#kenostaph

it could be morning. it could be the height of the day. it could be any time or day, and they would be none the wiser. and the damn storm is to blame. they can hear it; wind howling and rain beating against the aged wood of the inn.

another glorious barovian day, but the rain is enough of an excuse to linger.

half-buried beneath the blanket, face pressed against the bed to block the world outside, florence tries to pretend they hadn’t heard gale’s question. if it wasn’t heard, it doesn’t exist. if it doesn’t exist, they can stay in this room and ignore the nightmares outside.

“ don’t know, ” comes a mumble, and the soft rustling of blankets follows. “ morning ? does it matter ? ”

aw, man ... he really hates falling asleep. he dreads it so much. puts it off for as long as he possibly can. he's a total control freak because he's always having to make up for the fact that he's really not the one at the wheel in his own body. falling asleep means letting go of whatever shred of control he does have. it's just another of several long stretches of time where he has no idea what his body is doing, & he gets that too often when awake already.

so, he prefers waking up, then? well, no ... he hates waking up more than falling asleep. waking up means dealing with the consequences of whatever he did while asleep. there's no relief there, just more dread. he's always so disoriented. so confused about where he is, how he got there, whose blood is that on his hands. he would really rather not waking up at all.

also, puck is so, so tired. in all honesty, all he wants is to curl up & go to sleep for a thousand years, & i think he'd really try to do that if it weren't for the sleepwalking horrors.

hagsi...... offering

Dress my muse up

there is only one answer to this & it’s of course <3

logistically, him being the hero of baldur’s gate means he ought to dress beyond what he would’ve as a guard, which is what she will use if he’s reluctant, but also she just wants him to get the full experience of it.

(something something “you get to be perfect, you should enjoy it.” one of us should.)

also please consider she takes bits of mithril & raw adamantine from the grymforge to forge into hair pins, & dots them in his hair.

makeup, too, if he’s cool with it; she’ll draw shimmery gold around his eyes to accent & enhance them herself, even though a servant could do it just as well, or even better. she’ll say she has a Vision in mind but it’s also an excuse to lean in & be in his space that no one can really find fault with.

OH BOY. UHH. NEITHER.

They are very bad at sleeping. Falling asleep requires vulnerability, which they do not submit to easily. Most of the time, they can only sleep when absolutely exhausted and left with no other choice. Otherwise, they will be the most tense little curled up ball you've ever seen, wide awake for hours before getting any closer to passing out. Very tense. The thought of closing their eyes fills them with dread.

But waking up is also very bad. They are a very light sleeper (prey animal moment) and wake up ready to swing. It's very rare for them to not startle awake, either from being woken up or from a nightmare. Out of my two options, this is the one that's more dangerous. They're prone to wild magic outbursts while they're having their night terrors and they're almost guaranteed one when they're jostled awake unexpectantly- if not wild magic, then pure instincts attacking whatever threat may be nearby. No matter how sweetly or gently you try to wake the Iago, there is always a chance they will cast fireball on you. A very skittish and paranoid thing. Convinced they're being hunted for sport from the very moment they open their eyes in the morning.

Twelve Forfend, he actually pulled it off...he knew Waters boasted of his skills in espionage, had even shown-off about it in regards to his archon mark..but to actually slip himself in and out of the restricted section without so much as tipping off a mammet. And to do so at the risk of being punished by the Forum..! He'd think him breathtaking, if not for the incredible recklessness!

But oh, he'd remembered the exact tome (Field notes on the aether flowing deep beneath us, to be precise), and he'd been so careful with it. Perhaps not to risk being found out, but still. How could this man be so thoughtful and yet so entirely infuriatingly? It was that damned charming smile of his...he knew what he was getting out of this. Knew what his skills could grant him.

"I can't believe you actually heeded my request...do you not have other things that might be more worth your while?" Behni huffed, gently taking the tome from the other and peering around them as if anyone else had the time to pry into their conversation. Thancred was talented, but those security mammets were in a league of their own...

 ▌  character  building  asks  (  always  welcome  )  

It  would  be  so  easy  to  assume  he  likes  the  full  moon  because  of  flying  insects  using  the  moon  as  a  compass.  There  is  no  favorite  part,  actually.  He  appreciates  the  process  because  of  how  consistent  it  is.  The  moon  looks  the  same  everywhere,  let  it  be  in  Raurin  or  northern  Faerun.  It's  like  a  photograph  from  home  you  carry  with  yourself.  He  has  a  lot  of  time  looking  at  it   &   never  grows  tired  of  the  sight  :)

▌  @kenostaph  sent  :  Rolan  gently  massaged  Babette's  hand.  His  thumb  worked  into  the  heel  of  her  palm  and  wrist,  ever  so  methodically  moving  upwards  until  he  was  rubbing  individual  fingers.  The  same  measured  massage  was  given  to  the  top  of  her  hand  too. "Alright."  He  kissed  her  knuckles,  resting  her  hand  to  the  side  and  extending  his  own  outward,  "The  other  one,  now."

     ❝  Yes,  sir.  ❞       Giggled  the  lady  of  the  tower  while  testing  her  pampered  hand  with  a  few  stretches  of  each  finger.  There  was  truth  to  his  words,  about  how  little  care  she  left  to  a  tailor's  most  precious  tools    :    her  hands.  After  exchanging  daily  tasks  like  surviving   &   battling  monsters   &   cultists  alike  with  sewing   &   knitting  the  day  away,  her  joints  began  to  hurt  quite  a  bit.  Presumably,  Rolan  was  growing  tired  of  her  lamenting  about  how  stiff  her  fingers  had  become,  eventually  surrendering  to  spoiling  the  seamstress.

         ❝  If  I  can't  move  my  hands  anymore  one  day,  you  will  have  to  do  my  work,  okay     ?  ❞