Vesta nods once, slow and certain.

“Alright.”

Her attention drops fully to the pouch in her hands. She brushes her fingers around the stones, searching for subtle pulls. One by one, she draws out three runes and places them carefully on the table, aligning them with deliberate precision.

She studies them in silence for a moment.

“Wealth. Life. Star.” 

A soft, pleased chuckle escapes her, her gaze flicking up briefly to Stella.

“How fitting,” she murmurs. “Stella draws the star. This is a very positive reading.”

Her finger taps the first stone.

“Wealth does not always mean coin.” She says smoothly. “It is abundance. Prosperity. Opportunity.” Her eyes narrow slightly in thought. “Doors opening. Paths presenting themselves.”

Her nail traces the edge of the rune.

“But abundance is meant to be shared. Remember that.”

Her hand shifts to the next.

“Life,” she continues. “Growth. Change. New beginnings.” A small tilt of her head. “Whatever brought you here, it is not an ending. It is a beginning that hasn’t fully revealed itself yet.”

She leans in slightly, voice lowering just a touch.

“These kinds of changes are rarely gentle.”

Then, finally, her finger comes to rest on the last rune.

“And the Star.”

She pauses.

“Guidance. Destiny. A pull towards something greater than yourself.” Her lips curve faintly. “The sort of path that finds you, even if you try to walk another.”

She sits back, studying her.

“It seems to me that you were meant to come here, to Volaire. This place will shape you. It will offer you the chance to grow into whatever it is you are meant to become, and prosper in it.”

She smiles and begins to gather the runes, but as she lifts them, another slips free from the pouch, striking the table before dropping to the floor with a sharp clatter.

Vesta stills.

She bends to retrieve it, turning the rune over in her fingers. Her brow knits as she studies it, and she frowns.

“Hm.” A beat. “Shadow…”

The word leaves her quieter than the others. She looks up at Stella, searching.

“Hidden truths.” She says slowly. “Secrets. Fears…”

Her thumb brushes over the carved surface of the stone.

“Sometimes they are hidden for protection… and sometimes because we are not yet ready to face them.”

Her expression softens, but only slightly.

“But facing such things is part of growth, isn’t it?” She tilts her head. “So whatever it is… it is only another step along your path.”

She turns the rune once more, then slips it back into the pouch.

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