The Tarot Cafe Fan Fiction ❯ My Dark Knight ❯ Introduction ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I don't own The Tarot Café or any of the characters other than the first costumer, Agear, Flora, and the other wraiths.

 

This is my first fanfic, I wrote it for school, so it may not be too hot. R/R

 

 

Chapter 1

Pamela sighed, as usual an old man with a hangover came in muttering about his love life and asked her to tell his future. The guy slumped down in his seat and rested his head on the table and he drummed his fingers on his lap impatiently, “Come on, Pam… hurry… ”

 

 

“Don't call me Pam,” Pamela muttered, and flipped over the first card, “The Fool. Upside down,” Pamela couldn't help smirking when she saw the card, “You're taking too many risks. At this time you can't afford to do that, otherwise it will all come crashing down.” She looked at him, his face was now scrunched up into a confused expression, “It means no more gambling,” at this point his mouth fell wide open in horror, and Pamela rolled her eyes, “Also, it would be an ill decision on your part to make any sort of commitment whatsoever. That includes your love life.”

 

 

The man grumbled angrily, “Pamela… don't let me down, check the next card!” His thick, meaty fingers raking through his unkempt and greasy hair, and his face looking sick with worry.

 

 

Pamela shrugged and flipped the next card over, her brow furrowed as she read it. “The Tower. Upright. There will be much change and conflict in your life. How soon, I do not know yet. This corresponds with your past card, you have to be careful in whatever you do, or there may be great and dire consequences.” She looked at the man who was now staring back at her with an unreadable expression on his face, even for her. Pamela hesitated, “If you allow me, the next two cards will most likely tell me what will happen as a result. It'll tell you if you listen to my advice or not. Shall we check--”

 

 

“No,” the man coughed. He rummaged through his pocket and took out a bag of coins. “Thank you, Pamela. I will hopefully keep in touch,” and he turned on his heel and left the café.

 

 

“Check the next card, Pamela…” a voice urged from behind her. Pamela swirled around and saw the familiar blonde leaning against the wall. Still wearing his red trench coat and combat boots, he shot Pamela a smile, and pointed at her deck.

 

 

“No, Belus. It's none of my business,” she shuffled the deck and then sighed. She leaned her elbows back onto the table and twirled a strand of dark curly hair around her finger, “What are you doing here, again anyway? Where's Aaron?” She asked. She hadn't seen the young werewolf in a couple of hours. Aaron had started working for her only a couple months before.

 

 

Belus shrugged and poured himself a cup of coffee. At that moment there was a knock at the door. Pamela sighed and walked over to the window, “Hey, we're closed.”

 

 

“Not to me you aren't…” said a deep voice. There stood a man, he seemed to be much taller than 6 feet. His head was covered with the hood of his black cloak, and his hands covered with black leather gloves. “You know what I am,” he whispered.

 

 

“Do you have what I want?” Pamela questioned. She didn't always get human costumers this must be one of her more “unique” customers. Sometimes these types of customers came after dark, but she only served them if they had a bead from Berial's necklace, or one of the main stones. These were for her own personal use, no one knew why she wanted them except for Belus, and she chose to keep it that way. Unless of course she could make Belus forget, then she would do that too.

 

 

The man whipped out a shining bead, “Will this cover it?” Pamela took it and invited him in, “I haven't seen a wraith like you in a while.” She shuddered, the air around him was freezing her from the inside out, and “Do you mind sitting a little farther away? If you haven't noticed, you're slightly cold.” The air around a wraith was usually freezing, and this guy was no exception. Once he sat down, Pamela turned to see that Belus had already gone, she shrugged and turned back to the wraith, “So what's your name?” she asked as she shuffled the deck.

 

 

“My name is Agear, that's all you need to know,” the wraith snapped coldly. Pamela shrugged, “Okay, Agear. Let's check your first card.” She flipped the card. “The World. Upside down. You have left a task uncompleted, you, for some reason, can not finish a task you were meant to do.”

 

 

Agear took down his hood. His long black hair was held back in tight ponytail, and his face was sunken. He glanced coldly at Pamela, “You know, don't you? You already know my story. You're a fortune teller, of course you know.”

 

 

Pamela sighed, “As a wraith, your only purpose is to extend your life. Even after death,” she glanced at him and continued, “You're supposed to have lost your soul many years ago, correct? That's what happens to a normal wraith, at least.”

 

 

Agear nodded, “Yes, my soul is partially gone, but something has stopped it from leaving me completely. I still must continue on as a wraith. I have no other choice. After I became one, there was no--”

 

 

“Turning back,” Pamela finished, “So now, you, a partially human wraith, has to murder people with your years of training in the Dark Arts, but you feel guilty, don't you?”

 

 

All of a sudden, Agear stood up, his hands thrown up in the air, “I can't help it! I feel terrible! Not only am I haunted by my worst fears, as most wraiths are, but now I'm showered with guilt every night I go on a raid!”

 

 

Pamela rolled her eyes, “Sit down please. Let's check the next card.” But Agear's hand slammed down in front of her, and Pamela felt a wave of frigid air pass through her body. “Pamela, how old are you?” Agear asked. Pamela sighed, “900 years. Now will you please sit down?” Agear sat down, “Funny, you look more like you're 20 to me.” Pamela put her hand on the deck, “Yeah, funny how that work's right? Anyway, shall we check the next card?” She flipped it over, and her eyebrows shot up in surprise, “The Lovers. Upright. Hmm, you seem to have met someone along the way. This caused inner conflict and quite possibly was the only thing in the way of you completing your task.”

 

 

Agear massaged his temples. “Yes… her… Such a simple girl.” He sighed, “She probably wasn't much older than you--” “I'm 900, I just told you that,” Pamela snapped. “Oh yes, sorry. Well she must have been somewhere in her 20s then, I suppose. Her name was Flora,” he sighed. “We were out on one of our raids when I ruthlessly went from house to house murdering anyone I saw, from babies in their cribs to pet dogs barking wildly. Then I came to one house I was to destroy, guilt was already taking over, I felt if I moved one more step I would go insane and die. Then again, I can't exactly die that easily, no can I? Anyway, and when I burst into her house, there she sat cowering,”

 

 

Slowly, Pamela's vision of the café faded and her mind was transported to a dark city, inside a house, where Agear stood towering over Flora, Flora was small, and her fists were clenched, tears streaming down her face. Her hair was blonde and flowing freely in the bitter wind that was emitted from Agear, and she shook from both fear and the cold.

 

 

Agear looked down at her, there was a long pause as Flora looked as if she would die right on the spot, and then Agear hissed coldly, “Get out of my sight,”

 

 

Flora sat still in shock, and then in a small voice, she asked, “What…? What did you say… sir?”

 

 

“I'll let you go, just get out of here as fast as possible and--” Agear hissed frantically. Pamela watched, she knew his not-so-dead side was taking over, now. His internal struggle must alternate from time to time, she thought, she could already predict his next card. But then another shadow darkened the doorstep, “Agear, be done with her and hurry, you fool,” the shadow said and flew away.

 

 

Agear now panicked. “It's too late! I have no choice. I must rid of you…” He raised a dark sword and hesitated as Flora's hands covered her face in a feeble attempt to protect herself. Then, a loud clatter filled the room, Agear dropped his sword, and yanked Flora off the floor roughly by the elbow. “Come,” he hissed and pressed her against her body, hiding her with his cloak. He picked up his sword and head out. “What are you going to do to me?” Flora's voice sobbed, Pamela could only guess how overwhelming the cold must have been being pressed up against a wraith. “Nothing, just shut up,” Agear whispered harshly. Agear slowly navigated through the rubble and debris of the now broken city. Usually he would just walk through all of it, like a ghost, but now Flora was with him, and most humans aren't allowed to do that.

 

 

“Agear!” A cold voice shouted from a dark corner at the end of the city. Agear walked towards the corner, that wasn't just dark, but crawling with wraiths. The group started to hover, “Let's go!” the same voice shouted and they group flew up higher and higher into the night sky.

 

 

Agear looked up and then quickly took off, but instead of following the group he flew around frantically, looking for the nearest city. “There!” he shouted, one hand pointing at the city, the other holding Flora, who was still shivering, but clutching onto him for dear life, “W-what?” she asked, her teeth chattering madly. “I'll leave you there,” Agear said and he flew quickly to the city. Soon, they landed at the edge of the town, near a thick growth of shrubbery lining the border between the city, and a dark forest on the other side.

 

 

“Here, I trust you know someone who you can stay with, correct?” Agear asked. Flora nodded, and turned to face the city, she looked back at him and asked, “Why? Why did you bring me here?” Agear shook his head, “I don't know.” Flora stared at him suspiciously, “Honestly,” he added. The fear was now completely gone from Flora's face. “All right, thank you so very much…” she said, her voice trailed off sadly, “I wish you hadn't destroyed my home though.” She turned and trudged towards the city, but Agear reached out and grabbed the back of her collar, “Wait!” he cried out. Flora turned and looked at him in confusion, “What is it? Please don't tell me you've changed your mind…” she said, a hint of fear back in her voice.

 

 

“No I--” Agear started. He took down his hood nervously and stared at her. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw his face, “I thought wraiths didn't have faces… not human-like ones at least…” she breathed. “I'm not a regular wraith,” Agear scoffed. “Take this,” he pulled a ring of his finger and dropped it into her hand, “Keep it, it's yours. It's a sign of a wraith, but I don't think anything will happen to you.” Then he sighed, “Please, don't tell anyone about this. It'll put your life in much more danger if a wraith figures out what I've done.” Flora held the ring awkwardly, “Th-thank you?” she said, phrasing it more as a question than real gratitude. There was a long pause, and suddenly Agear jumped up, and began to fly high. Flora gasped, “Wait! Wait! Agear, sir! Wait!” she called out. But Agear was gone, leaving Flora crumpled on the ground, confused, shocked, and in tears.