# Bad Fate

Title: Bad Fate
Status: Complete
Characters: Anon, Fang, Stella
Rating: SFW
Classification: One Shot
Author: Anonymous
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"I really don't see the point." Anon complains, walking beside Stella as they exit the curio shop. "Don't you already have a tarot deck?"
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"Yeah, but I've had that one for years. This one is brand new!" Stella explains, holding the enormous deck in the air, "And it's full sized! Plus, this is a limited run, each deck has unique art. I *had* to get one!"
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"Alright, alright." Anon concedes. He knows there's no point arguing with Stella when she wants to add something to her 'collections'. Their apartment is already filled to the brim with plastic junk Stella insists is priceless merely because of a limited print run. As long as she's using her own money and they can still see the floor, he won't complain.
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They walk together back to their apartment block, Stella humming a merry tune along the way. Anon doesn't recognize it, but judging by the mumbled Japanese it must be the opening theme to the latest Shonen anime. He lets his mind wander as he looks up at the trees, his thought inevitably drifting to the same topic that has haunted him for the past couple months. Once again he wonders if he had made the correct decision, if he had made a terrible mistake that he would forever regret...
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"Anon? You okay?" Stella asks, looking concerned. Anon realizes he must have let his emotions show on his face. He puts on a fake smile as he takes Stella's hand, giving her a reassuring squeeze.
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"Yeah, I'm fine." He assures her, hoping she'll buy it again. She doesn't need to know she's the center of his doubts, the source of all his lingering second-thoughts. He had made an impossible choice to make her happy, at least one of them deserved to be. Stella keeps her gaze on him, scrutinizing his face. With a deep sigh she pulls him close, wrapping her tail around his leg.
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"You're thinking about her again, aren't you?" She asks, cutting straight to the point. Anon nods, letting his façade fall.
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"I'm worried about her, you know?" He explains, leaning into Stella's shoulder, "She didn't exactly take it well, and Reed says she's still a wreck. I thought she would have moved on a bit by now, you know?"
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"It's sweet that you worry about her, but Fang's tough. She'll be alright." Stella reassures Anon, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. She clings to his arm, as if she's afraid he'll be snatched off at any moment.
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"Oh, I know!" She exclaims, brandishing her new tarot deck. "Let's do a reading! Maybe we'll get some insight into how to make Fang feel better!"
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"Alright, sure." Anon sighs, trying to dredge up some enthusiasm. He had been hoping for something more constructive, but if it makes Stella happy then... Well, maybe he can talk to Rosa about it later, she usually has good advice.
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"Let's see..." Stella eagerly opens the ornate case, drawing out the first card with a flourish. "Your first card is... death?"
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The card is imprinted with the grisly grin of the grim reaper, wielding a wicked curved scythe amid a field of skulls. Anon can see why the deck was so expensive, the art is extremely detailed. A chill crawls up his spine as they both stare at the card, an ominous breeze blowing down the street.
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"Heheh, well! Um..." Stella chuckles, "The death card doesn't necessarily mean something bad. It could actually mean a lot of things. Let's uh... see what else we draw. Maybe it will help us interpret it's meaning."
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Stella draws another card, depicting a skeletal horseman amid a burning field. The art is no less exquisite, and no less foreboding. Stella puts it aside without a word, drawing another card.
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Death
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Another card is drawn
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Death
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Stella flips through the deck, drawing card after card in a panic
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Death
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Death
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Death
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She dumps the entire case on the sidewalk, cards spilling over the concrete. Each card bears the grim visage of the reaper grinning back at them. Neither Anon or Stella know what to say, staring at the ill omen in utter shock.
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"Hey Anon!" A voice calls from up the road.
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Anon looks up, spotting Fang further up the block. She's wearing a blue wool sweater, her face twisted into an insane smile. She raises a snub-nosed revolver, he eyes alight with deranged madness.
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"Garbage day!"