"It will be fun, trust me.", Iolyn said with a wide grin as he pulled his master along the fancy carpet towards the gigantic and colourfully decorated arc which marked the entrance of Festia, a place of fun and entertainment for young and old. Not necessarily for a bear though at first glance.
"Iolyn, wait! Watch out for the steps!", Seysill exclaimed but his partner wouldn't stop until they passed the arc and arrived in front of a big platform. He huffed and turned to his partner, expressing his doubts. "I still have so much to do. What if her Majesty requests my help again?"
"C'mon, you always think about work! Take a break at least! You've earned it!" The brunette boxed his shoulder playfully. "And I've always wanted to show you this place! Let's have some fun and forget about your worries for now, alright?"
"Well... alright." The blonde sighed and gave in, since the other wouldn't change his mind any time soon. Besides, they were already here, he might as well take a look around and enjoy their time together. The latter perhaps later because the sight was rather overwhelming to take in. Balloons and decorations wherever he looked, many wild children running around and even more milletians filling the area, conversing, eating snacks, resting on benches, strolling or playing games. He could hear music coming from every corner and the smell of fried food was, albeit mixed with the scent of flowers, very appetizing.
His gaze wandered to the platform. On top of it stood a large tree which towered over the whole place, heavily decorated with ribbons, flowers and balloons. It was actually really pretty and emanated a light-hearted presence. Maybe it would make a great place to rest, if it weren't for the noise and those fairies chasing each other around it endlessly. He surely imagined spending his leisure time somewhere more quiet but didn't want to disappoint Iolyn, so he went along with him.
It was just then when he noticed those smaller hot balloons hovering above them near the tree with... sheep? Were those sheep real? He instinctively inched closer to his partner.
"Hey, what're you looking at?" The latter raised a brow and followed his master's gaze. "That big tree over there? That's the, uh, they call it Landmark? Dunno what it's for but let's go! We aren't here to look at trees!"
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Iolyn wasn't convinced that it was nothing. But it had been always like this. His master still refused to share most of his thoughts and worries with him, even though they had been working together for such a long time already. Well, until the recent years when it became too dangerous for him to stay at his side. Worse, Seysill was a Milletian, he just a Tuatha de Danann, a human, so maybe he wouldn't understand his worries. But he wanted to hear them nevertheless.
All he could do was to give his best to support him for now.
"Well, brace yourself then! Turn around!" He pointed to something behind them, flashing a challenging smile.
Next to the shooting game booths was another arc, leading to an interesting looking, enclosed construction which appeared to be a fighting stage. Seysill's mood lit up again. A fighting game? But against whom? He didn't see anyone else there except the staff idling in front of it.
"Wait... Iolyn, you're not suggesting that we're fighting each other, are you?", he asked his partner with a look of concern.
The other bursted out in laughter and shook his head. "Nah! Of course not! You know I won't stand a chance against you!" He accompanied him to the staff who yawned and stretched, obviously plagued by the boredom of waiting. But the sight of them approaching energised her quickly and she straightened her poise.
"Relieve some stress with a game of Clobbermeister!", she greeted them merrily.
"Clobbermeister? What's this game about?", Seysill inquired with increasing interest as he glanced at the stall full of wooden weapons next to it.
"That's easy! You have 20 seconds to hit the matryoshka as much and as hard as possible! You can choose whether you want to fight one or multiple matryoshkas. I'll provide you with any weapons you need, so... are you up for it? You'll get a gift for playing, too!"
"Sure!", Iolyn answered for both and patted his master's shoulder. "You go first! Knock yourself out!"
The bear smiled and nodded. After exchanging a pass for two Wooden Blades, he entered the stage and waited in the middle. Now where were those matryoshkas...? Suddenly, they popped up around him and he acted fast, striking them swiftly and whirling around. The rain of hits revealed slightly more than a glimpse of his abilities and experience in battle. But he enjoyed it.
He and Iolyn took turns, beat up those fox-like dolls to their heart's content and didn't pay any attention to the score except to cheer up each other in passing. Until they ran out of passes to play. In the end, both of them were carrying quite a number of boxes which they also had received from the previous game.
"Let's open them first, then go get something to eat!", Seysill suggested, still panting and sweating from the exercise. Iolyn agreed, out of breath as well, and helped him opening their gifts which contained a variety of items.
Potions. Materials for crafting. Herbs. Small pouches of seeds.
The blonde held up one of the latter with tomato seeds and smiled. "We can use those for my homestead. Would you mind tending the fields once we get back while I...?" He didn't expect to receive a frown as a reply and raised his brows. Giving their situation a quick thought, he blinked and put those pouches away.
"I'm sorry... I wasn't thinking..." He eyed his partner's expression carefully and noticed the disappointment but also a hint of sadness.
“I know you didn’t ask for this. This kind of work when I hired you back then but...”
"Yeah, I know..." The brunette crossed his arms. "And you'll be off to her Majesty again and-" A rumbling coming from his and also Seysill's stomach cut his complaint short and blood rushed into his cheeks. The other couldn't help but to smile faintly.
"Iolyn, let's eat something first. And then we talk, alright?"
This got longer than I thought, so more under the cut ʕ； •`ᴥ•´ʔ
Seysill's eyes were gleaming at the delicious display of food in front of him. He wasn't sure if any kind of magic was used to enhance their appearance but all those dishes looked too good to be true. Perhaps his hunger was adding a few things just to make sure he wouldn't leave without at least two or three plates.
Glancing at all those choices, he already excluded some in his mind simply because he didn't like fish. No sushi, no grilled fish, no shrimp fried rice either since he wasn't fond of seafood as well.
This left him with either beef or chicken to choose from. He went for both and ordered a Show-off Steak and some Buffalo Wings as a side dish. Iolyn wasn't that picky and got himself a bowl of Tear Noodles, one of the cheaper options.
"Don't you want to try something else? Don't worry, I'll pay!", Seysill asked him, not wanting to let him starve.
"Nah, I'm not that hungry. Already ate before we left.", the other replied. Besides, he was a fine cook himself and he had been eating meat pretty much for a whole week already because his master wouldn't stop bringing those chunks of Large Meat home.
They both settled down on a bench nearby and began to dig in. No words were exchanged between the chewing and slurping, apart from the happy noises of a bear who enjoyed his food. Iolyn took a peek at him while eating. He seemed so happy and carefree, it was heart-warming. So much that tears streamed down his cheeks and he only noticed it when Seysill returned his gaze with a horrified expression.
"Iolyn, what's wrong?! Don't you like your meal?"
Actually, it was the noodles' fault. The Red Pepper Powder turned out to be spicier than Iolyn anticipated and he quickly wiped over his face and shook his head, taking deep breaths.
"Ugh, these noodles, they're super spicy!"
"Wait here, I'll get a drink for you!"
"No, just stay! I'll can handle this!"
Still worried, Seysill remain seated and observed him for a while before he continued to eat. It really caught him off-guard because he rarely saw his partner cry but he seemed to be fine after some time. They finished their meals and took a walk around the Landmark. Digesting and all.
That was when the bear noticed a big tent, covered with stars, next to the stairs which would lead down to the Fun Zone. A lonely woman sat there, her face barely visible under her hood. Her gaze seemed to be fixed on the object in front of her on the small table. A blue glowing crystal ball. Was she a fortune teller?
"Let's go over there! I'm curious about what she's seeing."
Iolyn raised a brow and agreed to come with him regardless. "A fortune teller? You believe in that stuff?”
"It won't hurt to listen. Maybe she has something interesting to say."
After getting closer, they spot some cards on the table.
"The power of the spirits dwell in those cards.", the woman said without looking up at them and she started to shuffle the deck of cards. "With it, I can tell you your fortune. Do you wish to know?"
The two exchanged a quick glance and Seysill nodded. "Yes, Miss...?"
"Atelia, call me Atelia."
"Alright, Miss Atelia. Please tell us our fortune, for the both of us."
Iolyn stared at his master in disbelief. What was that supposed to mean?
Atelia spread the cards out on the table and gestured to them. "Pick a card then, any card."
Seysill did and turned it carefully around as it looked old and worn out from usage. He recognized the sun on it.
"The Sun card... Today is your lucky day. This card represents satisfaction. If there's something you desire, now is the time to reach for it.", the fortune teller explained which rather confused the bear though. To add to it, she continued: "Hold tight to your dreams, young one. This is your fortune of the day."
Puzzled, he thanked her and they left the tent as she wasn't saying anything anymore. "I wonder what she meant..."
"Don't think too much about it. Those fortune tellers always say weird things like that!", Iolyn replied and shrugged. "Better to do stuff on your own than relying on stuff strangers say."
"I guess you're right... Let's get some snacks and listen to the concert. We can talk there?"
"Alright alright!"
They returned to the fun zone and grabbed some snacks before they made themselves comfortable on the platform near the stage where the audience could sit, watch the dancers and enjoy the music.
"So... Iolyn, I know you haven't been happy with the work I've given to you for some time and..." Seysill was hesitant about his question for a moment. "I wanted to know... do you still want to work for me?"
Iolyn almost dropped his Chocolate Banana and got up furiously. "What?! Of course I want to, why are you even asking?!" He would have left a long time ago if he didn't want to but he wanted to stay. Because of reasons.
Seysill smiled at his answer, somewhat relieved, yet there were still issues to be resolved. "I'm happy to hear that, I really am... but you're still unhappy about it. Please, tell me why."
"It's boring. Booring! I mean, I get it, you got important stuff to do, saving lives and that but... when was the last time we went to a dungeon? Or even fought together?" Iolyn took a bite and munched grumpily. "I know I'm not as strong as you, or immortal or whatever, it's just... boring to wait for you."
Seysill nodded and sighed. "I see..." His heart felt heavy upon this realising how his partner had to have felt, being left alone in his homestead. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. I thought..." He wanted to keep him busy at least since he might be gone for days or weeks sometimes.
"It's just, I've been dealing with so many threats recently, it's too dangerous for you to come with me. I don't want you to get hurt."
"Seysill, I'm not afraid of getting hurt, you should know!" Before they had met, the brunette's life as a mercenary had been anything but safe and sound. Then again, this new life did have many good sides as well and he couldn't bear to see his master's long face any longer. "It's nice that you care and all... I don't want you to take me everywhere you go, just... don't forget me." Letters didn't count.
"I won't, believe me." Contemplating, the bear tried to find a solution because Iolyn was more than just than a hired sword and butler to him. He was more than glad that the other didn't forget him in the first place. A peculiar perk of being a Milletian in Erinn. So what could he do to ease the loneliness of someone who was dear to him?
"You must know that I can't promise to take you along as often as back then but I'll do my best." He smiled. "I'm sure there's still enough work to do regarding the dungeons... would you mind coming with me? Tomorrow maybe?"
His partner's face lit up immediately, unable to hide his excitement. "Really?"
"Really. I think her Majesty will be fine without me for some time. What do you think?"
The bear, usually the one leading, was still overwhelmed and nodded. letting his partner take the initiative this time.
"First, let's try some games! You'll love them but we need something else before we can play!" With that, the former was dragged across the area towards another fairy who was handing out passes to everyone. Once it was their turn, they received a few slips of paper with a cute picture of two fairies, free of charge according to the tiny being. Seysill wasn't sure if it was male or female and its squeaky voice wasn't helping either. He decided to ask later though after seeing the growing queue behind them and moved to the side with Iolyn.
"And we need these to play the games...? What games though?", he asked while examining the passes carefully. It read:
For all Festia attractions* **.
*except time-limited attractions and games
**drinks and food are not included
"You'll see! Let's get moving!" Iolyn grinned and gestured at him to follow him, eager for the first game with his hard-working master. They moved around the Landmark again and Seysill had the feeling that they walked around in a circle but he underestimated how big the area was. Then he finally saw it amidst the crowd and made his way towards it.
Hammers. Large sledgehammers. Those were the first things he noticed. Right nearby, two identical apparatuses which stood next to each other. They consisted of mainly two parts, a colourful tower, decorated with round shapes and blinking lights which also contained a bar in the middle, and a small platform with some sort of padding. It didn't take him long to put all these parts together.
A strength tester.
The bear beamed at it. His partner laughed, amused but also happy about the other's joyful expression. Needless to say that they both did enjoy their first game together, despite the difference in strength. But it never stopped Iolyn from cheering for Seysill whom he always had looked up to, even before they knew each other.
With one last powerful hit, Seysill finally managed to ring the bell after playing a few rounds. "I did it!", he exclaimed cheerfully, just a little out of breath."I knew you could do it! Haha!" Iolyn patted his shoulder and put the hammers back. "Off to the next game we go!"
"Iolyn, let's take a small break first. Aren't you hungry?" Seysill knew how rash his partner could be and they had all day to play games. Besides, the food cart was just right next to them and he really wanted to take a closer look.
"Not yet! We can eat after the next game, don't worry! They won't run away!" Iolyn chuckled, having noticed what Seysill was looking at, and pushed him towards their next destination.
“There is a certain taste to it.”
Seysill looked at the boiling pot with big eyes, genuinely surprised about his partner's cooking skills. It might just look like a simple dish consisting of Sliced Meat, a Giant Potato he managed to dig up earlier and Carrots but the smell was appetizing. And the taste... he didn't know what else Iolyn had put into the pot or what he did with the ingredients but he couldn't stop sampling it.
"Iorwerth, this is delicious!" He beamed at him happily.
"I know, now stop! I'm not done yet!", the other demanded and shooed him away to continue stirring.
"How did you learn to cook this well?"
"I taught myself. You gotta do it yourself to survive, you know?" He eyed his master quizzically. "Don't tell me, you don't know how to cook?"
The bear smiled. "Well, just a little. Enough not to starve. So I really appreciate those who can, especially you!" He was really looking forward to eat with his partner who slightly blushed at his words.
"I won't cook every time for you though!", he replied pertly and already regretted his question. Of course, someone who would eat meat raw hadn't bothered to learn much about cooking yet. It made him wonder how the Milletian's stomach worked because he didn't actually have to eat at all, being immortal and all that. But maybe it was better not to know in the end.
"That's alright, I don't want to force you to. But you're really good at it!" Seysill waited patiently and got some bowls ready. "I don't remember the last time someone else cooked for me..." He observed the pot and sighed.
"Hey, don't get this wrong just because I'm working for you! It's just cheaper and better than the raw meat you keep picking up! Can't let it go to waste either." Iolyn shook his head and tried his Irish Stew again. Concluding that it was done, he carried the pot to the table and filled the bowls with the steaming goodness, causing the other to almost drool at this sight.
"Enjoy your meal, master!"
Seysill didn't touch his bowl until both of them were sitting and facing each other, a bright smile appeared on his face.
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Warnings/Tags: let’s do the timewarp again!!! ┏ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ┛
“Can you stay?”
That question caught Iolyn off-guard. He stared at his fairly new employer with a confused expression. They had been working together recently, mainly to explore dungeons and to keep the roads free from Fomors and dangerous animals roaming around. But their ways usually parted afterwards, each attending his own business.
And he was certain that this inconspicuous young man in front of him had his hands full with work, he was a Milletian after all. Strong and independent, skilled at fighting and to top it all off, immortal. It was like they were made for going on adventures and tackling the most dangerous tasks Erinn had to offer.
He wouldn't deny that he was envious of his boss who didn't seem to be different from the others at first glance, maybe a bit calmer and modest about his formidable strength. Which was another weird thing. He wasn't sure why he hired someone like him in the first place, a mortal Tuatha de Danann. Wasn't he getting along with the other Milletians? Or was he pitying him perhaps?
Not that he couldn't pull his own weight by the way. He knew how to fight and survive, he lived for this thrill. Even if it didn't pay that much but it was enough to keep him fed and going. That was all that mattered.
So it pretty much bewildered him that Seysill would suddenly ask him something like this while they were in his homestead. He only accompanied him there because it was payday. He got paid and was about to leave.
"What?"
"I mean, do you want to stay?" The bear watched him attentively. "I won't mind, really! It's just... When you told me the other day that you had no home, no place to go, I couldn't stop thinking about it. Since we're going to work more often together, that's the least I can do for you, Iorwerth..."
"What? You mean... staying? In your house?" Iolyn blinked, still baffled. He couldn't understand the generosity. Wasn't he afraid of getting robbed? Did he feel that bad for him to make such an offer which was too good to be true?
"Yes! You don't have to take care of everything, just of your own things. You can sleep in my bed as well for the time being, I'll build one for you as soon as I can!" Noticing that Seysill might have been too straightforward with his words, he quickly added, abashed: "Don't worry, I'll rest at the inn!"
Not knowing how to react, the first thing which came to the brunette's mind was to punch his master. Because it made him angry for all kinds of reasons.
"Are you dumb?! You don't know me! Why are you so naive?? Giving me that much although we just started to work together? Or do you feel so sorry for me that you wanted to play the savior?!" He shook his head. "I don't need that pity! I'm fine on my own!"
The blonde stared at him with wide eyes, shocked and speechless for a while because he didn't expect such an outburst. "No, that's not true! That wasn't my intention! Not at all! I just..." He was unsure how to explain it but there was so much empty space every time he came home. Cold empty space.
"I'm sorry if this makes you feel this way. I just want you to be well but I won't force you to stay if you don't wish to." Lowering his gaze, his initial shock turned into sorrow.
Iolyn bit his lip, seeing the other like that was unsettling. He seemed to be genuinely sad about his reaction, just that. Neither angry nor spiteful.
"Aren't you scared that I might steal from you or stab you in your sleep?!", he inquired, having calmed down a bit.
"No."
"Then why?"
"Because I trust you. I know it might sound silly to you but I have this feeling that I can trust you..." The bear looked at him again with plea and hope in his eyes.
"You're awful, you know that? But sure, I'll stay. Can't say no to a free roof over my head."
Seysill's face lit up. "Really? That's great!"
"Well, I owe you a thanks, so... thank you, master!"
Iolyn only stopped pushing his master once they got past the food cart, making sure that his suffering didn't last too long. There was also a set of stairs leading down to another area of Festia in the direction they were heading, so Seysill wouldn't actually mind walking on his own.
"That's the fun zone, right there!", his partner explained with a merry voice and pointed to several spots where more fun and games awaited them. From the distance, the bear could make out a few booths, filled with stuffed animals, and another food cart on the left side. On the right side was a large stage where a band was playing festive music. But it wasn't their current point of interest right now.
Turning his head to Iolyn again, he nodded and they descended the stairs together. Once they got closer to the booths, Seysill could finally see what kind of games were played at those.
Guns. Targets. Moving targets. Shooting noises. Next to them a row of dart boards.
He frowned, not really enthusiastic about them. Sure, he knew how to use a bow and handled a gun at least once already but hitting ranged targets was neither his forte nor his favourite activity. He'd still play for the sake of his partner and was about to inquire when the booming voice of a man resounded nearby.
"Now? Now you listen to me?"
Seysill turned his head to the source of the commotion and spotted a small family of three. Mother, father, child. The father seemed to be upset at his child, a young boy who was weeping for his dropped cone of ice cream while his mother tried her best to comfort him.
"I already told you not to run while eating something. This wouldn't have happened if you had listened to me!"
"Oh dear, he was just overjoyed. He'll be more careful next time!"
"I'm sorry, dad! It won't happen again!"
"Stop crying, we're going home!"
The bear stood there, watching them leave and still didn't move after they had left, lost in thoughts because it reminded him of something. Of someone from a long time ago. Even if he couldn't remember any details or how he used to look like, he knew how the son felt, how it felt like to have...
A strict father.
But he also knew that there was someone else, someone very important to him whom he held in much higher regards. Yet he couldn't remember even if it stung in his chest, his mind still grasping at straws after all this time whenever he thought about his lost memories.
A punch to the shoulder brought him back and he looked at the displeased face of his partner.
