Flown In From A Long Hidden Home

Alyona loved her new home beneath Arcadia, truly she did, but nothing beat stretching her wings in the open skies above it. Something about flying underground just felt stuffy, compact, limited. Up here, there were no such limitations.

She didn’t even notice that anybody could see her at this hour, not easily anyways, and she doubly didn’t notice the pair of eyes following her as she circled and dove and twisted about, using every muscle she could to exercise.

“Pretty much yeh.” He is listening despite the working distraction of running a finger down the page he’s landed on and mumbling something that does not sound like modern English, honest.

“It sucks at times sure but what can you do? With my track record of traveling so much not having anywhere permanent isn’t too bad a thing despite my arch nemesis: landlords.”

Archie rolls his eyes gesturing vaguely with a paw in answer whilst giving the mask a cursory sniff.

“Now now, better a roof than a sky.”

Douxie dramatically groans whilst running the hand that is not holding the pages down through his hair tugging the ends a bit.

“Ugh don’t remind me, the winters further north freaking sucked. That much snow should not be a thing I was lucky you’re such a good toaster.”

He blinks as though suddenly remembering they’re not alone right now, drops the hand then and throws Alyona a somewhat sheepish look.

“Aah sorry I’m uh getting on a bitta tangent here don’t… Mind me.”

The cat listens to quietly while the wizard quickly goes back to what he was doing to save any further embarrassment, tail tip flickering a touch.

“Yes well, I cannot say I’ve ever fully grasped the obsession with taking pets in the first place that would force me to do so. To answer your question however, the boy here works elsewhere other than just this shop for mostly paying the bills but here as you may ascertain has extra significance, idle hands lead you astray and all that.”

He’s given a look out the corner of his eye for that one even if Archie does not give him any reaction back leading to an annoyed huff.

“It has the added bonus of keeping up appearances, humans can be surprisingly perceptive at times and it is better to keep anything magical under the radar much like with trolls. They have the most unfortunate habit of jumping to the worst conclusions even in this more enlightened age.”

Douxie merely nods in response taking the mask back to compare it to the notes he’s already written down scrubbing a few out and writing down a few fresh ones instead.

“Ooooon the flipside sometimes you find some old magic ends up in secondhand bookstores and they ain’t got a clue. Picked up some right cheap gems for the collection that way, think the last one I grabbed was I think in an old Arabic variant language? Taking me some getting through that thing, didn’t exactly think to put a glossary and for all it might be a very weird cookbook that got stored with something more interesting.”

Alyona’s head tilts this way and that, trying to understand the strange, human lingo. The way the boy and his little beast held such quick rapport, as if they’d done it a hundredfold times before. She doesn’t always quite pick up on what they’re explaining, but she always listens.

“You are fine to go on your tangents,” she replies, still processing everything being said. “Tis... nice, listening to conversation.”

She smiles, and brings her nose closer to the table, to look at the books, see if there’s any she can read. The cat does get in the way a bit, but she tries all the same.

“I am, in fact, from a wintery land myself. Tis the reason for my furred hide. The mountains back home are tall and always snowcapped, and the wind is a bite on my wings that I welcome. It is well and good that I am a troll, less susceptible to the elements, or else I would have much to complain about the summer heat in this land.”

She scratches herself under the chin with a wing claw, before shaking her head and settling again.

“Man is perceptive, tis true, but they are not as quick to understand, and thus are easily led astray. I’ve met very few true humans that were able to see past the veil granted by a heartstone’s subtle influence on the world above. It is getting harder to hide, yes, but I think that, perhaps, man’s willful ignorance will be what keeps us safe in these modern times.”

She flicks her tail, and grins. “I made it this far from my homeland while still not fully understanding modern English’s wide range of oddities and plays-of-word, while learning how to behave like a human along the way. I think that is testament to the easiness in which humans look the other way.”

Douxie flashes her a smile which he hopes is reassuring despite the earlier wince at hearing the cost of what makes the glamour function properly. The concept it’s self isn’t that far out there but it’s usually saved for very specific spell work and used sparingly rather than something consistently used in case it goes haywire and takes far more than it should be doing.

“I’ll see what I can do, no worries! May as well find a use for the pack rat tendencies I mean there’s bound to be at least something I can work with in here…” 

The taps happen again this time with tool instead of finger that have a little more of an echo to the reverb it creates and oddly seem to vary a little in pitch depending on where it’s done. While he awaits his companion to arrive, mentally jotting a few notes down to double check against. The way it’s offered up for observation with such well practiced ease is heartening in a way.

“That’s fair enough, I’ve got a shift coming up in the afternoon but Arch can keep an eye on it while I’m out. And you don’t need to worry about reward! I mean paying rent is always great and all but I’d rather be helping out before getting anything out of it to be honest,” he answers whilst grabbing a fifth book and starting to flick through it, only putting the mask down when Archie indicates it’s fine to do so.

The cat’s fur bristles ever so slight at the closeness but gives no other indication of the movement bothering him as such, his fellow seems too distracted to nothing anything going on or at least until the second huff makes him look out the corner of his eye.

“Bad eyesight.”

At his refusal to elaborate, Douxie absently gives him a gentle scritch behind the ear whilst continuing to get the materials together he might end up needing.

“Cats can sneak around and get away with far more than many creatures can. Nobody questions a stray running round or being on my shoulder.”

“Indeed, the biggest issue has been trolls though thankfully none have successfully taken a bite out of me as yet and long may it continue.”

Neither seems fond of elaborating what he is beyond that.

The constant motion of the young wizard is almost mesmerizing to the she-drake, and she watches him with perked ears as he ducks this way and that.  Once or twice, she shifts a wing or her tail so he doesn’t trip on her, but her small motions don’t even seem to register to him. No, he’s much too focused, and it reminds her very much of her old home.

“Rent... that is when you pay another to live in their den, yes? A curious human custom.” She sniffs idly. “My husbands both say it is an evil word. Are they correct? I would be glad to share treasures with which to keep it at bay.”

She leans in again when he’s back to the table, trying to read some of the books over his shoulder. Most of them are in human languages, and, sadly, she didn’t understand. Her looming does seem to make Archie bristle, and she lets her attention fall on him and Douxie once more, not the books.

She tilts her head, curious. “A cat does make for an elusive creature, an inconspicuous and unsuspicious shadow. And one as smart as you may well hear many things. Humans would not count your ears in their private conversations.” She nods, satisfied. “Yes, a clever form to take indeed. Hopefully you remember to speak first when among my kind.”

She smiles at Archie, but does try not to show her teeth to him.

hey y’all like this post if you want to start a thread and I’ll send you a DM about it!

She laughs lightly. “I have indeed. It is a gift as much as a burden.” The world had changed much over the millenia, doubly so in the past few centuries. Leaving Camelot with Merlin and returning to it now was like stepping into another world altogether, with electronics, and vehicles, and graphite pencils with erasers. And the music! She could go on about it for ages.

“Merely?” Nari echoes, clearly disagreeing. “There is nothing mere about a creature as fine as yourself, Alyona.” She meant it, too. Even without elemental breath, Spineback Trolls, and indeed all trolls, were wonderful in her eyes. “When you say disguised, do you mean a glamour mask? Or something else entirely?”

As for why she is here, the answer is simple: “I am in search of frogs.” Nari says it with a smile. “There are little ones that peep sweetly in these woods, and I wish to meet them myself.”

The tip of Alyona’s tail starts to wag, resting her head onto the ground before her.

“You flatter me, ancient one.” She tries to think of other ways to describe the elfling, but she finds herself yet curious, and thoughts of going on are blown away with a question. Alyona smiles, and nods her head.

“A special glamour mask, made for me and me alone. So perfect in its disguise, that I have been able to enjoy the sun’s warmth.” She nudges towards Nari with her nose. “You know all souls, so you would likely know just who made it, though telling the world of them is still my secret to keep.”

The survivng Atlantean trolls, Alyona thought, would have a field day if given the chance to meet a primordial creature such as Nari, though she also had a feeling Nari herself would not enjoy the poking and questions.

Alyona huffed out her nose, and grinned, reaching to a space between her shoulders, and returning with the mask. She moved it to her left wing’s fingers, and held it close to Nari.

“You’re not wrong, particularly when you can avoid the problem of being spotted while you do,” he answers turning it over to get a better look at the inside for the sake of comparison with a regular one to the best of his memory. The taps on the surface from his fingertips are almost rhythmic.

“Ah a prototype? Yeah that does explain a lot, but! Everyone has to start somewhere, it’s just unfortunate when it starts fritzing out for some reason you’ve got less to go on for fixing.”

Already pages are being flicked through and pages checked for anything helpful  with a few bookmarked with a frown to allow easy finding again later before sighing and making a vague gesture with a hand.

“By the sounds of it you’re forced to pay for it too, not sure if I can help with that one though, just maybe get it more reliable again at best I’m afraid. I’m not even gonna pretend this within my level of expertise.”

Better honesty than lying about it as frustrating as it is. Archie meanwhile stops long enough to level the much larger creature with a look at the thought of even considering him an edible treat.

“I should hope not,” he bristles annoyed.

It’s enough to make Douxie pause taking a few tools out the drawer and roll his eyes though with his back to them it won’t be seen. He still gestures with what looks a bit like a screwdriver the current cat’s direction though.

“Hey. Be polite and come gimmie a hand I wouldn’t mind your eye on this.”

With an indignant huff, he does as his bid and jumps onto the desk with ease. Glasses are again adjusted whilst looking over the mask Douxie is holding up for him, the man himself slips another book down from the nearby shelf trying not to stretch himself out too far between both tasks. There is another hrm from the observer with a paw under his chin now when he addresses their shared guest again.

“Set quite a task for us haven’t you? Not a quick fix certainly I do so hope you have the time.”

“The drain on my energy and magic is a fair price for perfect deception of faces, I think.” Alyona responds, still staring at the talking cat. “Even to have it ‘fritz’ less would be a grand blessing.”

As the maybe-cat, a familiar she realizes, starts to work his way over to Douxie’s table, Alyona makes herself much more comfortable, splaying her rear legs to one side, and curling her tail and folding her wings. She tries her best not to take up too much space, at the very least.

“I can repay this kindness of course.” She adds on. “I have my share of treasures, and my share of favors to freely give.”

She cranes her neck closer to the table, watching Archie examine her mask.

“I mind not,” she replies. “I would prefer to stay with it as long as I can, but I have duties that must not go unattended. I will leave at sundown and return when able, as quick as I am able. That, or I shall send one of my bonds to retrieve it.”

She looks over as Douxie reaches for his books, then back to Archie and her mask. She gets close to him again, turning her good eye closer.