Chapter Text
Klein was feeling down. Being a God was so tiring. He had to act constantly and he felt that he was becoming colder and colder. Sometimes he just wanted to blast the praying people to bits or twist their wishes until they regretted the day they were born. He was starting to doubt it was a bad idea and that alarmed him. At least he still realized his thoughts were bad by human standards.
He heard a ding. It was the alarm that signalled the start of the Tarot Club. He set it after he forgot it once and only the confused prayers of the members made him remember it. He was so embarrassed he told them something came up and he wasn’t available. He spent the next hour staring into the gray fog of Sefira Castle.
Without delaying it further he spread his spirituality and pulled everybody up amidst a burst of red light.
He thought it would be a regular meeting, but he failed to notice that forgot something again.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Fool!” - Ms. Justice greeted Klein in her cheerful manner. It instantly made him feel a little better.
Meanwhile Audrey immediately noticed two things. Mr Fool was acting strange. If ‘He’ wasn’t a God Audrey would have said ‘He’ was feeling down. The other thing was the absence of Mr. World.
‘Oh no! Did something happen to Mr. World that made Mr. Fool upset?’ - Audrey was trying to analyze the situation.
Alger also noticed these abnormalities and instantly started thinking. - ‘Could something important have happened since the last meeting? Will there be another earth-shattering event? Mr. World is usually involved in the highest priority cases.’
Next to him Derrick only noticed the absence of Mr. World. He was worried for the man who helped them get out of the Forsaken Land of God. He hoped Mr. World simply encountered some difficulties and was unable to attend.
Fors was both glad that the terrifying Mr. World was absent, but also worried. - 'If that powerful person is in trouble then it might be the end of the world. Again.'
Emlyn was a little disappointed. He wanted to ask Mr. World for help in his current mission, but that would have to wait now. He could pray to Mr. Fool and request a private exchange, but ‘He’ said ‘He’ was busy and didn’t have much time anymore, so Emlyn didn’t want to bother the deity.
Cattleya calmly observed the situation, but didn’t plan on interfering. She knew that Ms. Justice would be the spokesperson for all of them. If not then Little Sun would speak up. He was always too honest for his own good.
Leonard on the other hand was in a full blown panic.
‘Something happened to Klein! Why is Klein not here? He didn’t mention any difficulties lately. He should have written to me about it if he did. Was it something that came up today? Oh no! What if he is dead? I won’t be able to live with myself if I let something happen to Klein.’ - He was close to bursting into tears.
Meanwhile Xio was observing Mr. Star in case he worked himself into a panic attack. She also noticed the abnormalities, but she was more concerned about Mr. Star collapsing in front of her.
Klein calmly took in the people in front of him. He was a little confused about the reactions of the Tarot Club members, but he couldn’t figure out why. He was also getting a little worried about Leonard. - ‘Could he stop breathing even when only his astral projection was present?’
He watched as everybody exchanged glances until they came to some kind of agreement.
Ms. Justice stood up and cautiously started speaking. - “Are you alright Mr. Fool? Did something happen to Mr. World?”
Klein was confused. - “No, there is nothing wrong with…” - He started, but then he glanced at the seat of The World.
It was empty.
Damn, he forgot to conjure him. He really needed a break. He was so tired of pretending. He leaned forward and buried his face in his palms.
Everybody was taken aback by the casual gesture from Mr. Fool. ‘He’ was usually so aloof and dignified. Some of them were even terrified by this unusual behaviour. There was one thought in all of their minds. - ‘What could cause Mr. Fool to lose ‘His’ composure this badly? Could there be another apocalypse?’
“I forgot about him.” - Klein didn’t bother to make up a lie.
‘FORGOT ABOUT HIM?!?’ - The thought resounded in the minds of the Tarot members.
Except Leonard, he calmed down somewhat after hearing his friend was okay and only missing because of a misunderstanding.
Xio sighed and relaxed her vigilance. She was positive Mr. Star would not faint now that he knew Mr. World was not in trouble.
‘Is there something wrong with Mr. Fool?’ - Cattleya fearfully sneaked a glance at the God. - ‘Could ‘He’ be losing control?’
Alger was fearing the same. He was quite aware that deities could lose control too.
The rest of them were confused. - 'How could Mr. World be so easily forgotten? Wasn't he a Blessed of God?' - They were all ruminating this question, but Audrey noticed something else. Mr. Fool never answered her first question. She hesitated a little. She wanted to ask again, but maybe Mr. Fool didn’t wish to answer and purposefully ignored that question.
In the end she was still a psychologist at heart and couldn’t let it go. She bowed towards the head of the table. - “Mr. Fool, excuse me for being presumptuous, but you didn’t answer my first question. If you don’t wish to answer then forget I asked.”
‘What did she ask?’ - Klein was too embarrassed by his slip up to remember.
“What was the question?” - He didn't want to be rude, so he asked to clarify. Only after he did so, did he remember that his behaviour wasn’t befitting of a deity. Then he mentally shrugged. He couldn’t take it back now.
Audrey was surprised by Mr. Fool’s behaviour as well. He seemed more like a tired working class man than a deity.
The rest of the Tarot Club watched the interaction with bated breath. They were too afraid to interrupt. Even though Mr. Fool was a kind God, ‘He’ was still a God. They didn't dare question ‘Him’ like Ms. Justice, but they were just as curious.
‘Oh.’ - Klein stared at Ms. Justice dumbly. - ‘She is worried about me. I guess it’s fair. I would be worried about myself too. Sigh, she is a really reliable psychiatrist. She notices her patient’s problems even when said patient is playing a God.’
“I think my humanity is slipping.” - Klein answered honestly, ignoring the rest of the Club. It was easy since they were all deadly silent, too afraid to interrupt whatever this was.
‘Losing his humanity? Is that why he is acting this way? Is he trying to remind himself what it was like being a human?’ - Alger and Cattleya thought the same thing.
Meanwhile Audrey was constantly placating herself. - ‘I can’t believe it. I am treating the psychological problems of a God! Think Audrey, think! How could you help Mr. Fool. What is the most important part of being a human? Yes, that's it. Connections!’
She quickly summarised her thoughts and came up with a daring idea. - “Would you like a hug, Mr. Fool?” - She smiled like this was an ordinary suggestion.
‘You dare ask Mr. Fool for a hug?’ - Fors was scandalized.
Alger looked at Audrey like she was already a corpse and Xio looked away indicating she had nothing to do with this daring member of the Tarot Club.
“A hug?” - Klein was confused. How would that help anything?
Audrey wasn’t phased. If she was about to die at least she tried. - “Yes. An essential part of being human is connections. It could be family, friends, coworkers and such, but also physical connection like hugs.” - She didn't dare mention anything more intimate. That would be too blasphemous.
Klein thought about it and he felt like it made sense. He was starting to lose his connection to people, so a hug was probably a good idea. Finally he nodded. - “Okay.”
There were eight jaws on the floor. Klein quietly laughed. - ‘Can’t a God want to get hugs?’
Audrey quickly came out of her stupor and flashed her most brilliant smile. Her God was letting her hug ‘Him’. - “As you wish, Mr. Fool!”
She walked forward with an average speed, trying to look like this was not a big deal. Mr. Fool stood up, so she didn’t have to lean down and make it more awkward.
‘Mr. Fool is really considerate!’ - Audrey thought.
However she noticed something else that was hidden by the table until now far. The lower part of Mr. Fool was composed of thick tentacles. They constantly writhed and felt the gray fog around them. She heard Mr. Moon take in a sharp breath, but she didn’t react. It was reasonable that Mr. Fool couldn’t maintain a human form if ‘He’ was slipping.
She reached Mr. Fool and slowly pulled him into a hug.
Klein felt extremely embarrassed, but on the other hand the hug was nice. He could barely remember the last time he was hugged. He tried to recall it while he hugged Ms. Justice back.
It was on a night when he came home from work after he joined the Nighthawks. Melissa and Benson were studying together at the table. They stayed awake for him and even warmed his dinner for him because he was exhausted. They talked and laughed while Klein finished his food and before Klein went up to his room Benson pulled him into a hug.
“We are really proud of you, you know. We just miss you, that’s why we complain.”
It was so sudden Klein was rendered speechless. The next moment he felt Melissa wrap her arms around the both of them.
“Yeah, but you should be home more. I’ll start working as fast as I can so you can come home earlier.” - She stated confidently.
The memory made Klein recall his time with his siblings. He felt tears sliding down his face.
‘Is Mr. Fool crying?!?’ - Alger watched dumbfounded. He was the closest so he looked at the other members to see if they also noticed it. Based on their expressions they did. He looked at Ma’am Hermit to gauge her response. They locked eyes then she looked at the table, indicating that she didn’t see anything she wasn’t supposed to.
Emlyn, Fors and Xio followed her lead and they also reverted their eyes from the scene.
Derrick wanted to do something to help ‘Him’, but he didn’t know how. He could only follow the other’s example and look away, giving his God some privacy.
Leonard was still caught up in the fact that Klein was okay, so as much as he was shocked, there were other things on his mind.
Meanwhile, Klein felt that something was missing. He instinctively reached out to the rest of the Tarot Club.
When Alger felt a tentacle tap him on the shoulder he almost screamed and jumped out of his seat. - ‘Why would Mr. Fool do that? Does he want me to join the hug?’
Next to him Derrick was feeling the opposite. He also felt a tap on his shoulder and he reasoned that this was Mr. Fool’s way of allowing them to help him. He immediately stood up and walked over to Mr. Fool and Ms. Justice. He was much bigger than both of them, so he easily enveloped the two figures in his arms.
Audrey was at first surprised by the sudden addition to the hug, but then she noticed a tentacle tightly wrap around Little Sun’s torso and she understood. Mr Fool was the one who asked him to join.
Seeing Mr. Fool’s reaction, the rest of the Tarot Club became braver and they all stood up. Every one of them felt the tap on their shoulder, but they were too afraid to act. They thought hugging a God was bordering blasphemy.
Klein on the other hand was delighted. He felt like he was back in Tingen being hugged by his siblings after a tiring day at work. He felt that connection to his past and his memories and reminded himself why he chose this path. That deep down he was just an average human being. He was really grateful for the Tarot Club members.
After an undefined amount of time later Klein pulled back. He wiped his tears away with his hands. He could have easily made the tears disappear with a thought, but emotions were human and he wanted to remain human.
The rest of the Tarot Club also let go one after another as they felt the tentacles loosen around them. They all watched as the tentacles slowly receded and disappeared under ‘His’ robe. ‘He’ looked fully human again.
Ms. Justice also pulled back and tried not to stare, but Klein saw her curiosity. She stood in front of him looking at the ‘floor’ of Sefira castle.
She reminded Klein of his little sister, so he gently cupped her face. - “Thank you Ms. Justice. I really needed this hug.” - Then he kissed her forehead.
Audrey couldn’t describe how she felt. Mr. Fool thanked her and he even kissed her! She had the urge to hug him again, but she restrained it.
She bravely looked up at Mr. Fool whose features were blurred even from this close and smiled at ‘Him’. - “I’m happy I could help.”
Klein nodded and stepped back. He was ready to get back to the meeting and pretend that nothing happened, but he felt Little Sun hover next to him. He recalled that he was really eager to join the hug just now. He probably felt left out a little.
The others already backed out so Klein didn’t feel bad about playing favourites. He glided over to Little Sun and reached up to cup his face too.
Derrick eagerly leaned down when Mr. Fool pulled his face to ‘His’ level. He felt Mr. Fool plant a soft kiss on his forehead too. He never imagined he would earn the same favour as Ms. Justice did, after all she was the one who came up with the idea of a hug.
Derrick felt really close to Mr. Fool since ‘He’ was the one who led his people out of the Forsaken Land of God, but he knew he was just a member of the Tarot Club to 'Him' and he never expected to get special treatment.
“Thank you too, Little Sun.” - Klein said. He was aware that the others only joined in because Little Sun was brave enough to act first.
The smile Klein got in return was well worth his breaking of character. - “Any time Mr. Fool.”
Everybody returned to their seats. The rest of the members were a little envious of Ms. Justice and Little Sun, but they understood why they received special attention. Both of them believed in Mr. Fool wholeheartedly from the very first moment. The rest of them were already experienced enough to be a little weary of a new God. In the beginning they all had their doubts.
To their surprise Mr. Fool didn’t stop. He looked at them one after another. They all felt bare under ‘His’ gaze, but it wasn’t invasive. It was like Mr. Fool saw them for who they were and accepted them. - “Thank you all, for helping me.”
They all felt lucky to serve such a kind God, to be part of this special gathering.
After everybody collected their thoughts they resumed the meeting as usual. Nothing out of the ordinary happened for the rest of the gathering and after saying farewell they were sent back by Mr. Fool.
Klein felt a lot calmer than in a long time.
“Ms. Justice really knows how to treat any patient.” - He praised Ms. Justice’s insight on the matters of the mind.
“Let’s hope it lasts. Maybe I’ll make group hugs a part of the future Tarot Clubs.” - Klein mused.