#vesuvian-disaster

(It is, of course, funniest if Hjordis is doing the makeup... Modern AU time!)

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It's a good exercise for Jinana not to fidget or flinch while the makeup is applied carefully to hir face. It's fun to try something new... and honestly, the view is pretty great as Hjordis bends forward to her work with the different pencils and tubes of makeup.

"Aaand done. Take a look."

S/he knows what to expect from the makeup Hjordis has done for herself, but it's still a bit startling as s/he peers into the bathroom mirror. The look is somewhere between Viking war-paint and death metal corpse-paint, with heavy black kohl spidering out over hir cheeks from hir eye area, highlighted with delicately branching veins of white. A blue Jera rune has been drawn above and between hir brows, and hir upper lip has likewise been painted blue, with a thick blue line down the center of hir lower lip, continuing down hir chin. A series of small white dots have been applied over hir brows, as if in homage to hir own culture.

From THIS prompt list! (yes, I’m still taking prompts from this, or any of the other ones listed HERE.)

Approx. 500 words of Heron being charming and Ell’iandyr being the adorable fluff that they are.

I hadn’t expected to run into Heron while out for my early morning trip to the market, but I can’t help but be glad to see him. With our respective businesses, I don’t get to see him as much as I might like, so this is a very pleasant surprise indeed.

“Good morning,” I greet with a smile. Once we’re close enough, I slip my hand into his and press a kiss to his cheek. “It looks like you’ve had some success already,” I add, noting the parcel that he’s carrying.

“I was on my way to your shop, actually,” he admits, lifting my hand to press a kiss to my knuckles, a gesture I never fail to find flattering. “Have you stopped for coffee yet?”

“No, I haven’t. Do you have time to join me for a cup? I know Selasi has a mint tea you enjoy.”

“Of course I do,” he replied, giving my hand a squeeze but not letting go as we turned our steps towards Selasi’s booth and the enticing aroma of fresh spiced bread.

We settle at a (relatively) quiet table and don’t have to wait long at all before there is bread to share, and warm beverages to stave off the slight chill that lingers in the morning air. Only after I’ve had a few sips of the sweetly spiced coffee that has been placed before me do I think to ask Heron why he might have been on his way to the shop to begin with.

“I made you something.” Heron hands me a box wrapped in a floral patterned cloth. I had noticed him carrying it but assumed that it was something he had bought for himself. If I was more astute, I’d have remembered that he tends to put his purchases in the nicely made but seemingly cavernous bag that I’ve seldom seen him out without.

I accept the box carefully, moving my coffee out of the way. I look at the fabric wrapping, then glance back to him with a confused smile. “Really?” To say I’m flattered is an understatement.

“Yes. Really. Go ahead,” he adds encouragingly.

I undo the carefully tied fabric, then lift the lid of the box. Inside is a leather satchel, finely tooled with a floral motif I recognize all too well. “Henbane,” I murmur, smiling as I lift the bag out to admire the handiwork. “This is amazing, Heron. Thank you.”

“It’s a little more than a nice bag,” he explains. “I haven’t put anything in it, but it’s like the one I carry.”

I know what he means-- a bag of holding in which one can store any number of things. It would be ideal for market days, of course, and would mean that I couldn’t forget any number of things at home that I am so often prone to forgetting.

“And… you made this. For me?” I ask, holding the bag to my chest.

“Yes. For you,” he assures, quirking a little smile. “You like it?”

yes

YES

On the other hand, it is absolutely the perfect place to go if you are the sort of mage who doesn’t want to be found, which is why Heron’s father came to Vesuvia when he received the augury that he would sire a Clockwork Soul, to keep from having to give the child up to the life of a Justicar.

On the third hand, it means that in continuities where they jointly run their shop in the Heart District, Heron and Jinana enjoy a sort of lifestyle that is rare even among the nobility, with every modern magical convenience. Many were inherited from Heron’s parents along with the shop - the walk-in refrigerator/freezer, the magical security system, the automated Unseen Servant spell that regularly tidies up the place. These were both useful conveniences, and very obvious testaments to Liêm’s skill.

Other comforts have been put into place since Heron and Jinana returned to Vesuvia and re-opened the shop. One is a source of pure and potable water, supplied by a tiny portal to the elemental plane of Water itself. There is hot and cold running water on demand, and the original floor and room radiators have been hooked up to the new system. Magical illumination provides everything from variable mood lighting to bright, clear, and steady work lighting. There is even a sort of air conditioning that keeps the entire place comfortably cool during those hot humid Vesuvian summers.

Of course, this works because Heron is a very skilled artificer, and because he has an extraordinary source of raw power to draw on in Jinana. S/he must use a certain amount of hir magical power regularly, or risk an unpredictable surge of wild magic escaping hir control. Normally, this sort of power does not lend itself well to use in creating or powering magical items (see also: Jinana’s attempts at alchemy only leading to explosions).

However, because of their entirely complementary magic and long association, Heron has become one of the few magicians in the world capable of doing such a thing; with his help, the nuclear furnace of Jinana’s power can be tamed and put to good use.

(5 Wedding Headcanons)

The only reason they were able to escape instant matrimony in Nevivon is because they convinced the Babushka Brigade that it would cause a Diplomatic Incident if they got married without the Countess of Vesuvia being present.

When they do get hitched, it's on a massive ship festooned with an astonishing quantity of flowers, bunting and garlands. (This can be squarely placed on Nadia.)

Heron acts as Jinana's family, and Mazelinka as Julian's, walking them to the chuppah and remaining there for the ceremony. (You can bet your ass this is a Jewish-coded wedding! Julian looks adorable with a kippah pinned in place on his auburn floof and no-one can convince me otherwise)

Julian is so incredibly nervous that he flubs his vows a couple of times and drops his ring at least twice, but fortunately they're surrounded by people who a) understand this and b) are very quick with a mage hand spell.

Heron

Ell’iandyr

Jinana

Jinana: (oblivious) “Darling, I’m wearing heels and this thing still bunches on the floor... if you want me to wear this, I think you’re going to have to carry me.”

43: A kiss pressed to the top of the head.

Hjordis can be quite stealthy, but because of the wards, Jinana is aware of her presence as soon as she sets foot in the shop. But because she does not announce herself, Jinana continues to set out bottles of tincture on the shelf in front of hir.

She makes no sound as she approaches; only the faint scents of leather and steel give her away before her hands come down on Jinana's shoulders.

"Shall I act startled?" s/he asks, and Hjordis laughs.

"Ah, you're no fun."

"I beg your pardon, I can be a lot of fun. If you recall."

"Oh, I do." She bends down and places a kiss on the very top of Jinana's head, easily reached from her height. "And I've brought some other things that might interest you."

Jinana turns, smirking up at Hjordis. "Oh? Well, then... let's have a look at your goods, shall we? Maybe I'll even forgive you for that."