daisies perched upon your forehead

    Agustin did his best to not startle when the woman sat down next to him, knowing that would probably make him a little more vulnerable. As a human– it was a rare sight for him to be able to pin down exactly what species he was talking to from the get go. So his eyes immediately flicked to her lips, managing to catch her words. Clearly she’d already tried to ask him once, it’d be foolish to miss it again.

   The slave nodded his head, “I’m good.” He responded with a soft smile. He dropped his hand to the table and cringed at the sounds that came in all of a sudden. It was all so disjointed. “Just… loud.” He told her. “I’m not a sir though… I’m human.”

.

“Well...you’re not someone I’ve met before, so is Sir not the appropriate way to greet a man you don’t know?” She tilted her head as she said it, genuine confusion flittering over her face before she let out a soft breath and nodded, “That’s good though- that you’re alright. And it is loud here. And bright. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many lights. And even after all these months I’m still not used to being around so many..people. Human or otherwise.”

Carys was sitting at the front desk of the shelter going over some paperwork while the receptionist went on her break. There was a cat on her shoulder, a little dog on her lap, several dogs lounging by her feet and more furry rescues hanging out around her while she worked. The fae was rarely in her actual office, not liking being confined to the four concrete walls. And when she was in the building, she liked keeping as many animals as she could out of the kennels. It was all perfectly organized, she knew which ones got along, which ones listened better, which ones were more friendly… Plus Carys’ fae abilities had the critters listening to her commands like her trainees did back in Auburn.

The Queen’s presence was announced before she opened the door, as the dogs started yipping excitedly, tails wagging and cat purrs got louder. Putting her pen down, Carys smiled warmly and gave a polite bow with her head at the little blonde. “My Queen, to what do I owe this very pleasant surprise?” She greeted her, standing up from her desk. “Mind your manners, you lot.” She called out at the excited animals that were clamoring for Callie’s attention. @faexcalliope​

.

As she had been for a while now, Calliope panicked in silence, over-worried behind closed doors before putting on a brave face and heading out into the world that was now her home, trying to ignore how alone and unprepared she felt day in and day out. She still felt like she wasn’t doing enough for her hive, like she was continuously letting everyone down--but she kept that all to herself. Instead, to the rest of the city (and to her people) she was as optimistic and positive as possible. Like now, smiling at anyone new she walked by, sharing easy pleasantries.

One of the places she didn’t have to pretend though was the shelter. Callie had always loved animals, and having one of her own working here now made it even easier to have an excuse to drop by and lose herself in an hour or so of playing with puppies and kittens. 

When she walked in, her smile grew at the sight of the excited dogs, even letting out a laugh at how they were responding and she hummed softly, meeting the woman’s eyes. “Honestly? I just really wanted to spend some time with..well--them.” She laughed, giving a little shrug. “Is that okay?” 

Leo chuckled at her question “They felt useful at the time and whilst my needs might have changed I still admire them, they’re a part of who I am, who I was an who I will be…I definitely don’t regret them” He admitted, even if he wasn’t about to admit to the fact he turned into a tiny ermine. “Just the honeycomb? Did you not have a hive for it, or did you go and find wild hives?” He wondered, feeling just as curious about her as she was about him it seemed.

“And it’s...a one and done? No changing?” It was fascinating to think about though--that he could transform. Sure she had wings that she could magically make disappear and appear again, but her form itself didn’t change. What a wonder all these other species were. “Oh um..it was in the wild. The hive itself was quite large from what I remember. It was in a hollowed tree. But the part I liked visiting was nestled into an old tree limb that practically hovered over a creek of water. It was lovely. Not to mention better honey than..what you have here, bottled and sold in stores.”

   –Overwhelming.

  It was the one emotion that Auggie could place into words. The sounds of the festival were overwhelming to him. So many voices speaking, but for him– it sounded like nothing but a jumble of unintelligible sounds that grated on his brain. It’s why he’d found himself at a table, a hand pushed to his right ear as he blocked out the sound around him as best he could. It was moments like this where he found himself wishing that he’d lost hearing in both ears and not just one– it wasn’t like he had that much need for sound anyway. At least not in these situations.

    Auggie wouldn’t hear another approaching him nor would he hear them speaking to him. For all intents and purposes– he was lost in his own world.

@firebrandstarters​

.

As new and overwhelming as everything still was to her, Calliope tried at least once a day to go through the city’s festivities, wanting to take it all in, embrace it--even if it was scary to. She decided to stick to the sidelines though, observing instead of participating, and it was in doing so that she saw a man sitting down, almost like he was in some sort of pain.

And human or not, Calliope wasn’t one to take a situation like that without looking into it. It’s not how she was raised. So going over, she gently asked if he was alright, and when she got no answer she frowned, hesitating before moving to his other side and moving to sit down a couple feet away from him, this time allowing herself to get a look at his face. “Sir, I’m sorry to ask again but...are you okay?”

Ronan continued to hold her, wanting her to be able to get it all out. As much as it hurt seeing her so sad, sometimes people just needed a long cry and he would hold her for as long as she needed. He was always there for her and would always be there for her. 

“You are not failing.” Ronan immediately stopped Callie from going down that mental path. She was not failing them and as much as they weren’t used to any of this, they would adjust. They were a hardy species that had survived thus far even with the entire world seemingly against them. He poked her nose, “Come on, Cantaloupe, you know that your mother would hate seeing you like this. I bet she would be so proud of all you’ve accomplished. I know I am.”

He cupped her cheeks and wiped away her tears before peppering a few small kisses along her forehead. When her grip on him loosened and her sobs settled, he pulled away slightly. “I got you something.” After making sure she was okay to let go, he walked over to the box he brought and pulled off the blanket on top before pulling out the computer tower inside. “I finished the final few steps but look at what you made!” he announced.

A big part of her felt even worse...falling apart like this. She was supposed to be strong... Before she could truly continue thinking like that though Ronan’s voice pierced through and she hiccuped a little breath, sniffling as he pulled her head up so she’d face him. Calliope tried ducking her head down for a moment, embarrassed to be seen such a mess--but that was another thing the man wasn’t allowing as he instead cupped her face, gently wiped away her tears. 

Even if his words just made more tears well up in her eyes.

“I miss her...” she sounded childlike as she said it and she closed her eyes, letting him continue to clean her up, her breathing stuttering with each soft little kiss he dotted on her and slowly, slowly, her grip on him loosened, was less desperate- and as he spoke and shifted, Callie took in a long, slow breath and allowed her hands to fall away from him, watching him all the while.

“It tends to be a little bit of both from what I can gather, I’ve not had the ins and outs really explained to me. I think we know what we’re craving and what we feel would be most useful to us-” He then had a think about his words, he knew he’d chosen snow forms for himself and that Seren had a final form that matched her own mother-. The man gave a light shrug at the mention of humans. “You know, I’ve always loved bees, I think they’re interesting and honeybees don’t even bother attacking people. But you’re right, everything has to have a purpose otherwise why would it have evolved?”

“Craving...” she echoed the word, tilting her head a bit before she hummed and nodded. “That does make sense though- picking ones that would feel useful. “And so the ones you’ve chosen. They’re useful to you?” Calliope felt like she always had dozens of questions when it came to all these new species lately--but she also felt like she teetered on a fine line between inquisitive and nosy. So she wasn’t going to push it--instead she just nodded, a smile on her lips. “I used to have a honeycomb when I was young. I loved all the bees that would come to it, the fresh honey. It was quite lovely. I’m still not quite used to...buying things in a grocery store.”

It positively broke Ronan’s heart to see Callie like this and he would have done anything to make her pain go away, but for all his smarts and abilities, this was completely out of his control. No matter whether Callie wanted it or not, she was their Queen and there was no way of changing that. It was endlessly frustrating that this was one problem he couldn’t solve. He hadn’t done so in their hundreds of years of friendship and he would never.

When Callie clung to him, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly, letting her know that he would always be here for her. “You can. You have.” He pulled away slightly so that he could wipe away a few of her tears. He wanted her to look at him, to listen. “Callie, you’ve gotten this hive through the worst event that has happened in centuries.” 

He waited for her breathing to calm down to explain. “Our forest burned down, our home. No Queen has ever had to deal with having to rebuild our entire lives,” he reminded her. This was completely unprecedented for all of them and Callie was doing the best that she could. “You’re the one holding us together. You’re leading us at our worst and at our most desperate. No one should have to take that responsibility but you did.” It wasn’t a simple task and he didn’t understand how Callie couldn’t see it. Her mother may have made ruling seem effortless but ruling was effortless when one’s people had been at peace and happy for centuries. 

“We’ve survived. You’ve gotten us through the worst of it and stepped up and became the leader we needed you to be. Things may not be perfect but they never will be.”

.

Calliope was practically hyperventilating against him, trembling in his arms as he held her, letting her cry. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was aware that this was the first time she’d really, truly cried in months. Maybe even since coming here. She hadn’t even been allowed time to mourn before she was thrown into this new life. Mourn her home, mourn their old lives...mourn Calluna. The entire hive had lost so much. They’d lost their queen...but she’d lost her mom and it was someone she’d never get back again. The grief of it all was so overwhelming it was threatening to swallow her whole. 

It just made her hold onto him tighter.

“No no….I know you wouldn’t want me to leave” she reassured quickly. The fae gave a frustrated little noise “I don’t know what I’m feeling, Little Bright. I don’t think that any of us do in reality…I…” she stammered, finding herself at a strange loss for words around the young queen. “But we…Uh…I don’t know what it is. But we’re all gonna get through it with you leading us” she smiled, meaning every word. She so deeply admired the sprite and all that she had taken upon her shoulders. “What on Earth is a computer book?” The fae wondered, furrowing her eyebrows at her. She had always found books were on paper “Do they even count as books if not on paper?” she asked, only then blinking away the thought. “I barely use my phone, I can’t say I understand it all too much and I smashed the first one” she admitted. “They all make so much noise and seem to be used for distracting from reality, I see creatures walking down the streets with them, eyes glued to the screen-” she rambled, the idea wasn’t something she liked. “Anytime, Little Bright” 

.

Calliope didn’t want to linger too long on the negatives. She didn’t want to continue to let her emotions take control, so she just gave in and nodded, giving the other woman the same little smile she’d been attempting on and off throughout the conversation. “Thank you.”

“O-Oh, no um...I meant a book. A physical one. Whose topic is on computers and technology. It’s dated from a few decades ago, but I just.....I thought reading on the history would maybe help understand where we are with it all today. But for the record I have heard that books are digital now as well--even if I think I agree with you and I couldn’t possibly read one on a screen.”

“The claws, that’s probably the more accurate term” The familiar chuckled. He only nodded at her words “Definitely right, though it makes you question just why my kind really focused on cat forms, they’re not as practical as others might think they are” He hummed. “Humans had to find some ways to keep themselves entertained from what I can gather, the crazier the story the bigger the fanbase” He offered, only then giving a small smile. He recognized the girl, he’d heard enough whispers of the young queen on the council. Had he been a more talkative man he might well have asked her some of the wings he’d been curious about “What about yourself? Do you have any animals that you feel aren’t represented properly? I’ve often found people aren’t as suspecting of pigeons as they probably should be”

“Oh.” She felt silly for not putting two and two together. “Do you...--your kind, can they choose whatever form they want then? And I can see a cat’s practicality. Agility. Balance. Easily blended in with everyday society..” Callie shrugged as she said it, giving the man a little smile. “I can’t say I have much experience with humans outside of the last few months, so I’ll have to take your word on it.” his question made her pause for a moment, tilting her head before speaking. “Insects mainly. Mostly all have a vital purpose, yet they’re hated by so many simply for how they look or what some might do. Bees for example- the Earth needs them. Every living creature has a purpose.”

Ronan was in his office drawing up new blueprints for the future road leading through the Riverlands when his alert went off, informing him that someone had entered Callie’s treehouse. He turned to his computer and opened up the camera, ready to kick out whoever it was when he realized it was Callie herself. Instead of speaking, he simply listened, the microphones barely picking up the tiny sniffles that left the fae. He couldn’t see her anymore since he only installed the camera facing the entrance but just the sound of Callie crying was enough to cause Ronan to frown and drop whatever he was doing. 

He picked up a large box on one of his tables before leaving his office and taking off into the sky. It didn’t take him more than a minute to arrive at the treehouse and he silently entered, placing the box near the entrance before approaching Callie. Wordlessly, he sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her up against him. He simply held her, knowing that she just needed a moment to let it all out and would share when she was ready. This was their routine whenever Callie was sad and he didn’t have to ask her what was wrong.

.

Once she’d started crying, Calliope felt like she couldn’t stop- the floodgates opening as she curled in on herself on the ground. Her body was shaking from how sobs wracked through her, her head throbbing painfully as weeks and weeks of pent up emotions finally came out. She felt like a failure. Like everything she was doing was wrong and...her being queen was a mistake. They clearly didn’t belong here, so many were unhappy... and it was her fault. Her mother would probably be ashamed of the state of her hive if she’d seen it now.

She had her knees pulled up to her chest and her face hidden into her hands as she cried, so lost in it all that she hadn’t sensed anyone else nearby until suddenly there was a presence next to her, an arm going around her shoulders. Callie jumped at first, thinking maybe it was Torryn or one of her other guards coming to find her, telling her it was time to go back to work. But instead when she realized just who it was she only cried harder, knowing Ronan was someone it was safe to break down around. 

“I’m sorry...” she sobbed, turning more towards him and wrapping her arm around him, clinging to him. “I-I shouldn’t be queen...I can’t...I can’t do this..”

Another day in the city, another day where Calliope just felt...way in over her head. The Council was deep into talks of the Halloween festivities and she just kept quiet the whole time, struggling to keep up with everything they were talking about. Jack-O-Lanterns, trick or treating, classic movies...none of it made sense. And she felt too stupid to ever raise her hand and ask questions. It didn’t help that once she left the Council chambers, everything else around was still just...different again. Decorations all over. So many people, so many species..and yet she barely saw another Fae. They were all probably back home, in the safety and familiarity of their makeshift forest. Probably the only place many of them actually felt okay.

Another day in the city, another day where Calliope felt like she’d made the biggest mistake imaginable by dragging the hive here unwillingly. So many just seems so..unhappy. 

The lump in her throat kept growing, her breaths coming out a bit less steady and before anyone could see her she took off into the sky, not stopping until she was deep in the Riverlands, her wings automatically leading her to her own little safe spot: the treehouse Ronan had made for them, reminiscent of the one they had when she was a child.

Tears started clouding her vision as she just stumbled inside and moved to crouch down into a corner, the ache in her chest finally overwhelming her as she started to break.

“I thought that was where you might have been heading with it.” Liath admitted a little sheepishly, she was typically a confident creature but like all dark fae she crumbled in the presence of her queen. “I think you’re doing well for the hive as a whole, Callie…There is no doubt about that at all. I just can’t help myself with missing tradition and who I was- You don’t ever have anything to be sorry for” she reassured, looking down since she was ashamed with herself.  “It shouldn’t be all on you. Besides, the change happening is with everyone else, they’re all adapting off their own accord. I even find myself having to at times in that club” “Oh yeah? I could take you up on that.” she nodded, liking the idea of reading more. “You might not have celebrated it, but you always had great ideas for our gatherings so why wouldn’t you be able to put some good dieas forward for this one? I have the faith in you”

*

“You thought I’d want you to leave..?” It came out more hurt than she meant for it too and Calliope had to swallow again, hating how at the forefront her emotions sometimes tended to be. “I don’t want traditions to end, Liath. I-I don’t want you to feel you can’t be yourself o...or feel however it is you’re feeling..” It shouldn’t be all on you. Yet she felt it did. They were here because of her. Every single choice she made she felt had a consequence--and every choice she made lately felt like it was the wrong one..

She just nodded when the other spoke, pulling a smile onto her face. “Whenever you’d like.” Callie assured, the smile still on her face. “Just fair warning, there’s some computer books there now too. I’ve been..trying to learn. I think I’ve got texting and phone calls down. So my next mission is to learn a computer. It’s..quite fascinating.” She looked down when Liath said she had faith in her and she hummed again. “Thank you.”

Ronan raised his brow, unconvinced by Calliope’s words. They sounded way too formal and like something a Queen would say to her advisor. It was what they were but Callie didn’t have to compliment him–she knew that. He had enough confidence for the both of them and it was even worse that she backed up a compliment to him with a little insult to herself. “You are busy, Cantaloupe. You have to run an entire hive and participate in the politics of a giant city. Your job is much harder than mine.” Computers and technology were straightforward. They didn’t lie, they didn’t have feelings, it was just reading books and constant trial and error.

“Now stop inflating my ego and get back to work!” he teased, playfully poking her cheek. They continued working and was almost able to complete the computer when someone came knocking at Ronan’s door. He didn’t look back and told the person to come in, immediately regretting it when he realized they were there for Callie and that she needed to attend a meeting. “You guys can’t let her have a day, can you?” 

*

Callie let out a breath as he tried to assure her it was okay and she just hummed, shrugging a bit. “Still, I....I’m going to try and learn more. Work harder. I want to.” She already felt she was so..lacking. The hive deserved more than that- especially after all that they’d lost and gone through. They at least deserved to have a competent, knowledgable queen. “Besides, being a queen shouldn’t be easy.” she gave him a little smile as he said it, letting out a laugh as he poked her face before she turned back to what he was doing.

She’d been so engrossed in it all that she hadn’t even realized anyone was coming until there was a knock on the door and she jumped, startling a bit before she let out a breath. Personal time was clearly over. When Ronan spoke she just hummed, reaching to his hand near her side and giving it a squeeze. “It’s okay Roe.” she assured him, holding his hand for a second more before she moved to slip off of his lap. Like flipping a switch, the relaxed line of her shoulders stiffened up, going from Callie to Calliope--a queen with duties and things that she needed to attend to.

“Gotta say, I never understood why bats and black cats are considered spooky around Halloween. Has anyone taken a proper look at them? Ones a flying ball of fur and the other is a ball of fur with tiny knives-” The familiar then realized he was rambling. It was a trait of his when he wasn’t sure what to say, not to mention the fact Halloween was a subject that still baffled him in many ways. “Either way, I’m enjoying the energy in the city at the moment, even with the strange depiction of what I’d consider cute animals.”

@firebrandstarters​

“Tiny....knives?” Calliope spoke up, tilting her head slightly as she looked to the man who’d been speaking. She didn’t know a thing about Halloween or traditions outside of the crash course some of the Council had been giving her and the bits she’d been managing to read about in books. “I’d read that cats and bats were linked to witchcraft in the middle ages. And as witchcraft was considered bad back then..I guess that could be the reasoning? Just..another thing humans made up and ran with?”

Liath sighed, looking away “Of course not, my queen” she reassured, not wanting to make Callie feel like shit. That was the last thing she wanted. At the young queen’s words her eyes widened and she tried not to whimper. Was Callie wanting her to go? Her eyebrows furrowed and she stammered “Incompetent? You? What? N-no…I…That’s not what I want or meant, but If you need me to go eventually, I mean I’d totally get it. Can’t have my mopey self around you all the time when you’re trying to assimilate to this?” She offered, not that she’d have any idea how to come across others. Hives never just accepted stray drones. And bees in their own nature decapitated intruders, were Fae the same? The very thought made Liath sit there with her eyes wide for a few moments until she realized she hadn’t spoken for a short while.

“Oh no, no where near as wordy. But hey, we might know the languages, but it never meant I read all too much when we were, well you know. You know me, Little Bright. Too much wood in my head, I’m just all brawn” she hummed, tapping the side of her head playfully. “That’s the best to hear, you’re probably putting them all to shame with your creative ideas?”

.

Callie shook her head, closing her eyes a second as she frowned before she put her hand up. “Liath.” She called out softly, trying to get the other woman to stop her rambling. “When did I say I wanted you to leave?” She asked, not understanding how her words got so easily twisted. “I meant it as you have every right...a..and reason to want to leave. I’m clearly not making the right decisions that make the hive happy...” She had to close her eyes again, trying to calm herself. “I’m sorry.” she murmured, letting out a breath before she looked to the woman again. “I in no way want you to leave. Nor do I want you to change. I..I’ll try harder to make this more like home. And not force everyone to accept this new way of life.”

“If you ever need something new to read, I’ve started a little collection of books in my home. You’re welcome to them anytime you want.” She gave the woman a little smile, humming. “I’m not all that creative, and I’ve never celebrated it before, so I don’t think I have many good inputs to give. But I’m still sure it’ll all be great.”

“I never have to do anything for you,” Ronan agreed, smiling right back at her. “Doesn’t mean I don’t want to.” As far Ronan was concerned, that was the end of that conversation. Callie knew that he would do anything for her and they didn’t need to argue that fact. It went beyond her just being his Queen–she was also his best friend. “Now focus, I’m teaching,” he jokingly demanded.

He could tell that she missed a lot of what he said so he started the process instead. He grabbed the CPU and then passed her a small tube of thermal paste. “Squeeze a bit of that onto this.” He waited for her to follow his instructions before continuing. Every step of the way, he would explain what was happening and offer her the opportunity to follow through with what he explained. If she seemed hesitant, he would take over while giving her a chance to do the easier parts. 

*

Callie let out a soft little sigh and knocked her shoulder against his, “You know what I mean...” she replied even as she smiled. “And for the record I could order you to do something for me, and then you would have to.” She teased, her smile growing before she playfully rolled her eyes at him. “Yes sir.”

She tried her best to focus too, but it was...a lot. Words she’d never used, things she’d never seen. Technology was so fascinating to her, but even after nearly six months of living in Firebrand, she was still having some trouble gripping it all. But still, she tried, glueing things together and trying not to mess things up since he’d clearly been working hard on this. “I’m going to say it again...you’re pretty amazing, teaching yourself all this. I can barely get a grasp on the idea of phone calls and texting..but you’ve taken it all in stride. It’s admirable.” Part of her wondered if she should have been more knowledgable by now in all this, and maybe she’d been slacking. “Clearly I need to learn faster.”

“Assimilation sounds like a whole other agenda, Calliope…That sounds like we lose ourselves if we become just like them? I always liked how unique we are” she then only furrowed her eyebrows at the other, not wanting to upset the queen so she instead nodded “Point taken, I have met some creeps. I gave them an out with that threat though, I simply get tired of the weird blood comments” she only then gave a soft breath “Oh something called Les Miserables, it’s wordy and from what I can gather it’s an overreaction to a stolen loaf of bread and the obsession of a law man who should probably be focusing on other criminals over one bread thief.” She mused “How are you doing, Little Bright? You all good?”

“Assimilation by its very definition can also refer to the simply absorbing new ideas and having it coexist with existing knowledge. ..Do you really think we’d lose ourselves? Do you think any of us want to?” She was frowning again, her persistent guilt nagging away at her like always. “I don’t want us to lose who we are. We’re special, inherently so....it’s why I wanted so badly for our domain here to be reminiscent of home..” and she thought it wasn’t half bad.. “I’m sorry I dragged you here, and those who feel the same way you do. I..I wouldn’t fault you if you chose to go against my decision, if you wanted to leave. I know there’s other hives in the world....ones with much more competent queens..” Calliope swallowed, trying to stamp down the emotions and guilt she always tried to hide. “More wordy than Aristotle?” she asked, clearing her throat a bit and giving a small smile, trying to come off as teasing. “Considering we know every language on Earth...I’m sure there’s worse things out there to read.” She kept the little smile on her lips, nodding again, “Yes. I..--it’s been nice. Helping to plan things in the city with the rest of the Council. I’m looking forward to it.”