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In season four, before game 63, Kennedy draws Death.
Combs peeks over his shoulder, as ae often do, and Kennedy can't see aer eyes, but gets the impression that ae's rolling them. Most of the team has heard his spiel about how “the death card isn’t literal” enough times to have it memorized, but he always says something to whoever sees his spread regardless. The Crabs have new players this season, Nagomi and Tot, that might not know! And while they don't seem all that interested in his pregaming right now, he still feels obligated to brush off his findings for Combs.
“Death, end of an era. Maybe we’re about to get good!” he tells Combs. Ae shakes aer head and smiles. Combs has never been one for excessive talking, or believing in tarot, but he appreciates how ae always checks in before games regardless.
He thinks about all this later, maybe more than he should, as he bends down to scoop a spiny shell out of the ash pile on the field-- warm, and already drifting away. He thinks about it, as he stains his shaky fingers grey, trying to find anything more to preserve. Thinks about it, when the light catches a dull little gold pin.
He thinks awfully hard, and wipes it clean on the edge of his jersey. A little gold C. He never understood why they wore it, they certainly didn’t need any kind of announcement or symbol to show they were a leader. He pockets the shell, careful not to damage any of its delicate spines, and adds the pin to his jacket, just above his heart.
Change, transformation, a period of transition. End of an era. Death.