"What I am trying to convey," Sayer continued, his voice lowering, "is simply to listen to yourself.  Agree with yourself, and agree with your choices.  My advice will have little value to a person who doubts his own advice."

Sayer held Laren's gaze a moment when Sayer suddenly looked to the table as if he forgot something.  "Ah, the candles," he said, glancing at their placement.  "Yes, yes...very nice.  Are you comfortable with their placement," Sayer said smiling, looking again at Laren, "or would you like to adjust their order to your satisfaction before we continue?"

[Griznuq]

It wasn't that Laren didn't understand the instructions, quite the contrary: they were quite clear. Before the descrition of the candles and what they represented, he'd have simply put them down one at a time, in any random order, starting with the closest edge, and working his way around counter clockwise.

But now, these candles were not just candles! They were symbolic candles! Now his choices meant something!!

Laren's hands began to sweat. Whatever he chose now could impact the outcome of destroying the Eye? Was that what he meant? What order could he do that would make things better? ... and why?? How could any of this have anything to do with the future??? He begand to think he'd made a mistake in asking.

He reached out to place the earth candle in the middle. He figured, it was the closest to him, and he was closer to the earth than to either the moon or the sun. Then he stopped... That would mean that the moon and the sun were the same distance from the earth as each other... that didn't seem right.

He took a deep breath (and rolled a knowledge - nature check... 17... not bad) He put the earth on the left, the moon in the middle, and the sun on the right.

He then lit the sun, as it was the source of light and heat, then the moon, and then the earth.

"What I have done, is put things the way that I think they should be; as nature intended. The sun gives the light and heat to the others, in order of distance." Laren thought about his words as he heard them outloud, and found that he was pleased with this answer. He nodded to himself, and looked at Sayer expectantly.

[Phineas]

"Then let us begin."

Sayer stepped away from the table, allowing access to its edges.  "Our futures," he began, "are shaped based on the choices that we make.  You've heard the phrase 'being at the right place at the right time'.  You've also heard the phrase 'being at the wrong place at the wrong time'.  We do not arrive at these places by chance, but instead we arrive by choice.

"We shall begin with having you make some simple choices.  If you look closely at the candles -- do you still have them? --  you will notice that each candle has a slight tint in the wax: the red candle represents the Earth, the blue candle represents the Moon and the yellow candle represents the Sun.

"Please choose and occupy one of the four edges of the table.  Once you have done so, please choose and light one of the three candles and place it at an unoccupied edge.  Repeat this process for the other two candles."  Sayer paused.  "There is no right or wrong order.  There is only choice."

Please describe the order that the candles are lit and where it rests on the table: the left edge, center edge or right edge.

[Griznuq]

Laren went over the steps in his mind again. Seemed pretty cut and dry, he thought.

"I don't think so. Any questions that he might still have would probably take far too long to answer.

"I'll follow your instructions as closely as I can." He really didn't enjoy being so out of his element, but he took comfort in Sayer's confidence.