story / telling

there were stories about this place.  some devil lived in there, she had been told at the tavern the night before.  don’t get caught in there after dark or you’ll never get out alive.  such wive’s tales had been nothing but bedtime stories for her.  she hunted the beasts that lurked in the dead of night, brought in a piece of their remains to earn her bounty.  and when cities were safe from their bogeymen?  she moved on to find another ghost story to chase down.

despite her drinking the night before she was up before dawn, taking her time to travel and study her route, zephyr flying above and alongside her to help scout her path through keener eyes.  the sun was up before she reached the cave in question, and ashmenet simply stood there for some time, both basking in the warmth of the sunshine and steadying herself to delve inside.

zephyr caught the footsteps before she did, letting out a chirp in her ear before flitting up to a tree branch above to watch.  the elf turned her head, keen eyes taking in the other sun elf, her manner of walking, the gear she carried.  far hand lightly rested on her blade, ready to pull should she be threatened.

“i’m — sorry, artifact?”  her brows furrowed in confusion.  “i’m here for whatever devil is living inside, terrorizing the city.  i’ve no interest in an artifact.”

she looked relieved- no, pleased to hear that this person had no interest in the artifact that she was looking for. it was always so much harder when traveling with other treasure seekers sometimes; they would argue about who got to keep the item, always wanting it for themselves. she would say she was like them, but she was never getting it for herself. she always gave every magical item she came across to her mentor, a collector, a scholar, who could better understand them and study them.

  Lux easily accepted the offered arm, both for the sake of remaining polite and the pleasurable chance of getting a little closer to the other. The half elf was a physical being by nature and valued communication by touch more so than anything else. Ironic, really, considering his telepathic abilities. Slowly, he joined Sebastian in his leisure stroll through the clean-shaven garden.

  “It does look a little sterile, if I dare say so…” Brows furrowed, Lux turned his head to take in the nightly scenery. Remnant of the brightly lit ballroom inside cast a ghostly glow over the trimmed hedges, and music drifted through one of the open windows up above them.

  “What would you do with it, if the choice was up to you?”

sebastian already had an answer to that; he had formulated one years and years and years ago, back when he turned twelve. there were so many things he wanted to do different with the gardens, that it took him a moment to collect his thoughts and decide where to start.

                          and at that, his eyes soften considerably. artemis leans back in the chair with the quietest creak, slowly starting to rock as he takes that in. the magnitude of their thanks doesn’t escape him; the effort that seems to go into every word speaks more volumes than the words themselves. he understands.

                          “ i’m sorry you had to wait this long. “ he murmurs, tone gentle. “ for someone to not treat you like absolute shitgarbage, honey. “ he picks up another cookie and offers a sweet slant of a smile. “ but you need to know i shouldn’t be the exception. i ought to be the rule. i don’t need a reason to treat you sweetly. you deserve kindness, and patience, and love same as everybody else. “

                          “ and if this feels like the right place for you to maybe come and get some of that, you’re always welcome back. stay as long as you please. “

shitgarbage was certainly a way to put it. they wouldn’t put it in such simple words, but... they weren’t sure there was any. they were so used to being treated horribly, they forgot what it felt like to be cared about, like how this man was caring. it scared them, almost-- no, that wasn’t the word. it made them feel... dirty. if he knew the truth, he surely would not be thinking so highly of them like he was right now.

arínae had caught wind of something here, some magical item that could freeze things on command. that was nothing spectacular compared to the other things she had seen and collected for her mentor, but she wanted to get as many things as she could for him while on her journeys. he didn’t have any item specifically like it, yet, with soothed her when it came to the simplicity of it. though, she knew he would appreciate it no matter what.

she left as early as she could in the morning, barely sitting down long enough for a full breakfast before she headed out to find the item. she heard that it was guarded by something, but she was prepared, wand tucked safely, right where she could immediately get to it. she was a good spell caster, she wouldn’t lie, and she could take care of herself fine.

though, the gods seemed to have something else in mind, she found, when she came across the cave that supposedly lead to where it was kept, and saw another person who apparently had a similar idea.

@celestieu​: 

legs kick idly, a slight wrinkle forming over her nose as if she's deep in concentration. she shouldn't stare, she's aware it can be impolite, but madeline was fascinated by everyone these days. expression smooths out, showing only eager delight instead. " can i braid your hair? "

there was a startled look on zale’s face at the question from the other, blue cheeks turning a light shade of purple from embarrassment. he had been docked for about an hour or so now, and was going through the process of setting things up to sell his shell decor, not expecting to be bothered until it was all ready.

  Slipping out of the grand saloon together like that did feel a little mischievious, like a pair of thieves stealing their way to freedom in the night. Lux found himself splendidly entertained by this little ‘forbidden’ adventure indeed, and would gladly testify this in front of Sebastian’s parents any day. The soothing aura that he carried with himself like a cloud of subtle sweet perfume stretched out even further, almost like a cat flexing every muscle now that it had a little more room to breathe. Quietly humming one of the tunes he had picked up from the orchestra playing inside, Lux followed after his host, his gaze wandering to take in the impressive decor of the family manor.

  “Thank you~”

  A warm breeze came to thread its fingers through flaming hair as he stepped outside. It was a beautiful night - all things considered, much too beautiful to spend it locked away at a dreadful party indoors. Not that Lux dreaded the festivities himself. He could see, however, how the fresh air slowly stripped away some of the tension resting on the other’s shoulders already. A good sign.

  “So this is the tragically tamed nature you’ve been speaking of?”

sebastian’s expression turned sour for a fraction of a second before he nodded, stepping out to lead lux through the hedges, simply green and boring. he had asked his mother before if he could help plan a better garden, something prettier and more colorful, but she always waved him off. she said that he shouldn’t waste his time messing around in the gardens, that they had people to do it for them, and that was enough to deter him from asking again. he knew bugging her about it would never get what he wanted.

“unfortunately,” he said on a small sigh and offered lux his arm, if he wanted it. “it’s not much to look at. other nobles, friends of my parents, have much more... extravagant ones. i think mother is more interested in inside decor than outside, if i’m being honest.”

                                     “ i consider it more or less a calculated risk. “ artemis laughs. “ of course it’s maybe not the safest thing in the world to trust someone that i’ve just met. but sometimes i think doing what is important comes before doing what is safe. “

                                    “ life is dangerous. i’m dangerous, you’re dangerous, a particularly determined duck can be dangerous, given enough incentive. “ his eyes lock on theirs, raising his eyebrows at them with a soft smile that tugs at his dimples. “ it’s a brutal world. it’s cold and cruel, sometimes. if you had to be brutal too, i’m not going to hold that against you, we all do what we have to in order to survive. “

                                       “ do you want to hurt me, honey ? “

“no,” aise answered quickly, rushing to reassure him that they meant no harm. they never wanted to hurt anyone in the first place, but they would be killed if they didn’t follow orders. it was what it took for them to survive, yes, but sometimes they wished they had just taken the other route. it would have been less painful to go home and meet the fate waiting for them there.

            there was no resistance from fjord as the other came closer, intention of helping the half orc stand; he remained silent for the duration, only grunts of pain escaping clenched teeth until he was finally standing on his feet. his posture was hunched, his attempt at standing full height too painful, and fjord realised then that the pain seared all the way down his legs. 

            a grimace flickered across his expression at the sensation, the ebb and flow of agony as they both moved out of the blazing sun and further into the boat. “not sure if i’m all that hungry, to be honest…” he confessed, falling down onto the couch with an ‘oof’ moments later. there was no hunger lining his stomach — only the soreness of something he’d never felt before encapsulating his entire body.

            “so what are you doing all the way out here in a boat like… this? i’ve never seen it before.” as battered and bruised as he was, fjord still felt the reflex to make polite conversation. this elf had, after all, saved his life.

zale nodded a little when fjord denied the food, but he still wandered over to the small kitchen area in the (mostly) open floor plan of his ocean-safe boathouse. he grabbed a glass of water and brought it over to him, gently urging him to drink it by holding it out to him. he wasn’t sure how long he had been drifting int he middle of the sea, but he didn’t want to risk any sort of health problem, as long as he could fix it.

he tucked his hair behind webbed ears and thought a little about his response. “i built my boat with my father. it’s a little... odd in its construction, but it works as it needs to,” he explained as he went around to find the box of medical supplies they kept, rarely used. “i travel to visit every part of the ocean i can. i’m... a bit fascinated by what can be under the surface in other parts of the world.”

                                     artemis doesn’t respond immediately, opting instead to take a cookie from the tin and take a bite from it; the sound that follows a hum of pure delight, followed by a little happy wiggle. picking up his glass to delicately wash it down with a drink of sweet tea, only to stop for just a moment. and then his lips form into a smile around the rim of the glass.

                                  “ do i need to, honey ? “ he asks as he sets the glass down. he shifts in the rocking chair to rest his chin on his hand, head tilting at the other. “ i mean, does your name encompass who you are ? do you think i can’t know a thing or two about you without knowing that ? “

                                  “ do you need me to know your name to feel like you’re known by me ? “

aise frowned deeper and shifted a little in their chair, bringing the blanket closer to them. that wasn’t right; he was focusing on the wrong thing. the name wasn’t the problem, but this man knew absolutely nothing about them. he had no idea if they were secretly still the evil Healer as they once were, looking to kill him for speaking ill about the assembly. (though, the thought of that alone made them want to vomit.)

                                        “ oh, i see. so a very grave decision, after all. “ artemis nods, mock solemn, and a sweet smile steals across his features as he tilts his head to offer a little wave to the child in return before straightening to address them both. “ if you don’t mind a bit of intrusion, are there any in particular you two had your eye on ? “

                                           he has the silver in his pocket, after all, and he’s hardly going to do anything spectacular with it otherwise. call it impulse, but he’s fairly firmly of the mind that money is best spent on other people. even strangers. a bit of good back in the world, for very little cost.

lily gladly spoke up, obviously the more chatty of the two. “well! my name is lily, that’s a flower. and i really like pink... i’m trying to find a really pretty pink flower. and maybe some blue ones for my tea party later.”

sebastain raised an eyebrow. “you didn’t tell me there was a tea party.”

“i just decided it. you’re invited, of course.”