showing one's hand

Pihu

Pihu eyed the statue at the end of the pier from a distance. In her hands, she held a deck of cards. While she examined the shrine, she shuffled the deck idly, flipping cards across her knuckles as she did. Finally, she pushed off the wall she'd been lounging against to head down the dock.

Kneeling before the shrine, she set the deck of cards down before the shrine. The wind picked up, so she rested one finger on the deck to prevent it from blowing away. "Ludo, I was wondering if I might have a moment of your time. I brought you some cards to play with."

They say these are the golden years
But I wish I could disappear

Perhaps it's the shrine Pihu decides to visit, but they really don't seem to enjoy her presence here. A strange breeze snickers around the thief, sending the cards spraying from her hands to land in a mess around the statue and plopping into the water. She will feel no different... not yet.

---

Uh oh! Pihu has been cursed! For the rest of the season, anything she tries to steal will stick to her hands until she returns it to its rightful owner.

Pihu

As the breeze sprang up and sent the cards Pihu had brought scattering to, well, the wind (and the water) she cursed under her breath. Scrambling to pick the remaining ones up, she shook her head. "That's alright. Maybe next time?" Sighing, she shuffled the deck once again.

Then she turned and left the shrine behind. She couldn't resist one last glance at the statue. There was still no sign of the Herald, though. Shaking her head, she slipped her hands into her pockets. Grimacing, she was soon lost in the crowd. Clearly, she needed to change her approach, though she didn't know what she could do to get a different result.

-FIN

They say these are the golden years
But I wish I could disappear