Vanille had been participating in the strange events that happened in the world around them, even the nature walk with Arcturus' younger sister Aia. She was starting to come out of her shell a little more, getting more comfortable around his family and other pack members. She was still pretty quiet and reserved but she was actually seeming more obviously happy as the days went on. Moving away from the Grande and being with Arcturus helped her tremendously and maybe he could be the only one to really recognize that change in her. She was genuinely happy in her life today.

She came here with him for the festivities, still a bit shy as she stuck to his side as they walked among the others. She was much more following his lead which wasn't out of the norm at least in a social situation like this. She could be very independent, but being in a group of others like this was a lot different for her as it had been during the Elysium festival.

Another woman wolf had set up some kind of vender here as did many others, and she was accompanied by some kind of small chimp as well. "You two, seem like you have good futures ahead of you. Want to take a look?" Vanille stopped only to look up at Arcturus not necessarily for permission but still with that bit of follow the leader, she'd do it if he did. The wolf lady had some kind of sand grid boxed in front of her marked off into different sections reading off things like home, love, past, future, and the like. She explained what each of the boxes meant for those who couldn't read. She had another little collection of different stones thrown off to the side. "Just close your eyes and pick a stone, throw it across the board. You two can do it together as a couple." The woman smiled making assumptions, there was no harm in enabling them.

"Arc & Vanille"

Arc was always happy to accompany Vanille wherever she wanted to go and today that brought them to the Stone Steppe where there were a few activities and things going on with the unusual attendants that appeared with these patches of unseasonal fall. He walked around curiously with Vanille at his side, his sapphire gaze moving from stall to stall as they passed them by. He didn't really know what to make of it, but there were all kinds of sights and sounds to take in so he tried to just relax and enjoy it all. At some point a female wolf and her chimp companion caught their attention, making him stop when she asked if they wanted to look into their futures. He looked at the woman running the stand first and then down to Vanille, seeing her light pink gaze already looking up to him for direction. He gave a small shrug and a slight grin in response. What could be the harm in it?

He stepped forward with Vanille, and he looked over the display she had set up, tilting his head slightly as she explained what each part was and gave them instructions to pick a stone and throw it, offering for them to do it as a couple. He gave a little nod and then smiled as he took Vanille's paw in his own before closing his eyes and reaching forward together with her to take one of the stones, letting her mostly guide the movement as they found one together. He tried to remember where exactly they were supposed to be throwing it without opening his eyes and then tossed it, hoping he didn't accidentally hit the vendor in the process.

"Arc & Vanille"

Vanille smiled back as Arcturus took a step forward and went to proceed with the probably quick encounter. She wouldn't know what kind of impressions this activity could bring on her or on them together, but just as went through both of their minds there wasn't much bad that could come of trying this strange way of fortune telling. She didn't think she was very superstitious, but maybe that would change by the time they left here today.

She leaned into Arc as he wrapped his paw around hers, holding his back without a second of hesitation but still just felt this little bit of flutter in her chest by the affection he gave her. Their relationship had evolved more over the last few weeks. She closed her eyes and reached past him to grab a stone too just at the same time with the biggest grin she could have on her face. She tossed her stone, hearing the two flumps of them hitting down on the sand before peeking open her eyes to see what could be told.

The wolf woman tilted her head slightly with a little pull of her cheek, not really a concerning look on her face but definitely not joyous. "This purple lepidolite here landed in the 'present' zone meaning shame and guilt from the past has been affecting you. The stone wants you to move on from it and forgive yourselves." Yes, she was talking to both of them. Not just one in particular.

The other stone that was thrown she pointed down at the area it had been tossed in, "This orange Jasper in your home, maybe your den or your pack, it says that your family will give you the strength and nurturing to overcome these feelings." While this may not have been news to either of them, it did strike Vanille a certain way. Because while she had felt mostly welcomed to Arcturus' family, thinking of them as her own was still a little far fetched idea to her. And it seemed that the fortune teller was telling her to trust that she would find her place among them. Maybe it was even just Arcturus that would become her family too, and she would to him. The little chimp that was with the woman hopped over and rearranged the stones they would be pulling from, "You may throw one more time if you'd like."

"Arc & Vanille"

Arcturus herd a soft thud and he peeked just to make sure he hadn't messed this up some how and luckily it didn't seem like he had. He smiled a bit with a glance down at Vanille before he turned his attention back to the woman running the stand to see what their stones were supposed to say about them and their future. He really hadn't thought much of this when they stepped up to the both, pretty skeptical about the whole thing really, but when she told them that shame and guilt from the past had been effecting them and how this was encouraging them to move on from it his expression faltered a little with surprised blinks. Maybe it was all coincidence, but it just seemed too on the nose to be entirely by chance.

The fortune teller went on, mentioning how the strength to overcome that would come from their family. He peeked down at Vanille, curious to see how she was taking all of this. He had already mostly figured out that his family could—and had—helped him with his own grief and guilt, but he knew there was still more work he needed to do on himself and he was still trying his best to make Vanille feel welcomed into his family so that she could do the same. He knew that they weren't her family by blood, but he did hope that one day she could be as much a part of his family as he was in every other regard. Still, regardless of how her relationship with his other family members panned out, Vanille was just as dear to him as any of them were and he considered her a part of his family.

As the chimp came over to move the stones around and they were invited to throw one again he waited to see if Vanille would want to before he repeated the process of closing his eyes and reaching for a stone, giving her paw a gentle squeeze as he did so. With how their first reading had gone it made him really curious to see if it could be just as telling the second time or if this time would show that it was mostly all chance and luck. He tossed the stone and waited to hear the soft thumps again before he blinked open his eyes again, waiting eagerly to hear what the woman had to say.

"Arc & Vanille"

Vanille had made little to no reaction to what the woman had read for them at first, maybe it was just the public setting but she was really coming around as the weeks went on since she had left her den at the Grande. She only looked back up at Arc as they were offered to make the toss one more time, and without saying a word she closed her eyes again with that slight rising smile and reached forward to grab another stone. She too reacted to his squeeze by giving one in return, almost as if their energy was combining to work together on this possible illusion.

This time she heard a thud on the sand like she had the last time, but one of the rocks clicked with one of the original ones making a new path elsewhere. She opened her eyes again curiously, maybe a little more eager to hear what the woman said this time.

The wolf's brow rose as she looked down into the sandbox, pointing at the family and heart section of the box, "The green emerald in the family zone gives fertility, that could be many many pups or maybe just when you are ready you won't have any hardships." The woman chuckled a bit, seeing as the two were young and in love and maybe she was trying to push them a little bit. It was all fun and games in that manner. She directed her attention to the other new stone, "And the brown Arabic stone in the future, sees guidance from guardian angels, perhaps someone that is no longer with you anymore. I bet they will help give you all of those cute little babies."

Vanille was stuck between feeling this bittersweet emotional twinge, and also blushing from the topic itself. Talking about having babies was far from her comfort zone, far from where she saw herself today at least. She could say she wanted that long life with Arcturus, and yeah eventually making a family with him and all that. But it was just two big of an idea to go over right now. The woman's joking made it more bearable, but she was definitely a little nervous. She looked up at Arc with a bit of a silly smile, and when they were done with the booth she supposed they could move on.

"Arc & Vanille"

His eyes widened when the woman described how one of the stones they tossed spoke to fertility and how they could have many pups or perhaps just not have any issues conceiving them, the idea making his face flush and a little chuckle escape him as he glanced down toward Vanille bashfully. They had only just recently made their close friendship more of a real relationship so the idea of having pups was still a far flung thought. Luckily the woman didn't dwell on that too long and instead moved on to talking about the second stone, pointing it out and pulling his gaze back to the sand. She brought up guidance from guardian angels and he smiled a bit, thinking of his father and how he always liked to think that he was there somewhere looking over him—only to have the woman bring up the pups thing again. He felt his face burn and he chuckled again, shaking his head a bit with a slight grin. Yes, of course, he wanted a full, long relationship with Vanille and he supposed that pups could be a part of that, but that was definitely not something he was trying to think of right now. "Thank you," he said to the woman with a little nod of his head before looking to Vanille with a little grin and starting to walk off with her to see what else they could find here.

"Arc & Vanille"