Pearl Sands

wtfreya-briar:

It would probably do wonders for his confidence, just knowing he could handle himself. After everything that happened with the Tithe Freya knew he’d had a rough go of it, and the reason the riots of seelie court didn’t scare her was because she was used to much more violence in day to day life anyway. For someone raised in the prim and properness of Wisteria it had to have come as a bit of a shock. Even Pearl was probably a little shaken by it all- if she’d heard much about it, that was, celestials knew Titus liked to keep as much of that kind of stuff quiet from her as possible. Not that he really could, with Freya for a friend she’d find out eventually.

“..Yeah.” Freya shrugged, sipping her drink, “what, you want me to drawl out Edmund every single time?” She teased lightly, a smile still on her face so he’d know it was just a bit of fun, “it’s a fine name don’t get me wrong, s’just a bit fancy, y’know? Eddie’s cooler. Eddie can do archery.” She was trying to draw him back out, to make conversation a little easier and less tense. Ok so he didn’t know Pearl very well, but Freya did, so hopefully her trust in their third party would be enough to smooth things over. She really didn’t want to upset Pearl here, the whole point of this had been so the two could get to know eachother. 

Freya nods, “hey, bring me some cool shark seeds! Shit that needs water to grow, maybe I can convince Harland to let me dig out a lake!” Now that was an idea, “think how fucking great that would be in the summer, shit just chilling in my own little lake? Yeah. I gotta do that.” 

Aaaand great. One nice gesture from a friend got all twisted up and now they both felt like shit. “Will you two chill the fuck out?” Freya laughed, shaking her head. “Has seelie politics gone to your had that fucking much? Jeez. I didn’t ask either of you to bring anything! Pearl. The iced buns were a nice gesture, and it’s cool to see something that you’ve been working on. It wasn’t rude to bring them. Eddie.” Freya shifted to face him more, trying to catch his eye. “It wasn’t rude of you not to bring anything either. ‘Cause like I said, I didn’t ask you to. So why don’t we all just fucking relax, eat some iced buns, and drink our tea. Or..” She raised her little teacup full of liquor, “whatever it is we happen to be drinking.” 

Freya relaxed back into some cushions and sipped her drink. “You’ve gone with the best teacher for archery though Eddie, I gotta say. I can teach you some cool trick shots and shit but Rye is the real deal, sharpest shooter on our side during the war between the courts, I’ve heard. Not that- don’t ask him about that shit, obviously.” She shakes her head, “Pearl could teach you how to fish, right? Then you’d have enough skills under your belt to fuck off and live in the wildlands if you wanted.”

@shymelody @pooka-pearl

The look on Edmund’s face was a bit of everything. At the same time he looked slightly amused, but confused and puzzled, yet happy to have a nickname. “Simple, but definitely something no one else ever used.” If there ever was a nickname it most likely had nothing to do with Edmund’s actual name. Even Balthazar used some odd word, Parvulus, and Edmund still wasn’t that sure what it truly meant. Something about ‘little’ but that’s all he had figured out so far. And the other nicknames people used… They weren’t really names someone used from a friend. And not really nicknames either, just words to call someone by. “Eddie can do archery”, he repeated and chuckled with a slight shake of his head.

Freya mentioning some weird seeds did catch Edmund’s interest, but he didn’t dare to ask more questions about it. Although when she started to talk about an actual pool he couldn’t help but look around the yard for a good spot for it. He leaned to his right at first looking further to the yard, then to his left and then pointed straight forward from where he was sitting to one spot that did have a bit more of a spacious spot with no trees on the way. “There could be a good place for one. If not an actual pool, for a pond for sure.” Then he looked at Freya, his cheeks turning a bit red again as he got sort of excited of the idea by giving his own suggestion about it. “I mean, there you wouldn’t have to cut down any trees so they can grow at peace.”

And then at the same time he remembered he wasn’t there alone with Freya and the tone of his voice got a lot quieter towards the end of his sentence and he clearly found something super interesting about his own fingers as he started to stare down to them. Freya scolding them didn’t really help the situation and Edmund just felt like he should head back home before he’d make others even more upset with himself. “Sorry”, he said quietly and did what he was told to do: drank some of his tea in all silence.

A quick glance was given in Freya’s direction and he nodded softly. “I wasn’t going to ask anyone to teach me, but Rye noticed my bow right after I had bought it so he pretty much offered to help me out. And I’m thankful for it.” Then a tiny smile appeared, just to disappear few seconds after, and Edmund looked at Freya from the corner of his eye. “He has told me about some things that happened during the war. We had.. a pretty intense talk about stuff the other day.” He wasn’t going to go into details of what they had talked about, especially because those things were just for him and Rye to know.

“Living in the Wildlands, huh”, he thought aloud but then chuckled. “Do you know someone who can teach me how to build a house as well?”

@pooka-pearl @wtfreya-briar

Pearl smiled into her cup, amused as always by Freya’s foul mouth. She was not offended, as someone might expect a softspoken waif like Pearl to be, but rather excited and awestruck by her friend’s unapologetic attitude. Following Edmund’s extended finger, she nodded in agreement, glad that he had said more than a few words at a time.

At Freya’s scolding, Pearl’s face and ears flushed a deep crimson but she was grateful for her candor. In situations where the Shark would normally just clam up in awkwardness, she could always count on Freya to cut through the bullshit. She took a deep breath, trying to shake out some of the nervous tension that had been accumulating in her body. With an apologetic smile, she turned to Edmund. “I’m sorry, Edmund. I’m not very good talking to new people, and I’ve been especially nervous around you. I do hope that we can be friends.” Her voice cracked towards the end, as she’d said more than she’d intended, so she just cleared her throat and took another sip of spiked tea.

Pearl brightened as the discussion turned towards Edmund’s archery lessons and the Wildlands, things she was far more comfortable with. “Oh, Rye is teaching you archery?” she asked with interest. “He tried to teach me once when we were very young, but I was too weak to even string a bow,” she admitted, her laugh a mixture of fond memories and embarrassment. A dark expression passed over her face as he mentioned his talk with Rye about the war, but she perked up again at his question. “Hmmm...depends on what kind of house you’d like, I suppose. If you want to live among the trees, then certainly a Sparrow should teach you! Have you been to the Wildlands, Edmu...Eddie?” she asked, tentatively trying out his new nickname with a shy smile. 

pooka-pearl​:

A Peculiar Pooka

It had been a dull night. August had retired early and alone. Which in itself was an unusual occurrence. Rising himself from slumber, loose garments dripping from his stretching body, August sauntered to the balcony overlooking the street in the distance. Peculiar, he thought as the figure of a woman appeared. She seemed lost. It didn’t take August long to realize who had stumbled so close to his web, Pearl.

“You aren’t lost are you!” August shouted with an amused smile.” He plopped up to the balcony railing where he stretched out with his arms crossed behind his head. “A shark out of water. Does Titus know where you have been? Don’t worry, I am no snitch.” HE chuckled softly as he waved her toward his manner. “You hungry? I was just about to call for breakfast when I saw you wandering the streets. Come inside and I will see to it that you get home.”

She jumped at the sudden sound, glancing around in confusion before noticing the figure stretched out along a balcony railing. Pearl squinted, trying to make out who had called to her as she shielded her eyes from the sun. His voice sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t see his face well enough to determine his identity. 

@king-of-thieves

Pearl left Aubrey’s feeling much better, her basket now empty and mind free of worry. She smiled as she waved goodbye, the sun now high and bright as midday approached. After the events of last night, she had been distressed by the idea that she had somehow messed things up between him and Rose, but he had reassured her that everything was okay. 

The Shark walked slowly through the streets, her mind distracted with daydreams. How sweet it was, she thought, that Aubrey was so enamored with Rose and yet insisted on waiting for her to come to him. She would be thrilled if anyone thought of her that way, though the possibility seemed so unlikely. In all her novels, the love interest just magically appeared one day and it was love at first sight but here...wait a second, where am I? 

wtfreya-briar​:

“Archery?!” Freya repeated, sitting up a little straighter and grinning, “no way! That’s cool as shit! Hey, I have a couple of bows upstairs, maybe we can practice later and I’ll give you some tips!” She was of the belief that everyone should know how to defend themselves, be it through fist fighting or sword skills or whatever. Archery seemed like it would suit Eddie- you needed good hands for it after all, and it was easy to work from a distance so you werent so up close to any danger.

Plus, the picture of him with a bow and arrow was honestly kind of appealing, but Freya always had been more attractive to people who looked ready to battle. It was a little disheartening to hear he hadn’t been writing, but she wasn’t sure if there was anything she could do to help him in that department. Make him a new instrument, maybe? Like a cool drum, or wooden flute, just to try and get the inspiration flowing again. She wanted to hear more about it but he totally clammed up when Pearl arrived, and it made her frown. Honestly this was why he should’be had a little liquor, maybe that’d loosen him up a bit.

Freya snorted, running her hand across a patch of short grass, “it’s boring as hell.” She disagreed, “and serves no purpose other than being pretty. I can give him a garden that’s pretty and useful. Some healing plants, a couple of poison berry bushes, stuff that will attract more wilflife.” She waved her hand in a sort of ‘and so on’ gesture, sipping her drink. Freya nods along as Pearl explains the book, “it sounds fun. You two will have to tell me all about it once Eddie’s had a chance to read it himself. Maybe you could re-enact your favorite moments.” She laughs.

“Hey!” Freya gasps as the sweet treats are unvieled, giving Eddie a gentle nudge in the ribs with her elbow, “your favorite! Thanks Pearl, this is cool.” She throws Pearl a wink and  reaches inside for a bun, biting into it, “they do taste good!” 

@shymelody​ @pooka-pearl​

Edmund couldn’t help but smile and nod at Freya’s surprise. “Yeap, archery. And sure, if you want to show me things I don’t mind learning.” Edmund wanted to show Freya what he had learned already and in a way wanted to surprise her how much he already knew by now. He hadn’t been learning for long, but Rye had said multiple times that Edmund was a quick learner. And Edmund did think so too. He had always learned to play new instruments really quickly and clearly that skill to learn didn’t mean just instruments.

But that excitement and smile just hid away with Pearl around and Edmund was definitely keeping himself busy by staring at his own shoes. They weren’t fancy and new like the ones he wore at the castle, but these shoes felt way more comfortable. Plus it was way more easier to run in those shoes than the other ones. Balthazar, or probably Atlas, had a really good eye on clothes and shoes that Edmund would like.  There really hadn’t been many garments he hadn’t liked, and even then it had been extremely hard to say that aloud. Or well, Edmund hadn’t really said it, Atlas had just guessed it by the way Edmund reacted or how he didn’t really use those clothes. And then all of a sudden those clothes just disappeared from his closet and new ones appeared on their places.

Edmund listened Pearl’s explanation about the book and the tiniest frown came to his face. He didn’t want to know what the book was about, he just knew the short synopsis because he wanted to read the book himself. Not hear about someone else’s thoughts before he had read it. But he wasn’t saying anything, not until Freya all of a sudden called him ’Eddie’. The frown turned slightly deeper and he looked in Freya’s direction. “..did you just call me Eddie?” No one ever called him with any kind of nicknames – other than Balthazar, but Balthazar was an odd man.

The elbow on his ribs made Edmund make a face, but Freya did get a tiny glance with a small simile in return. He looked at the sweet buns Pearl had made and Edmund had to admit, they did look delicious. “They look great, Pearl”, he said as he carefully tooked one of the buns out of the basket. And then all of a sudden a realisation hit him. “..I didn’t bring anything with me.”

@pooka-pearl @wtfreya-briar​

“Maybe I can sneak in some seeds for you next time,” she responded with a quiet giggle. Personally, Pearl thought it wonderful how so many things among the Seelie existed for the sole purpose of being beautiful, but Freya (like many Solitary fae) had always seemed appreciate functionality more. 

Pearl practically glowed at Freya and Edmund’s reactions to the treats, her cheeks flushing bright pink as he said her name. She deflated quickly, though, at his comment, realizing that she’d made him feel bad. “Oh no, I um...perhaps it was rude of me to bring anything,” she tried to amend, her eyebrows knitting together with worry. She was really making a mess of things, wasn’t she? Her throat felt tight as she became flustered, unsure of how to remedy the situation. 

Every time she tried to say something or do something nice to befriend Edmund, it seemed to all go wrong. She liked him, it was true, in the naive and childish way that someone as inexperienced as Pearl could like anyone. But more than that, she wanted to be his friend. Not only had she admired his music for so long, but she had also been surprised upon meeting him by how quiet and sad he had seemed. But now, despite her best efforts, she was only making a fool of herself around him. 

Frustrated with herself for being such an idiot, Pearl bit her lip and sank lower into the cushions on the ground. This day was not going at all how she’d hoped.

pooka-pearl​:

House Calls II Aubrey & Pearl

“No.” Aubrey burried his head in his palms with a nervous laugh. “Not that you wouldn’t be worth it,  or um….worthy of getting a kiss. Oh boy….I think this situation is a lose, lose situation.” Aubrey put the pieces together then. It all made sense now. 

“I very much enjoy you as a friend, but only a friend. If Rose wasn’t in the picture….She has me by the heart and I can’t  see myself with anyone else. Oh Pearl, I am so sorry. I think I deserved to get punched by your brother.”

“Yes, yes she was kind enough and I apologized for trying to kiss her. I think she may believe I am crazy. “ Aubrey shook his head. “I can’t just sweep her off her feet. I want her to come to me on her own. She was burned by a faerie before. I am afraid she will not think I am sincere. I do not want to be like the man who left her alone in this dog-eat-dog world.”

She giggled at his flustered response, waving her hands as if to brush away his apologies. “Please, don’t worry,” Pearl replied with a small smile. “I did not misunderstand, I know how you feel about her.” In fact, Pearl found his devotion to Rose quite sweet - if she didn’t know Aubrey, she would be very surprised by how smitten and worried he was.

Nodding, Pearl bit her lip as she considered his words. While they were tending to Aubrey, Rosemary had told her a bit of how she’d come to Belladonna seeking support for her halfling child. At the time, Pearl had admired how strong this human woman must be to continue on in their world after being denied by the child’s father, but now she could see how Rose’s past could complicate a relationship between her and Aubrey. 

wtfreya-briar:

pooka-pearl:

A Shark, A Songbird, And A Wolf | Freya, Pearl, Edmund

Freya was not one for formalities- an understatement, to say the least- but she knew Pearl would probably get a kick out of the whole thing, and really by this point she almost felt bad about how little the staff had to do when it was only her around. She understood wanting to earn your keep and apparently they’d all been quite excited that there was going to be a new person living on the estate with Harland, come to find she’d barely even let them run her a bath. It was probably as much of an adjustment for them as it had been to her, learning to deal with someone so particular. 

“Eddie!” She grinned, waving him over. “Grab yourself a drink. We’ve got booze, tea.. That’s about it, I went with booze, obviously.” Freya raised her little tea cup in a cheers, taking a sip. “I’m good! I’ve been making stone arrowheads lately and carving stuff into them for people, so that’s a fun hobby. How’re you? Composed any new masterpieces?” She wasn’t sure what else he would do in his down time at the Black manor beside play with the dogs.

When Pearl arrived Freya gestured her over to join the group, “yeah it’s nice ain’t it. Look at me being a proper lady and all that. Sorry the garden is so boring, I’ve been trying to convince Harland to let it grow wild but he hasn’t budged yet. I want tall grass and herbs and wildland flowers, y’know? A real ‘the wolf of the court lives here’ vibe.” Freya watched the book exchange and hummed softly- she couldn’t read much herself, but it wasn’t surprising Pearl had learned. “What was the story about?”

Sometimes Edmund felt sort of shocked by the fact how Freya didn’t seem to even notice his shyness or if she did she definitely didn’t seem to be bothered by it. There she was all smiling and talking like no tomorrow, which only made Edmund’s smile grew wider. “I think I’ll take tea”, he replied but you could hear him chuckle softly at Freya choosing the booze over the tea. Of course she would do that.

“I don’t know did I tell you yet, but I’m sort of trying to learn archery. It’s not really going that well, but.. at least I’m trying, yea?” In a way Edmund hoped Freya would get excited about this little info, or be proud or something. It was like Edmund’s silent desire for Freya to like him and not just think him as the weird shy musician. Not that she seemed to think that really, but.. just in case. Edmund knew he would never really be cool or anything like that, but getting to new hobby that was something you might never think he’d be doing was pretty neat, right?

At the question of him composing, Edmund shook his head. “No, I haven’t. I… I still haven’t really composed a thing. I know it has been over a year, but.. I still can’t really bring myself to do it. It’s like-..” and then Edmund’s whole body just froze when all of a sudden he heard another voice. He swallowed the rest of the sentence, cast his gaze down to the ground right away and you could see how he quickly escaped to his shell now that someone else was around.

He said a really quiet ‘hello’ to Pearl once she came closer to them, but his attention was definitely on his own shoes as he listened the girls talking. When the book was brought up, Edmund glanced at it, gave Pearl extremely quick and extremely tiny smile as he carefully took the book from her hands. “Thanks.. You.. didn’t need to bring it here.. I.. uh.. could’ve just.. get it from the library..” His voice was a lot quieter than a moment ago when he had been talking to Freya. When he had been talking to her you could actually hear him talk and he even looked at her while talking, now he was pretty much talking to his shoes. If you even can call that really quiet tone of his voice as talking..

@wtfreya-briar​ @pooka-pearl​

Pearl grinned at Freya’s welcome, glad to see that her friend finally seemed to be adjusting to city life after resisting so ardently at first. “I think it’s lovely, but I can see why you would miss the wildness of home,” she replied, looking over the carefully manicured flora. 

Wincing at Edmund’s response as he took the book, Pearl worried that perhaps this hadn’t been such a good idea after all. Did he not want her here? Since she’d arrived, it felt as though she had intruded on something. “Oh, it’s a wonderful adventure!” Pearl tried to smile again as she answered Freya’s question. “Full of daring battles, torrid romance, and mysterious prophecies. I don’t want to spoil it before Edmund gets to read it, but it’s quite exciting! At least, I found it to be.” She cleared her throat awkwardly, reaching to pour herself a cup of tea. Before the cup reached her lips, she frowned and threw a splash of whiskey in there to help calm her nerves. 

“Oh, and I tried my hand at making these,” Pearl said shyly, uncovering the basket at her side. Fragrantly sweet iced buns lay inside, the icing a little messy but the bread underneath warm and soft. She’d spent the past few days trying to get them right through trial and error, the kitchen littered with flour and failed attempts. “They’re not as pretty as in the shops, but the guards asked me to leave some behind so I think they taste alright!” Her smile returned, as she was honestly a bit proud of how they’d turned out. She grinned at Freya, silently thanking her for the tip about Edmund’s favorite treats.

pooka-pearl​:

Caught in the Undertow II Alekto & Pearl: TFF Event

Alekto hummed in response, tilting her head as she observed the other faerie. The girl was a pretty young thing, so innocent and gentle that the Archmage did not greet her words with the level of dismissal she would have offered had anyone else made such a statement. It was a hopeful existence, too filled with faith for Alekto’s liking. The same faith, perhaps, that had led such a sweet thing to approach her and remain comfortable in her presence. 

Perhaps a better person would have felt remorse at using such blind faith. Alekto never had cared much to be a better person, however. If nothing else, the girl was better off in her claws than Byrd’s. 

“Hold onto that optimism, love, it’s quite rare. Places like Anvali Castle have a way of choking out life over time.” Emptying her glass, Alekto shifted the manner in which she held it, her magic gradually beginning to morph and distort the material until it moved as if made of liquid, suspended in the air just above her palm. “Tell me, how have your endeavors to seek involvement with your clan and the court been?” 

Pearl tilted her head, considering for the first time if perhaps the court fae felt just as stifled by city life as she did by Titus’ controlling hand. To her, the cities had always seemed so full of life, knowledge, and opportunity. The structure and rules of the courts fascinated her, but she was beginning to realize how they could just as easily stifle and bore people like Freya and Alekto. 

Teetering on the brink of this epiphany, Pearl was suddenly distracted by the Archmage’s show of power. Her eyes grew wide as she watched with undisguised wonder as Alekto toyed with what used to be a drinking glass. “My endeavors,” she muttered, painstakingly tearing her gaze away from the shimmering material. “Oh, they’re going well I think! Titus said I can get my own personal servant, like a real Lady, and I can even help pick who it is!” Her expression had brightened, though her eyes wandered back to Alekto’s hand. “I’ve never really gotten to be part of the decision-making before, so it’s a good start right?” The Shark beamed, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet. 

@aubrey-crane

Pearl walked quickly through the increasingly-familiar streets of Belladonna, her shoes making quiet click clicks as they pattered across the stone ground below her. She shifted the bag on her arm nervously, wondering if Aubrey even liked the foods she’d brought along. It had been a while since the ball, and she was starting to worry that his only memories with her involved being punched in the face. 

Finally arriving at his door, she took a deep breath and steeled herself for the possibility that he wasn’t even home. She knocked, her free hand fidgeting with the bag full of food. Some things, like the fruits, she’d gotten from the market. The bread she’d baked herself, seasoned with fresh sea salt and herbs from the forest. If he wasn’t home, that was okay...she’d just leave it here with a note. Though, she would be disappointed if she didn’t have the chance to say hello.