#kenostaph

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.

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 ? ”

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  :)

       Rolan.        The  name  promptly  pinned  to  the  blackboard  of  names  she  had  to  remember  in  her  head.  Rolan,  Rolan,  Rolan.  Remember  that  one,  he  helped  you  out.     That's  important     !       ❝  I  am  Babette   ;   a-and  quite  pleased  to  properly  get  to  know  you,  even  if  the  circumstances  are  odd  to  say  the  least.  ❞       Nervous  little  hands  maneuvered  a  worn  teapot,  tilting  it  to  fill  the  barely  steaming  contents  into  two  small  cups  of  copper.  A  soft  thud,  the  pot  was  abandoned  to  carry  the  little  goblets  over  to  the  tiefling.  She  herself  kneeled  down,  taking  a  spot  on  the  blanket  which  lay  on  the  floor.

      ❝  There  you  go  .  .  .  ❞       Babette's  lips  worked  up  a  smile  when  she  held  out  the  tea.       ❝  You  are  a  wizard,  yes    ?     I  believe  I  overheard  something  like  that  earlier  today.  ❞       In  all  honesty,  the  seamstress  was  excited  to  meet  someone  well  versed  in  magic,  even  if  she  had  to  buffer  the  girlish  agitation  that  came  along,  to  not  scare  the  poor  guy  away  just  when  he  took  a  seat.      @kenostaph