There was little Merlin liked more than being asked an open question by a captive audience. He leaned back against the window, stretching his legs out in front of him. "It is divination by hearing random shouts made in crowds or heard at night and applying what you hear to your question. In Iran they call it Fāl-gūsh, and it is the act of standing in a hidden place and overhearing people as they go by. They interpret the words as a sign. Interesting, isn't it? What people will try when they need answers." He held the end of his pipe between his teeth and looked for his matches.
"In Russia, the Ubyhks called their soothsayers "bean-throwers" because they used a type of cleromancy called favomancy. Guess what they threw to interpret the patterns of?" He glanced up at Rosario, quirking an amused brow at her as he relit his pipe.