Chapter 468: Boutique
"So what was that about?" Korra asked as we made our way down the street.
I shook my head, playing with a strand of my hair distractedly. I couldn’t get it out of my head either, even minutes after it happened. Everything since then had been a blur, overshadowed by my racing thoughts. I barely even remembered the woman returning and giving us a cloth-covered basket, now held in Gayron’s free hand, or Korra ushering me away from the crowd.
"Can you just give prophecies like that whenever now?" Gayron asked, eying me curiously, like I were some kind of shiny bauble.
"I... I don’t know," I admitted, my hair swaying around my shoulders as I shook my head in confusion. "It’s never happened like that before. At least, I don’t think so."
"Well, whatever it is, I think it’s cool," Korra said, grinning. "Let’s see Verity do that!"
I nodded absently, slipping into my thoughts as she led us down the bustling street. Giving that girl a prophecy had felt so natural, so right, the words flowing from me effortlessly. But there hadn’t been a strong visual element to it, which set it apart from any other vision I’d experienced. The prophecy had come as a series of impressions, feelings, and whispers. The words I’d used were my own, chosen to best fit the sensations I was receiving.
Looking back on it now, I realized I could have explained things better and given her something more concrete to hold onto. Perhaps this was a new skill I needed to develop. Interpreting my feelings had never been easy, but if I could offer people guidance without resorting to Haven and the risks associated with inviting someone into my soulspace, it might be worth the effort.
But did it truly matter now? My mood soured at the thought, my tail drooping to drag along the cobblestones. Investing in a skill I might not live long enough to use seemed pointless. It could only distract me from the things I could do, like studying the magic I’d need to ensure the future I’d witnessed never came to pass.
"This is it!"
I looked at Korra’s enthusiastic cry, finding us standing before a neat, tidy two-story building. The ash had been swept from the street in front of it, the grime scrubbed from its windows, revealing to us a view of beautiful dresses hanging on straw mannequins. The plain gray stone of the exterior walls had been painted a soft yellow, and several flower boxes brightened the ground around it, giving the entire store a cheerful look.
"The Silken Boutique," Korra said, sweeping her hand dramatically to the painted sign hanging above the double doors. "It’s pretty famous around here. Tana recommended we check it out if we ever made it this far."