#krenenbaker!

Rook chuckled but slowly sauntered over, and started putting things away how you liked them. At first, it did creep you out that he knew how you liked to store your belongings, but he’s Rook and that’s just a Rook thing. And right now it was nice having an extra pair of hands; many hands make light work.

You bumped something off the shelf by accident, which Rook caught like it was nothing. Reflexes sharp as a knife… or one of his arrows you suppose.

“I haven’t seen this in years,” he mused quietly, turning over the painting that you had nearly sent crashing to the ground. Rook turned his gaze to you, a soft smile making the corners crinkle slightly. “This painting, mon chou, holds a secret…” and I believe you can unlock it. Rook gently handed the painting to you, his calloused hands brushing against yours. 

You inspected the painting; it was of this very villa. The detail was beautiful, including the hand-carved driftwood frame. Running your fingers over the groves you found something small, round, and metal. You pressed it.

Gentle piano music emanated from the painting, and the scene was changing. Rook had his head resting on your shoulder as the scene played out; two figures were now in the painting, skirting around each other as if dancing. And then the one figure, who looked an awful lot like Rook, took the other’s hand as the music faded out, setting the painting in place.

You wiggled your shoulder, prompting Rook to get his head off of you. “What was that? It was beautiful, but what does it mean?”

Rook just gave you a cheery smile and winked, “That’s for you to discover in your own time, Trickster.” He patted you on the shoulder and went back into the main living room, leaving you alone to ponder over what that painting was really about. But Rook knew.

So I will lose this chase? He looked back over his shoulder as you straightened the painting with care. He watched as the painting shifted back to its original state. Hmm, not that I mind… as long as they are happy with cornering their quarry. Funny, no? Le chasseur d’amour has become the helpless prey… not that I mind.

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*vacances à la mer; vacation by the sea

*mon chou; the literal translation is 'my cabbage' but it means 'my darling' in this context

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Tags: @eynnwwyjth, @twistwonderlanddevotee, @xxoomiii

It was a pleasant day, both in the weather — being not too hot, with a gentle breeze and fluffy white clouds dotting the sky — and in today’s activities. It was picturesque. For you see, you spent the majority of your day painting plein air by a quaint brook. You don’t really know what compelled you to grab the easel, brushes, and most likely expired paint that was just collecting dust in some random closet in Ramshackle, but you didn’t regret it. It was nice, just sitting under the shade of an aging birch tree and painting the scene in front of you. Just you, the sounds of nature, the gentle warmth of the sun, and your paints and easel.

Well, it was just you for the majority of the day. Seems like someone else had a similar idea.

“Prefect,” a familiar voice called behind you, “this is quite a pleasant surprise. I was not expecting to see you here.”

Looking behind you, you saw none other than Jade Leech carrying a wicker basket partially filled with mushrooms and a thermos bag slung across his chest. “Jade? I could say the same about you.” You would have thought that he would spend his summer in the sea with his family, but the mer-eel was very much still on land. At least for today, judging from his rather decent fungi haul. 

Jade let out a soft chuckle and chose to ignore the rather large chaga growth on the birch tree in favour of enjoying your company. He could always get it later, your company was far greater worth to him than the fungus anyhow. “I enjoy stretching my legs every so often, plus it serves as an opportunity to explore new places and-”

“Was Floyd getting on your nerves,” you ask, closing the cap on the paint you were using.

A small smile graced his face, and his eyes glimmered. “Hmm, perhaps. Why are you here, Prefect? May I see what you’re painting?”

He leaned over your shoulder and inspected your work. He was so close that you could smell sea salt, the earthy smell of mushrooms, and the scent of matcha. He hummed to himself and stepped out of your personal bubble, giving you a nod. “A rather lovely piece.”

You blinked, “Thank you.” And then you remembered his question. “Wanted to get out, get some fresh air. It is a lovely day, after all, would be a shame to spend it cooped up inside… Would you like to walk for a bit?”

Jade raised a brow, “Fair enough. And where to?” He looked at you with curious eyes, waiting for your answer.

“Wherever we please,” you answer. Painting could wait for later. “We can see where the brook brings us.”

So the two of you walked together beside the brook, an easy quiet with each other. But it was comfortable, and you knew that he would share eventually, so you felt no need to push or fill the air with awkward attempts at small talk. Until you reached a steep hill in which the brook ran under, eroding the soil to form an underground system.

Jade offered you his hand, “Looks like it ends just on the other side.” He looked back at you expectantly, his hand still outreached.

You grabbed it, and Jade helped the both of you get up the steep embankment. Upon reaching the top you saw a small pond, full of water lilies and looking like it was plucked out of a Claude Monet painting. The very setting of a fairy tale.

“Wow,” you breathed out and looked back to Jade.

But Jade wasn’t looking at the quaint pond, he was giving you a soft look instead. “I take it you’re happy with how this trip unfolded.”

You were still holding hands, but neither of you made any move to separate them. Screw it, you don’t get this chance every day. Take your shot! And you brought Jade’s hand to your lips, placing a kiss to his knuckles. You had wanted to do that small, yet world-shifting, action for what felt like forever, and so, you took it. “Beyond happy.”

His eyes widened before he let out a soft breath of air, bringing your hand up and placing a kiss on your wrist. “That’s wonderful… you’re wonderful.”

INTO THE BLENDER YOU GO HENRY