#calithus gray

A/N: I was talking to my wonderful friend @je11oprodigy and got into some real Cal and Nezzy feels. So enjoy, because I had fun. ~Rue

Word Count: 1043

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Cal walked into the small study room looking quite disheveled. Papers were slipping out of his bag, his spectacles were slipping down his nose, and he almost dropped what books and scrolls he was carrying more than once. A few months back he had decided to start a small school for people of all ages to attend. He didn’t have many students, but he took teaching very seriously. He knew what it felt like to not be able to read, to have people call you dumb, to be drowning in your own troubles, and he had the power to help lead people down a better road. After all, he was a better man now, a better man who had the power of words. However, his heart fell as he looked around the room. 

It was empty. 

Dammit. He’d taken too long! Even when he was trying to help people, it seemed like he still couldn’t do a single thing right. He left his bag and books on the table and slowly walked out of the constricting silence. He was thinking about sulking behind his desk when he heard the unmistakable bark of Nezzy’s orders from outside. Cal’s first thought was that Nezzy was reliving her glory days, ordering around makeshift soldiers, or that maybe Sid was entertaining her and letting Nezzy boss her around while Nao lounged under a big shady tree.  These ideas alone made Cal straighten himself out before heading out back. Spending time with Nezzy usually made him feel better anyways. After all, he couldn’t be a complete failure if she’d agreed to be with him for life.

A summer breeze caressed Cal’s face as he opened the back door. It was calming, but he had little time to enjoy it. Cal had to make sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him before bolting across the earth. There, on the green grass, were all of his students from oldest to youngest. They were all in a single line, axes hoisted above their heads, getting ready to throw. The man found himself running to one of his older students right as she lost her balance. Grabbing her, the ax fell dangerously close to his boot.

“Mrs. Nowels, are you alright?” he asked. 

An elderly halfling woman looked up at him. Her skin was tan and rough from years of travelling. Her chestnut eyes were wide behind her wired frames, and her white hair was in two long braids down her back. "Oh I'm perfectly fine Mr. Gray," she smiled,"Your wife Nina was just keepin us company while we were waitin for you. She's such a quiet and gentle soul."

Now Cas loved Nezzy, but those weren't words he'd use to describe her. 

"Calithus?" 

Nezzy’s long red hair was tied up in a bun atop her head and her armor shone like it had been recently polished. The feathers on her mask wavered with the slight breeze; they were so delicate, so fragile, so unlike Nezzy. “Have you come to collect your students?” 

“Ara, what are you doing?” Cal asked, trying to hide the panic in his voice as he looked over his students, making sure none of them were maimed, “Some of these people aren’t physically capable of doing things like this.”

“They seem perfectly capable to me. Besides, I’m helping them learn.” She lead him over to a group of some of Cal’s younger students. Looking down at a young boy, Nezzy nodded and then looked towards the ax. Cal felt his heart teeter on the edge of exploding as he watched the young boy nervously pick up the ax, hoist it behind his head, and he threw. Cal almost closed his eyes, but he managed to restrain himself and watched as the ax fell just a few inches in front of them boy. He thought Nezzy might be disappointed with the results. But then again, she was full of surprises. 

“Good! It didn’t fall behind you this time, one day you’ll be able to hit the target,” Nezzy mused, nodding with approval. The boy started smiling widely, then he wrapped himself around Nezzy’s leg in a hug.

“Thank you Missus Cal!” 

Nezzy seemed a bit awkward (much to Cal’s amusement), unsure of what to do. After a while of looking uncomfortable, she smiled and patted the child’s head. She gently pried him from her leg and sent him back towards the line. Cal thought it was both sweet and a little funny, especially considering that Nezzy had grown up in a large family with countless siblings. Then again, she had been the youngest, so she probably didn’t have a lot of experience with children younger than her. However, Cal still had some (many) anxieties about his students being so close to sharp, dangerous objects. 

“So Missus Cal, would you help me round up my students so I can start class?”

“Don’t call me that Calithus. But yes. I suppose I can hand them over,” she said. Then, she was off, giving off commands to set all axes down and line up in a straight line so go into the library. In a weird way, Cal thought she was like some sort of drill sergeant tuned elementary school teacher. He smiled and he lead his students back inside, he turned to watch Nezzy for a moment. The aasimar was picking each ax off the ground with utmost care and placing them into a satchel. Once she picked up all of them, she went off. Cal thought that she would probably polish and resharpen each one by a fire. Her mask and armor would be by her side and her long red hair tumbling down in waves past her face. 

… Maybe he’d let her help teach some classes again… Of course he’d supervise next time… But it couldn’t hurt. 

Cal ushered his last student inside before entering the library and closing the door behind him. He’d propose his new lesson plan to Nezzy whenever she came back. And he was sure she’d accept with no hesitation. Maybe he’d even get to see one of her rare wide grins. The ones she made when she couldn’t contain her own happiness.  That would certainly make a wonderful way to end his day.

A/N: Honestly this was just an excuse to write some Cal/Nezzy because there was soooo much potential there (and there still is if I have anything to do about it)! You can’t take my ships from me. Especially not ships involving OCs/DnD Characters.~Rue

Word Count: 939

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Cal stared at the rows and rows of books that lined the library. These books line his library. In all honesty, the human was afraid of closing his eyes. This all had to be a dream. There was no way this could be real. He didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve having his dreams come true.

Cautiously, he reached a hand out to touch one of the fine leather backings. His fingers danced along the spine before he pulled it out and stared at the cover. It was real, it wasn’t a dream. This book was in his hands, and it was a part of his library. His library was full of books and people.  Little bubbles of laughter left him as his eyes travelled up to the stained glass on the ceiling that depicted Pelor in its center. He’d made it. He was alive and had the life that he’d always dreamed of.

“Calithus?” the voice snapped Cal out of his thoughts. He didn’t have a chance to look before a firm hand rested itself on his shoulder. Fiery red hair caught the corner of his eye. Without looking, Cal took Nezzy’s hand and brought it to his lips. Golden metal met the lips that sealed a promise. It was perfect for her, it didn’t get in the way of her training. The man closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying this small moment of bliss.

When Cal pulled away, he looked up at Nezzy. “Ara,” he greeted softly, a smile stretching across his face. He felt her hand move up towards his cheek.

“You have someone up front for you, but I see you’re a bit preoccupied with your own thoughts again,” Nezzy noted. She glanced up towards Pelor and slowly looked back down towards Cal. “When will you accept this life my strange human?”

Cal looked at her puzzled for a moment. What was Nezzy talking about? The Celestrian shook her head and smiled, “Your self-loathing and doubt still gets the best of you sometimes. You deserve this life Cal. You’ve avenged yourself. You’re not the man you once were or the man you believed yourself to be anyways. You must kill those doubts aout yourself so they cannot harm you anymore. I can offer my blade.”

“It was sweet till the end there Angel,” Cal chuckled, “It’s just hard to believe this is real sometimes. I usually pictured myself in a ditch somewhere.”  While the last part was true, Cal tried to play it off as a joke. Why kill a happy moment with old thoughts?

“You know I wouldn’t let that happen Cal. Any attacker would lose their head before they got the chance to touch you. You know that.”

“I know Angel… I know.”

“And I still say that your library needs a guard, just in case.”

All Cal could do was chuckle. While he was sure there were still people out there that wanted his head for past scams, he doubted many of them would hunt him all the way down to his library. He thought that Nezzy probably just wanted to get back into action. Her work had slowed up quiet a bit in the past few years. She still received clients every now and again, but not as much as she had in the past. It also didn’t help that the clues to the whereabouts of her remaining family members had also come to a standstill. Considering the life Nezzy had lead and all of the adventures ]they’d been on with Nao and Sid, Cal couldn’t really blame her for becoming restless. “Perhaps, I suppose we can talk about it more after the library closes.”

After his library closes.

He didn’t miss the wide smile that crossed her face. How could he?

“But for now, you said there was someone asking for me?”

Nezzy nodded and turned to walk back to the front of the library, “Right. I believe they were looking for something specific. A book on old tomes perhaps? Or maybe they were looking for tomes. I wasn’t really listening.” Suddenly she stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him. Her eyes softened a bit as she stared at him. “But there is one thing I must say once more before we go up,” she said, her voice softening, “And that is that you are a good man Calithus Gray. You wouldn’t be helping people find books in your library if you weren’t. Pelor would not have lead you here if he thought you were not fit.” She offered him another smile before turning back around and continuing towards the front.

“Like I said, I have no idea what they’re looking for, but I figured you would it being your library and all.”

Cal felt pride swell up in his chest at her words. She was right, he did deserve this. Well, both him and the large black cat hiding in the rafters. Sid played a huge part in getting the library up and running as well, so it was also hers. The more Cal thought about it, the more he realized he wouldn’t change a thing.

He did deserve this library. He and Sid had dreamed about it for so long, and now it was a reality. Not only that but he had Nezzy too, his wonderful Angel of Vengence. Not to mention, Nao had also given the library her blessing… It was odd, but Cal was still grateful. The human wouldn’t have wanted his life any other way. Cal’s life was perfect and he thanked Pelor very day for pushing him towards his dream.