Staring into her eyes nervously, the two men readied themselves while the mysterious fortuneteller. His heart pounded inside his chest, feeling uneasy about this. A hundred lire was all they had left, if they lose it they'll be broke. He couldn't believe that his friend accepted such a daring challenge, realizing that he was such a smart aleck. Recalling some memory, the blue-eyed man remembered that his friend never believed in the supernatural, saying that it was illogical.

Glancing at the fortuneteller, the woman simply smiled at them; her eyes were filled with confidence. Her fingers were intertwined together while she looked into her eyes as if it was an abyss. He broke away from her gaze, sensing that she was looking right into their souls.

The front door suddenly burst open, revealing a tall man with an athletic build. He glanced at them with his red eyes. The man proved to be handsome, having thick black hair with some of his bangs covering his right eye. A basket of vegetables and meat preoccupied his hands, and he nodded his head at the fortuneteller. Turning away, he heads towards one of the doors by the counter (which the two presumed to be the kitchen). They turn back to the woman who continued to smile, almost excited.

"So may we begin?" She calmly asks. "But before we do, do you have any questions?"

"Um, how will you reveal our secrets?" Asks a nervous Pietro.

"Ah. You just tell me a date of something you remember and I'll tell you what happened." She replied. "For example: you would ask me, someone you don't know and never met, what happened to you yesterday. Then I would say that you were traveling alongside your friend over here and ate some apples for breakfast because you wanted to save the last of your money which is one hundred lire and twenty-one centisimo."

The men's eyes widened in shock, realizing that she was unquestionably accurate. "H-How—"

"Or maybe I could uncover a secret or two out of the blue." The woman interrupts. "Or you could have me guessing some facts about you. Or you tell me that you had a memorable time in your life then I'll reveal what made it memorable. Or traumatizing."

Abelle scowls, "Tch. This nonsense." He grumbled.

"So. Let us begin." Announced the woman. "And by the way, if you back out, I'll still take the hundred lire despite me not revealing all twenty secrets."

"This will be interesting." Remarked the bespectacled man, making Pietro sigh in anguish.

Footsteps sounded beside them, making tem turn to the sound. They revealed to belong to the man from earlier. "Sorry to interrupt." He says.

"No, it's fine." The fortuneteller tells the man reassuringly. "So what do you need?"

"Um, An, I'll be making dinner." He replies. "You're always doing the cooking and since you're busy at the moment, I'll do it tonight."

She smiles, "Alright then. Thank you, Enzo. And if you don't mind, we'll include these two gentlemen." The man nods in response and walks back to the kitchen, making the two men wonder if they were lovers.

The two travelers turn back to the woman stunned, not being able to object her offer. Adjusting his glasses, Abelle could no longer wait, setting his mind on the hundred lire thinking that the woman couldn't possibly reveal any more secrets. "Let's begin and get this over with." He arrogantly says, making her chuckle in amusement.

"Then we shall." She replied. "Let's start with you, Mr. Spectacles since you seem so impatient about this."

"We'll be walking out of here with the money."

"Let's see who loses and who wins."

He smirks. "Hmph."

"Begin, Mr. Spectacles."

"If you say so." He replies arrogantly, already making up his mind that she would lose the money. "When and how did I meet my friend over here?" Asks Abelle, smirking at the woman.

She smiles, "This one's interesting," The woman remarks. "You both were four years old when you were born, that's nineteen years ago."

"She got it??" Thought a surprised Abelle, keeping his calm demeanor while he scowled.

"You met when you fell into a mud hole and even if your friend was still a little boy, he rescued you by throwing down some straw rope that happen to belong to your father and helped you out." The woman tells them with a victorious grin on her face. "Well, I must say. That was quite heroic for a toddler."

"Uwaaahhh. You got it!" Exclaimed an amazed Pietro.

The woman draws out her hand, "The five lire." She says.

"Wait, we have to give it now?!"

"Of course. You may never know if you'll run out the door."

Pietro grumbles sadly, reluctantly taking out the five lire from the bag and hands it to her. Enthusiastically taking the money, the woman places it on the counter where they can see. Abelle immediately saw through her scheme: placing the money they lost would awaken the anxiety and desperation inside of them, which will start by frustration and anger. This method will drive them into cheating. And denying the truth she reveals will do it. Abelle scowls and clears his throat.

"Clever of you to try manipulate our minds, lady. But I won't fall for it." He tells her sternly.

"Oh, my. You saw through that pretty quick." She remarked. "I guess I'll have to put it away." The woman continues, taking the money and placed it somewhere in the counter.

"Manipulate?" Whispers Pietro. "What do you mean?" He asks.

"How pitiful." He pompously remarks. "She was probably scheming to drive us insane."

"I-Insane???"

"On to the next gentlemen." Interrupts the fortuneteller. "Your turn." She tells Pietro who jumped a little in surprise.

"Me?"

"In case you guys back out, at least the revelations were fair." The woman tells them calmly.

"Um. . . I don't know."

"Then I'll guess." She replies. "But promise me that you won't deny anything. You have to be truly honest."

"Promise."

Smiling the woman replies: "Spiders were your greatest fears ever since you were bitten by one. You're afraid of them until now, and you're friend here scares you with them if you won't bend to his will."

His cheeks started to burn furiously and his hands covered his shamed face, "Th-That's true. . . I can't. . God, this is so embarrassing!!" He cried.

Abelle pushes back his glasses, 'Even the bravest men have their fears." He quotes.

"Shut up! This is so embarrassing!!"

"What do you mean embarrassing?" Asks the bespectacled man, giving his friend an incredulous look. "You don't act like this in front of Elaine or Joan. Or are you acting like this because we're in front of a beauty?" He whispers teasingly.

"Abelle!"

The woman suddenly chuckles in amusement, "No need to be self-conscious, boys. I'll reveal everything embarrassing about you two."

"I'd like to see you try." Says Abelle, pushing back his glasses and smirks.

"Then I'll guess," She replied. "The reason why you do not like women was because you declared your love to fifty-two women in all your lifetime and they rejected you solely because they found you dull since you specialize on mechanics and they think it's boring." The woman irks. "What simpletons." She remarked, scowling.

"She got me. Again." Thought the bespectacled man.

Glancing at Abelle, she saw him stare at his feet in anger, remembering it all. "I'm sorry. I think I picked the wrong one. Are you alright?"

The man nods. "Nothing for you to worry about." He replies coldly.

"Wanna back down now?"

He suddenly stands up, furious. "I'm not gonna stand down and let all the money go to waste! Besides," Abelle pushes back his glasses. "That was a petty secret."

The fortuneteller smiles in amusement, "Let's see if you could take this."

********

"—and that's what happened. I never saw her since." Says Romeo. Mondo nods with a grim look on his face.

He was alone in the room with Romeo and Sumire, along with Dante, the Executive Head of the famiglia, and Jolly, Mondo's right hand man. Smoking with a cigar, his fingers were clasped together as the man was deep in thought. His wife beside him also had a pensive look on her face. The bespectacled man puffs on his cigarette, letting out a line on smoke from his mouth, the same goes for Dante, except that he had a cigar like Mondo, leaving only Sumire and Romeo the ones who weren't smoking in the room. They had been there in the room for some time as the young man told them their tale, hoping to get their assistance. They seemed avid to help, but their only limit was that no one would go out of Regalo.

After the party the previous night, the young man became drunk from all the challenges he had accepted from the other famiglia members and was made to sleep there that night. He became guilty for letting them go through such trouble, but the couple found it rather amusing instead. They told him that they were just happy to see him enjoy others company. The young man was forced to admit that he indeed had fun with the others.

Glancing outside the window, the lady of the famiglia saw that the sun was already starting to set, its color changing into a yellowy orange color. Her eyes watched a flight of birds fly over the mansion. Hovering over the skies, fluffy clouds were driven by the wind, making them move in slow motion. Focusing her eyes farther, she saw the beautiful town of Regalo, the ocean beyond it shimmered from the rays of the setting sun. She turns back to the men and glances at her husband who opened his mouth to speak:

"How long have you been looking for her since your father's arrival?" He asks.

"About a few months now." He replied.

"How about your brothers and sister? Are they assisting you?" Mondo continues to ask.

"Unfortunately no." The young man replies, sighing. "My stepfather doesn't trust them."

Mondo cocks his brow in surprise, "And why is that?"

"I was the only one close to Arianna." He replies. "Or at least that's what he said."

"Tell you what: ask your stepfather for their assistance. While you're gone, we'll search high and low around here." The man suggests.

He nods, "I will, sir."

Jolly takes his cigarette and taps on it, letting the ashes fall to the ground, "But why would your father ask you to come here? On horseback to be more exact. And alone instead of bringing servants with you?" He asks.

"I wanted to do it without the help of our servants." Romeo calmly replied. "They already have a lot to handle back at the mansion. And I didn't want to give them a bigger burden by traveling."

"How nice." Remarked Jolly, smirking a little.

"Then I will be taking my leave, sirs. Ma'am. Thank you all for the assistance." He gratefully thanks them as he stood up, bowing politely. "I should be returning home quickly and send a report to my stepfather."

Mondo gets up from his seat as well, bowing in return. "You're very welcome, my boy." He replies, following Romeo out the door along with the other.

"Um. . . before I go. . ." Starts the man. "Who is this Angelica?" He asks. "From what I heard from the others, they say that she was a very interesting young woman."

The big man smiles broadly, "Oh, my. Taking interest in a woman who haven't seen yet, hm?" He teased.

"I-I wouldn't say that."

"Hohoho, I'm just kidding. But you may never know."

They all walked out of the door to bid the man goodbye, wishing that he would have a safe trip. Walking down the hallways then down the flight of stairs, they soon reached the entrance where the other famiglia members held his belongings, much to his surprise. He gratefully takes them and thanks them for their kindness. All were in smile as another man readied a stallion for him. Placing his foot on the stirrup, he heaves himself up and takes hold of the reins with his pouch by his side. Nodding to them farewell, he and the horse gallops away quickly, soon disappearing down the road.

"Another stranger with a strange past." Mondo quietly remarks, but his wife overhears him.

"Everyone is unique in their own way after all," She adds. "Don't you agree?"

********

Coins tinkled and clanged as the fortuneteller takes more of the traveler's money, having revealed more than half of the secrets already. She had revealed nine of Abelle's secrets and eight of Pietro's. They groaned in frustration, pulling their hair in agony, while the woman simply smiled and put the money away. Abelle couldn't believe that a complete stranger knew their secrets in detail! It was quite shocking for the bespectacled man. The monkey taunts them by playing with the coins in the counter, to which the woman sternly stopped him from doing. The monkey obediently obliges to his master's wishes, deciding to just silently watch.

The two men were both blushing furiously as they listened to the fortuneteller accurately. They never felt so embarrassed in their twenty-three years of living, and the fortuneteller only found it amusing, much to their agitation. Turning to Pietro, the woman just smiles warmly and asks the young man: "Still up to it?" She asks, and he reluctantly nods after he meets Abelle's cold, stubborn eyes.

"Have I been betrayed by Abelle?"

"Oi. What kind of question is that?" Abelle asks his friend coldly.

"What? Just in case."

The fortuneteller chuckles quietly, "This one will be the most interesting," she comments. "Well, there was a time in your youth when you both happened to like the same girl. You BOTH knew that you liked her, but you never talked about it amongst yourselves. Then came a day that you two decided to give up on the girl. And ironically you both gave up on the girl to avoid betrayal one of the other. Anyway, to sum it all up, you both are lucky to have each other as friends."

"I-Is that true?" Asks a tearful Pietro. "You did it. . . for my sake??"

The bespectacled man shakes his head, "Look, the girl liked you. There's no helping to it. And besides. . . women should BE no excuse to ruin our friendship."

The man starts sniffling, wiping away his tears, "And to think that you were cold and heartless. . ."

"Cold and heartless?" The man asks darkly. "What was that supposed to mean?"

"Oops."

"Who saved you from those bandits? Who carried you down the mountain when you broke your leg? Who saved you from an insane moose? Who saved you from drowning at the river? Who saved you from an angry mob? Who—"

"I get it, I get it, I get it!" Interrupts a guilty Pietro. "Sorry."

"There's nothing to forgive. Or upset about," Abelle replies calmly. "Anyway, Let's get this over with. . Answer the two remaining uncovered secrets you don't normally know. What're our names?" He asks.

"So you finally gave up I see." Comments the fortuneteller. "My customers usually give up half way since they do not want any more of their secrets uncovered. Well done, gentlemen. So. . . Pietro and Abelle, hand over the rest of your money."

With trembling hands, the blue-eyed man reluctantly dipped his hand into his bag, taking out a small pouch with the remaining money they had and handed it over to the fortuneteller. Abelle scowled as he watched the rest of their money land onto the hand of the woman, disbelieving what was happening. He listens to the tinkling of the coins as the pouched dropped onto her palm. She puts it away and smiled at the two glum men, upset that they had lost all their money. The woman chuckles and gets up from her seat, their eyes follow her, realizing that she was headed to the room by the staircase. Her eyes turn to them and she gestures them to follow. Reluctantly, they get up from her seats with the monkey overtaking them and scurries to her shoulder. The woman chuckles and scratches the monkey's head fondly before opening the door.

It was dark as they got in, making the men feel uneasy. They follow the sound of her footsteps when they suddenly came to a halt, followed by a clap and the room immediately illuminated as candles glowed with bright fire. They gasp in amazement, but Abelle became suspicious of her and turned to the door, only to find it shut close. Pietro glances behind him and panics when the door disappeared.

"No need to panic, gentlemen." The fortuneteller interrupts them. "I just want to make sure that Alfieri wouldn't—"

"Wouldn't what?" Interrupts a masculine voice. "You're mean to leave me out on these things, An?"

The three turn to the voice and saw a tall handsome man lazily seated on a chair by a rectangular table that was covered with a purple, velvet cloth. He looked like he was sleeping from his position (laid back against his chair with his feet crossed and placed on the table). He had wavy, sandy brown hair with his bangs covering his left eye. He also wore simple clothes like the woman and wore brown leather boots. The mysterious man opened his eyes, revealing his bright green orbs. He seemed to have a lean build with a little muscle.

"I believe that I told you before that this chamber is specifically off limits aside from my bedroom." The woman reminds him patiently.

"I didn't want to miss the fun," He replied. "Plus you wanted us to learn more about the Tarocco. This would be the perfect opportunity since you didn't allow me to watch Enzo's."

She sighs in defeat, "Fine," the woman sighed. "But you should let Enzo see this, too, to be fair."

"Fine with me," The man cooed and got up. Approaching the entrance he suddenly stoops over the fortuneteller who retained her calm demeanor. "Don't think about starting without us." He leered, while he playfully twirled a lock of her hair around his finger.

The fortuneteller chuckles, "Better hurry then." She says. He nods and walks off, walking through the door, baffling the other two. "Now let's prepare."

"Prepare?"

"You'll see." She replies, approaching the shelf nearby and takes out a small, brown box.

"You aren't a witch are you?" Abelle asks suspiciously, making his friend suddenly shudder in fear.

"No. I'm simply an Arcana contractor." The woman replies.

"Contractor?"

She nods, "Yes. But before I get into detail, let's wait for the two—" the two men walk in, making her chuckle. "Speaking of the devil, let's start.

Opening the box, she turns it upside-down, letting the contents fall onto her palm. They were cards. And she neatly stacked them on her hand then suddenly swings her arm into a semicircular motion, throwing the cards into the air. Their surroundings immediately brought them into a white chamber; the cards floated in the air while twirling slowly. The man observed the cards, their eyes were filled with amazement. They glance at the woman, realizing that she had a grin on her face, and the monkey remained on her shoulder, quietly watching them.

"These are Arcana cards," she starts. "But they are not just some ordinary cards. They are cards that wield great power for their contractors to use and master. And why? I don not have the answer yet. To make a contract, one must fill the requirements they cards demand one must have. They do not demand anything material whatsoever, but rather the characteristics of one's feelings and personality." The woman explains.

"Feelings? Personality?" Asks a confused Pietro.

"When a contractor becomes lucid then he or she will be able to fully control the power." She replies. "Your personality is the requirement or the key to the card's meaning and what it symbolizes."

"Like. . . ?"

"For example, I wield La Stella, the seventeenth card in the deck," The fortuneteller patiently starts. "The pointers or keys would be calmness, peace of mind, pure essence, serenity, and good will. And because I possess these characteristics, I pass the requirements and am able to make a contract."

Abelle pushes back his glasses, scowling at the same time. "I see." He remarked.

"These two men with me, have also made contracts with the Tarocco," she continues, "Alfieri here made a contract with Il Diavollo, the fifteenth card. Then Enzo made a contract with Il Carro, the seventh card. Actually, there are only five remaining cards. . ." the cards stop spinning and several hid away the pictures, leaving only five revealing their pictures. ". . because seventeen cards, including ours, have contracts already."

"Wait." Interrupts Abelle. "Why are we even obliged to make contracts with these cards?" He asks.

"Papa, the leader and head of the famiglia, wields the twenty-first card, Il Mondo. That card is the one powering all the cards while the other cards remain without contractors. It feeds on his energy and is slowly killing him, though we thought that the relationship between him and his Arcana changed, unfortunately it was only temporary."

"So you're trying to save him?"

"Yes. I owe him my life," The woman replies calmly, "Though these two gentlemen have never met him, they were willing to help. Will you agree to be contractors?"

Pietro nods, "Okay. I'll do it."

"What?!" Whispered a surprised Abelle. "You don't actually believe in this do you?!"

"I do," He replied, determined. "I still can't believe that you don't believe when we are practically standing in a mysterious chamber, right here, right now!"

"You're unbelievable."

"Besides, we came here to look for adventure! Some excitement!" He whispered. "Isn't this the perfect opportunity for such?"

Abelle sighs, "Damn you, Pietro." Growled the bespectacled man. "You know how I feel about excitement."

"We agree to make the contracts." Announced the young man.

She smiles, "There is only one condition though that you must remember when you want or need to do something beyond the cards normal doing when your feelings aren't strong yet: To gain something, you must lose something in exchange of the same value."

"We understand." Replies Abelle. "We accept the condition."

"Then we'll leave you to the cards."

The fortuneteller and her companions immediately disappear; leaving only the two to the cards that remained without contractors. Two cards came forward, suddenly separating the two men and brought them to a private room between the card and aspired contractor. There was a moment of silence before the card spoke to Abelle: "I am Il Gerofante, the fifth card. You pass the requiems I placed in demand: a man with knowledge, leadership, and power. I want you to be my contractor."

"Then I shall."

In the other room, Pietro stood bravely before the first card, Il Mago. He was standing with a determined look on his face, standing straight and quietly. "Do you accept these terms?" She asked.

"Y-Yes."

"Then from today onwards, you shall be my contractor—" an emblem suddenly forms on the back of his right hand, amking him gasp in awe. "—and may we get along."

"Likewise."

The room started to disappear and the men suddenly found themselves back in the room with the other three who grinned at them. They glance around and then examine the emblems that had formed on their bodies. Abelle's crest was found on his chest, and the man curiously stared at it in awe. The two friends suddenly heard clapping and see an overjoyed woman. The fortuneteller approaches the two and embraces them, making them blush furiously. "Congratulations! And that was rather quick I must say."

"Why are you giving them hugs when you didn't give me any?" Asked a disappointed Alfieri.

The woman grins, "Simple. They didn't ask for any," she replied, heading towards the door. "Anyway, I'll continue cooking—"

"I will handle that," Enzo interrupts, looking at her sternly. "Just relax for once."

"Thank you." She replies, deciding not to push. The man nods and leaves them. "Oh! I almost forgot. I'm Angelica by the way."

~~~

Yes!! I finally updated!!

Guys, sorry for the long wait, but I hope the chap made it up to you ^^

Please vote, comment, and follow!! :D

-Raita