New Noelle and Oraion Fic!
It is done, it is finished, it is here. Clocking in at 3,749 words, this one is quite a bit longer than the last. Check this post for all Noelle and Oraion content. I recommend reading the first fic, Experiment 239-185, before this one, as it comes first chronologically. Please enjoy the newest entry to the Noelle and Oraion series:
Enter Knight
Word count: 3,749
CW: some swearing
An unexpected guest drops by Noelle's tower. Can she keep her new "roommate" a secret from her old friend?
The cellar beneath Noelle's tower held the sort of atmosphere typical to many such places: dim, damp, dreary, and damn near perfect for cultivating certain varieties of cave-dwelling fungi. A week or so prior she found herself studying mooncaps, a type of bioluminescent mushroom that were so named for their glowing white caps, and she decided to try her hand at growing them. An acquaintance who frequented subterranean places acquired the initial sample for her. She never did understand why adventurers were always so enamored with going underground.
Once she isolated mycelium from the initial sample, she encouraged it to spawn in a bag of sterilized grain. Trays of damp sawdust and manure substrate, also sterilized, were then inoculated with spawn. A covering of oilcloth kept the moisture in while the trays waited on shelves for new life to form.
Each day she checked the progress of the new mycelium growth and gently sprayed the trays with a little water. They were coming along nicely: the mycelium had begun to form a white mat across the surface of the substrate. Surrounded by the smell of earth and stone, flecks of dirt under her fingernails, amid the magic of growing things—no witchcraft required—Noelle felt more at peace than she had in what felt like ages. If only it could last.
One day, as she spritzed a tray with her water mister, she heard a languid creaking in the tower above like the groaning of a large beast in some sort of gastrointestinal distress.
Someone had opened the front door.
The tower's only other occupant was forbidden from leaving, and only one other person knew the location of Noelle's tower and how to get past the various wards and defenses surrounding it. They also were not in the habit of knocking.
"Noooeeeelle! Guess who's here to enforce your biannual mandatory excursion into the outside world?"
"Oh, Quinns is here!" A bright smile lit up Noelle's face, but it quickly melted into a look of abject horror. "Oh no, Quinns is here."
She pelted up the stairs, her fungicultural endeavors forgotten as she tried to intercept her visitor before they discovered the most recent addition to Noelle's home: Oraion, her magical servant, bound to her by a ritual contract. He also just so happened to be a demon. An incubus, to be precise.
"Quinns! Quinns! I'm right here!" She dashed into the front hall and found them still hanging their cloak by the door. They regarded her with a quizzical look.
"Whoa, hey, what's the big hurry? You think I was gonna turn around and leave if I didn't see you within thirty seconds of arriving?"
"N-no, no, I was just… excited to see you! It's been a little while. H-how have you been?"
A nervous titter escaped her lips, and Quinns regarded her with narrowed green eyes, piercing as a hawk.
"Hmph.” They crossed their arms. “You really think you can hide it from me?"
Noelle's heart crept into her throat. "H-hide? I'm not hiding anything! Wh-what could I possibly be hiding?"
The fact that her voice came out about half an octave higher than normal did not help her case. Noelle was well aware that she was a terrible liar, but what choice did she have?
Quinns took a step towards her. Not as tall as Oraion, they couldn't loom over her quite as effectively as he did, but they knew how to use every inch of height advantage they had over her.
"It's written all over your face… You forgot again, didn't you?"
A bit of the tension fled Noelle's body and was replaced by genuine confusion.
"... Forgot? Forgot what?"
“About our plans today!”
“Oh! Ah, n-no, I didn’t forget! I just got distracted, and, um, I lost track of time.”
They raised an eyebrow. “Really? Then where are we supposed to go today?”
Heat rose in Noelle’s face as she wracked her brain, trying to remember. “Go? We were- w-we were, um, going to- t-to go… go to… the, uh…”
Quinns huffed. "I knew it…" They looked her up and down before they sighed with a shake of their head. "The Silver Market. It’s over in Graystead this week, remember?"
Noelle’s shoulders slumped as she fidgeted sheepishly with her hands. "Oh, right. I'm sorry… I did forget. Completely." She perked back up, however, as she saw an opportunity to seize. "Oh! Um, I guess that means we should get going then, huh?"
"Wha— already? I just got here. Are you even ready to go?"
"I'll just… grab my bag! Uh, just, wait here a moment!"
"Oookay. I'm gonna grab something to drink in the meantime. I don't even wanna think about how much dirt is in my mouth from the road. Bleh."
They started heading for the kitchen, and Noelle stepped in front of them in a near panic, brown eyes wide behind her glasses. Without any idea of where in the tower Oraion might be, she did not want Quinns wandering around.
"Um! Maybe we could… g-get something on the way? I'll only be a second, really!"
Quinns pressed their lips together in a hard line as their brows knit.
"You're acting really weird, Noelle… What's going on?"
In the kitchen, Oraion leaned against the wall near the doorway, listening. Clearly Noelle didn't want this Quinns person to know he was there, but she was doing a rather terrible job of covering for it. He'd been poking about for a snack when the front door had opened, and unfortunately there was only one way in or out of the kitchen: the door that Noelle was trying to prevent Quinns from going through.
He weighed the options. He could adopt a human form and reveal himself, which would no doubt earn him an earful from Noelle later. With how hard she was trying to fend Quinns off, Oraion imagined that this friend of Noelle's would not have the best reaction to his presence regardless of his form.
Though he may not like being Noelle's servant, he didn't dislike the young witch herself. Teasing her was one thing, but causing her actual trouble… Something about that didn't sit right, though he wasn't sure why.
He didn't fancy trying to climb out one of the narrow windows, and turning invisible was never something he managed properly. He always considered it a cowardly skill and never bothered to put in the effort to study it, something he was beginning to regret.
Another option was to find someplace to keep out of sight until Quinns left. He cast his gaze around the kitchen until it fell upon the pantry door. Now that might work.
It was cramped, and he had to dismiss his wings and wrap his tail awkwardly around his legs, but he managed to get the door closed. Something bumped against one of his horns: several bundles of herbs were hanging to dry over his head. With a roll of his eyes and an irritated huff, he snapped his fingers and assumed his human guise. That got rid of the tail, at least, and he wouldn't knock into anything else with his horns.
"Hiding as a human in a cupboard. The things I do for this girl."
A gap in the door let him peer out into the kitchen just as Noelle backed in with a panicked look around, her russet curls bouncing. When she saw that the room was, apparently, empty, she seemed to relax, if only slightly.
"It's just that, uh, I… h-haven't had time to clean! So everything is, um, a bit of a mess."
That was true enough, what with the pile of dishes in and around the wash basin. Oraion wasn't that sort of servant, after all. He wasn't about to lower himself to the level of a common scullery maid.
He got his first look at Quinns as they stepped into the room. They were slim and androgynous, taller than Noelle yet still firmly in average territory. If Oraion had to guess, he would say that he was taller than Quinns by a head, though to be fair he was taller than most humans. Their hair, a light brown, was shorn close to the scalp on the back and sides, with the length on top pushed over their left ear. Dark circles hugged their green eyes, the world-weary look about them surprising for one so young.
They looked at the state of the kitchen with a frown. "Oh my gods, you're not kidding. You'd think a bachelor lived here."
Oraion snorted quietly and whispered, "You have no idea."
Without thinking he rubbed his nose with the edge of a finger, only to realize a moment later that it was due to a slight irritation.
"That's… not good."
This pantry was where Noelle kept all of her spices, Oraion realized as the smell of them enveloped him like a living thing that clung to him and probed his sinuses. He looked again at the herbs hanging above him and counted lavender and yarrow flowers among them.
"Oh, that's very not good."
Almost on cue, that slight irritation became a prickling, and he sniffled as wetness coated his nasal passages. Damn. He understood his Mistress's tastes, but did his nose have to be this sensitive?
He just needed to hold out until Quinns left, or at least was out of earshot. Surely he could handle that… right?
He grabbed the offending organ between his thumb and forefinger and rubbed, pinching the nostrils closed between his fingers in an attempt to assuage the itching. That earned him a blessed respite, but for how long? Muffled voices floated through the door, and he glanced through the crack again.
"... that dirt on your clothes? Give me your hand… uh-huh, also covered in dirt, and it's under your nails, too. What were you even doing down there?"
"Um, mushroom farming? Oh shoot, I didn't put everything away… I-I'll just take care of it later. Why don't I wash my hands while you drink your water, then I'll grab my bag and we can go!"
"You're gonna go out with dirt on your clothes?"
"Uh, well, they'll just get dirty from the road, right?"
"Not with big streaks of dirt like that. Sorry, but it's kinda obvious that you were wiping your hands on your skirt."
Gods, they needed to hurry it up. Oraion sniffled back a bit of mess that threatened to drip from his nose as it began to run in earnest. Every sniff brought more of the spicy scent into his nostrils, however, not to mention whatever pollen was floating around from when he bumped into the drying herbs.
The prickling returned in full force, tormenting his nares and making them twitch and flare as though they were being teased by a feather's tip. His breath caught.
"heh-hheh-!"
With great effort he managed to keep the hitches to a breathy whisper. If he couldn't get this itch under control, though, it wouldn't matter. He pressed a forefinger tight under his septum, but still the tickle tortured him.
"hhiih… hiihh! Ngh, oh n-no- heh- heh!"
In desperation he slapped both hands over his nose and mouth, squeezing. His shoulders shuddered as his head dipped forward in a silent stifle.
"Fuck, that was too close."
Stifling was difficult enough for him; it was a minor miracle that he'd been able to keep that one quiet. It also did little to relieve the tickle spreading from nostrils to bridge. If anything, it felt worse, like the imaginary feather had slipped inside his nose to tease him.
"Hurry up, Mistress…"
Maybe blowing his nose would get rid of the itching. A quiet snap summoned a silk handkerchief to his fingers, and he blew into it as quietly as he could, forcing the mess from his sinuses. He sniffed in through his cleared nostrils.
That turned out to be a huge mistake.
"Oh shit, I can't-"
The thought couldn't even finish before the burning prickle redoubled and overtook him, that featherish feeling probing deep into his most sensitive spots. No holding back, and he had a feeling this one wouldn't be easy to stifle. His breath hitched helplessly, succumbing to the building sneeze.
"ih-hiihh… hiiHH… eh-hngxk'TSHIEW!"
"Gyah! What the fuck?!"
Quinns jumped like a kaltari deer ambushed by a firelian swamp dragon and looked sharply at the pantry door. Noelle felt the blood drain from her face.
"U-um, I, uh-" Noelle could only stammer, unable to stop Quinns as they marched over to the pantry and wrenched the door open.
There was Oraion, blowing his nose into a lovely silk handkerchief. At least, she was pretty sure it was Oraion. It looked like him, his eyes and long, flowing hair both of bright crimson, except he was human—a human of unearthly beauty, but a human nonetheless. That he even had a human form was news to Noelle, but welcome news at that. She gave a quiet sigh of relief. Perhaps the situation could be salvaged after all.
"Q-Quinns, I can explain. He's-"
Before she could finish speaking, before she could even blink, Quinns leapt back in front of Noelle, putting themself between her and Oraion. A knife had somehow materialized in their hand, and when they spoke their voice had dropped to a threatening growl.
"A demon. Hiding like some lowly brigand in a woman's home! You may look human, but I am a Knight of the Midnight Falcon and I will not be so easily fooled!"
Oraion finished wiping his nose and sighed.
"Well. Now I understand why you didn't want this one to find me."
Noelle grabbed Quinns by the arm, desperate to defuse the situation.
"Quinns, stop! He's not a threat!"
"Not a threat?! Noelle, this creature is extremely dangerous!" They lowered their voice before adding, "I've never encountered a demon of this power before."
Oraion stepped out of the pantry, and as he did so his human disguise melted away. He grinned as though Quinns had announced their last comment to the room.
"Hmph. I'm flattered, of course, but if I'm the most powerful demon you've met, you should count yourself lucky. Though it pains me t- t-to- h-heh-'' He paused, nose twitching. "H-hang on, I nheh- need to sn- snee- hih-hihSHOO! Ugh.” He rubbed his reddened nose with an irritated scowl before clearing his throat to continue. “As I was saying, though it pains me to admit, there are many demons far more powerful than I."
Noelle resisted the urge to smack him.
"Oraion! That's not really helping!"
When she used Oraion's name, Quinns regarded Noelle with some alarm.
"Wait, you know him? Did you know he was a demon, too?"
Before she could answer, Oraion cut in with a smug grin.
"I'll have you know I've been living here for weeks. A little over a month, maybe? Oh, and I'd say she knows quite a bit about me already."
That urge to slap him was growing increasingly difficult to resist with every word out of his mouth.
"Oraion!"
He shrugged. "What? The cat's out of the bag now."
Quinns grabbed Noelle by the shoulders, concern writ clear on their face and fear burning behind their eyes.
"It's worse than I thought: he already has you under his influence. Don't worry, Noelle, I'll free you from whatever enchantment he's placed on you."
"Quinns-"
"Pft, like I need enchantments. I can assure you that she wants me here."
"Oraion-!"
"Silence, demon! You won’t fool me with your lies! I’ll make you pay for what you’ve done to Noelle!”
“You really think you can take me, little knight?”
“Both of you-!”
“Underestimate me at your peril, demon!”
“You know, this is the most fun I've had in weeks. Why don't you entertain me a bit more?”
“I’m ready when you are.”
Glowing wisps the color of rubies began to form around Oraion’s fingertips just as Quinns took a defensive stance and began chanting something in low tones, white runes materializing before them in the air.
Noelle cast about in a panic–she didn’t have any of her usual spellcasting materials on her, but she had to do something to stop them before they hurt each other or broke something important. Was there anything at hand she could use? Sticking out of the pile of dirty dishes in the wash basin was the handle of a long, wooden spoon. It would have to do.
Earth from the dirt on her clothes, water from the basin of dishes, the spoon as her wand, and the power of her own will; she leapt into the space between knight and demon and brought them all together.
“That’s enough! Dispel!”
A small shockwave rumbled through the room like a minor earthquake, rattling dishes and bottles and causing the occupants to adjust their footing. The red glow around Oraion’s hands was snuffed out, just as the runes Quinns had summoned were dispersed as though by a strong wind. Noelle turned on her demonic servant.
"Oraion, sit!"
The demon's eyes flashed with indignation, his lips curling into a sneer.
"You dare to- wuaah!" He yelped as he was involuntarily pulled to the floor by an unseen force, his rear firmly planted on the stone tiles.
"And you, Quinns!" She wheeled on her friend with her hands balled into fists. "If you would just listen to me for once, and trust me-!"
"What? I do trust you!"
"Well apparently not enough to believe me! I am not under anyone’s influence, and Oraion is not a threat!"
"Then why is he here?!"
"Because he's my servant!"
Quinns took a step back, the expression on their face warring between anger, confusion, and shock. When they spoke again, however, their voice seemed calmer.
"What do you mean your servant?"
Noelle took a deep breath and tried to steady herself and her racing heartbeat.
"I wasn't making progress with my studies, and I decided that I needed help. So, I set up a summoning ritual, and-"
"You summoned a demon on purpose?"
"I didn't mean to! I thought that I'd get some kind of familiar—a-a spirit or a minor elemental or… something! But, well, I got him."
The demon in question cleared his throat.
"May I get up now, Mistress?"
“Will you behave yourself?”
He rolled his eyes. “Oh yes, don’t worry, I’ll be a good boy.”
Noelle’s eyes widened and a violent blush rose in her cheeks as it sank in what she had done. "Oh… oh no… I ordered you to sit like a dog." She hid her reddening face in her scarf. “Uuuggh… Y-yes, you can get up now…”
"Wait, you told him to sit, and…" Quinns spoke slowly, sheathing their knife. "So he has to do absolutely anything you say?"
Oraion sighed as he stood and dusted himself off. "It certainly seems that way, doesn't it?"
“Look, I-I’m sorry, but I panicked and I didn’t know what else to do! Can’t we just… go over this like adults instead of having a battle royale in my kitchen?”
Despite his sarcasm moments earlier, Oraion now seemed in bright spirits.
“Well, we’ll have plenty of time to chat on our way to this—what was it? Silver Market?”
Quinns scowled. “Oh no, he is not coming.”
“Why not? It’s the perfect chance for us to get to know one another. Besides, she’s kept me cooped up in this tower ever since she summoned me, and it has grown astoundingly tiresome.”
“Well I didn’t know you had a human form!”
Oraion snapped his fingers, assuming said form with a flourish. “You never asked.”
“All right, fine.” Noelle sighed. “Quinns, I think we should take him along. It… doesn’t feel right to leave him here alone. I-I can keep him under control, and we’ll be in a public place, so it should be safe.”
“Oh come on, I’m a demon, not a monster. We’re just going to a market. You make it sound like you’ll need to hold me back from eating babies.”
“Who says we won’t?” Quinns put their hands on their hips, still scowling.
“Oraion.” Noelle fidgeted with the wooden spoon in her hands. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, but you almost attacked Quinns.”
“Oh, I wasn’t actually going to hurt him-” He looked past Noelle with a questioning glance. “Her? Them?”
“Them.”
“I wasn’t actually going to hurt them, and they started it!”
“Still, I… I expect you to be on your best behavior while we’re out. A-and that’s an order. Okay?”
A shiver ran through Oraion’s body. “Yes, Mistress… ugh, I can never get used to that. It’s like I’m saying it, but I’m not saying it.”
“All right, fine, whatever.” Quinns threw their hands up in surrender and sighed. “Let’s just get going already.”
They trudged back into the front hall. Oraion was close behind, humming merrily. It seemed the prospect of going out cleared any lingering animosity from the near-brawl. As she dropped the wooden spoon back into the wash basin, Noelle hoped she wasn’t making a huge mistake. She hurried into the hall after them.
“Um, I still have to go get my bag and get cleaned up…”
“Allow me, Mistress.” Oraion turned to her and extended his hand, bowing slightly. “Your hand, milady?”
Uncertain what to expect, she put her hand in his, and he spun her around as though they were dancers at a fancy ball. When she came back around, she found that her bag was slung over her shoulder and her clothes, once stained and dirty, were now as clean as if they had been freshly laundered.
“Oh! Thank you.”
“But of course.” He flashed her a grin that made her stomach flutter. “Now, let's finally get out of this dreary tower! I dare say this will be quite a bit of fun. I’m actually looking f-forward t- to- heh… heh… oh d-damn it- hihh-hiiihh… hah-hehHH-IISSHU!”
Quinns leaned towards Noelle with a sidelong look.
“What is wrong with him?”
“Allergies.” Oraion mumbled as he blew his nose into his handkerchief with a wet honk.
“Demons have allergies?”
“Yes, well. I seem to be, ah, rather unique in that regard.”
“That’s weird… Well, whatever, as long as you don’t give me any diseases.”
As they all made their way out of the tower, and the knight and demon bantered ahead of her, Noelle spared a wistful glance for the stairs leading down into the cellar. Ah well.
The mushrooms would have to wait.
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