#killer bs

Author’s Note: 

Welcome to the Heresy Train!

So you know those parts in the MSQ where you’re sitting through a cut scene going this is not how my character would react. (*cough*BloodyBanquet*cough*) Then you are subjected to the mental gymnastics to get it to work because the MSQ plot train has no breaks.  I am not in the mood for this. So I would like to welcome you aboard the Heresy Train, where we indulge in playing what if. What if Aymeric had not attempted to gain the trophy for stupid but well-meaning decisions? What if the WoL had kicked Ilberd in the junk (because fuck that guy) and got to stand back to back with Rubahn taking all comers?  What if someone inflicted some self-care on Estinein and made him take a shower after the fight in the Aery? On today’s journey on the heresy train, we shall explore the last question. 

This will take place in several parts. 

In which the girls are reminded that just quenched armor is hot.

Freshly quenched Drachenmail swirled with strange colors as dragon aether melded with metal and scale. A pair of ten-year-old girls watched with wide and fascinated eyes leaning in as close as a watchful apprentice would let them. Bianca Pellinore and Bel Aliender both bit their bottom lips to keep a million questions from bursting out. One of the stipulations of them being able to watch this was they had to stay quiet and not break the smith’s concentration. The piece of armor was set on an anvil to cool until it could be further worked with. The apprentice sighed in relief with the quench completed and the smith smiled seeing the awe on the faces of the two children. He took the towel the apprentice handed him and wiped the sweat from his face and neck. “We’ll finish this after lunch, the metal needs to cool a bit.”

The Smith and the Apprentice walked away leaving the two girls to watch the swirling colors. They didn’t start chattering until the door closed behind the pair. Bel cocked her head. “It kinda looks slimy with all that swirling.”

Bianca nodded, quickly she reached out to touch some of the thickest swirls on the piece of Drachenmail. Aether and heat singed the fingertip with an audible hiss. Bel grabbed her friend’s wrist and plunged her hand into the barrel of quench water. “That was dumb.”

Bianca glared at her friend as she snatched her hand back and stuck the finger in her mouth. Her face promptly scrunched up and she pulled her finger out of her mouth. “That tastes weird!”

Bel shrugged and held out the smith’s towel. “There’s probably aether in the water. If you get a bad headache we can go to the infirmary.”

Bianca dried her hand with the towel and then took it to the hamper where all the towels and rags went to get taken to the laundry. “We should eat.”

Bel nodded, “Wanna go home? The baby squires are being mean today.”

Bianca nodded, “They probably wouldn’t be if you had been polite.”

“You would have said the same thing if they said that about your mama.”

Bianca shrugged conceding the point. She looked at the burn on her finger, it was bright red and still radiated heat, but it didn’t hurt as much as she thought it would. Shaking it off she focused back on her friend. “Do you think it would be okay if we took lunch up on the Alicorn’s roof?”

Bel nodded, “Grandpa doesn’t mind, Antorelle gets worried about it.”

“He’s not your grandpa.”

“But he said I can call him that so now he is.”

Bianca nodded, that sounded like sound logic. She followed Bel out of the congregation and decided to ignore the tingly feeling in her head and chest, the smith would definitely be mad if he found out that she’d touched the metal while it was still hot.

Lunch was thick sandwiches and and a few slices of apple pie that big eyes and cherubic cheeks had scored for the pair of girls. Huddled together in a nest of camping blankets they enjoyed their lunch and debated the merits of playing little pranks on junior squires that said rude things. Bel frowned when Bianca rubbed at her chest again, “do we need to go to the infirmary? My mamas have gotten aether sick a few times.”

Bianca shook her head. “Then we’d have to explain the burn and the Smith would get mad at us.”

“Well, you shouldn’t have touched hot metal.” Bel retorted but didn’t press further. She could keep an eye on her friend and ask Mama Art later if she was still worried.

Bianca pulled a few of the blankets around her more tightly. “It's weird, it doesn’t feel sick, like when you get a bad cold. More like,” she waved vaguely “it's like trying to wake up when someone’s shaking you.”

“Well if it doesn’t hurt,” Bel shrugged, “I can get the art supplies Uncle Haurcefant got me for my name day. We can just draw up here until its time for dinner.”

“I’d like that.” Bianca smiled. Bel jumped up and ran to get her art supplies. Bianca sighed once her friend was off the roof. It was hard to explain and she didn’t want to worry Bel more than she already was. The something slithered in her chest again and Bianca took a big bite of pie. It was grumpy, like it didn’t want to be awake, so maybe if they did quiet things it would calm down. A few minutes later Bel came back with the art case, another two blankets, and a flask of hot cider. Bianca smiled brightly at her friend as Bel fussed with getting the extra blankets around her and making sure she had the colors she wanted to draw with. See, she told the thing around her heart, we’re safe and there’s nothing to be afraid of. Bel’s my best friend and her mamans and Daddy and the other knights can protect anything. Brightly colored pictures of the city, knights dragoon, and warriors of light grew under their fingers. Bel told bad jokes and grinned broadly when Bianca laughed. The thing around her heart relaxed by degrees and Bianca yawned as it did. She leaned against Bel who pulled the blankets around them until they were a small ball of scratchy wool and warmth. Bel yawned too and as the light turned orange the girls fell asleep on each other. Sated on laughter and burrowed in warm souls the thing in Bianca’s chest unwound its tail from around her heart and stretched before settling again with its head on the child’s shoulder to keep watch.

Authors Rambling:

So once again thank you to @scrollsfromarebornrealm for letting me make messes in their sandbox

This grew out of a conversation about the whole inner dragon thing and the fact that they tend to be a bit cranky when they wake up and then depending on how well the dragoon handles it may or may not stay angry. So I wanted to play with the idea of what happens if that dragon gets woken up a bit more gently. (I.e. not high stress, high adrenaline, most likely in the middle of combat)