like the moon, we borrow our light

Lore did their best to listen to the words that the guy was saying, instead of the thoughts, even going so far as to press their hand to their temple, like that was going to stop anything. It never had, especially when their powers spiked like this. They still picked up something, though, a name. Rae. Must be…well, that wasn’t the man. “Crazy like a man with a panther named Rae coming into a tavern? I feel like I should come up with some kind of joke about that,” Lore replied, grinning. “I’m from out of town. I thought….well, I like being around strong magic every once in a while.”

Jakoby’s hand was still absentmindedly intertwined in Rae’s fur when the other persons spoke and as they continued, his hand froze. Rae turned her head towards them at the sound of her name, but wasn’t aware anything was wrong. Jakoby had already been tense because of everything going on in Myrefall, so as far as she was aware, nothing had changed. But Jakoby was a bit in shock. How did they know Rae’s name? He was very certain he’d never met this person before, and he hadn’t said Rae’s name out loud. Suspicion crept in. He remembered that, as far as he was aware, Marceau Lommane had put a price on his head. He leaned back in his seat. “How do you know her name?” he asked suspiciously.

Lore had heard about the magic surge…earthquake…thing, and had headed over to Myrefall to see if they could help, or at least see anything strange. Maybe this sort of magic would help them with their sister? So here they were, in an inn, and…well, they couldn’t tell if their whole fae side was acting up, or if this was because of other things. Because thoughts were really loud and things kept floating, and Lore didn’t know if they were doing it or what.

An example of thoughts came from the guy next to them at the bar. Something about telekinetics and third time it happened and anxious? There were full thoughts, even though Lore didn’t want to focus on people’s minds and be rude, but…this surge was messing them up. “Don’t worry, nobody would mind if that happened on a normal day,” they told the man, trying to sound assuring despite the headache that was threatening them.

Jakoby looked over at the sound of someone next to him in surprise. The other person was sitting nearby, he hadn’t even noticed them there. He felt the heat of embarrassment rise up on his face and felt immediately grateful that, with his skin tone, it was very difficult to notice any kind of blush. He laughed softly and nodded. “Yeah, it’s pretty crazy right now…” he commented. From under the table, he felt Rae nuzzle her head against his hand, fingers still intertwined in her fur. She could sense his unease and anxiety and he felt her purring quietly, trying to do what she could to reassure him. It brought a small smile to his face. “I came to town to try and help with everything going on,” Jakoby told the other person who had spoken up. “What about you? Do you live here or are you from out of town?”

It had been a bit of a long day on top of a long week of travelling to get to the afflicted city. Sitting down heavily at a table, all Jakoby wanted to do was have some ale and relax for a little while. In the city’s current state, it was a bit difficult to do so. But he came here to help. He’d been at the Crossroads when the chaos had started, and after sending word back home, he set out for Myrefall right away. His drink sitting on the table, he sighed and ran his hand through Rae’s fur absently as she sat at his feet. When he’d arrived at this inn the day before, the innkeeper had looked warily at the panther, but the man allowed her to stay in the room with Jakoby with the assurance that he would cover any damages that might come about because of her. He tiredly rubbed his eyes for a moment and was about to reach for his mug of ale, but when he opened his eyes, he suddenly saw that the mug was floating in the air in front of him.

Quickly, he grabbed it and brought it back down to the table. He glanced up, but the person tending bar didn’t seem to notice. Or, if they had, they didn’t bother to say anything. It probably wasn’t the craziest thing to have happened over the past week since this started. But it was enough to bother Jakoby. It was the third time this had happened to him today, and it was making him more and more anxious. He barely used his telekinetic ability as it was, but the wild magic so prevalent in the air was making it hard to keep a good handle on it.

Date: May 15th Location: Runswick, Woods Status: Open

Three months ago Pyrope had purchased a set of five throwing knives that sat inside a hand-sewn leather belt which would have wrapped around her waist, had she ever used them. Until the present moment the entire item had been tossed against a wall, forgotten, and then shoved into one of several bags she had toted to Khaggon. She found them a week prior, in a furious attempt to clean, and tied them to her waist happily with no use for them other than aesthetics. But now that she was back in Runswick, bouncing between taverns and camping, she had all the trees in the world to practice on. 

She stood many feet away from a large oak, staring at the cut up bark from the times the blade had grazed the tree, letting out a frustrated sigh. Her fingers pinched the blade, she reared back, and let the knife fly through the air. It hit the right side, bounced off, and fell to the ground. God, she was rusty. “Fuck.” She groaned, pulling out another to get ready to throw, before she heard a twig snap nearby. “Better watch out!” She called, squaring up, throwing the knife towards the target tree again. It hit the side of the bark again but stuck in the wood, the first of many tries. Thankfully.

The sun filtered down through the leaves of the canopy above, and Jakoby let it warm his already naturally warm skin as he walked through the forest with Asrael by his side. His bow on his back, he wasn’t actively looking for game at that moment though he still walked quietly through the forest just in case he came across anything. Asrael padded along next to him, almost silent. She had always been stealthier than him. Suddenly, he noticed her stop in her tracks with her ears pricked up. Jakoby stopped as well, thinking she may hear prey. Slowly, he began to reach for his bow, but after a moment of listening, he heard what sounded like a person. Smiling a bit, he crouched down next to Rae to make sure she’d keep calm as it was likely this person wasn’t a threat. Out in the woods, she was much more on guard when it came to other people. He knew exactly why, but he didn’t want what had happened years ago now stop him from connecting with other people. So he ran his fingers through Rae’s fur, whispering to her it was okay and that they weren’t in any danger until he felt her muscles relax under his hand.

Once she was calmer, Jakoby stood and began to walk towards the noise of the other person. It was more of a precaution and a courtesy than an action made out of curiosity, though he was curious to see who else was out in the woods with him. Seeing a black panther slinking through the trees tended to startle some people and if this was another hunter, he’d rather let them know he was out there and that Rae was his companion so she wasn’t hurt in a misunderstanding. He also moved less stealthily, so he himself wouldn’t startle whoever it was that was also out here by sneaking up on them. As he moved closer to the source of the noise, he began to see the figure of a person. It seemed to be a woman doing what looked like a bit of target practice. He slowed his pace a bit, but then came to a stop as he suddenly realized who it was he was looking at. He didn’t recognize her. In fact, he was very sure he’d never seen her before in his life. As someone who ran a shop that saw a fair amount of business, he usually couldn’t be entirely sure that he’d never seen someone before upon meeting a stranger. But when considering the fact that the only fire genasi he’d ever seen before, not including himself and Levi, was his own father, he was very certain he’d never seen this woman before. He began to take a few steps closer when she realized someone was close by. She called a warning out before throwing another one of her daggers at the tree she was using for practice. He watched it make contact and he smiled a bit and stepped more into view. “Nice throw,” he commented.

“I’m not the Anari ranger captain you need to impress,” said Efrain absently. He found nothing wrong with meats hunted for him and had found every dish his mother and father had cooked him delicious. Then again he had very little experience hunting game for food—his hunting experience lay with aberrations, beasts, and people. And yet, compared to his mother, he was a city slicker. 

“Fine,” said Efrain, aware of how the base of his skull ached and his cheeks heated with the lie. This moment of domesticity did not mitigate the echoing pain of both the war and of his father’s betrayal. Even now his skin prickled with the memory of the geas’ cage and of the burning of Arx. “How have you, your mother, and son been?”

Jakoby smiled. “Well, I hope I can live up to her expectations,” he said. He continued preparing Efrain’s order as he spoke, sparing a glance over at the half elf. His hands slowed slightly as he noticed the slight change in Efrain’s demeanor. He could only imagine, as a knight, the war would take its toll on Efrain. Whether or not there was something else weighing Efrain down, he didn’t know, but Jakoby had no intention of pushing the subject or try to make Efrain talk about it when it was clear he didn’t want to. He just gave Efrain another smile as he finished wrapping everything up and presented it to the half elf. “Well, if you ever need anything, whether it’s more good meats or just a helping hand with something, you know where to find me now. And I promise, the helping hand would come free of charge.”

Date: April 4th Location: Runswick Time: Early Morning Status: Open

The sun shone brightly above, peeking through spotted clouds, a radiantly vibrant reminder that nature continued to endure. Idril found solace in the warm glow as it spread across her form, dotting her pathway through the town as she walked, slow and steady and cautious. One foot in front of the other, like a ballerina on cobblestone, enjoying the feel of her toes inside the straps of her thin shoes. She felt connected this way, practically barefoot, felt halfway at home as her soles tapped down and sprung up. It was a daily morning practice, before the world woke up, to make her way around. Become connected to her surroundings. Whether in the woods or in the town itself, she never failed to follow through with routine. A noise rose from behind her and she paused, weight falling onto the heels of her feet as she swivelled around to face the stranger. It had not occurred to her to be nervous, or tense, considering what had happened so recently in Arx. She was open-hearted and trusting that Melora would give her a sign if she needed to be worried, and thus far she had not felt a pull in her gut. “Oh, hello!” She greeted, smiling, a little wave of her hand following the chipper words. “Say, are you following me? ‘Cause if you are, I’m going to have to invite you for breakfast.”

It was early, which meant Jakoby was making his way to the forest outside of town. It was a necessary activity in order to make sure that their stock stayed full, for the shop and for themselves. But it never felt like a chore to the fire genasi. It was a source of joy, and relaxation.

The morning air was chilled, but not so cold that it would make Jakoby forget that spring was finally here. It felt nice against Jakoby’s warm skin. Rae walked closely by his side. The streets were clear of people — mostly — but the past few years that they’d love in Runswick, the panther had become a normal sight. As he walked along, he noticed a elven woman up ahead walking along the road. The way she was walking was strange. Almost like she was dancing. It brought a smile to Jakoby’s face. The smile stayed as she turned and looked at him. He laughed softly. “Sorry if I startled you. I was just on my way to the forest. But if you’re offering, I’d love to join.”

“Good - so can I,” Avi said, immediately running portside and calling to the captain to slow the ship. Clutching his wand, the sorcerer allowed a heat to emerge from his gut, spreading rapidly into his arms and through the wand until it was a large ball of fire. The response it evoked was nothing but a gurgling screech - Avi had never heard anything like it. He watched the chuul squirm as the ship underneath it was lit aflame, fire licking at its feet. 

Apparently that was enough to drive it from its perch. The chuul was submerged in water within seconds. The only sign of it became the ripples of the water as it moved. Shit, Avi thought, maybe it would have been better to keep it up there, visible and far from us. And if there was anything important in the bow of the wrecked ship - well, it was gone now. He hoped the captain would dote so much on the harm he did to the chuul that he’d forget any collateral damage.

Ellywick caught sight of the panther peeking out from the counter, which definitely caused her to stop in her tracks for a moment. She tilted her head to the side, observing the large feline with unfiltered curiosity. It wasn’t often that wild animals like this found their way to civilization. Most of the time, Nim was the strangest thing people had ever seen, but it appeared the badger might have competition on that front.

“You have a panther? That’s pretty awesome,” Elly responded with a wry smile.

Nim wandered up to the counter, appearing to be sniffing the unknown animal before her. Elly had to place a hand on her back to get the metal badger to stand down. She might be a construct, but that didn’t stop her from having a bit of curiosity about the world around her. A trait she shared with her creator, definitely.

She gave the badger a pat on the head as she thought about her options. “Uh… Do you have any sausages? Smoked, spiced, regular stuff? I don’t know, I’m just really in the mood for that for some reason.”

Jakoby laughed softly. “She may not be able to say it herself, but Rae greatly appreciates the compliment,” Jakoby told her. “Your badger is pretty amazing too. Can’t say I’ve ever seen anything like ‘em.” Jakoby gave the gnome a smile. “We definitely have that,” he told her. “We have all three, actually. Is there a specific one you’d prefer, or would you like all three?” he asked her.

It sounded like they’d arrived in the country at the right time. Rex suddenly felt bad for asking he bit his lip feeling slightly awkward. He’d never been good at dealing with situations like this. Most of the “romantic” relationships he’d had were hollow and fake. The rest he knew from novels. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize. My uh…condolences.”

Rex couldn’t even imagine being a parent let alone being the sole parent. His mother had single handedly brought Rexly up. She hadn’t done a very good job all things considered but Rexly knew it was tough. “Hey uh, if you guys…like ever need anything you know under the table like…I work mostly out of Khaggon but I’m not opposed to working outside the city.”

Jakoby gave the tiefling a smile and shook his head. “Don’t worry, no harm done,” he reassured Rexly. “It’s been a long time… I actually get asked that a lot, too. So I’m pretty used to it.” He put the blankets he had in his hand down on the table, then leaned against it to look at Rexly. The offer was unexpected, but interesting nonetheless. It wasn’t an unwelcome one, either. His mother wasn’t always a fan of more… illicit dealings, but Jakoby tended to be more lenient. People did what they had to do to get by, and as long as they weren’t hurting anybody, Jakoby wasn’t going to judge anyone for it. The genasi nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he told Rexly. “And if you need anything, you can always come to us for help. We have a shop in Runswick, and I hunt around there pretty regularly. You can always find us there.”

“Just Efrain, please,” he said easily. He got enough honorifics day-to-day that he was sick of them. Titles just bogged down conversation and it wasn’t like this quaint little shop was a war room, battle ground, or throne room. He demanded, and earned, the respect of his men during combat, from other nobles he held in low esteem, but he didn’t need it from anyone else. Besides, lately all titles made him sick to his stomach. He was a “sir” because Eobald had forced him into knighthood and he was a “lord” for much the same reason. The titles felt hollow now and often undeserved. He mentally shook himself to chase such thoughts away. 

He could tell that Jakoby’s spiel was well practiced. Clearly he felt comfortable here, confident, and it made Efrain smile. “Cuts of venison, rabbit, and anything else you have today that will satisfy a woman used to stalking, hunting and preparing her own meats please. My ma has found every last butcher shop in Khaggon wanting, so it’s a tall order.” As he spoke he took the time to give the room a proper, curious once-over. “If she didn’t hunt it herself, there’s usually something wrong with it.” 

Hearing Efrain tell Jakoby just to use his first name made the genasi respect him just a bit more. Efrain was definitely a rare breed of noble. Most nobles Jakoby has met throughout his life would’ve seen it as a great insult to just be called by their first name by a mere commoner like him. Hearing Efrain talk about this woman, his mother, made him smile. Jakoby could relate greatly to how this woman seemed to feel. He often felt the same way about the meat he hunted, and his father tended to be the same way.

“I completely understand,” Jakoby told Efrain. “I tend to be that way myself. Which is why you can trust me when I assure you that our shop here is the best of its kind in all of Romera.” He gave the half elf a smirk. Then he went about getting and preparing the different meats he asked for. “How have you been since Arx?” he asked Efrain, more to make polite conversation than anything else.

“Morning!” Allegra echoed as she entered the quaint shop in a sing-song manner. There was nothing she needed that she didn’t already have lying around back home - especially not furs, pelts, and meats - but whatever she happened to first lay her eyes on she promised to buy. Stimulate the local economy and all. She made a promise to make the effort of greeting all folks within her hold regardless, not just to uphold Sune’s ideals of love but for her father as well. Besides, if she didn’t know how things ran on the local level, how could she ever manage things herself?

“Well, I put together a little get-together at The Garden of Roses in a little bit,” the halfling explained, gesturing to the door with open arms. It was as though all the tension was released through the movements of her body. “To make flower crowns as a little morale boost of sorts after everything. Any donations will be distributed among the war refugees. I know, you don’t follow her but everyone’s welcome. What do you think?”

Jakoby’s smile widened at the cheery energy the half long had upon entering the shop. It was always nice when newcomers were already in a good mood. It made sales that much easier. He could already tell he was going to like her. He raised an eyebrow at what she said, and he thought about it for a moment. He glanced over his shoulder, towards the back room, and when he looked back at her, he smiled.

“I think I know a little boy who would absolutely love that,” Jakoby told her. “Do you need anything from the shop or are you just dropping by to spread the word?”

Ah, Runswick, the city of adventurers, redwood forests and businesses of all sorts.

Until Ellywick left Crowmire to travel, she’d never stepped foot in this particular city. It wasn’t that far from her home, but it was still a long trek for the inexperienced and unprepared. She’d encountered a couple of beasts on her way here, but most if not all had avoided them after seeing the might that was her giant badger companion. Said badger was now scaring some of the nearby cityfolk with her appearance, mostly in the way of bewildered faces and creating a wide berth in the streets for the artificer and her creation.

“Hey, Nim, what do you say for a bit of a bite to eat?” The badger didn’t reply, but gave the rock gnome a look that said plenty. “I know you don’t need to eat, but I’m not so lucky, you know that.” Once again, the construct remained silent. “Yeah, you’re right. No use arguing in the streets like this.”

She eyed a nearby shop, where the picture on the sign seemed to imply a meat shop of some sort. The sound of some dried jerky sounded really good just about now. With the leftover spiced goat cheese and that red wine she had on her, that could prove to be a real good meal. If they had some fish or sausages, all the better. Just the thought of such goodness made her mouth almost water.

The bell that rung as she entered had her look up, just to see the source of the sound. She had once been compared to a young pup by her dad for her tendency to check out every stimulation within a mile’s radius. As she looked ahead once more, she caught the eye of a fire genasi standing behind the counter, which had her raising her brows. Two of them within a week of each other, that was a new record for her.

“Morning,” she greeted as she walked over to the counter. “Do you sell meat, by any chance?” It’s good to make sure before she put in an order, after all.

Jakoby’s smile widened at the sight of the female gnome who had entered his shop, and then he felt a wave of surprise at what was walking next to her. A metallic-looking badger. His eyes showed surprise, but his smile remained. Rae noticed his small change in demeanor and, out of curiosity, she lifted herself up to look over the counter, placing her two front paws on the counter itself. She made a noise of confusion. Jakoby chuckled softly and patted her gently. “It’s okay,” he said to her quietly. She made another quiet disgruntled sound, but lowered herself back down to her position lying down below the counter and out of sight.

“Don’t worry about her,” he told the possible customer who entered. “She’s protective, but she won’t hurt you. In fact, I think she might have a bit in common with your companion.” Jakoby gave her a smile. “What can I help you with today?” he asked.

“Good - so can I,” Avi said, immediately running portside and calling to the captain to slow the ship. Clutching his wand, the sorcerer allowed a heat to emerge from his gut, spreading rapidly into his arms and through the wand until it was a large ball of fire. The response it evoked was nothing but a gurgling screech - Avi had never heard anything like it. He watched the chuul squirm as the ship underneath it was lit aflame, fire licking at its feet. 

Apparently that was enough to drive it from its perch. The chuul was submerged in water within seconds. The only sign of it became the ripples of the water as it moved. Shit, Avi thought, maybe it would have been better to keep it up there, visible and far from us. And if there was anything important in the bow of the wrecked ship - well, it was gone now. He hoped the captain would dote so much on the harm he did to the chuul that he’d forget any collateral damage.

Jakoby’s eyes widened as they followed fiery spell impact with the beast. He’d never seen magic like that in person, and he had to admit, it was pretty cool. But his admiration over the half-elf’s abilities was pushed to the back of his mind as the chuul made its way underwater. He cursed under his breath in Primordial. “We should get ready to move if it gets too close,” he stated. He glanced up, towards the crow’s nest of the ship. “I’m going up top.”

“Oh yeah don’t worry I’m nice.” He flashed Levi a grin. That was a blatant lie Rexly didn’t consider himself a nice person, he was as nice as a thief could get. Rexly took his notebook and pencil out his satchel. He flipped to the back of the book to the blank pages and handed them to Levi.  “Here draw me a picture of Rae for me so i can remember how pretty she is when I get home.”  Rexly looked over to Helene to see if she needed any help but he though she seemed to managing fine. “Your wife at home?” Rexly asked curiously. He noticed that Jakoby wasn’t wearing a wedding ring but not everyone could afford one these days or he’d simply taken it off to travel. His own parents hadn’t worn any though Rexly assumed that money wasn’t the reason why they didn’t wear wedding bands. 

Levi’s eyes widened at the offered notebook, and a grin broke out on the boy’s face. He eagerly grabbed the notebook and pencil and began drawing a rudimentary drawing of Asrael, a sketch holding all the artistic skill a three year old boy could have. Jakoby laughed a little and ruffled Levi’s hair. The boy didn’t even look up from his drawing. “And to answer your previous question, we’ve been here in Hegaehend for 3 years. Got here right after Levi was born.” He thought back to that night he and his mother fled with his then-infant son. It wasn’t a night he usually liked to think about. Full of fear, anxiety, worry, and guilt.

He pushed the thought aside as much as he could, but Rexly asking about his wife prevented that. Jakoby felt his heart dully ache as Rebekah’s face flashed through his mind. But he put on a smile, half so Jakoby wouldn’t think anything was wrong and half to try and avoid the painful part of the subject entirely. “No,” he stated quietly, stepping away from the cart where Levi sat. “No wife, or partner. It’s just me.”

Efrain wasn’t sure how he’d become the errand boy for his mother, but he wasn’t about to refuse her. She had been asking him to bring home cuts of game meat for weeks now, but each time he did she found something wanting in them. She and Orion kept cooking the staples from home, but clearly if she didn’t hunt it herself Imma didn’t like it. Efrain had already exhausted all of the appropriate stores in Khaggon, but had passed this shop earlier in the day and it seemed promising. He stepped through the door, a bell ringing obnoxiously above his head, and turned towards the voice. 

“Jakoby?” he asked, surprised. He hadn’t given the genasi much thought since Arx, hadn’t had the time to, but they seemed to keep running into each other. He shut the door carefully behind him before stepping forward into the shop. “I’m glad to see you returned safely from Arx.”

When Jakoby realized who it was that had walked in, he smiled. “Sir Crayhorn.” Jakoby used the more proper term out of respect more than anything. He always did everything he could to treat everyone the same. Someone of noble birth wouldn’t get any sort of special treatment over someone of common birth. But from what he’d seen and experienced with Efrain had shown Jakoby that Efrain seemed to be a good man, and Jakoby had a good amount of respect for him. “Good to see you too. Glad you made it home safe and sound.” He remembered the city the day that he and his family had gotten to Arx, and running into Efrain that morning. The whole city had been a grim sight, and he could only imagine how nasty the fighting had been.

“Well, welcome to our shop,” he said with a smile. “We have all kinds of meats and hides. Whatever you might need, we can provide for you.” The words varied every time he said it, but it was still the same general line to any new customers that entered his family’s shop. He was quite practiced at it now, after several years doing it in Eowesoa, and three years in Hegaehend. He leaned his forearms on the counter with a casual smile. “What can I help you with today?”

Business had just started up for the day, and already a few people had passed through the store. Luckily, it hadn’t gotten too busy yet. Jakoby was behind the counter on his own at the moment. His mother was in the back, with Levi, and Asrael was lounging behind the counter at Jakoby’s feet. He smiled down at her. “How we doing down there?” he said softly. She purred quietly and nuzzled her head against his leg. He crouched down behind the counter and ran his fingers through her fur gently. She lifted her head towards him, and he leaned closer to place a soft kiss on the top of her head. After a moment, the bell over the front door rang, signaling the sound of someone entering. He popped back up to greet the person entering. “Morning,” he said cheerfully. “What can I help you with today?”