Celeste: "The Fool. Don't be offended, it's actually a good card! Though I suppose all cards are up for interpretation..."
Celeste Social Link - The Moon 1
Hell is empty
Celeste
“There you are! You’re the new dishwasher, right? Goodness, I was hoping you could pass for 18… Maybe if people squint. Eh, whatever. Most people here are too drunk to notice you’re too young to work here anyways. Welcome on board! My name’s Celeste. You’re Yon, right?”
You nod. You hadn’t expected your new manager to call out the fact she hired someone too young to work at a bar so quickly, but at least it means she’s aware and she won’t fire you just because of that.
She shows you where everything is and puts you to work. You didn’t expect you’d be washing everything by hand, but it turns out that is what you’ll be doing. The sweet smell of liquor makes you feel a little nauseous at first, but you get used to it rather quickly. What you don’t get used to is how many customers try to hit on Celeste. You wonder if it bothers her, though she seems to play each one off effortlessly.
You have some time to talk when the time comes to close up.
She shows you where everything is and puts you to work. You didn’t expect you’d be washing everything by hand, but it turns out that is what you’ll be doing. The sweet smell of liquor makes you feel a little nauseous at first, but you get used to it rather quickly. What you don’t get used to is how many customers try to hit on Celeste. You wonder if it bothers her, though she seems to play each one off effortlessly.
You have some time to talk when the time comes to close up.
Celeste
“So you recently moved here, huh? How are you finding it?”
This is a question you’ve been asked a dozen times at this point, so you give the same response as usual.
Celeste
“I guess there isn’t much to say for Grey Springs. It’s your standard small town. At least we’ve got a decent bus connection to the city.”
Celeste asks you a little bit about where you lived before, and if you’ve been to the city yet. You give her short answers; you’re very tired. It doesn’t take her long to catch on, and she tells you to go home a little early to catch up on some sleep. She advises you to take a nap before your next shift, but that she’s happy you’ve come to help out.
You feel a faint bond forming between you two.
You feel a faint bond forming between you two.
Celeste Social Link - The Moon 2
You walk into the bar and Celeste excitedly waves you over. Once you get behind the bar she holds up a pack of cards, the backs are facing you. They're black, with intricate linework in gold.
Celeste
"Go on, pick one!"
Celeste: "The Moon! What a coincidence, I actually pulled it myself earlier today."
Celeste: "The World, but it's upside down. I actually don't know what that means... The meaning of the card changes when it's inverted, you see."
She stares at the card for a little bit, before putting it on top of the rest of the deck and putting it away. She gives you an apologetic look.
Celeste
"I don't actually know how to read Tarot cards. I just think they look cool. I guess I'm a total poser. But it's still kind of fun to pull a card anyway, don't you think?"
Customers start coming in and you begin work. The card stays on your mind, it seems almost uncanny that you would pull one from the deck that actually means something to you. Ever since making the pact with Abramelin the Arcana have been given new meaning to you (though you have to admit to yourself you didn't think much of it before then), and you can't help but wonder if Celeste picking cards for fun actually influences her life without her knowing.
It's a quiet evening, and clean up doesn't take long. After the last customer has gone home, Celeste turns to you, leaning her elbows on the edge of the bar.
It's a quiet evening, and clean up doesn't take long. After the last customer has gone home, Celeste turns to you, leaning her elbows on the edge of the bar.
Celeste
"Hey sleepyhead. You look like you've got your head in the clouds, what's on your mind?"
You tell her that you've been thinking about the cards (without mentioning the supernatural aspects, of course).
Celeste
"I didn't take you for a spiritual type!" She picks up the deck again, and studies the cards. "I honestly just picked this deck because I think the illustrations are pretty. I've been meaning to learn what all the cards mean and memorize it, but I haven't found the time to do it." she sighs. "To be fair, I kind of only use them as a neat party trick. Do you think that's disrespectful?"
You say you're not really sure. To your knowledge the cards aren't associated with a specific religion, so it's probably not offensive to use the cards that way. You begin to wonder if you should learn more about them; if that would help you in the Other World.
Celeste
"I think I read somewhere they started of as playing cards for a game. Kind of like ouija boards are originally just a toy, but now people really try to use them to talk to ghosts. Have you ever done that before? I did that once at a party too, but it was a total bust." She rolls her eyes. "People just moved the planchette to spell out nonsense or ask dirty questions. Then again, I don't know what I expected people to do at a party. It's not like anyone would take it seriously in a context like that."
You ask her why she used a ouija board if she knew it's just a toy. It sounded like she thought it might actually work. She gives a slightly awkward chuckle.
Celeste
"I mean... I'm not sure. I guess I don't believe the board itself does anything, but maybe if you try to talk to spirits, they might respond, you know? I've heard things about spirits feeding on your energy to sustain themselves, to stay in our world, so maybe the board doesn't do anything but just trying to talk to a spirit is enough to bring them to you." she turns a little pink. "So... Maybe I believe spirit boards work, just not in the sense people usually think they do."
You say you think it might be fun to try sometime, simply because you never have. You don't know if you believe they work, but the experience might still be exciting.
Celeste
"Oh! I still got mine lying around somewhere in my apartment, I'll try to dig it out! We could do it here after work!" She sounds far more excited than you'd expected. It makes you feel happy about having suggested it.
You both look at the clock and realise it is far later than you expected. You hurriedly say goodbye to Celeste as you make your way home. You wonder if she will bring the board for your next shift.
Celeste Social Link - The Moon 3
You close the door to the bar behind you, feeling kind of excited about the idea of using a spirit board with Celeste after your shift. You don't bring it up with her however, as you don't want her to know how excited you really are. You don't want her to think you're a dork.
The shift passes as normal, you wash many glasses and Celeste prepares many drinks. About half an hour before closing a young man enters the bar and sits right in front of Celeste. Your station faces away from the bar, so you can't see him, but you hear him occassionally chat to Celeste as she continues to serve other customers. His voice sounds familiar, but you can't place it.
The shift passes as normal, you wash many glasses and Celeste prepares many drinks. About half an hour before closing a young man enters the bar and sits right in front of Celeste. Your station faces away from the bar, so you can't see him, but you hear him occassionally chat to Celeste as she continues to serve other customers. His voice sounds familiar, but you can't place it.
(note: this Social Link plays out slightly differently depending on if you also work at the convenience store. I've written this link with the idea that you are, and that you've completed at least the first Social Link associated with working there.)
When your shift is over and you've cleaned and put away the last glass, you turn around to talk to Celeste. To your surprise you find the customer at the bar is still there, and it's Gabriel, the manager of the convenience store. He looks at you with slight alarm, before his expression turns to his usual haughtiness.
When your shift is over and you've cleaned and put away the last glass, you turn around to talk to Celeste. To your surprise you find the customer at the bar is still there, and it's Gabriel, the manager of the convenience store. He looks at you with slight alarm, before his expression turns to his usual haughtiness.
Gabriel
"You work here, too? Are you a fan of evening shifts, or something?"
Celeste
"He's in school, Angelface! When else is he supposed to work?"You fail to supress a snicker. Gabriel is staring daggers at you. Angelface...? Celeste calls Gabriel "Angelface"???
Gabriel
"Isn't he too young to work at a bar," he stammers. His face is so red it almost matches the shirt he is wearing. He's not looking at you, or Celeste. You think he would rather disappear, but since he can't, he's trying to steer away from the subject of his embarrassing nickname.
Celeste
"He is, actually. But I know you won't rat me out to the higher ups, right? All I have him do is wash dishes, he doesn't even touch any of the bottles. Besides, don't you shove your little crony into a closet every time inspection comes around?"
Gabriel clears his throat. He seems to be regaining his composure somewhat.
Gabriel
"That's true, though Julian's sixteen now, so I don't have to hide him anymore. But he's kinda short so I'm worried they might think he's too young, anyway."
Celeste laughs. You can tell Gabriel feels a little relieved at that.
Celeste
"That's mean! You shouldn't do that to him. If they're worried about his age you've got his ID on file, right?" she turns to you. "I'd never shove you into a closet. I have a heart, unlike Gabriel."
Gabriel
"I'm just careful, that's all." He looks at you again. "Isn't his shift over? Shouldn't he go home? Doesn't he have school in the morning?"
Every question feels as if he's trying to push you out of the door. It makes you want to stay longer.
You ask Celeste about the ouija board.
You ask Celeste about the ouija board.
Celeste
"Oh yeah! I actually brought it in earlier, because I didn't want to forget about it. Do you want to try it now?"
Gabriel rolls his eyes.
Gabriel
"Don't tell me you believe in this nonsense."
Celeste
"Aw, don't be so joyless, it'll be fun!"
She takes the board out from under the bar and puts it down on one of the nearby tables. She gestures you to join her. Gabriel does as well, despite his obvious distaste for the game.
Celeste
"Okay, it's pretty simple. Everyone puts a finger of each hand on the planchette, and then you ask a question. Oh, and we gotta say goodbye at the end.
You dutifully put your index fingers on the little wooden triangle in the middle of the board, as does Celeste. Gabriel sits at the table with his arms crossed, staring at your fingers as if he's expecting you to break the rules so he can call you out.
Celeste looks at him with a raised eyebrow.
Celeste
Come on Angelface, you can't just sit there. You gotta touch the planchette, or the spirits might get angry.
At the mention of his nickname you see something flicker in Gabriel's expression, possibly shame? Or is it something else? Either way, he begrudgingly sticks out his right hand and puts his index finger on the planchette. He puts his other hand on his chin, as if he's trying to convey his annoyance as obviously as possible.
Celeste
Good. I think at first, we're supposed to ask if anyone is there...
Neither you or Gabriel say anything. You kind of expected Celeste to take the lead here. Gabriel likely doesn't want to speak because he thinks the spirit board is stupid.
Celeste
She clears her throat. "Um, hello. Is there anyone here with us?"
It takes a few seconds, but you feel a slight tug on the planchette under your finger. You follow its movement as it shifts to the large "YES" on the left side of the board. You're not sure if one of you is pushing it along, or if maybe even you are moving it simply because you want it to move, but Celeste seems pretty excited; her eyes have grown wide. Her hand that she's using to hold the planchette is trembling a little.
Celeste
"Are you a friendly spirit?"
Nothing happens, the planchette remains on the word "YES".
Gabriel
"Oh what a relief." His voice is dripping with sarcasm.
Celeste
"If you don't take this seriously I'm putting a curse on you."
Gabriel
"Please do, I'd rather watch you try to do that than sit here while he moves this disk around." He shoots you a disapproving look.
Celeste
She sighs. "Fine, be that way. Just don't leave until we've said goodbye, please. For my sake. Because I'm your friend and I'm asking you to."
Gabriel grumbles something. He stays put.
Celeste
"Sorry about that. Is there anything you would like to ask the spirits, Yon?"
Nothing happens.
Celeste: Hm... Maybe its struggling to write it out with the numbers available.
Gabriel: It looks pretty straightforward to me.
Celeste: It could give us a number, but then we still wouldn't know if its days ago, or years, or decades...
Gabriel: Or maybe... There's nothing here.
The planchette once again does not move.
Gabriel opens his mouth to say something, but abruptly closes it when he realises Celeste is staring daggers at him.
Celeste: "Yon! You shouldn't ask a spirit something like that, it's dangerous." She's smiling.
Gabriel: "Ha-ha, you're so funny."
Gabriel: "Expect a lot of late night shifts at the grocery store in your future."
Celeste
"Hm, maybe we should ask it something where we know the answer is 'no', or at least the question can't be answered with 'yes'... Maybe something like 'where are you from'."
Despite the fact that Celeste was still thinking about what question to ask, the planchette starts moving. It easily flows between three letters, H - E - R. Then it seems to linger between the letter R and E.
Gabriel
"...Her?"
Celeste
"Here, maybe?"
Gabriel
"Maybe if you pushed it a little harder you could've spelled 'here' correctly." He looks at you, his expression smug.
You don't know why he's so adamant you're cheating. You wonder if Gabriel himself is pushing the planchette around and blaming you for it. Besides, it's possible Celeste is playing a prank on you both, who's to say she really believes it works?
Celeste
"...Did you like living here?" She sounds kind of half hearted asking the question.
Gabriel
"Hey, wait. Why don't you let me ask a question? You let him ask one."
Celeste
She narrows her eyes. "What do you think? Why do you want to anyway, I thought you thought this was all BS?"
Gabriel
"It's not very fair, that's all."
Celeste
"Fine. Ask a question then."
Gabriel
"You're supposed to ask about your future, right? I'm pretty sure that's the original intent of the game."
Celeste
"I don't think you should call it a game..."
Gabriel
"But it is a game. I'm pretty sure these boards are still owned by a massive boardgame company."
Celeste
"Spirits haunt regular items all the time! And this board is old, so you should be careful."
Gabriel
He sighs deeply and closes his eyes, his eyebrows raised. He lightly shakes his head before opening his eyes again and opening his mouth to finally ask a question. "Fine. I'll speak just for myself then, if you're so scared. Why don't you show us you're here by... Oh I don't know, cursing me?"
He looks up as he speaks, as if he's talking to something far above you. Celeste's face has darkened, but she doesn't say anything.
The planchette does not move.
The planchette does not move.
Gabriel
"Oh come on, I'm not asking for much. Just do something. At least put the wooden thingy on a letter, it's annoying me that it's sat pointing at nothing right now."
Celeste
"You can't force-"
Suddenly the planchette moves with such violence its momentarily ripped from Gabriel's fingers. He tries to put his hand back on but it's moving so fast he's struggling to keep up.
G - E - T - F - E - D - A - N
None of you speak as it moves rapidly across the board. You can't look up at Celeste to check on her or you might risk losing your grip on the small wooden disk, all you know is you're not putting any strength into it, you're just following the planchette's almost unnaturally stilted and quick movements.G - E - L - F - A
Gabriel
"You're fucking kidding," he says under his breath. You're a little shocked to hear him swear.C - E
The planchette stops moving. Gabriel tries to pull his hand away, but Celeste grabs it and holds it down onto the planchette.
Celeste
"Th-thank you. Goodbye!"
She lets go of his hand, and Gabriel quickly pulls it back, then folds his arms in front of him.
Gabriel
"'Get Fed'? What the hell is that even supposed to mean?" He once again looks at you. You shrug. You're tired of his accusations.
Celeste
She poorly supresses a giggle. "I don't think it said get 'fed'."
It takes him a second, then realisation dawns on his face.
Celeste
"Oh. That's... creative."
Celeste
"You did ask it to curse you... And it sort of did, if maybe not in the sense you expected."
Gabriel
"Yeah I guess we were dealing with a pretty foul mouthed ghost, huh..." He gets up. "I should go. So should you, it's a school night." It seems he's suddenly in a hurry to get out.
Celeste
She nods. "It is very late." She smiles at you. "Thanks for indulging me. I had fun!"
You grab your things and head for the door, Gabriel in tow. When you close the door of the bar behind you, he grabs your arm.
Gabriel
"Hoshizora."
The look on his face is intense. Gabriel is not a particularly intimidating man, but you still feel a sense of alarm briefly course through you."
Gabriel
"Don't tell anyone about that nickname. If I find out you told Julian, I'll..." He thinks for a moment, struggling to think of a proper threat. "Well, you'll regret it."
You pull your arm loose. You tell him you won't tell Julian, if only so he'll leave you alone. Gabriel walks off in a huff after bidding you a good night. It's funny how he's a stickler for proper manners even in situations like this.
As you walk home you think about the experience with the spirit board. You know you didn't move the planchette, and it's impossible Gabriel moved it for the final answer as his hand wasn't touching it for half the word. Still, Celeste seemed to take it so seriously... Did she really break the rules to curse out Gabriel? You're considering asking her on your next shift, you can't get it off your mind.
As you walk home you think about the experience with the spirit board. You know you didn't move the planchette, and it's impossible Gabriel moved it for the final answer as his hand wasn't touching it for half the word. Still, Celeste seemed to take it so seriously... Did she really break the rules to curse out Gabriel? You're considering asking her on your next shift, you can't get it off your mind.