Between the lines
Sept 11, 2020 18:33:24 GMT -5
The Madness Menagerie and mystifyingoracle like this
Post by Matt Knox "The Raven" on Sept 11, 2020 18:33:24 GMT -5
(As usual, Silvio was a pleasure to collab with)
Matthew Knox dropped the cigarette butt on the ground, and stepped on it to extinguish the cherry. He looked up once more at the door to Silvio’s tattoo shop before rolling a sore shoulder, and pushing the door inward. The chime of the bell caused a reactionary muscle twitch. After a moment of looking at the artwork once more, he called out “Sil, you here?”
“Yeah! Out in a sec!”
A moment later, the Oracle stepped out of the work room, smiling.
“Just getting work things squared away before we get started.”
Silvio had, admittedly, been surprised by Matt’s request for a reading. While he had no issue doing them outside of his promo work, most people seemed a bit creeped out by them. Adrienne’s request had been a surprise, too, but he supposed this was another connection; another binding pin. That Knox trusted Silvio with this - that he’d be alright with the artist potentially knowing about some of his private affairs - wasn’t something he was going to take lightly.
Knox paid Silvio a friendly nod, but remained stone faced. He pulled a chair up in the waiting area and proceeded to clear the coffee table of it’s magazines “Hope it’s not a burden, asking this of you Sil I just..” he trailed off as he neatly stacked the magazines off to one side. He let out a quiet sigh “I’m just feeling a shift in the air, and I don’t want to fuck these next moves up. I know that's ambiguous and a ridiculous request but, It was you or church. And I’m not sure God is ready to hear from me again, not yet”
“Hey, any time.” Silvio knelt behind the front desk for a moment, standing up again with a deck of cards in his hands. “Can’t make any guarantees as to how useful it’ll be, but I’ll definitely give it the ‘ol college try.”
Circling around to the waiting area, he flipped off the, ‘OPEN,’ sign and locked the door, having a seat at the table.
“College? You been, or thinking of going?" He looked up from his silent brewing, eyes ablaze in interest at the notion. He leans back in his chair, clearing his throat "Forgive me. Reminded me of another conversation I had yesterday. Hope's thinking of continuing her education out here.."
Silvio actually stopped cold at that, his eyes distant. His gaze drifted briefly to the candy dish with its vividly colored bounty before returning to Matt, smiling.
“Yeah? That’s great. Just...y’know, turn of phrase. I never...got to go. What is Hope thinking of studying?”
"She actually called me asking for help picking a major." He smiles softly, shaking his head "Couldn't settle on one, kid's confused and...well, a kid. I was about to suggest something with literature. Maybe teaching but, it became painfully obvious the call was more for her being worried over my mental state...I guess I came off 'different' in this last promo" a pause
"I was just happy she gave a shit"
“Community college is usually a good start,” Silvio suggested. “Get all of the base requirement classes like math and English done for a fraction of the cost you’d pay at a four-year.” Taking the cards from the box, he started shuffling them. “It also gives her time to think about what she wants to do. Even if she walks away for a gap year or something, those credits are still there.” Spreading the deck across the table between them, he turned his gaze to Matt, brow knit.
It was hard not to notice the shift in the Raven’s demeanor with his latest promo. It could be written off as Knox positioning himself into a place of strength in response to his opponent. If your enemy declares himself to be a monster, why not show you have sharper teeth and bigger claws? But there was a note of truth ringing in his words; personal belief. Silvio suspected it hadn’t just been posturing. Matt believed what he said.
“So, think about what you want answers to and choose six cards.”
Knox stares at the spread silently. He shifts in his seat once, leaning forward he reaches a pale hand out, gliding over the entire spread once before he selects six, pulling them out of their lineup before leaning back into the chair and shifting his gaze to Silvio
"You think Olympus noticed the boogeyman yet? Or is the old King overshadowing it?"
He half cringed at the campiness of the words, however true they were.
Catching Knox’s expression, Silvio grinned. “Ko and I managed to get a win on Mac and Amber. They’re company stalwarts, like I said; standards in some eyes. I imagine the other vets here at least sat up and paid attention to that.” He made a face. “Although Axton dumping me on my head wasn’t exactly the most ideal way to close out the match. As for Michaels?” Silvio shrugged, raising a brow. “Not much to be done there at this point. It almost feels like Amber gets a re-match, in a way. I’m just kind of bummed because, in my own humble opinion, I think there were other, more interesting choices for Ken’s opponent. I imagine he’s more pissed than anyone; I feel like this isn’t so much overshadowing us as it is the beginning of his title reign. I know Zane has his sights set on Jack, so that’s bad news for him, regardless of whatever achievements and accolades he may have accumulated over the years. I’d be surprised if he actually leaves after 100, though. This, ‘avenging father,’ stuff feels odd. If he wins, he vacates the belt, and if he loses to Ken, he just shuffles off meekly? Granted,” he admitted, holding his hands up, ”I’m relatively new to the biz, so maybe that’s not as unusual as it seems from where I’m standing. But if he hadn’t said otherwise, I would have figured this was him pulling a, ‘Super King Big Nuts,’ move and launching some kind of comeback. Davison and Michaels have more in common than I think they’d care to admit.”
He gave Knox a saucy little smirk.
“But, hey, just delaying the inevitable, as far as I’m concerned. Sooner or later, one of us is going to be in a match for that title. If it’s Davison, we get the opportunity to put away another cult or cult-adjacent dude. If it’s Michaels, we get the opportunity to kick the guy with the longest title reign in Carnage history off the throne.” Pausing, pursing his lips thoughtfully for a moment, Silvio asked, “Who would you rather fight?”
"Amber Ryan" Knox answered without missing a beat "At least there'd be some honor, and dignity in the fight then." He considers everything Sil said silently before giving his perspective
"Jack probably believes his own shit about being the avenging father. But he's as big an egomaniac as Willis and I. He's been to the mountaintop and suddenly there's a clear path back, and he will get the guaranteed adoration of the fans?"
Knox shakes his head jabbing his index finger toward the ground to accentuate a point "Amber Ryan dethroned him right before we got here in a match he almost murdered her in. And now we are expected to believe he gives a shit over her taking a beating?" Knox shakes his head "No. This is a comeback, and Ken is just a sacrificial lamb"
He averts his gaze to the cards, before adding "As for Zane...if I have it my way, he isn't going to be up for bullying the old fuck after Chaos"
“You and Amber in a match is going to be great,” Silvio said, eyes lighting up. “99, right?” Silvio had caught the declaration she’d made just before their match together; accepting Knox’s challenge. “You’re going to be amazing.” Laughing, he shook his head. “Sorry about the distractions. Cards. So, the first one is how you’re feeling. You ready?”
"Definitely this time" he responded, smirking "This one, hopefully, won't jar me like the first one. Take it away, Sil"
“Okay. Card number one…”
Turning it over revealed an illustration of a man and a woman in a garden, an angel above them spreading its wings with a beneficent expression.
“The Lovers. This could refer to you experiencing some romantic feelings, but it doesn’t necessarily have to. In this position, it can also encompass love or affection in its other aspects. This might be referencing what you were talking about earlier; what’s going on right now with Hope.”
Knox nodded, staring at the card "Could it be both? I uh...I was going to ask you for some dating advice after all this." He scowls "Never know how rusty you are, until you know"
Whether the card was referencing his current fancy or not, Knox instinctively pushed the Hope situation off to one side.
Silvio broke out into a huge grin. “Yeah, dude! I warn you that I’m a bi disaster, but if you want advice, I’m happy to offer. You ready for the next card? This one regards what it is you want.”
Knox nods, motioning for Silvio to continue “Run on through them, Sil. Think i’m going to absorb and react to the whole reading at the end. If you’re good with it”
Nodding, he turned the next card over, revealing an illustration of a white-robed woman crowned with flowers. Bent at the waist, she held the jaws of a slavering red lion.
“Strength. So, basically, you want the strength and willpower to achieve your goals. No surprises there.”
Brow knitting briefly, he glanced up at Matt.
“Are you feeling something or someone in particular is preventing you from accessing that? Something keeping you from drawing on your strength and will?”
Knox’s gaze goes sullen as he furrows his brow, he leans back and purses his lips “I..” he shakes his head “I don’t know if I mentioned it, but Hope came by after We are Relentless. Wanted to know If I’m the one who had Thor jumped. We had a conversation. Kind of...got me thinking, her and what Adrienne said a few nights before the pay per view…” he shakes his head once more, before lifting his gaze back to Silvio
“I don’t know, if beating Thor into a grease spot is the answer I thought it was.”
Silvio nodded slowly.
“I’m not going to shed any tears for the guy, but what happened wasn’t right. So, you’re feeling like maybe that’s getting in the way of you accessing your reserves; like maybe force isn’t the answer here. I guess you’re going to be looking for another kind of strength to get you through?”
“Maybe. Or Maybe I just do what i’m good at, and put whatever breaks because of it back together” He chuckles “Let’s keep it going”
Silvio grins and turns over the next card. The illustration depicts a wizened man in grey robes, a long, white beard spilling out of his hood. Before him he holds aloft a lantern that shines in the dim pressing in around him.
“This is what you fear. The Hermit. This could be one or possibly two things. The first is that you’re afraid to be alone with your thoughts. The Hermit can symbolize turning inward and examining your inner self. Sometimes it’s hard to be alone in our own minds; we don’t like what we find there. The other thing it could be referring to is you being like, physically, socially, or emotionally alone; a hermit.”
Knox nods, exhaling through his nose “Like I was.” He drummed his fingers on his kneecaps a moment, before continuing “It was damn near a decade, just me. My thoughts. Bert. and whoever decided they wanted to shoot up with the creepy rich shut in at the old house by the beach” He pays the memory a half smile “Hard to believe, it was less than six months ago. Funny how quick things can change when you let em, isn’t it?”
“Seriously,” Silvio said with a little snort. “If you would have told me a little over a year ago, this is where I’d be now? I would have thought you were nuts.”
Turning over the fourth card reveals a crowned man seated on a throne between two black pillars. At his feet is a pair of crossed keys and two supplicants. One of the man’s hands is held aloft while the other holds a triple cross.
“The Hierophant. This is what you have going for you.”
Smiling, Silvio spreads his arms.
“Namely, us; The Set. If you’re afraid of being alone either socially or in your head, don’t worry. We got your back. If you need help or advice or somebody with the, ‘right moral fiber,’ as it were, to bounce an idea or decision off of, we got you covered.”
Matthew pays this a friendly chuckle “If my moral fiber is ever so deteriorated that Mitch Heart is the cooler head, just check me into the retirement home” he chuckles a bit more at his own quip, before continuing “But, that makes sense. You people have been a breath of fresh air in my life. Adrienne pulled me the rest of the way out of that hole Bert kept me from dying in, you..hell. You drew a picture on me that changed my whole perspective on things. .and Mitch? Well. I need to spend more time with the kid, but he reminds me of a young, angry me” a pause
“Just not as good looking”
Silvio laughed. “He’s actually got a kinder streak in him than he lets on. Y’know, hard, crunchy exterior...well…” He made a face. “Okay, I wouldn’t say a, ‘soft, marshmallow center,’ exactly, but the guy’s got layers. Now, let’s see what you got working against you.”
The fifth card that’s flipped over reveals a man robed in white standing behind a table laden with a sword, a cup, a pentacle, and a wand, a scroll held in one hand.
“The Magician.” Silvio clucked his tongue. “My guess is this represents C$J. It’s an authority figure - probably male - who has access to resources or other means to make his will manifest. This person might have a business opportunity for you or something similar. Just be careful. When the card’s in this position, it could mean he’s trying to use charm or some other kind of deception to get the better of you.”
“Yeah I...had a spirited discussion with him.” He sneers “I honestly just went in to plant a seed, make him think twice about what he pulled on Dragon Lady...but then he started talking and I lost my cool, flipped a desk and made sure he knew I was bigger than him and could crush him If I wanted” his lip curls upward a moment “He offered to make me one of his goons, like he did with that prick Winter. You already know how I answered that.”
Silvio drew in a breath through his teeth, brows rising.
“Yeesh. Yeah, that dude has...some interesting ideas about how things should be run here.” Mouth twisting into a grimace, he shook his head. “Not surprised he got Winter in on it; kindred spirits, y’know? That business with the Dragon Lady was bullshit. I doubt that’s the last of it we’re going to see from him.”
Turning over the final card shows a woman in white, seated between two pillars; one white, and one black. Behind her are fruit trees, and at her feet is a crescent moon.
“This is how things will turn out. The High Priestess. So, if you want things to work out and make the right decisions, you’ll want to let your intuition guide you. That’s not to say advice and counsel won’t be a good idea per the Hierophant, but keep in mind that impulse and intuition are two different things. Be flexible, think deeply, and be patient with yourself.”
A snort “Patience. Yep. Got it. I’m doomed” He quipped in response. His gaze had turned to a wall as Silvio spoke, but now as he absorbs everything, he turns his gaze back to Silvio and asks, in an unusually small voice “Sil, do you think I honestly deserve another shot with my kids?” a brief pause, but he continued before the weight could crush either of them “I’m always hearing these..niceties about how ‘damn it, Knox is trying’. But, you took what went down far more personally than anyone. I never asked why, not my business, but I could guess.”
Another small beat, then he spoke again “If you were Hope, or Ivy would you be able to ever look at me, like how most kids are able to look at their dad...is I guess what i’m asking”
Silvio had been in the middle of reaching for the cards to sweep them up when Matt asked his question. He froze mid-motion, hanging for a moment before sitting back in his chair. There was a long beat before he spoke.
“...My dad was a bad person. Is a bad person? I haven’t heard from him in a few years now. He…” The Oracle chewed on his lower lip, gaze flitting from the candy jar on the front desk to the cards to Knox’s hands; anywhere but his eyes. He felt shame and anger roil in his gut; waves of heat and ice pulsing in him. The words that came next sounded as if they were being pulled out of him with fish hooks. “...He purposefully made my life harder. Looking back on it now, the guy obviously hated himself; clearly had a whole host of mental illnesses he self-medicated for. But that’s an explanation. It’s not an excuse for him taking things out on me and my mom when they were still together.”
He took a candy from the jar, unwrapping it and popping into his mouth compulsively.
“I don’t know what happened with you and your family, but I get the feeling you didn’t intend to hurt them. I know intention and outcome aren’t coincident - I’m not making excuses for anybody involved here. But…”
Silvio clicked the little hard candy against his teeth, looking distant.
“...if I knew my dad hadn’t meant to hurt me, and he came back with an apology and proved through his actions he was different? That he was willing to put the work in? I’d…”
He closed his eyes, breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth again before finally meeting Knox’s gaze.
“...I’d give him a chance. If there was a chance we could be a family - no matter how slim? I’d want to try.”
Matthew went silent, and after a moment of deliberation and a brief exhale he stood and walked over to Silvio, kneeling over and wrapping his lanky arms around the younger man in an embrace “I’m sorry you had to deal with that, Sil. You don’t deserve it. But then again, the ones who get dealt that hand rarely do” He squeezes once before releasing Sil and straightening up, heading for the door “Thanks, as usual Sil. I’ll see you around” and without another word, Knox let himself out and distanced himself from the display of emotion.
Matthew Knox dropped the cigarette butt on the ground, and stepped on it to extinguish the cherry. He looked up once more at the door to Silvio’s tattoo shop before rolling a sore shoulder, and pushing the door inward. The chime of the bell caused a reactionary muscle twitch. After a moment of looking at the artwork once more, he called out “Sil, you here?”
“Yeah! Out in a sec!”
A moment later, the Oracle stepped out of the work room, smiling.
“Just getting work things squared away before we get started.”
Silvio had, admittedly, been surprised by Matt’s request for a reading. While he had no issue doing them outside of his promo work, most people seemed a bit creeped out by them. Adrienne’s request had been a surprise, too, but he supposed this was another connection; another binding pin. That Knox trusted Silvio with this - that he’d be alright with the artist potentially knowing about some of his private affairs - wasn’t something he was going to take lightly.
Knox paid Silvio a friendly nod, but remained stone faced. He pulled a chair up in the waiting area and proceeded to clear the coffee table of it’s magazines “Hope it’s not a burden, asking this of you Sil I just..” he trailed off as he neatly stacked the magazines off to one side. He let out a quiet sigh “I’m just feeling a shift in the air, and I don’t want to fuck these next moves up. I know that's ambiguous and a ridiculous request but, It was you or church. And I’m not sure God is ready to hear from me again, not yet”
“Hey, any time.” Silvio knelt behind the front desk for a moment, standing up again with a deck of cards in his hands. “Can’t make any guarantees as to how useful it’ll be, but I’ll definitely give it the ‘ol college try.”
Circling around to the waiting area, he flipped off the, ‘OPEN,’ sign and locked the door, having a seat at the table.
“College? You been, or thinking of going?" He looked up from his silent brewing, eyes ablaze in interest at the notion. He leans back in his chair, clearing his throat "Forgive me. Reminded me of another conversation I had yesterday. Hope's thinking of continuing her education out here.."
Silvio actually stopped cold at that, his eyes distant. His gaze drifted briefly to the candy dish with its vividly colored bounty before returning to Matt, smiling.
“Yeah? That’s great. Just...y’know, turn of phrase. I never...got to go. What is Hope thinking of studying?”
"She actually called me asking for help picking a major." He smiles softly, shaking his head "Couldn't settle on one, kid's confused and...well, a kid. I was about to suggest something with literature. Maybe teaching but, it became painfully obvious the call was more for her being worried over my mental state...I guess I came off 'different' in this last promo" a pause
"I was just happy she gave a shit"
“Community college is usually a good start,” Silvio suggested. “Get all of the base requirement classes like math and English done for a fraction of the cost you’d pay at a four-year.” Taking the cards from the box, he started shuffling them. “It also gives her time to think about what she wants to do. Even if she walks away for a gap year or something, those credits are still there.” Spreading the deck across the table between them, he turned his gaze to Matt, brow knit.
I am the real monster here in Carnage.
It was hard not to notice the shift in the Raven’s demeanor with his latest promo. It could be written off as Knox positioning himself into a place of strength in response to his opponent. If your enemy declares himself to be a monster, why not show you have sharper teeth and bigger claws? But there was a note of truth ringing in his words; personal belief. Silvio suspected it hadn’t just been posturing. Matt believed what he said.
“So, think about what you want answers to and choose six cards.”
Knox stares at the spread silently. He shifts in his seat once, leaning forward he reaches a pale hand out, gliding over the entire spread once before he selects six, pulling them out of their lineup before leaning back into the chair and shifting his gaze to Silvio
"You think Olympus noticed the boogeyman yet? Or is the old King overshadowing it?"
He half cringed at the campiness of the words, however true they were.
Catching Knox’s expression, Silvio grinned. “Ko and I managed to get a win on Mac and Amber. They’re company stalwarts, like I said; standards in some eyes. I imagine the other vets here at least sat up and paid attention to that.” He made a face. “Although Axton dumping me on my head wasn’t exactly the most ideal way to close out the match. As for Michaels?” Silvio shrugged, raising a brow. “Not much to be done there at this point. It almost feels like Amber gets a re-match, in a way. I’m just kind of bummed because, in my own humble opinion, I think there were other, more interesting choices for Ken’s opponent. I imagine he’s more pissed than anyone; I feel like this isn’t so much overshadowing us as it is the beginning of his title reign. I know Zane has his sights set on Jack, so that’s bad news for him, regardless of whatever achievements and accolades he may have accumulated over the years. I’d be surprised if he actually leaves after 100, though. This, ‘avenging father,’ stuff feels odd. If he wins, he vacates the belt, and if he loses to Ken, he just shuffles off meekly? Granted,” he admitted, holding his hands up, ”I’m relatively new to the biz, so maybe that’s not as unusual as it seems from where I’m standing. But if he hadn’t said otherwise, I would have figured this was him pulling a, ‘Super King Big Nuts,’ move and launching some kind of comeback. Davison and Michaels have more in common than I think they’d care to admit.”
He gave Knox a saucy little smirk.
“But, hey, just delaying the inevitable, as far as I’m concerned. Sooner or later, one of us is going to be in a match for that title. If it’s Davison, we get the opportunity to put away another cult or cult-adjacent dude. If it’s Michaels, we get the opportunity to kick the guy with the longest title reign in Carnage history off the throne.” Pausing, pursing his lips thoughtfully for a moment, Silvio asked, “Who would you rather fight?”
"Amber Ryan" Knox answered without missing a beat "At least there'd be some honor, and dignity in the fight then." He considers everything Sil said silently before giving his perspective
"Jack probably believes his own shit about being the avenging father. But he's as big an egomaniac as Willis and I. He's been to the mountaintop and suddenly there's a clear path back, and he will get the guaranteed adoration of the fans?"
Knox shakes his head jabbing his index finger toward the ground to accentuate a point "Amber Ryan dethroned him right before we got here in a match he almost murdered her in. And now we are expected to believe he gives a shit over her taking a beating?" Knox shakes his head "No. This is a comeback, and Ken is just a sacrificial lamb"
He averts his gaze to the cards, before adding "As for Zane...if I have it my way, he isn't going to be up for bullying the old fuck after Chaos"
“You and Amber in a match is going to be great,” Silvio said, eyes lighting up. “99, right?” Silvio had caught the declaration she’d made just before their match together; accepting Knox’s challenge. “You’re going to be amazing.” Laughing, he shook his head. “Sorry about the distractions. Cards. So, the first one is how you’re feeling. You ready?”
"Definitely this time" he responded, smirking "This one, hopefully, won't jar me like the first one. Take it away, Sil"
“Okay. Card number one…”
Turning it over revealed an illustration of a man and a woman in a garden, an angel above them spreading its wings with a beneficent expression.
“The Lovers. This could refer to you experiencing some romantic feelings, but it doesn’t necessarily have to. In this position, it can also encompass love or affection in its other aspects. This might be referencing what you were talking about earlier; what’s going on right now with Hope.”
Knox nodded, staring at the card "Could it be both? I uh...I was going to ask you for some dating advice after all this." He scowls "Never know how rusty you are, until you know"
Whether the card was referencing his current fancy or not, Knox instinctively pushed the Hope situation off to one side.
Silvio broke out into a huge grin. “Yeah, dude! I warn you that I’m a bi disaster, but if you want advice, I’m happy to offer. You ready for the next card? This one regards what it is you want.”
Knox nods, motioning for Silvio to continue “Run on through them, Sil. Think i’m going to absorb and react to the whole reading at the end. If you’re good with it”
Nodding, he turned the next card over, revealing an illustration of a white-robed woman crowned with flowers. Bent at the waist, she held the jaws of a slavering red lion.
“Strength. So, basically, you want the strength and willpower to achieve your goals. No surprises there.”
Brow knitting briefly, he glanced up at Matt.
“Are you feeling something or someone in particular is preventing you from accessing that? Something keeping you from drawing on your strength and will?”
Knox’s gaze goes sullen as he furrows his brow, he leans back and purses his lips “I..” he shakes his head “I don’t know if I mentioned it, but Hope came by after We are Relentless. Wanted to know If I’m the one who had Thor jumped. We had a conversation. Kind of...got me thinking, her and what Adrienne said a few nights before the pay per view…” he shakes his head once more, before lifting his gaze back to Silvio
“I don’t know, if beating Thor into a grease spot is the answer I thought it was.”
Silvio nodded slowly.
“I’m not going to shed any tears for the guy, but what happened wasn’t right. So, you’re feeling like maybe that’s getting in the way of you accessing your reserves; like maybe force isn’t the answer here. I guess you’re going to be looking for another kind of strength to get you through?”
“Maybe. Or Maybe I just do what i’m good at, and put whatever breaks because of it back together” He chuckles “Let’s keep it going”
Silvio grins and turns over the next card. The illustration depicts a wizened man in grey robes, a long, white beard spilling out of his hood. Before him he holds aloft a lantern that shines in the dim pressing in around him.
“This is what you fear. The Hermit. This could be one or possibly two things. The first is that you’re afraid to be alone with your thoughts. The Hermit can symbolize turning inward and examining your inner self. Sometimes it’s hard to be alone in our own minds; we don’t like what we find there. The other thing it could be referring to is you being like, physically, socially, or emotionally alone; a hermit.”
Knox nods, exhaling through his nose “Like I was.” He drummed his fingers on his kneecaps a moment, before continuing “It was damn near a decade, just me. My thoughts. Bert. and whoever decided they wanted to shoot up with the creepy rich shut in at the old house by the beach” He pays the memory a half smile “Hard to believe, it was less than six months ago. Funny how quick things can change when you let em, isn’t it?”
“Seriously,” Silvio said with a little snort. “If you would have told me a little over a year ago, this is where I’d be now? I would have thought you were nuts.”
Turning over the fourth card reveals a crowned man seated on a throne between two black pillars. At his feet is a pair of crossed keys and two supplicants. One of the man’s hands is held aloft while the other holds a triple cross.
“The Hierophant. This is what you have going for you.”
Smiling, Silvio spreads his arms.
“Namely, us; The Set. If you’re afraid of being alone either socially or in your head, don’t worry. We got your back. If you need help or advice or somebody with the, ‘right moral fiber,’ as it were, to bounce an idea or decision off of, we got you covered.”
Matthew pays this a friendly chuckle “If my moral fiber is ever so deteriorated that Mitch Heart is the cooler head, just check me into the retirement home” he chuckles a bit more at his own quip, before continuing “But, that makes sense. You people have been a breath of fresh air in my life. Adrienne pulled me the rest of the way out of that hole Bert kept me from dying in, you..hell. You drew a picture on me that changed my whole perspective on things. .and Mitch? Well. I need to spend more time with the kid, but he reminds me of a young, angry me” a pause
“Just not as good looking”
Silvio laughed. “He’s actually got a kinder streak in him than he lets on. Y’know, hard, crunchy exterior...well…” He made a face. “Okay, I wouldn’t say a, ‘soft, marshmallow center,’ exactly, but the guy’s got layers. Now, let’s see what you got working against you.”
The fifth card that’s flipped over reveals a man robed in white standing behind a table laden with a sword, a cup, a pentacle, and a wand, a scroll held in one hand.
“The Magician.” Silvio clucked his tongue. “My guess is this represents C$J. It’s an authority figure - probably male - who has access to resources or other means to make his will manifest. This person might have a business opportunity for you or something similar. Just be careful. When the card’s in this position, it could mean he’s trying to use charm or some other kind of deception to get the better of you.”
“Yeah I...had a spirited discussion with him.” He sneers “I honestly just went in to plant a seed, make him think twice about what he pulled on Dragon Lady...but then he started talking and I lost my cool, flipped a desk and made sure he knew I was bigger than him and could crush him If I wanted” his lip curls upward a moment “He offered to make me one of his goons, like he did with that prick Winter. You already know how I answered that.”
Silvio drew in a breath through his teeth, brows rising.
“Yeesh. Yeah, that dude has...some interesting ideas about how things should be run here.” Mouth twisting into a grimace, he shook his head. “Not surprised he got Winter in on it; kindred spirits, y’know? That business with the Dragon Lady was bullshit. I doubt that’s the last of it we’re going to see from him.”
Turning over the final card shows a woman in white, seated between two pillars; one white, and one black. Behind her are fruit trees, and at her feet is a crescent moon.
“This is how things will turn out. The High Priestess. So, if you want things to work out and make the right decisions, you’ll want to let your intuition guide you. That’s not to say advice and counsel won’t be a good idea per the Hierophant, but keep in mind that impulse and intuition are two different things. Be flexible, think deeply, and be patient with yourself.”
A snort “Patience. Yep. Got it. I’m doomed” He quipped in response. His gaze had turned to a wall as Silvio spoke, but now as he absorbs everything, he turns his gaze back to Silvio and asks, in an unusually small voice “Sil, do you think I honestly deserve another shot with my kids?” a brief pause, but he continued before the weight could crush either of them “I’m always hearing these..niceties about how ‘damn it, Knox is trying’. But, you took what went down far more personally than anyone. I never asked why, not my business, but I could guess.”
Another small beat, then he spoke again “If you were Hope, or Ivy would you be able to ever look at me, like how most kids are able to look at their dad...is I guess what i’m asking”
Silvio had been in the middle of reaching for the cards to sweep them up when Matt asked his question. He froze mid-motion, hanging for a moment before sitting back in his chair. There was a long beat before he spoke.
“...My dad was a bad person. Is a bad person? I haven’t heard from him in a few years now. He…” The Oracle chewed on his lower lip, gaze flitting from the candy jar on the front desk to the cards to Knox’s hands; anywhere but his eyes. He felt shame and anger roil in his gut; waves of heat and ice pulsing in him. The words that came next sounded as if they were being pulled out of him with fish hooks. “...He purposefully made my life harder. Looking back on it now, the guy obviously hated himself; clearly had a whole host of mental illnesses he self-medicated for. But that’s an explanation. It’s not an excuse for him taking things out on me and my mom when they were still together.”
He took a candy from the jar, unwrapping it and popping into his mouth compulsively.
“I don’t know what happened with you and your family, but I get the feeling you didn’t intend to hurt them. I know intention and outcome aren’t coincident - I’m not making excuses for anybody involved here. But…”
Silvio clicked the little hard candy against his teeth, looking distant.
“...if I knew my dad hadn’t meant to hurt me, and he came back with an apology and proved through his actions he was different? That he was willing to put the work in? I’d…”
He closed his eyes, breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth again before finally meeting Knox’s gaze.
“...I’d give him a chance. If there was a chance we could be a family - no matter how slim? I’d want to try.”
Matthew went silent, and after a moment of deliberation and a brief exhale he stood and walked over to Silvio, kneeling over and wrapping his lanky arms around the younger man in an embrace “I’m sorry you had to deal with that, Sil. You don’t deserve it. But then again, the ones who get dealt that hand rarely do” He squeezes once before releasing Sil and straightening up, heading for the door “Thanks, as usual Sil. I’ll see you around” and without another word, Knox let himself out and distanced himself from the display of emotion.