KC was positively beaming as he walked out of the store if the small boutique, large back full of items in one hand, cell phone in the other.  Today was procurement day, probably the young mutants favorite day of the week.  It was the day that Star sent him out to relive many of the local shops of their odds and ends that would sale well in her own store, In Goddess We Trust.  Most of the owners knew Star, and by extension KC and were happy to do business with her.  Star always let customers know where the more rare finds came from, and many customers were willing to pay nicely for custom items.  So KC hopped from one store to the next, getting pagan based art pieces from this place, home grown herbs and medicinal plants from there, and properly sourced gemstones from another.  The store KC just stepped out of was an art boutique ran by a very open French couple, the husband who look so similar to Charles Michael Davis that KC had to stop himself from starring and drooling every time he saw the man, had finally finished a set of tarot cards based largely on the Stormlight Archive books by Brandon Sanderson.  They had been a special order made by KC almost a year ago and the set was finally done.  In the bag were also tarot decks done by the couple featuring figures and arcana of different ethnic backgrounds, it was still hard to find decks that featured Black and Brown people, and some different depictions of Goddesses.  KC knew they would fly off the shelves, which was fine by him as it meant he would be coming back to the store all the sooner and get to look at the work of art that was the owner.  One more than one occasion the French couple had made their own intentions and desires known, but even with how attractive KC found the husband, he told them both, as he had reiterated today:

"Sugar-foot, now matter how you do the math, I am never the one to play second fiddle." 

The husband had only laughed, with a look that told KC he had taken the statement as a challenge.  KC had collected his things and high-tailed it out of the store before his closely held modesty crumbled before that look. 

"I aint no Vestal Virgin" he thought to himself as the brisk air curved over his body, failing to find a way past the grey button up paired with a white cardigan accented with gold trim, to the brown skin beneath. 


If there was one thing KC truly disliked it was the cold, at least during waking hours.  Year round he slept with a fan on, could not sleep in even warm conditions.  Yet during the day, it was as if the cold sapped his strength, will, good humor, and common sense.  It just made him irritated for no reason, which is why he probably was not paying attention as he stepped out unto the sidewalk preparing to head back to the shop with his purchased treasures. 

The end of the final Fall semester was there at last. Rhia had finished her last final for the semester and was celebrating with a little shopping trip to treat herself. Maybe find some trashy food to eat before she gets back to training. Just because the semester was over didn’t mean she could slack off. Women’s powerlifting was seriously competitive.

Four years in New York City and Rhia still wasn’t used to the cold. She didn’t hate it or anything, but it just drug on for so long and the snow always turned gray. At least back home the snow stayed white before it melted later that afternoon or the next day. However, she was able to get away with less layers than most people wandering around the city. She was like a little furnace. So she often found herself, much like that day, with a much thinner jacket than everyone around her and a short skirt. While anatopic in the city, Rhia wore her cowgirl boots. They tied the whole outfit together and were a nice splash of character in the otherwise mostly business and big coats that dominated the city in December.

Still riding the high from the feeling that she had crushed her last Final, Rhia found herself dancing through the streets. Stepping with an excited grace and weaving around people. She didn’t yet know what she was shopping for but knew she was going to find something.

Looking across the street, Rhia caught sight of a store she thought she might have to stop in. This turn of the head kept her from seeing that someone had walked out of a store and onto the sidewalk right in front of her.

”Oh, I’m so sorry!” Rhia said she obliviously walking right into the man.

The jolt of the pump quickly brought KC's mind back to the present, and away from dream French men and irritation at the cold.  It took but a brief second for him to turn to the young woman, a look a surprise on his face.  Not at the collision, but at the fact that she stopped and apologized.  In his experience. New Yorkers were not known for niceties and sidewalk etiquette.  It was one of the things that made him miss Maryland, a state still close enough to the south to get some people who knew a little something of southern hospitality and manners...sometimes.

Ok sis! he thought to himself as he gave her a quick once over.  Maybe she wasn't from the city either, she certainly didn't dress it.  Most of the time it seemed to KC that the people in the city had two colors in their repertoire, black and dark charcoal.  This girl stuck out like a sore thumb, and in KC's opinion that was perfectly alright and desirable.  

"Ain't not need to apologize to me boo.  I wasn't bit more paying attention to where I was going.  But when you got a man with the body of a Greek god, the smile of Lucifer, dipped in chocolate and speaking French trying to get your cookies, you run like was  Simba was running trying to get away from them ugly moose things and you don't look back!" KC exclaimed, his tone playful.  "Man like that will have you in jail or in the crazy house, and I'm not built Ford tough to be in either"

KC took his cellphone and put it in the coat of his cardigan while he adjusted the bag in his hand, giving a quick glance to make sure none of the merchandise was messed up, especially his deck of custom cards. 

"That was completely my fault."

Rhia had stumbled back a step, Rather embarrassed by having just walked right into someone. To make it worse he had bags in his hands. Blessedly Rhia had not bowled him over or caused him to drop whatever he had been carrying. Knowing her luck, whatever was in the bags would have broken had she knocked it to the ground.

A second blessing was the man wasn’t even mad. That was not the first time Rhia had walked into someone on the street but it was one of the few times the person didn’t give her an earful.

However, it was a first for the person not giving her an earful to go on talking about chocolate Greek Gods who had the smile of the light-bringer.

”I… Yeah.” Rhia said, taking a moment to try and parse the statement. It didn’t help that she was still feeling embarrassed.

When he finally said that it was completely his fault, Rhia jumped in, ”Oh, no. It was totally my fault, I was looking across the street and one partner short of outright dancin’ down the sidewalk. I didn’t damage anythin’ bumping into you did I?” Rhia asked, as she finally started forcing down her embarassment

KC's interest in the young woman piqued even more as he was able to really take in her accent.  So much of his family was from the south, he recognized the twang immediately, though he could not place it.  And if there was one thing about southerners, they were quite proud of where they were from and took serious offense to being misplaced.  Tell a North Carolinian they were from South Carolina you better watch your back for a while.  

"Chile its all good boo.  Nothing in here was glass or anything else, just a bunch of tarot decks and some art to sell at the shop" he said as he continued to sift quickly through the bag.  "And a special deck I ordered a year ago that I can't wait to get home and see how the read me for blood, the cards hate me, especially when it comes to love and money." 

KC adjusted everything in the bag back to a relatively secure arrangement and stood straight to look at the young woman again, grinning "People say you shouldn't read for yourself, because you'll try and interpret the cards to give you the best outcome, but not matter how I do it the cards always tell me you is broke, you is lonely, you is stressed" KC said parodying a popular line from a movie about Black domestic help during Jim Crow.

"Anyway, where are you from boo, if that isn't too nosey?" he asked. "Cause you definitely don't dress dull like the folks from the city, and that accent is definitely giving me mint julip tea, steel magnolias, and peach cobbler."

The grin on his face hopefully took out any sting the words might carry.  To say the young mutants language was colorful was a definite understatement.  Those who knew him knew the difference between playful KC who use sarcasm and shade for humor, and angry KC who read for blood, as he stated, and determined to lacerate the sources of his agitation verbally.  Those who weren't familiar with him oftentimes could not tell the difference between the two states. 

Rhia’s worries were assuaged. The man told her nothing was glass, just tarot cards and art. That interested Rhia. She had never seen anyone use tarot cards in real life before. It had all been tv and movies.

”Okay. Good, as long as you’re sure it’s all alright. I’d hate to have ruined something you’d planned to resell.” Rhia said with a soft smile.

The man told Rhia that he often used the cards on himself. Rhia found that odd, for the reason the man stated, but she had to chuckle at how the man said he actually interpreted the cards. ”I’m hearing that either you shouldn’t do a reading for me because you see bad outcomes or I should really trust if you do a reading for me ‘cause you’ll even see the truth for yourself.” Rhia said it in a joking tone that had a nice through line of sincerity. It would be fun to have her future or whatever read in the cards.

”Oh. Where are my manners.” Rhia said with her hands on her hips before offering the man one. ”Howdy, I’m Rhiannon and I’m from Austin, Texas so I’d say my accent is probably more sweet tea, brisket, and a plate full of overstuffed tacos.” If a bit more metropolitan than the surrounding area. West Lake Hills was far more monied Southwest than it was the South of South by Southwest, but the South still carried a little influence in her speech. ”And where are you from? I can’t place your accent.”

KC gave a quick laugh, southern folk liked their sweet tea, and honestly so did he.  If he was being even more honest he had a serious sweet tooth that was probably unhealthy.  Secretly he put sugar on things that most people would gawk and gag at, like fried rice and certain pastas.  

"I'm KC, that's just K and C, not Casey" he told her, hating when people got it wrong.  "My accent is a little this and a little that, but I'm from Hanover, Maryland.  Right outside of Baltimore, but closer to DC than they are.  Thank the Goddess I didn't inherit that ratchet accent, like most of my family. Sounding like something straight out of The Wire or worse."

It wasn't that KC didn't love his family, he adored them.  It was just that he was different from basically everyone in his family, except his paternal grandmother whom he barely remembered but everyone said he had the spirit of.  Mainly her quick whit and sharp tongue.  Often KC wished she was still alive, so he would have at least one blood relative he felt some similarities too. 

Deciding to think on lighter topics, KC reached down into the bag and pulled out one of the tarot decks, this one with an overall motif of Polynesian culture and peoples.  

"Now boo the cards don't read for me, and least I can't get them to tell me where my husband coming from, the numbers to the Mega Millions, or how to buy stocks and turn it into a million dollars within 30 days" he said, only somewhat jokingly.  He had actually pulled the cards trying to get answers to each of those questions. "But I am very good at reading for other folks.  I read down at In Goddess We Trust every Friday if you ever want me to pull some cards for you" he offered.

KC replaced the deck of cards in the bag and then fished a small black glossy business card out of his pocket.  Blazing across the front was a filigreed triple moon symbol in silver and white with the name of shop and the words Spiritual Oasis Open To All, in bright gold on the back of the card the shop's address was in simple block font with the words KC - Reader For All: Tarot, Astrology, Numerology in flowing script and beneath that in small print "Mutants Are Children of the Goddess Too".  

"You decide to stop by, you bring that card and I'll give you the stranger I bumped into discount" he said laughing, offering the card to her. 

The man introduced himself as KC, clarifying it was initials not Kasey. Rhia assumed KC was not a fan of the confusion. That was fair enough, she assumed she wouldn’t like it if people always confused her name with something else. The worst she ever got was someone unfamiliar with the name at all despite it being a once popular song and a Welsh goddess… That or when someone said, “Like the singer?”

Rhia did laugh at the mention of the accent of where KC was from being ratchet. To her that was a good way to describe virtually all accents north of Virginia. ”Amen to that.”

KC joked about the cards not reading where he’d get a husband from, or how he could make his millions. To that Rhia smiled, that would be nice if the cards would tell that. Rhia thought she could certainly use a few extra millions from a reading. When KC offered to read cards for her, Rhia jumped at the chance.

”Oh! I would love that.” If tarot card reading was real she could know some of her future. If they weren’t she would still have fun. Either way she won. ”An’ I’ve never heard of In Goddess We Trust.” Rhia pulled out her phone and mapped it’s location as she spoke. ”I might have to pay you a visit.”

Then KC handed Rhia a card. She looked it over. It was one of the nicer business cards she had seen. What was most interesting was the small print saying mutants were the children of the goddess too.

”I’ll have to. Can’t throw away a ‘stranger you bumped into discount.” Rhia said with a smile, ”And I can’t not visit a place that so boldly accepts mutants.” She also couldn’t not visit places that hated mutants, though that was more so she could have some fun at their expense. Probably setting back the cause but it certainly was cathartic.

KC smiled, happy to know that Rhiannon was ok with an occult shop that was open to mutants.  KC was currently the only mutant who worked there, but Star was very adamant that her shop was welcoming and a safe space.  It also made since from a financial standpoint.  Wicca and Witchcraft had always been a belief and praxis that attracted the marginalized communities of the world, and mutant kind was no different.  There was no small number of mutants who frequented the shop, to buy odds and ends, just to hang around, or leave petitions and prayers at the shrine of the Mother.  It was how KC had first found the shop himself.  Now it was like his second home, a place he had come to love and would defend with everything he had.  

As Rhiannon took the card, something sparked in KCs mind.  Rhiannon was the name of a Welsh goddess.  KC was not too familiar with Her, leaning more towards the Egyptian deities and the Orishas of the African Diaspora.  Still, there were several decks dedicated specifically to Rhiannon and a lot of young witches claimed to have a special connection with Her. 

"Goddess are you trying to tell me something?" KC thought to himself.

"Oh yes" he responded out loud "Everyone is welcome at the shop, especially mutants.  Lady Star, the owner, even hires the really cute ones to run her shop and do her procurements" he said, winking. 

”Oh?” Rhia had a naughty grin on her face, ”Is that where you were headed?” Rhia asked. It could be worth changing her plans for the afternoon.

”Are you heading there now? I just finished with finals and was rewarding myself with some shopping. In Goddess We Trust sounds like as good a place as any to start my shopping.”

KC smiled and laughed as he adjusted the bag in one hand and crooked the elbow of the other arm towards Rhiannon.

"As it just so happens I am headed there to drop these things off and check the stock of our crystals.  It's not that far, and there can be nothing better than walking the streets with a southern sis serving a look that is definitely going to turn some heads" he told her. 

If there was one thing that KC enjoyed, it was turning a look and turning heads, if for nothing else just to ignore them, unless it came from a nice looking guy or two.  Besides that KC enjoyed introducing new potential customers to the shop, and the little occult family that he had created for himself.  The store, it's staff and their patrons were all incredibly important to KC, especially the mutant kind.  KC's dream was to one day own the shop, when Lady Star decided to retire.  Along with that he wanted to start a legal advocacy firm specific to serving mutants in their legal woes.  

"I'll warn you now boo, some of the staff and folks are a bit...eccentric, but they're harmless I promise.  Just really...free and unrestrained" he said with a bit of a nervous chuckle.