#rodoeswritez

progress pics! same image as above except the first of the two is missing the glow effects while the second has everything except the three of them coloured. instead, they're scribbled in with a background of white, as if they've been drawn on then cut out of a piece of paper

There was a small thunk on the wooden planks of the deck, as Joel hauled himself up the ladder. The moon hung high in the sky, not quite full yet.

"Etho?" He called into the silence, just loud enough to hopefully hear even in the crow's nest yet not enough to attract pillagers.

He waited. Swept a tuft of hair out of his face as he paced a quick circle around the deck, then up to the quarter-deck to gaze down the pathway stairs toward the sheep and the cows.

No answer, except the whistle of chilly winds. He doubted those were Etho.

Joel inhaled slowly then sighed quietly, leaning against the railing as he watched the clouds. The night was getting late and he was getting tired, so he didn't linger too much longer before heading down to the lower level.

The sound of his footfalls on the wooden planks was much more noticeable in the peace of the evening, he noted, as the door softly swung open without even a creak. He made sure to secure the deadbolt lock in his wake.

He exhaled softly when he noticed a lump on the bed, supposedly Etho, and tried to be quieter as he reached the bottom of the stairs and- "Boo."

"What in the-" Joel gasped, ducking to the side but quickly regaining his footing after the startle. He saw Etho leaning on the wall when he refocused on what was happening, seeing his arms were crossed in an infuriatingly casual manner.

He muttered unintelligibly under his breath while Etho’s eyes crinkled at the edges, but still reached over to pry one of his hands from his loose stance so he could hold it instead. His soulbound seemed surprised, if only for a moment. He couldn't tell too well in the dim lighting.

Joel pressed- or, moreso, smacked - a kiss to the fingertips, earning a small breathless sort of laugh from the other man, and shuffled a bit closer with narrowed eyes. "So, what on earth was that for, you jerk?"

"You were gone so long," Etho whined, clearly playing it up as he moved to cup Joel's face then smoosh their foreheads together. "If we weren't bound, I would've been scared you were dead!"

Joel hummed in consideration. He stepped past the other, spinning him in the process - he pulled Etho closer, still, as he stopped himself in front of the storage cabinets beneath the stairs.

"That doesn't tell me why you spooked me," He pointed out, swiping a hand in front of himself to open his inventory.

And then Etho laughed. "That part was for fun, and because I couldn't sleep."

Joel paused at that. "Aww," He cooed with a chuckle lining his words, glancing at Etho before peeking into the chests. "Left restless without knowing I'm safe in your lanky, noodly arms?"

There was a hum between them, then, "Maybe," came the quiet admission in the warm lantern-lit ship, far sooner than Joel would have anticipated if he'd expected it at all.

He sighed louder than he did before and quickly tossed whatever junk he had into the chests before closing it off with a soft click, then held out one arm. They both seemed to hesitate, about what to do next, but soon a hand was in his hair.

The weight of the other sat securely on his shoulders, Etho framing Joel in his arms, and Joel hugged the other man.

Here, in the quiet lantern light, moonshine creeping in through some of the windows, it was just them, afterall.

Etho put small braids in Joel's hair, ones that quickly came undone, and he would add one each time the previous braid fell out.

Eventually, when he heard a yawn, Joel started pushing the two of them toward the bed, likely realizing how late it was. It was only then that he chose to question the braiding, but Etho filled the space before he could ask;

"You didn't mind me- uh- fidgeting with your hair, right?

Joel glanced up at him, one arm still slung around Etho's shoulder. "Not really." The other laid down on the barely decent mattress and he tried to curl up in his arms again. "If I particularly minded, I would've said something."

Joel hopped over the ship railing, bending his knees when landing on the ground with an unceremonious thud. Water splashed belatedly next to him.

He filled his bucket with the failed safe net, about to head out to a new mission, when- "Ow-!" He winced as he felt a tug in his arm, glancing around for any threats, only to be met with nothing.

Then it clicked.

"Etho!” He turned his head to where the other was tending to the crops, throwing his arms out. “What was that for?”

The only response he got was a stare, then a shrug. Joel could have sworn he even heard a chuckle.

No matter. He pinched his wrist in return, watching the other man flinch. Then there was another tug of pain, and he returned that one too.

They continued like that for the next who-knows-how-long, neither willing to surrender and lose their petty game. Etho hit himself with carrots and stalks of wheat a few times, as he was harvesting them.

Eventually though, someone stumbled themselves into the role of witness;

"Hey there," Came a cheery voice and a wave, as a red hood appeared at the top of the staircase.

"Oh," Joel groaned, rolling his eyes a little, and batted his wrist once more in retaliation to his soulbound. "What are you doing here, Pearl?"

She raised her hands defensively. "Hey now- no need to be so hostile!" Her eyes darted between the two of them, watching as Etho hit his own arm and Joel flinced. "What're you two doing?"

Etho answered before his soulbound could. "We're having our first fight!" He exaggerated, and felt Joel pinch his arm again. He quickly pinched back.

"Far from our first," Joel pointed out.

"Yeah," Etho shrugged, flinching at another phantom tug. He shifted his attention back to their visitor. "Wish you could join, but you're not bound to us."

Joel nodded, adding, "Yeah, Pearl, so you should scram." As he did, he saw the woman frown. Maybe it was more of a pout.

"Fine then, I see how it is." She pulled her hood tighter over her head, shadowing her face ever so slightly.

"Go ahead, continue your little game-"

She slowly backed up, once more looking between the two as they stared back.

"-but don't be sorry when- eep!"

Pearl stumbled down the steps, catching onto one of them to regain her balance. She quickly recovered, calling out, "Don't be sorry when you die!"

And Joel and Etho were left to watch her scamper away, cloak billowing as she ran down the steps then the winding path.

"Well she's awfully cartoo- Etho!" He felt a twinge at his wrist and was met with a cackle from his soulbound as he turned to look at him once more.

Wels stares into the reflection. The reflection stares back. 

His face looks different, somehow. 

He sees it every day, as he passes the window every day. He can't help but look, just to check.

So, he should be able to tell if something is different. 

Maybe his armour is darker. It still has gold along the edges and it's still a silverish grey, but it's more matte. 

It could be the nighttime darkness, making his colours dimmer than they should be. That must be part of it. 

He should clean his armour sometime, regardless of why it looks different.

Maybe it's his hair. The short tufts sticking out look more blonde than he thinks they should. 

It shouldn't be blonde. His hair is brown. Right? 

It could also be his eyes. He can't remember the last time he looked at his eyes - really looked at them instead of simply glancing. What colour were they? 

Green?

Hazel? 

Silver?

He can't remember, but he's pretty sure they weren't meant to be red. 

Red eyes stare back. 

He lifts the plume on his helmet, and the reflection does the same. Is it supposed to be blue? 

Maybe his eyes are supposed to be blue, and the plume red. Maybe the colours got switched somehow. 

There's a certain dissonance between the Wels that he thinks he is, and the Wels that he sees. 

He thinks something's wrong, but can he really be sure? 

He shakes his head, thinks he sees a small smile in the reflection, but he's already rubbing his eyes and can't double check. 

He looks again. 

Blue eyes stare back. 

Just as it should be. 

There was a rustling in the bushes. The archer quickly turned toward the sound, instinctively reaching for an arrow. There wasn't anyone else in these woods, from what she knew, which made even the slightest sound a cause for concern. Out from the surrounding foliage emerged a beak of some kind, then emerged the rest of the… whatever it was. There were plumes atop its head, then something akin to a lion's mane composed of flower buds and blooms around its neck. A tail, similar to stems, split in three and flicked around, leaving a faint trail of pollen from the flower at one of the ends.

Gem took a step back, notching her arrow. The creature was certainly colourful, with a coat of brown fur that looked almost like soil, with green and purple and magenta seeming to grow over it, making it a clear target in the green of the forest should she- "What're you doing there?"

Well, the archer definitely wasn't expecting that voice. Actually, she hadn't been expecting *any* voice, and that fact only made her raise her bow in preparation to aim. When the creature curiously stepped forward with what seemed no care at all, she cautiously stepped to the side. "What are you?" The archer hesitated to ask, receiving a simple, "I could ask you the same thing," in return.

"It's not everyday I see a moving sculpture," The creature continued, and Gem supposed she could see where they were coming from. The archer hummed, lowering her bow a fraction, yet didn't let herself relax quite yet. "Well it's not everyday I see a.. again, what are you?" The creature seemed to light up at the questions, stomping their feet with excitement and leaning forward. Gem realized that they seemed to have a similar stance to a roadrunner, or perhaps a raptor.

"I, PearlescentMoon-" The flowers on… PearlescentMoon seemed to open up a bit more at the announcement. "-am an onyx deer. You can call me Pearl!" The archer reclined a little at the extended handshake that accompanied the cheerful words. "Hello," She offered, rather than freeing either hand. "You can call me Gem," She supposed, and the onyx deer lit up at the revelation of a name.