#i literally just listed two of my tarot decks and i’m already nervous

[artificialqueens]

Gold Dust Woman Ch. 2 (Shalaska) - Citrus

A/N: thank you so much to everyone who’s given me positive feedback on this fic! it makes me so happy, and definitely motivates me to write more. as always, you can find me at @pianowired, and enjoy chapter two!

When Sharon woke up the next morning, she felt good for all of two whole seconds before a mountain of guilt came crashing down on her. She’d left Alaska with nothing but a business card to her shop! A fucking business card! She’d probably never see the blonde again. Dragging a hand through her hair with a sigh, she got up to get dressed for work; she and Jinkx needed to unload their faire setup out of the van and replace their stock before they even opened the shop, so she needed to be there early. According to the clock on her dresser, however, she was about to be late.

Yanking on a pair of ripped jeans that had seen better days and a black poet shirt, she hurried to the bathroom to do her makeup, easily the longest part of her morning routine. When she had deemed her smoky eyes and dark lips acceptable, she rushed to put on heeled boots and get out the door to catch a bus. There was no time to drive, or even to grab coffee on the way, so she texted Jinkx from the bus in a desperate plea for caffeine.

Walking around the block to the back of their building, Sharon saw that Jinkx was already there, two plastic cups in hand. Sharon thanked the gods for her friend and accepted the iced coffee she was handed wordlessly.

“You’re usually the early one, Shaz, what happened?” Jinkx asked playfully. Sharon sighed.

“I have no idea. I guess yesterday got the best of me. Fuck this heat,” she proclaimed loudly, making her partner snicker.

“It’s not even that warm out yet,” she snorted, unlocking the van and throwing the doors open. Sharon groaned at the mess inside, knowing they had their work cut out for them.

“Thank Satan we don’t have to work today,” Sharon sighed, grateful for the extra time they had to unpack.

“Finish your damn coffee so we can get to work, Needles,” Jinkx chastised, tossing her already-empty cup in a nearby trashcan before stepping into the truck and hauling out a box. Sharon stuck her tongue out at the redhead, holding the back door open for her.

“There aren’t that many boxes,” she called after her, rolling her eyes but putting her coffee cup down anyway and taking a box from the truck and into the store anyway. She was right; most of the work had already been done when they packed up at the fairgrounds, and it didn’t take long to get the boxes into the store. The real challenge was going to be taking all of their stock back out of the boxes and replacing them to where they belonged.

Cursing under her breath, Sharon realized that she hadn’t brought a pack with her. After telling Jinkx she was going out to grab one, she made her way to the nearby 7-Eleven and hurriedly bought a pack of cheap cigarettes, knowing Jinkx would want to share and not wanting to spend more money than she had to. On the way back to the shop, she looked through her phone, paying more attention to the Etsy listings on her screen than to where she was going. This led her to quite literally bump into someone, hitting them straight-on. Both she and the stranger stumbled, but Sharon was the only one who fell, silently damning her own decision to wear heels.

“Hey, are you- oh my God. Sharon?” Sharon looked up into familiar brown eyes, taking the hand offered to her and letting Alaska help her up.

“You have a knack for catching me at the wrong moment, apparently,” the witch joked, dusting herself off. Alaska looked mortified.

“I’m so sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“Neither was I,” Sharon shrugged. “Don’t worry about it, hon. Where are you headed in such a hurry?”

“I was trying to find Dead Dandelion, actually,” Alaska mumbled, embarrassed. “I was looking at Google Maps on my phone.”

“Oh! Oh. You were gonna-”

“-see you, yeah,” the blonde blushed. “I know it’s probably way too soon, sorry.”

Sharon shrugged. “Hey, everything happens for a reason, right?”

Alaska gave her a funny look, but nodded. “Sure, I guess so.”

Sharon gestured down the road. “C’mon, I’ll walk you there. We’re not open yet, but Jinkx shouldn’t mind.”

“Um, okay,” Alaska agreed, letting the witch take the lead.

“Can I ask you for a weird favor?” Sharon asked as they walked. Alaska looked over to see her opening a pack of cigarettes, carefully pulling one out. “Can you kiss this for me?”

“What?”

“It’s for luck,” she explained. “You don’t have to, but it’s good fortune.” Alaska nodded, taking the cigarette from her and quickly pressing her lips to the side of it, blushing when her lipstick left a print on it. Sharon chuckled and flipped it upside down, sliding it back into the pack. “Sorry, smoker superstition. The flipped one is the one you’re supposed to smoke last, and if you live long enough to smoke it, you’re lucky.”

“That’s kinda morbid, isn’t it?”

Sharon shrugged. “If booze doesn’t kill me first, it’ll be the lung cancer,” she joked. Alaska bit her lip, reminded very much of a girl she dated in college, but Sharon seemed like she was truly joking. They stopped in a back lot, where the redheaded woman from the day before was leaning against a wall, smoking as well. As Alaska got closer, she recognized the familiar smell of weed, and Jinkx nodded at them in acknowledgement.

“Hey, Shaz. This the girl from yesterday?” she asked.

“Yep,” Sharon answered, popping the ‘p’ and leaning against the wall next to Jinkx “I left my lighter at home, help a sister out?”

“Mine died right after I lit up,” Jinkx apologized. “Just light from the joint.” Sharon rolled her eyes, but took out a cigarette and pressed the tip against the tip of Jinkx’s joint, inhaling a few times until it lit. Pulling away, she grinned at her friend.

“Is that the stuff you got from Gia?” she asked. Jinkx nodded, offering the joint to Alaska. The blonde took it carefully, taking a small hit from it before passing it back. “Oh, she smokes,” Sharon jibed, taking a drag from her cigarette.

“Not really,” Alaska mumbled. “I haven’t smoked since college, I had an ex who…” she trailed off at the look on the witches’ faces. “Nevermind. I need it now, so whatever.”

“Nerves?” Sharon teased, blowing out a cloud of smoke before ashing her cigarette against the wall. “What’re you nervous about, dollface?” Alaska wasn’t sure how to answer until Jinkx snickered.

“Don’t be mean to her, Needles.” Sharon cackled, high and raspy, and something about the laugh was endearing to Alaska.

“Sorry, Alaska,” she grinned, dropping her cigarette butt and grinding it under her heel. “Wanna come in? It’s only gonna get hotter out here.”

“As long as you don’t mind…”

“Of course not,” Sharon answered immediately, ignoring the annoyed look Jinkx gave her and ushering Alaska inside and into the back room. “We’re closed today, but you can hang out here while stuff gets unpacked. I’ll probably do a reading or two.”

“Right, the tarot thing. How much do you charge for that, by the way?”

Sharon sat down at a table in the center of the room, taking a box from under it and opening it to withdraw a pack of cards. “For you, sweetheart? Free of charge.” She shuffled the deck absentmindedly, tilting her head to indicate that Alaska should take the seat opposite her.

“I can’t accept that,” Alaska protested, sitting down anyway. “Not again.”

Sharon laughed. “Sure you can. I like to do a reading in the morning to make sure that I’m in-tune with my deck. We have a symbiotic relationship,” she joked. Before Alaska could protest, she laid down a single card and flipped it over. “The Three of Wands,” she read dramatically. “Looks like opportunity is in your future, and you’re getting closer to a goal you’ve set. Something you’ve dreamed of is becoming reality now that you’ve made plans to create it.”

Alaska shifted in her seat uncomfortably. She didn’t like how vulnerable she felt whenever Sharon read her cards, because everything that came out of the witch’s mouth was spine-chillingly accurate. Sure, Sharon didn’t know that, but it affected Alaska all the same. Putting the card back in the deck, Sharon began to reshuffle.

“Um, I don’t really want another reading,” Alaska piped up nervously. Sharon chuckled.

“This one’s for me. Y’know, not everything is about you, pumpkin,” she teased. Alaska looked down at the table, watching Sharon place a card and flip it. “Hm. Okay.”

“Care to enlighten me?” Alaska asked, looking at the card blankly. The witch nodded.

“Sorry, yeah. I forget you’re not Jinkx, and you don’t know all this already. The Chariot. Achieving desires can only be attained through self-control and the ability to harness the forces of chaos. Willpower leads to success and victory.”

“And is that accurate?”

Sharon shrugged. “This particular deck and I have a… special relationship. It’s always told me the truth, no matter how blunt or painful. So I guess, yeah, it’s accurate. Always is. The cards usually know more about us than we do.”

“So I’ll accomplish whatever it is that I’m trying to make real, and you’re gonna do the same thing as long as you maintain control?”

“It looks that way, doesn’t it?” Sharon tilted her head to one side, looking Alaska up and down. “So, you obviously know what I do for a living, but what about you?”

Alaska pushed her hair behind her ear, staring down at the table. “I’m a musician,” she mumbled.

“Really? That’s awesome.” At Sharon’s voice, Alaska lifted her head. The witch sounded genuinely impressed, and her smile proved that she was being sincere. Alaska flushed.

“I guess. It’s not great money, but it’s enough to live on, usually. And it’s not like I’m Beyonce or anything.”

Sharon laughed at that. “No, I don’t take you for the type. So you sing?”

“Yeah. I write a lot of my own stuff, but usually when I busk I do covers.” Sharon nodded in understanding as she put her deck away.

“What do you write about?”

Alaska shrugged. “Queer identity, mostly. My own experiences with identity and love and stuff.”

“And people are into that? Gods, I was kicked around in high school for just looking like a dyke, let alone being out.”

The blonde flushed again. “It’s really heavily veiled,” she admitted. “I don’t wanna make it too personal, y’know?”

“Mhmm. Tarot’s a lot like that,” Sharon admitted. Alaska looked at her inquisitively.

“Really? How?”

The witch shrugged. “I know a lot more than I let on, but I don’t like being too specific when I’m giving someone a reading. It usually freaks them out, and I don’t like making people feel weird or vulnerable.”

“That's… surprisingly sweet,” Alaska said. Sharon snorted, but the blonde continued. “No, really. It’s nice.”

“That’s not really a word people associate with Sharon,” Jinkx snickered as she came into the back room to haul out another box. Sharon flipped her off.

“I can be nice,” she argued. Jinkx raised an eyebrow, and Sharon stood up, gesturing to Alaska. “If I was a total bitch, Alaska wouldn’t have come back.”

“I might have,” she said, and Jinkx let out a triumphant cackle, “But only because you’re hot,” she finished in a mumble. Sharon shoved a laughing Jinkx out of the room, flushing slightly.

“You think I’m hot,” she deadpanned. It was more of a statement than a question, but Alaska still nodded.

“Obviously,” she answered with a tiny smile. Sharon’s expression never wavered as she crossed the small room and swung a leg over Alaska’s lap, straddling her before connecting their lips.

Alaska shuddered, caught off-guard for just a moment before adjusting and letting her hands rest on Sharon’s hips. The witch cupped her jaw, slipping her tongue between Alaska’s parted lips and intensifying their kiss, grinding gently against her. The blonde let out a soft noise of contentment as her hands slid down to cup Sharon’s ass and stroke her thighs. The holes in her ripped jeans allowed Alaska to splay her hands out on the tops of Sharon’s thighs and feel the softness of her skin in places where the fabric was torn, and the witch shuddered at her touch.

Sharon lifted the hem of Alaska’s t-shirt and slid her hands underneath, her palms cool against the blonde’s heated skin. Alaska made another little noise and Sharon broke the kiss to laugh and press a gentle peck to her cheek.

“You are adorable,” she murmured, cupping Alaska’s breasts and squeezing gently. Alaska let out a squeal at the unexpected move, but Sharon was too busy kissing her jaw to see the way she was blushing. Her lips were soft and plush against Alaska’s neck, and she tipped her head back to give Sharon better access, gasping as the witch sucked a hickey into her delicate skin.

“Mother Goddess, are you two fucking kidding me?”

Sharon twisted to face Jinkx, who stood in the doorway with a frown. “Sorry, Jinkxy,” she said, not sounding sorry at all. Alaska sort of wished she was invisible, but Jinkx only rolled her eyes as she discarded an empty box on the floor.

“Thank you so much for helping me unload, Sharon.”

“Hey! Which one of us set up the entire fucking booth yesterday while you napped in the passenger seat?”

Jinkx stuck out her tongue at Sharon. “Just come help me, Needles.”

“What are you, my boss? Fuck right off,” she proclaimed succinctly, giving Alaska a peck on the lips to punctuate her sentence. Alaska was still silent and flushing, unsure of just what she was supposed to do in a situation like this.

“God, I wish you weren’t a founder, otherwise I’d fucking kick you out,” Jinkx complained. “I’m gonna leave to set up for the Esbat, which means you need to lock up the last door. And don’t be late.”

Sharon nodded. “I’ll be there.” When Jinkx left them alone again, Sharon brushed a lock of blonde hair out of Alaska’s face and kissed her cheek. “Sorry she interrupted us,” she smirked. Alaska cocked her head to one side.

“What did she mean about the founder thing? And what’s an Esbat?”

“I’m one of the founders of our coven. It’s a group of witches, we all practice magick both individually and as a group. I usually lead the rituals, since I’ve been a witch for the longest and I’m the most experienced. And an Esbat is a sacred day honoring the full moon. There’s one tonight, so we’re doing a ritual.”

“That’s… cool. How many of there are you?”

Sharon paused to give it some thought. “Six. Jinkx, Max, Raja, Pearl, Katya, and me. We used to have five, before Pearl joined.” Sharon stood up to lock the door connecting the front room and the back, and Alaska immediately missed her touch.

“So what are rituals like? Sorry for asking so many questions,” she added quickly. Sharon laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulders as she leaned against the wall.

“Well, it depends on what they’re for. Since Esbats are so common, they’re a lot more low-key than Sabbat rituals, which only happen eight times a year. A lot of the time, we don’t even do a group ritual because of scheduling, but we planned for this one. It’s a Thunder Moon, which happens every summer, and it’s really good for spellwork.”

“Wow,” Alaska said softly. “I guess I know a lot less than I thought. My mom went through a crystal healing phase, but that’s about it. All I know is that they do different stuff.”

“You’d love Raja,” Sharon answered, resting her leg against the wall. “She’s mostly a crystal witch, and she does Reiki. She’s also a medium and a healer, she’s pretty fuckin’ badass.”

“Sounds like it,” Alaska agreed, playing with the hem of her shirt absentmindedly.

“I think you’d get along with most of ‘em,” Sharon continued. “Max is kinda reserved, not a big talker, but she’s nice. Pearl has this super laid-back energy that makes her really easy to be around, she’s really likeable. Katya’s a crazy motherfucker, but we love her anyway. And you’ve already met Jinkx.”

“Yeah,” Alaska nodded, blushing a little as she remembered Jinkx walking in on them. Sharon grinned and pulled Alaska to her feet, wrapping an arm around her waist and kissing her gently.

“Jinkx’s bark is worse than her bite, I promise,” she assured the blonde. “Hey, if you wanna come observe tonight, we can make that work. If you want.”

“Sure,” Alaska smiled, pressing closer and kissing Sharon’s cheek. “It sounds really cool.”

“Mhm,” Sharon agreed, not entirely paying attention, as she was fixating on the warmth of Alaska’s body against hers. She traced a careful hand up Alaska’s back, tangling her fingers in soft blonde hair and pulling her in for a kiss. Alaska’s lips were so, so soft against hers, and her body was pliant in Sharon’s arms, pressed up against her so tightly that the witch swore Alaska could feel her heartbeat if she paid attention.

Though she was still a little anxious, Alaska found herself able to relax in Sharon’s embrace, feeling more at ease with her than she had in a while. Something about the witch’s energy was inherently soothing, and even the way she kissed was calming, as if she sensed that Alaska wasn’t completely relaxed and was doing her best to make her feel more comfortable.

“Do you wanna get out of here?” Sharon murmured, playing with Alaska’s hair. She nodded, unable to do anything but bask in the attention and think about how quickly her heart was pounding. The witch smiled, pulling away to lock up and lead Alaska outside. “Shit, it’s hotter than I thought,” she cursed, tugging at the sleeve of her blouse. Maybe black hadn’t been the best decision, but she was committed to her aesthetic and the sun would have to deal with it.

Alaska giggled. “Maybe it’s because you’re wearing long sleeves and pants?”

Sharon rolled her eyes as they began to wander down the street. “Yeah, maybe I should’ve taken a note or two from you,” she admitted, gesturing to Alaska’s skater skirt and loose t-shirt. The blonde grinned, twirling mid-walk like she was some kind of model. Sharon mused to herself that she definitely could be; she was beyond pretty enough, and had a tiny waist and legs for miles. She was definitely model material.

They ended up catching a bus back to Sharon’s apartment, and the bus was unusually crowded for a Sunday, leaving Alaska with two choices: stand next to a guy who kept eyeing her, or sit in Sharon’s lap. After one too many looks from the creepy guy, she chose the latter, sitting sideways and letting Sharon keep a hand around her waist to steady her.

On the way to the Sharon’s, they talked about their families. Sharon divulged that her coven was her family at this point, since her father had been missing since birth, and her mother had died when she was twenty-one. She’d been a great witch, Sharon told Alaska, the most powerful witch she’d ever met and probably ever would.

In turn, Alaska talked about her brothers, and how they’d had a rocky relationship growing up, but how they were much closer now. She told a story about how her brother Cory had reacted to the news of their parents’ divorce, and Sharon was remarkably attentive, throwing her head back in laughter when Alaska explained how their parents had babied her and Cory had gotten angry about it.

Sharon’s laugh was something Alaska wanted to bottle and keep for herself, the people on the bus who glared at them every time Sharon let out a particularly loud cackle be damned.