Definitely Not Lord Councilor Erinwel Ciaoro Elidyr

…

“Naw’ I’d never keep you from your plans. Respect you too much, don’t I?” Oggy grinned. “Sides I’d have too much fun teasing you when we’re at the tavern.” He said the words offhand, shoulders shrugging lightly. Then went on to betray all semblance of nonchalance by raising his eyebrows, enjoying the teasing too much to give it up. 

“Love to see what you’d let me get away with.”

All thoughts of his not-father banished from his head for the more favorable option. His dislike of Vae wasn’t rational or based in any kind of stand, moral, biological, nothing like that. In fact, in many of his adventures where he found Vaeril had made it there before him the Vailwen had left things much better than how Oggy did–the orphanage being the most notable example. Oggy had a mother and a father; Vaeril’s absence was not felt. 

The vasharr didn’t even know about Vaeril until his Mom told him, a casual reveal of an adult to their child after they reached some invisible threshold of understanding. When Oggy could comprehend words like donor, and fertility, much to his own awkward dismay. It was frustrating to have the world he’d known be proven false. A frustration that only grew when Vaeril proved to be elusive. He’d had the slightest curiosity when he first searched his ‘natural’ donor-dad out, but over the years it just grew into annoyance. 

“No sense in ruining your appetite then.” Oggy matched Erins look, canting his hips just so to give Erin a good look as he turned around, stretching and tensing his arms as he moved out toward the street. It was all in good fun. Oggy knew he had a rough sort of appeal, but there was something undeniably flattering about being wanted by Erin.

“I’m fantastically good with that. Lead on my tasty, enthusiastic, clever city guide.”

~

Erinwel would have loved to fixate on the notion of someone respecting him. Something his ego surely didn’t need but something he was surprised to hear nonetheless. But the mention of teasing had him grinning and rolling his eyes.

~“Love to see what you’d let me get away with.”

“Oh you certainly would.” Erin remarked wickedly, ever one to encourage the banter from the other Vasharr. In fact, Erin would rightfully admit he was a bit of a glutton for the attention but that was his nature. A fact he had long accepted. And he was happy to give that attention right back.

Especially when Oggy egged him on like this.  His gaze sharpened on the other man as he purposefully angled himself.  Walking past he murmured, “Oh, I’m absolutely ravenous at this point.” And he began to lead them towards one of his old haunts. 

The city of Vailantis itself was large but not sprawling. Compact, with buildings seeming to fill every space not occupied with beautiful stonework or lush greenery. Most rose a few stories with only a handful daring to reach up and expand the skyline. Warm tones of tan stone and marble accented with gold as if the architecture had been pulled from the very mountains it stood in front of. Erin found himself enjoying the beauty of the city the more time he spent here, despite how much he had convinced himself he despised every aspect about his ancestral home.

“You travel around a lot, this can’t be your first time in Vailantis, right?” Erin asked his evening companion as they walked. He remembered them discussing the rugged elf’s home city of Fahalune, but he knew Oggy had traveled probably as much as he had. 

“They’re better story-tellers than those old drones,” he teases, a soft laugh falls from his lips. “Although, I’m not far behind them, some days.” It was a joke, Vaeril didn’t quite see himself yet as some venerable elder Elf who could sweep across the room in long robes that never seemed to be sullied by dirt or smell of deeply perfumed sea-salted air. Vaeril typically never spoke up unless someone made a comment about Ludwen, because he would defend his city until his last breath, or if someone made a comment about himself. But Vaeril would play in to those comments, falling in to a very easy role of self-deprecating. 

“I’d say that was a terrible joke but I started so I guess we both get ten lashings in the city square,” he says lightly, a shrug as he cheers, “To young love, who knows no shame in public.” But he was well aware that well.. maybe they just liked the rush of public.

Now that got a laugh out of Vaeril that he struggled to keep in. “They’re half in the swamp anyways,” he says, “I don’t understand the draw of it in the long haul, of living in the woods, the desert- wherever  their gods tell them to go, but the idea of being drunk out of my min and dancing around a fire, hooting at the moon, doesn’t sound half bad sometimes. Can’t say I’ve came across a lot of wildlings though.”

~

“Oh I wholeheartedly agree with that.” Erin grinned. When he left 5 years ago he was drawn to the human kingdoms. Always feeling more at ease without the rigidity of his homeland around him. But the man across from him had never carried any of that old Vailwen stiffness in Erin’s eyes and he scoffed when Vaeril seemed to imply so. “Now that I would wholeheartedly disagree with. I’ve never found a dull evening with you friend. Wouldn’t even put you close to those tightly wound dustbags. Besides, the way I remember it you’re very spry for your age.” Erin teased, raising an eyebrow over another sip. Happy to give Vae a good ribbing about their difference in age while wearing an expression that suggested he might also be happy to be reminded just how spry the elder elf still was. 

Oggy felt proud of himself, finally getting that bit of awkwardness out in the open. He had to chew the corner of his lips to stop the grin from overtaking his face completely as Erin went on to share his own.

“Slumberin’ gods Erin I don’t care who you slept with. Or go on to sleep with, that’s your business.” There was no stopping his grinning now as he looked over Erin. His fellow vashar all twisted up and uneasy over Oggy’s feelings.  It gave him a bit of a flutter in his chest as he moved forward and pressed a quick kiss to Erin’s jaw.

 “Look at you, gettin’ all flustered over some awkward evening.” His smirk turned lopsided as he pulled back. Languidly shrugging as he continued. “Can’t even blame you for shaggin’ him. By all accounts he’s a more notorious slut than I am, but can’t fault him for having a good taste.” His eyebrows raised, his gaze stuck on Erin in a way that intimated Vaeril’s taste was at least partially inherited.

“Nah. Me an that ancient fuck don’t know each other well at all. Can’t say I see him as my old man.” Oggy shook his head. “I got at least one of those already. He’s just some ancient fuck that keeps getting on my nerves. Always showin’ to places before I think to get there and never once stopping for a pint–till most recently that is.” He amended, remembering their encounter in the market and Erin’s magic.

“Think a guy would have more interest in seeing what his bastard’s got up to but- ay” Oggy shrugged. “Not like I’d know how he feels.” He stretched out his arms, and paused. Grinning as a cheeky idea came to him. “It could be funny to spend a night out drinking with the two million year old flake. See if he says anything himself. ‘Course if that makes for a more uncomfortable evening then you want- Ay, well I’ll follow your lead, won’t I?”

~

Oggy’s words soothed Erinwel’s worried expression. He had long moved past the point where he felt shame or regret about how he lived his life. At least in the sense of who he slept with. But it was nice to be reassured that it didn’t matter to the man in front of him either.

A flush of heat ran across Erin’s face, as Oggy pressed another quick kiss against his skin and it only deepened as the other vasharr called out his unease. He reassured himself that he merely didn’t want to make either of his friends uncomfortable in any way.   

But an eyebrow quirked at the mention of both Oggy and Vaeril’s proclivity for debauchery. It was strange, but now that it was pointed out there were certain similarities that the young vasharr could see between the two. A similar ease in the way they approached things. A shared confidence in themselves, even if those selves were wildly different. 

“Keep that up and we might not even make it to a tavern.” The frisky grin returned to Erin’s features as he noted the tone of Oggy’s gaze. But he hesitated in his flirtations as Oggy spoke to the depth of his relationship with Vae. It didn’t sound like the elf Erin knew. Sure, Vaeril liked to have fun and was often on the move but Erin never saw him as the kind to father a child and then not be involved. He would have to ask the older elf for more of the story the next time they spoke.  

“As much fun as that sounds, I think dealing with one of Vae’s moods would just put a bad taste in my mouth.” Erin enjoyed giving the Vailwen a good natured teasing. But without knowing the full story, that wasn’t a position he wanted to put his close friend in. So Erin continued speaking as his gaze lingered on the other vasharr suggestively. “Which would be a shame when we have a delicious evening planned.”

Inktober prompt: Nightshade

I couldn’t not draw these two for this prompt so have some chillin proprietors of Loqoalas favorite brothel.

“It might not be our best party… considering we’ll have to throw it together in a few days but it’ll certainly be a good one. If all this can come together.” Catlina noted, shaking her head. She hated thinking about the attack and all of the carnage and disaster. She hadn’t asked what he’d done to get to Rajayer so quickly after the attacks, or even how he’d known. She supposed someone must have passed word in a very similar way to how he’d gotten there. “I was really grateful when you were there… by the way.” She murmured.

There had been so much heartbreak, so much she’d learned about her past and the things she’d fallen into since the ball that she was certain her life was at some kind of tipping point. And after the recent visit from Avi and their conversations, she was starting to realize that her old life had entirely ended the night of the ball. She had left a corpse of who she was behind, the woman who had always mourned not knowing her mother, the woman who was sure her life would amount to a small house on a remote island and little more, the woman who had sold herself just to survive. Catlina had left all of that in Glasswater. “Well said…” She paused, biting her bottom lip. Sucking her teeth, she nodded. “Yea… fucked my sister. I’m sure once the shock settles… Avi will find that bit hilarious.” She took a deep breath, shaking her head slightly. “At least we’re sisters and couldn’t have produced any children… the gods do have a sense of humor but they aren’t cruel.”

“Well… fairly soon we can just work together as representatives from different nations. We’ll help each other… an unofficial alliance.” She smiled, she was grateful for that too. Being able to turn to Erin for political questions and relying on him in some ways outside of business… she was incredibly glad that he was her family. “They didn’t…. but Ainsley did mention if I wanted to meet my half brother… I should do so soon before… well before I can’t.”

~

“It will be perfect. You’d be surprised, some of these stuffy elves really know how to let loose. That and I’ll put enough Vailen liquor in that villa to get several dragons drunk.” Erinwel joked. He paused a moment considering their timing. “It’ll work out with the buffer we have before the eclipse. They say the fatigue could be quite harsh on those who have magic but you and I should be fine this far in advance.” He hadn’t been alive for the last eclipse but a party would hardly be any fun if the hosts were too tired to entertain. 

“Of course.” His smile softened at Cat’s mention of his arrival in Rajayer. He was much more forward about his affections than Cat was. More open about the amount he cared, perhaps because when he was sure of something he found no reason to hide it. But he knew they both came from a place where those acts were not expected. “When I heard what happened, I was ready to bust out that rusty old sword and get you out of Glasswater myself until a little bird told me where the Makara was headed.” He made a joke of it even though he meant it. He was no longer a soldier, in fact he hated the idea of physically fighting anyone. But he wouldn’t have hesitated to take up the elven blade he kept locked away again if it meant making sure she was safe in that moment.

Erin let out a low whistle as Cat confirmed this realization. “Dormoa’s sack, he’ll be tickled pink.” He could certainly disagree about the gods’ cruel nature but he held back, not particularly one to argue on aspects of faith. “Yeah, thank the gods for that, though with all the enchantments at the ‘shade I would hope that would have been impossible anyway.” He gestured to his own ring as he spoke as well, one he acquired only after observing the heavy counter fertility charms around the brothel. 

“Probably could be an official one too. If you want that is, not that my house has much to offer an Archduchess and Archduke at the moment.” The words made him realize soon she would hold more power than he did and he smiled at her in return because he wasn’t jealous- he was so damn proud of her for it. Soon she would be at Avi’s side and would hold all that command. Not because she sought power but because she fought for what she cared about. Worked so fucking hard for it. The only aspect that dampened his mirth at the thought was the idea of how far they would be from one another. 

“Are you telling me I’m not successful with humans?” he questions, “Because I could give you the locations of dozens of humans who could, and would, willingly tell you otherwise in every glorifying detail, details I’m more willing to let you in on,” he teases, a tempt. “Of course, the best humans have been long since passed, but the gods give and take,” Vaeril continues with a shrug.

It’s not, and he smiles because Erin is right, he has that tendency. “No. I’m happy to see you again, there was a light missing in those drab halls for ages,” he wants to question if that was his choice, or some god-like vision, a thread, to pull him back to the council. “Any good gossip to let me in on? Or are we going to have to listen in to that ravenous young couple in the corner?”

~

“Every detail? That sounds like it might take as long as the council sessions we’ve just been in. But you know, I’ve always found hands-on demonstrations more engaging.” Erin countered, a devilish grin flitting onto his face. It was another easy pattern to fall into and he willingly heeded the temptation. His smile only faltered slightly at the mention of humans passing. The words only deepened his curiosity to know of what past had influenced the elf across from him. The gods give and take. “That they do.” He lifted his glass in agreement before drinking deeply from it. Erin wasn’t a stranger to the gods taking their share and the wine helped wash away the memory that rose up of flowing dresses in the family garden and hazel eyes that looked just like his.

“Someone had to come pull you from your shadows.” Erin joked, unable to not quip on Vaeril’s umbra-magic after the light remark. “But I am happy to see you again as well. Even if I have to listen to Councilor Venalwen drone on about dragons to do so.” He laughed lightly and glanced subtly at the couple in question without moving his head. They were as close as they could be in the tavern booth they shared and couldn’t seem to keep their hands off one another. All low whispers and heady laughs. He smiled thoughtfully.

“Hah!” Oggy laughed and clapped his approval at Erin’s innuendo. Approval that only grew as Erin’s suggestions matched up with his own desires concerning desert. 

“Erin, love, you always show me a good time.” He grinned wider. Hands rubbing together.  “But I spose’ I could enjoy a bit of a bite and a look ‘round the city with you. Let myself get a proper feel for the city from your councilor’s eye.”

All the approval shifted to more apprehension. Oggy was biting his bottom lip. He wasn’t aware of how his fellow vasharr’s powers worked but Erin was sure to taste a complicated cocktail of apprehension and annoyance. Of course Vaeril would have worked into Erin’s social circle, that fucking ancient Vailwen seemed like he was everywhere Oggy looked these days.  He worked through a number of ways to broach the subject in his head. He stood there, looking at Erin and chewing on his lips in lieu of forming any words.

“Right. Well, I actually know Vaeril. Might say I’ve had a relationship with him since birth or summit like that. Say it if you were being obtuse, in that manner of speaking, yeah?” Oggy started laughing awkwardly. With a shake of his head he changed tactics. “Fuck-it’s awkward to say cause I don’t actually know Vaeril well at all. Only by reputation cause he does get around, don’t he?” His eyebrows raised to imply his own form of innuendo.

“Thing is, I’m his bastard kid. In that, my dad’s not my ‘natural father’. If you get me?”

~

Erin frowned as the mention of Vaeril only seemed to sour Oggy’s mood further. The annoyed irritation too strong of a complimentary flavor to ignore. The other vasharr seemed to be working something over for a moment. Erinwel briefly worried about this being some sort of jilted ex-lover situation. He was on the verge of dismissing the outing entirely before Oggy spoke up again. 

I’m his bastard kid.

A moment passed, no foul taste of pretense flooding his senses. 

“Well shit Ogs.” Erin blinked a bit surprised. The fact that Vaeril had fathered a kid didn’t come as a shock. When you lived that long, Erin supposed that kind of thing was bound to happen eventually. But the fact it was the familiar vasharr in front of him was certainly unexpected. “And I take it from your-“ He stopped himself from mentioning his magic, regretting not numbing it more every second. “-your discomfort you two aren’t too keen on one another.” It was clear Oggy didn’t hold familial love for the older elf and Erin by no means wanted to make either of his friends uncomfortable. 

“It was an open invitation so we’ll go to a different tavern. There’s plenty in Vailantis. If there’s something politicians love more than arguing and themselves, it’s alcohol.” Erin offered, trying to ease the other vasharr’s mood with a joke. “Hell, if someone tried to get me to grab a drink with my old man I would tell them to go fuck themselves.”

-

Catlina wondered how fast they could get the staff here. She’d have to hire some of the fastest ships from Illasqa if she wanted them there before the week was out. She could find a villa to rent for the weekend and into next week, that wouldn’t be the hard part. No, getting the staff here would be. If only they knew some magi with some shadowwalking skills. “Do you know any shadow-walkers? Like Vae? I suppose… well if he’s willing we might be able to get him to just shadowwalk the staff over? He never says no to a good party…”

In many ways, Catlina had kept these secrets from Erinwel and Avitej for far… far too long. But it had kept her alive, it had kept her moving, and it had kept her safe. Never opening up to anyone had gotten her where she was so far but she was also learning that if she wanted there to be real trust between them, all of them, she did have to open up. At least some. Little by little, like she was doing with Avi. Just enough at a time so that it didn’t hurt too bad, ripping just one bandage off before she started on another.

“I grew up in the Red Keep, apparently my father was the Earl… my mother was… is I suppose… a prostitute he dallied with. When she had me, she left me on the streets… but told the Amaranthes I was tucked away at a magaesterium. They tried to look for me but she lied to them… and… that was that.” She sighed, nearly draining the rest of the wine bottle. It had maybe three glasses left in it anyway. “I hope Moruk salts her earth and Kata makes her womb inhospitable to any cock or tongue or fingers.”

Catlina sighed again, resting her head against Eri’s shoulder. She could take the title, it would be leverage for other things. And if she wasn’t granted her own, it would make it so much easier to be with Avi. And ultimately, all of her work was leading to that. Yes, it might be good for her people, yes it might be a heroic move to come back with arms and ships full of food, but she was doing it all for her future. Nodding slowly, Cat hummed, “When I go to the Baodais with all of the goods we get here… I’ll tell them I can take an Elysian title. It would be a smart move, even if I was only loosely tied to the Red Keep. It would actually build an alliance between them and Rajayer… if that’s what Avi wants.”

~

“I’m sure Vae would love a good party if he isn’t busy. If he is, I do know someone who might be able to help.The same umbramage that helped me arrive at Rajayer so quickly following the attack.” Erinwel had cashed in a favor that night for the short notice trip but he was certain the young mage would be more than willing to work for coin. 

He listened intently while Cat spoke about her past. A past that she had only just discovered the full truth of herself. A surprised look shot across his face at the news it was the Earl himself who had fathered Catlina. He squeezed her hand gently as she spoke, though his emotions were far from gentle. Anger burning at the truth of her mother turning her onto the streets before deceiving the very family it sounded like she had sequestered Cat away from. He echoed her curses thrown at the woman who birthed her, but his own return came in Vaisherra. “Jahl tevwyn vaidas lune rathis hywen.” He threw back the rest of his drink before explaining. “May the soil find even your corpse unfit to devour. Learned that one when I was enlisted. Worst thing you could wish onto someone there apparently. How did you even come to find this out? You said Ainsley told- oh shit is Ainsley your…” He trailed off coming to a sudden realization of what that would mean.

Erin shifted lower on the couch to her height as she rested on him so her head was actually able to sit on his shoulder. He couldn’t help the smile that pulled his features at Cat’s aptitude for political forethought; detailing the benefits of taking a title. An alliance between the Red Keep and Rajayer hadn’t even crossed his mind.  “I should have named you my political advisor when I had the chance. You’ve really thought this through.” If she wasn’t granted a title in Juaqoan, then there was always the Elysian title. “Did the Amaranthes give you a deadline to claim?”

…

Oggy turned with a smile. Leaning close to Erin to plant a kiss on his neck. “Aye, love. I’ll remember that next time I pop in with a present. Here there’s markets ‘round here that grows bonsai’s into all manner of turgid shapes. I’ll find a shrub to your liking.” 

His eyes ran up the other vasharr’s body, awkwardness the furthest thing from his mind. Laughing and leering like this was the entirety of Oggy’s plans for the day. He half expected to be corralled into another messy round of lovemaking all over Erinwell’s apartments in the city. Or to put it more accurately, he hoped to be, and he dutifully changed the word to fucking in his head everytime he slipped up with the ‘l’ word. It was only a slightly disappointing that Erin had other plans in mind. He might as well have suspected someone put together as he considered the Councilor would be put together enough to make plans. 

The fact that Erin had a notorious habit for drugs, sex, alcohol, and until now regularly shirked in his Councilor duties didn’t register to Oggy. The older Vae didn’t really make plans, he just showed up places and went with the flow.

“Yeah, yeah, I could grab a bite to eat. No sense going the rest of the night on an empty stomach.” He smiled easy, going with the flow yet again. “I’ll just stash these here then.” Oggy started looking around the room for a safe enough spot to stage the ‘desert’. “An’ any friend of yours is sure to be a friend of mine. Love meeting new people, get a taste of the city too. Suspect it won’t be so boring with you there, will it?” He chatted idly, settling for shoving the bottle and vial behind a line of other alcoholic drinks. Pausing only as he remembered the other Councilor he knew that might be in the area.

“This, uh, friend of yours. They on the elven council?”

~

“I’ve never said no to a good bush.” Erinwel quipped back, a devilish smile pulling his features. He never held back his flirtatious nature when it suited him and he was glad to see that Oggy was no longer holding back either. 

A fact that seemed to bode well for his hopes of a repeat performance of their escapades at the ‘shade. In fact, he would have liked nothing more than to make a mess of the apartment and each other after sampling the gifts but he knew better than to do so with nothing in his stomach. 

“Splendid. Food and drink first then, dessert.” A suggestive look as he put special emphasis on the word dessert. Suspect it won’t be so boring with you there, will it. His flirtatious smile deepened as he added with a laugh. “Of course, what kind of host would I be if I didn’t show you a good time.”

Erin turned and threw a few papers from his desk into one of its drawers, locking it in the same motion. But a hint of apprehension hit settled on his tongue with Oggy’s words, reminding him that he not only needed to get a strong drink at the tavern to drown out this magic but also of the other vasharr’s words the last they spoke. Your fancy new council friends will look at me like they want to wipe me off their shoe. He wrongly assumed that Oggy’s apprehension merely came from the prospect of it being another council member and he quickly sought to ease the worry. 

-

“But you never fall to your grave.” Nikolai summarizes astutely. “There’s little in this realm that can bring you there, it seems. What is that old saying? When the realm seizes to exist, only the immoral will survive?” It was better said by the poet (or was it a bard?) that entertained at his last event in Vailpas. The entertainer knew its audience, for it remained in his mind even long after the fact. “Including your success. I should loathe you for abandoning my ranks so quickly.” Nikolai feigned disappointment, though there was little effort required. Erinwel’s aptitude for such a business was second-to-none. Great talent and a willigness to do what needed to be done. While the arms dealer was unhappy to see him go, he understood the need. It’s exactly what Nikolai would have done. “But I’ll forgive you,”

Wordlessly, he comes to his feet, abandoning his goblet of wine. The elf turns his attention to the credenza occupying the dining room. With a flick of his wrist, he unlatched the top drawer and summoned a golden talisman. Circular in make, with a gold chain around it. Nothing remarkable, to the uneducated eye. A simple set of words and symbols transcribed, set with a stone in the center. Nikolai pulls a seat beside Erin, handing him the talisman. “A special and rather private client of mine requested these.” Nikolai informs him. “It’s meant to counteract the magical disturbance from the eclipse. Akin to the enchantments placed upon the magaestariums. I have a crate to be delivered to Elysi, which would be simple enough.” He shrugs, a knowing glimmer in his eye. “But it’s ensuring its anonymity, you see.”

~

Erinwel kept the polite smile on his face despite his unease at the mention of his departure. When he had set off on his own business ventures, the reaction of the head of the Petrov family was his biggest worry. He didn’t want to seem ungrateful but he needed to make his own way. And to his relief, Nik seemed to understand and he continued running jobs for the arms dealer throughout the years. 

“Special client indeed, it’s beautiful work.” Erin turned over the gold talisman in his hands gently. Glancing over the symbols and craftsmanship with curiosity. Fabrication was never his forte and he always admired the work that Nikolai did. The vasharr was familiar, at least by word, with some of the enchantments on the magisteriums and these certainly seemed up to par. He handed the enchanted item back to the older elf.

…

“Hello love. Hope your eyes aren’t too sore, but they certainly are beautiful.” Oggy greeted Erin with a smile and a wink. “I was in the area and thought I’d take advantage of your standing invitation.”

Oggy more or less invited himself in. No word or warning, or letter, even now he waltzed into Erin’s rooms in Vailantis like they were his own. “Though about getting you flowers. But that’s a bit shit of a gift isn’t it? Here are some dying plant genitals? You can watch die in a vase. What the fuck is up with that?” Oggy shook his head back and forth, hands fishing into the various pockets of his outfit. “No, that’d be a shite housewarming gift. So I had another thought and got you this.” From the pocket of his jerkin Oggy produces a small glass vial, stoppered with cork. Inside were thin hard spines that jangled slightly when Oggy shook it back and forth showing off for Erin.

“These, dearest, are spines off a lizard only native to the deserts in Eash Reach. They say one prick of these spines can have us off our asses seeing visions of all sorts, religious, of the future, how you like it. Course you can prick yourself for the venom or soak it in some alcohol and drop it on our tongues or eyes.” The vasharr raised his eyebrows suggestively. “Lucky for you I also brought us a bottle of moonshine. Fresh from the mountains of Solcala, ‘cause it’s nothing but the best for you, Erin.”

~

“Well I’m glad you did.” Erin watched, an amused grin on his face, as the other vasharr strolled into the apartment he and Cat shared. Oggy always made himself at home, regardless of where he was it seemed. A fact that now helped ease the small amount of nervousness he felt. 

The younger vasharr had enjoyed his more hedonistic lifestyle for long enough to know sometimes when you slept with someone, even if it had been enjoyable, there was ever after this undeniable sense of weirdness between those involved. But Erin was glad that, from what he could sense, their last evening spent together hadn’t caused any awkwardness between them.  Not that he expected it to, but one was never sure.

“Decorating with genitals-great idea. Dying genitals? That’s a bit too kinky even for me” He smirked, remembering some of the more lewd statues at the Nightshade. His smile broke wider as Oggy produced the vial of spines from his pocket. He was familiar with the lizards and the effects their venom could have- he could vaguely recall running a shipment of the spiky reptiles from East Reach to Morrwen a few decades back- though he hadn’t ever tried it personally. 

-

There was something to be said for her life, perhaps she’d had it rough and she had suffered in ways Erin and Avi would never understand. But for the vast majority of it, she had made her own decisions. Even becoming a prostitute was something she’d decided, albeit the decision had been made out of necessity. But she had no one to really answer to. “Here’s hoping we find more of those and less of the stuffy ones…” She raised the wine bottle, taking a long drink out of it.

“I’ll send letters to our the Nightshade… we’ll need at least three or four. It’ll be like a vacation for them… except they also have to work.” She felt a pang of guilt but she’d find a way to make it up to the staff. Likely, they weren’t even working while she and Erinwel were gone anyway. At least not as hard. Gemina might like her whips and domination in the bedroom but she had a softer spot than even Catlina did when it came to the staff of the Nightshade.

“I feel like the world is spinning and I can’t stop it. I feel like my world has crumbled… I feel like…” She paused, pursing her lips and tightening her jaw as she tried to push back all of the emotions bubbling to the surface. “I feel like no child should ever be left on the streets when there’s a family happy to take them in, nobility or not.” She shook her head, throwing up a hand. “I don’t know what I want. I want a family but one that I’ve built. I want you and Avi to be my family and claiming a title would make it so much easier…”

~

“I’ll drink to that.” Erin raised his glass before taking a swig. He nodded along to her plans for a pop-up Nightshade. It would certainly draw in interest, and could very well prompt some of the slower investors to act. 

Erin waited quietly as she tried explaining her feelings. She always kept them so guarded that he had found the best way to tell how she was feeling when he didn’t know was just to ask. An act of trust that might have gotten a lie or deflection had it been asked by anyone other than he or Avi. Even now, as her jaw clench, he knew she was trying to hold those feelings back. It made Erin hate whatever had convinced Cat she needed to hold back any part of herself. But when she spoke again she surprised him by sharing something she hadn’t before.

No child should be left on the streets.

Erin knew Cat’s childhood had been relatively parentless but he hadn’t known much beyond that. He realized it was a possibility, but he never pressed Cat for details. Hearing those words only made his anger worsen but he pushed it down and continued to listen. 

The notion of family had long been one of choice to him. The responsibility of his blood still hung on him but that was just what it was, a responsibility. Family was something entirely different, it was chosen and cultivated. His blood was something that allowed him the freedom to do so. 

“You’re right, no child should be left on the streets, regardless.” He snaked his hand into hers as he spoke. Cat didn’t need or want pity, and he wouldn’t insult her by giving it. But he still offered comfort, for whatever hardships she experienced in the past, he could do that much. “You already have that family. Avi and I aren’t going anywhere. Whether you had a title or not wouldn’t change that. It wouldn’t change all the work you’ve done either.” Erin paused for a moment, knowing the issue wasn’t that simple. He knew the depth of Cat and Avi’s relationship, knew what a title could mean for them. “If you take the title, then it’s a tool to further that work. Not undermine it.”

“Bias,”  Avi repeated, because it was a good word.  Suitable and fitting.  “Do you know your cousins at all?  Are they are dashing and rakish as you are, darling?”  It didn’t sound like Erin was particularly close to them, from the way he spoke about them.  There was a sadness in that, from Avi’s point of view.  His biased, point of view, considering how much merit he put into family.

The horse analogy was amusing, and Avi snorted.  “Neither.  Horses would be forbidden on Rajayer, if I had my way.  Nasty, moody, needy buggers, the lot of them.  But I get your point.  Time makes fools of us all, but mostly of vasharr on Vailen.  No wonder you left, you lovely unicorn.”

Beating the table with the flat of his palm,  Avi threw his head back and laughed at what Erin was implying, about Prince Theodore.  “Say it isn’t so.  Say it!  Kata’s sweetmilk, what is he even like?  I’ve always wondered what any of those Stonewards would be like to bed.  Ada’s the closest I’ve ever considered.  Alaric and Beric too, actually. Kata guide them…” he said habitually.  

“Theodore I was certain could not be persuaded into such lascivious ways.  So naturally you took up the challenge, you wicked eel.  Why the hate, then?  Was he really that bad in pleasuring you?”

 Avi tutted, all his drunken sympathy towards Erin.  “What a shame.”

With a slight one-shouldered shrug,  Avi readily accepted Erin’s refusal of any romantic prospect.  It satisfied Avi in truth.  He’d asked Erin not because Avi wanted the half-elf to go find true love anywhere, but to check in and make sure that Erin was and would always be beholden to Catlina.  That she was Erin first priority, and no romantic venture would ever distract him from his loyal, unflagging attention to her. 

 As Cat’s closest friend and dearest confidante, as the one person she always mentioned to Avi, when she was confessing her vulnerabilities.  ‘You and Erin’, she always told Avi, her voice fierce and hushed, her yearning for connection but hardline self-protecting barriers only allowing two people.  Just him, and Erinwel.  

Avi decided it must stay that way for her - him and Erin - until she died.

“Oh fine,” Avi demurred, drinking more.  “No one can tame you, this is true.”

~

Erinwel smiled at the words that Avi used to describe him and at the thought of his uncle being plagued with a brood of children of a similar nature. But he shook his head and gave a small shrug. “I’ve met them, though I am not particularly close with any. Not that I really had the chance, they are all a fair bit older than I.” 

“Hmm, unicorn, I quite like that. Majestic, elusive, covered in glitter, and probably just a hallucination brought on by some bad mushrooms. My truest form.” He chuckled, stretching out in his chair, a bit of comfort found in the fact that Avi seemed to understand why he left. Well that and the alcohol humming pleasantly through him. 

Erin gave Avi a light, good natured shove on the arm as the volume of laughter only increased, but he couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him. The man’s giddy nature was infectious. “We seriously need to think about getting some magical sound proofing in here, your voice carries, kampahn. But if you must know, not what I was expecting.” Erin laughed. The Elysian prince was far more cunning than Erin had expected and his demeanor had certainly taken the Vasharr by surprise. “But no, our time together was fine, it was the way we ended up meeting that I am not altogether happy with. But that issue has been cleared up, thank the gods.” He sighed and took a hearty swill of liquor. 

It didn’t occur to Erin that Avi meant settling down until he used the word ‘tame’. But he supposed finding love and finding someone to settle down with, start a family with were the same to some people. All those more domestic things the luxury of his youth and long life allowed him to not think about. “Well I wouldn’t say love makes one tame but I am certainly not the type to settle down, you’re right about that.” He caught sight of a familiar figure approaching his doorway from the lounge and a wide smile broke onto his face. “Speaking of untamable...” He gestured so Avi would see Cat, apparently free from whatever had been keeping her. 

That’s just how life worked out sometimes. In his bones, he knew this one would last longer, much longer.

He laughs, “They easily influence us, I suppose. I’d rather spend time on in the desert,” a place he hated, because it was the opposite of the seas, “Than listen to some of them speak. But, I suppose we are harder to change in the end. We’re stuck in our ways.”

“Salacious, hmm,” he has to think, “There’s rumors that the lady Ravaleth, the baker from Ludwen, is infusing her goods with magic, but I think she’s just putting lavender and clove in everything to divert the attention away from her husband, because rumor has it he’s been at it again and prowling human streets for extramarital affairs. Which, I don’t frown upon, but for an old man who says he hates humankind so much he sure finds himself bedding them more than I,” he lets out a laugh, and takes a deep drink. “I feel jealous that’s it’s not me but next time, perhaps.”

~

Erinwel smirked at the notion of being stuck in his ways though, he supposed there was some truth to it. He could argue that his return was proof enough that people changed- if it didn’t sound so disgustingly self congratulatory. He eyed his friend curiously, wondering what Vaeril had been like when he was younger. If he had always been the relaxed, charismatic elf Erin knew him to be.

-

“Instead, you disrespect me by looking even younger than you did when we met.” To gauge an elf’s youthfulness, was to take stock of their energy and mirth. Elder elves had nary a wrinkle, but their dispositions gave them away. The vasharr across the table, to Nikolai’s childish irritation, did not have such trouble. Quite the contrary, Erinwel was as spirited as ever. Nikolai takes stock of him fondly, recalling the elf’s foyer into the ‘underworld’ of Vailen. A black market where the craftiest thrived. It appeared that Erin drank from the fountain of self-servitude, and emerged as a formidable business man himself.

“Seems to work out that way,” Nikolai and his enterprise thrived in uncertainty. Each uprising, rebellion, or historic war only grew their business in ten-fold. “But,” he mutters. “As is the way of economics, is it not? The realm demands, and we supply.” A far too simplistic take on the moral question. But he and the man before him were never ones for debate. Nikolai liked to believe they shared in the same self-serving nature. “I have done well with the changing tides. It has made me rethink the structure of the business to meet the growing demands.” And, more accurately, the growing rebellion’s needs. “Frankly, there is an exchange I cannot seem to put in trusted hands.” With a passing glance at Erin, he shrugs; “At least, not in the way I trust you.”

~

“Ah, I could say the same for you. I feel each time I see you, you have remained the picture of spirited enterprise as my human half inches me closer to the grave.” Erin joked with a humble gesture. “But thank you, you flatter me.” Nik’s words sparked an almost sardonic humor in him. It had been nearly two centuries since the pair first met and while the half elf didn’t look much different now, he certainly did his utmost to not let the weight of the years show in his actions. To Erin’s delight, the elf across from him seemed unchanged. “Much has changed since then.” He added, tone thick with fond reminiscing.

“True enough.” The vasharr agreed, a neutral smile still on his face. He didn’t care for the deeper moral debate surrounding his business. There were fine lines he drew around himself. Moral guidelines that he did not cross and that he was comfortable in. The rest was permissible and, in his eyes, if they weren’t the ones providing these services- someone would just as quickly rise up to take their place in the grand scheme of things. 

Erin listened intently as the elf mentioned restructure, unsure of what Nikolai referred to. Though he wouldn’t pry, a silent respect that their business was their own except where it intersected. He did, however, straighten at the mention of what he assumed was a job and a partial reason for the meeting. “You know I am always at your service, how can I help?”