[zapdragon555]

Narcyz's eyes went a bit wide at that, his lips parting in surprise. He was so stuck on Cosmos' initial words that he almost missed the light pecks on the cheek. Almost. "O-oh..." he mumbled, looking a little doe-eyed for a moment before snapping out of it, cheeks barely coloring as a smirking grin spread over his face. "Geez, man, you're makin' me blush too much," he chuckled, running a hand nervously through his hair and effectively undoing Cosmos' careful attention to detail by accident. His eyes flicked back to Cosmos for a moment, his heart thumping hard in his chest. Oh, god, what a smile...

He really needed to leave. "Um--hey," he began, already walking towards the staircase, glancing back at Cosmos with an earnest smile. "Thanks a ton for everything. Like... just, everything," Narcyz murmured, fiddling with the watch around his wrist, lavender eyes softening. "I'll... I'll see you later. Uhh, any questions you have..." Narcyz blinked. Cosmos didn't mention bringing a cell phone. "Just... you'll do fine." And with that word, Narcyz was padding down the staircase and slipping out the door, knowing if he didn't hurry and leave then, he never would.

[Baconwizard]

Cosmos couldn't help but smile at Narcyz's embarrassment, and a surge of something warm––fondness, affection, maybe even love––rose up in his chest. He nodded at Narcyz, watching the human boy walk through the small apartment. "See you later," he called, poking his head out to watch Narcyz go down the stairs. He heard a small bell by the door chime, and then the apartment settled back into silence.

Time to get to work. Cosmos started on the bed, first, smoothing out the covers and tucking them in and under the mattress. He wondered why Narcyz didn't have a frame for it. A simple mattress on the floor seemed a little sad. Cosmos frowned at it, thinking. If it was more elevated, it could be considered artistic. Thinking on this, Cosmos began to straighten up the clutter, arranging it in a way so Narcyz would be able to find it easily, and it would look nice. He put the books on a little shelf near the stairs, then began to make another shelf by stacking the bulky textbooks. Once everything was off the floor, or arranged out of the way, Cosmos began to sweep. Next he opened the one window and began to dust. He rearranged the refrigerator, which wasn't much of a challenge given that it was mostly empty, and cleaned the kettle and hot plate. Cosmos sat down with another cup of tea, sitting in the small square of sunlight the window provided, and studied his work. It looked better. It would look even nicer with real furniture, but Cosmos would have to work to acquire that.

Once the tea things were cleaned and squared away, Cosmos moved down into the shop. He looked around for a good while, wandering through the maze of things. It seemed like half of the shop carried joke magic stuff, party magician stuff. But there were real things, too. Tarot, books of divinity, a random assortment of items that did carry a lot of power. Even divining stones from the jungles of Barakka. And the accessories, too, incense and candles and ink. Cosmos was aware that Narcyz earned his money through being a charlatan. But, whether he was aware of it or not, he had quite a collection of very real, very powerful items. Sold anywhere else, those stones would make a fortune. The problem was, the real stuff was mixed in haphazardly with the fake. Frowning, Cosmos rolled up his sleeves and got to work.

Cosmos wondered if Narcyz had had a plan when he thought of the layout of his shop. Or, if he did have a plan initially, did Narcyz just abandon it out of laziness? For someone pretending to practice magic, Narcyz did a very bad job of it. When he was clearing off a shelf near the front of the store, trying to ignore the dust that lay on the surface, Cosmos found a very nasty curse amulet tucked in the corner. That would explain why he was having trouble bringing customers in. No one would want to come in with that thing warding them off. Cosmos sighed, then put it under the glass counter near the cash register, where he was storing all the valuable things. Narcyz had used it for jewelry and such, but Cosmos had added the stones, an ancient tarot deck that was quite potent, and now the cursed amulet. He would have to dispose of that later. Soon, Cosmos had things in a semblance of order, but he would have to work on repricing things as well. The shelves leading from the entrance were stacked with candles––Cosmos felt that gave the shop a very esoteric feeling. The other shelves had the joke books and magicians hats, and the rest were full of the serious things. Cosmos was so focused on dusting and reorganizing things, he didn't realize that Narcyz had accidentally flipped the 'Closed' sign to show 'Open.'

[zapdragon555]

The bell above the door tingled as Danny pushed into the small shop, light brown eyes darting around the space. It was downright spooky in there, with the candles lining the walls and dim light. Was the place closed? He didn't think so, if the sign said open, so... Danny glanced over his shoulder at his motorcycle, then let out a breath. He didn't need to be here. It wasn't like he really had the money to pay for something like this, and yet... his curiosity had gotten the better of him. His eyes flicked to look at Cosmos, who was dusting and cleaning like a madman, and he raised an eyebrow. "Hey," he called, voice a little gruff as he ran a hand through a dyed red fauxhawk. "You open?"

[Baconwizard]

Cosmos jumped about a foot in the air as the door suddenly jingled open, revealing another human. He stood in the narrow space between the shelves, in front of the desk, a beat-up duster in one hand and a rag in the other. "Uh..." Cosmos looked around, as if searching for an answer himself. "We're in the middle of reorganizing things, but, um... What can I help you with?" Cosmos felt like it wouldn't be right to turn away a customer, especially when Narcyz's shop was in trouble. The god smiled, then put the cleaning supplies on the desk, wiping his hands surreptitiously on his pants. "We have a variety of products, and we also do a, um, certain brand of fortune-telling." Cosmos was pretty sure that he wouldn't be very good at tarot, or the crystal ball, or even the stones, not like Narcyz was. But he did have confidence he could help a little. If he had confidence in himself. Cosmos looked at the redheaded stranger, shifting back on his heels.

[zapdragon555]

Danny blinked as the man turned around. Oh, if he was interrupting, he supposed he could leave, but... the sign had said open. And doggonnit, he was curious now. Taking one last glance at his motorcycle, he figured this wouldn't take very long. "How much do you charge for a fortune?" he asked, stepping into the shop and glancing around. It was tidier than the outside of the shop let on; everything was organized quite nicely. "Your name Narcyz? It said something about that on the sign out there," he offered, holding out a hand, figuring he should at least muster up some manners. "Name's Danny, mama calls me Daniel," he said with a small flicker of humor in a cocked eyebrow and a smirk.

[Baconwizard]

Crap... Fortunes cost money, didn't they? Cosmos glanced around, then gestured towards the back room. There was a small sign that had the prices of everything on it––thank goodness. "Forty dollars," Cosmos replied with a smile, nodding his head up and down. "My name is Cosmos, actually... Narcyz is away at the moment, but I assure you that I'm just as qualified." Cosmos straightened his tie, then let out a sheepish laugh, standing still for a moment. "Although this is my first day on the job."

[zapdragon555]

Forty dollars? Damn, Danny thought with a small grimace, but... the guy looked nice enough. "Alrighty, Cosmo," he said, figuring he'd just heard the guy's name wrong as he pulled out his wallet and shelled out two twenties, holding the money out to Cosmos. "I'll bite." Danny glanced around and noticed the coffee table with two pillows on either side, and figured out that he was supposed to sit on one of them. He walked over to it and plopped down, leaning his elbows on the table as he waited for Cosmos to join him. "Just to warn you, though, I'm a pretty hard guy to read."

[Baconwizard]

Cosmos carefully took the bills, neatly folding them and putting it in his front pocket. He cleared his throat, then pulled the curtains shut, leaving them in semi-darkness. "Ah, excuse me, let me... find a candle." Cosmos fumbled underneath the table to find a candle, and a box of matches. He carefully placed the candle on the table, then struck the match, the sudden light hurting his eyes and illuminating their surroundings. As the candle wick took to the flame, the space filled with a warm, gentle light, flickering against Cosmos's and Danny's face. "There we go. Alright... let's begin." Cosmos sat down across from Danny, folding his legs beneath him. He reached out his hands, palms facing up, and he stared at the man across from him. "Your hands, if you would."

[zapdragon555]

Danny felt his heart speed up in his chest slightly as he was suddenly plunged into darkness, wondering if this was really a good idea. It was a relief when the candle lit up the room, and he let out a breath, wincing as it made the flame flicker. He watched Cosmos sit down, and he raised an eyebrow. Oh, right. Palm reading. Danny smirked slightly, then put his hands on the table turned upwards, calloused hands splayed out. "Have at it," he murmured, leaning on one elbow as he glanced up at Cosmos' face, then down at his own hands. He paused, then took off a ring from his middle finger and set it down on the table, resuming his position with a small look of embarrassment on his face.

[Baconwizard]

Cosmos blinked as Danny took off the ring, and he inspected it for a moment. "A lovely ring," he said, looking up at the redhead's guarded expression. Cosmos let out a breath, relaxing, and then he reached out and took Danny's hands. They were harder than his own, and a little larger. Cosmos gripped Danny lightly, then closed his eyes. "You can relax," he murmured, feeling Danny's tensed energy. Breathing in, Cosmos stilled his mind, and let the images come flowing in naturally. The god could see Danny as a child, snippets of memory and moments that were too tangled and hurried to make out. Then new images, a different kind of vision, that felt as if they could disappear at a puff of air, or a change of mind. A boy. A bike. A storm.

"An unexpected person will enter your life soon. He will appear in rain and lightening, looking for something that he will not be able to find on his own. It could be a happy accident that he appeared before you, or it could be fate, but this person will change you as much as you can change him. A road unfurls before you, one that will take you many miles. It is one that you can choose to take alone, or with another. Trust in him, and in yourself." Cosmos opened his eyes, his irises glittering slightly in the light of the candle. He looked at Danny, expression solemn. "And please wear a helmet when you're on your bike. You tend to be very reckless."

[zapdragon555]

Danny felt a kind of strange apprehension as Cosmos began touching his hands, wishing in the back of his mind that he hadn't mentioned the ring. Even so, the light pressure on Danny's hands was... oddly comforting. He blinked as Cosmos began to speak, staring at the man's face intently. Something about... a boy? Another man? Who would change Danny... He blinked slowly, not entirely convinced; most of what Cosmos was saying seemed like a general fortune, except... all that stuff about a storm, and a long road. When Cosmos mentioned his bike, Danny visibly jumped, startled. How did Cosmos know he didn't wear a helmet? And moreso, how did he know he even rode a motorcycle...? He hadn't noticed Danny drive up, so...

"Is... that so," he breathed out, letting the tension leave him as he stared into Cosmos' eyes. He blinked, trying to shake the feeling that he was getting sucked into them, like some black hole, and he cleared his throat, his hands twitching in Cosmos. "Is... that all you see? I don't have another forty to spare, so..."

[Baconwizard]

The candle was beginning to sputter, somehow already down to the wick, but the flickering orange light didn't seem to reflect in Cosmos's eyes. They were like obsidian, something dark and alive, yet cold like the farthest reaches of the universe. The god smiled softly, quietly saying, "I apologize. If I tell you more, you'll expect it, and then you wouldn't get anywhere. Just let it come to you. I promise that you will be alright." At Cosmos's last word, the flame finally was doused in the wax, leaving them in a sudden darkness. Cosmos took a deep breath, then carefully let go of Danny's hands, feeling the energy drain away from him like the ocean at low tide. "I'm afraid that's all," he said quietly, getting up and pulling the curtain aside. He frowned at the clock, which read a much later time in the afternoon than it should have. Narcyz should be getting home soon. He turned back to Danny, the professional smile back on his face. "Thank you very much for your patronage. Please recommend us to your friends, or come back again sometime."

[zapdragon555]

Those eyes... those eyes weren't right. Danny found his own gaze drawn in to Cosmos', his heart seeming to slow down in his chest when suddenly they were plunged into darkness. Danny could've sworn he could still see those pitch black eyes. He blinked as curtain was thrown open, squinting at the... sunset? What? Danny's heart dropped in his chest slightly. Surely he'd only been in that shop for a few moments. "Shit, my bike," he muttered, getting up suddenly to peer out the window as well, and was relieved to see no one had taken it during their talking. Good. Danny let out a breath, then looked back at Cosmos, looking wary but with flickers of interest in his eyes. "Yeah, sure thing. It was pretty authentic... er, I'm kind of a drifter, so I dunno how much help I'll be. But if I end up talking to someone before I leave town, I'll spread things around. Nice meetin' you," he said with a small nod of his head, then went to pick up the ring off the table, nearly forgetting about it. "Nice meeting you," he repeated himself, muttering, as if his brain wasn't quite connecting right, and went out the door. He needed a smoke, after all that.

[Baconwizard]

"Safe travels," Cosmos called after Danny as the redhead strode out the door. Cosmos let out a large breath, bringing a hand up to his chest. He had never linked with a human like that before, to see their path in the universe. Normally, he dealt with the big picture. Up close like that... it was strange. Magnified. Cosmos frowned, feeling as if he shouldn't have peeked so much into someone's life. He felt like if Danny knew how much he had seen, he would have been angry. Cosmos looked at the clock again, then let out another sigh. His stomach gurgled, alerting Cosmos to the hollow ache coming from his core. "Ah... I skipped lunch, didn't I?" He murmured, putting a hand on the rumbling. And breakfast, at that. Making sure that the forty dollars were still in his pocket, Cosmos finished tidying up, then locked the front door before he headed back upstairs. Time for some tea.

[zapdragon555]

It was far, far later than Cosmos likely expected when Narcyz finally came back. His attempt to find a job had crashed and burned, despite having walked and bussed all over the city to every shop, fast food joint, and all manner of other jobs that would take someone with no prior experience other than a self-owned fortune telling business. The only one that had an opening, and was truthful about it, was too many miles away from Narcyz's shop, and therefore out of the question. But the manager had given him a free burger and told him to come back if he felt like having an interview, which was more than Narcyz could say for some of the managers in closer proximity, who took one look at Narcyz and said they might hire him if they could trust him as far as they could throw him. When one in particular had laughed and asked if he'd get any customers that Narcyz hadn't fucked, he nearly punched the guy and removed himself from the clothing store as quickly as possible, red in the face.

He hated this, really. In a few years it seemed he'd successfully garnered enough of a reputation that spread fairly far. No one would hire a conman. They were supposed to make enough money on their own to support themselves, or they'd get an honest job. At least, that's what it felt like to Narcyz, who by the time the sun had well enough set, was dragging his feet down the sidewalk until he reached the shop. His lavender eyes were hollow in his head, the fast food bag clutched in his hand. At least he had some kind of food for Cosmos; he himself wasn't too hungry. Maybe he was being dramatic; after all, it was only the first day. But as he opened the shop door, unseeing, he felt that all he wanted to do was sleep.