#he says he came from another world other than nua (nua is the name of the grad world like faerun is the balance world) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

babineni · 3 years

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Angst 19 - "Please don't leave."

Thank you for this 💖 sorry it took me this long to post it mainly bc I accidentally saved it as a draft and then I didn’t check it so it’s been there for two weeks whoops

but anyway have some immediately post-PoE 1 Aloth x Watcher stuff, featuring Gaura first experiencing abandonment issues

below a cut bc it got long

Gaura pulled her knees closer to her chest and wrapped her arms around them a little tighter. She wasn't sure what she hoped this would accomplish. Her body forming the same, nearly suffocating knot that took the space where her heart was meant to be, hardly could have eased her sorrows. She hid her face behind her legs and allowed the tears to come but she didn't grant herself the same freedom when it came to the sounds trying to escape her. Not a single cry left her mouth. The Watcher was scared that if she voiced her anguish, she would never stop weeping.

She knew that her friends would leave her, once their quest against the Leaden Key was done. And yet, the Watcher was still caught off guard by some of the departures.

She was ready when Sagani said goodbye, in fact, she was relieved and happy for her, and wished her a speedy return to her family. She was ready when Kana said goodbye. She knew his mission wouldn't be over until he presented his findings after all. They still shed a few tears, but not many, and none of them were bitter or sorrowful. And Durance... well, if there was someone Gaura was happy to see go, it was him.

But then Pallegina left to report to the ducs, even though she knew the repercussions she would have to endure. Gaura offered a place to stay, a place where she would be valued, cared for and safe, knowing exactly how she would respond. But she couldn't help it, she couldn't stop hoping the paladin would reconsider and stay.

Then Hiravias left as one would expect of a follower of Wael's. Still, Gaura figured that even he needed a place he could return to, a place where he could keep the secrets he uncovered, a place he could call home. She was sad to realize she was wrong.

Then Grieving Mother left. Even though the Watcher couldn't bear children herself, she hoped the midwife would stay for all the women living in and around Caed Nua. She hoped that their connection built upon seeing and knowing one another would be enough. But it wasn't.

And then Edér left and...

And...

And the next thing Gaura knew was, that she was sitting by the hearth in Brighthollow's kitchen, trying to cry as quietly as it was possible.

'There you are. I've been looking all over for you,' Aloth's voice prompted the Watcher to look up and hastily dry her eyes. The wizard stopped in his tracks when he saw the miserable state she was in. For a moment, he awkwardly looked back at the doorway he just passed through but once the moment passed he continued walking towards her. He approached her almost perfectly silently, catiously, burying his own unease under the comforting presence of a friend.

'I just needed some time alone,' Gaura broke the silence. 'I uhh... The lady of Caed Nua shouldn't be seen like a mess. People look to me for guidance and... I'm being a sentimental fool.'

'Come now, you're hardly being fair towards yourself,' Aloth sat down beside Gaura, close enough for his shoulder to touch hers. He shuffled somewhat awkwardly, but he didn't move away from her, nor did he give any other indication of being flustered. For a moment, the Watcher felt the urge to wrap her arms around him and weep on his shoulder, but the moment passed and she stayed motionless.

Gaura let out a sigh and turned her attention to the hearth on her other side. The embers still had a glow, fainter than her own but enough to inspire some reflection.

'No, I have grown... weak here. Caed Nua has made me vulnerable,' she scolded herself. 'I think back to the person I was before I left the Valleys and... I'm not the same.'

'It is only natural,' Aloth answered. 'You have been through a lot. And I imagine, the Watcher abilities alone could change one drastically. But you have carried your burdens with grace and bravery,' he smiled at her shyly, 'and I... I'm glad I was around to see it.' He hesitantly reached for the Watcher's hand, the same way she reached for his months before in the Brackenbury Sanitarium. His touch was somewhat lighter but it carried the same warmth, putting a weak smile on Gaura's face.

'Well... I hope you still see that grace and bravery now,' she chuckled ruefully, as she turned back to the wizard.

'I do.'

Gaura's smile grew a little wider. But her heart still felt heavy.

'I still wish I could feel like I used to. Being able to say goodbye used to feel like... a gift of sorts,' she explained. 'Being able to let go of an attachment free of loss... or grief... was something I felt grateful for. I never mourned for things that were beautiful but... momentary. And in the Valleys everything was beautiful but nothing truly lasted. But now...' The Watcher sighed and let her head hang. 'Like I said... I'm being a sentimental fool.'

Aloth's grip on her hand tightened slightly. Gaura felt him caress a knuckle with his thumb. But the uneasy way he shifted his weight next to her made her wonder if this act of comfort was for her or for him.

'I'm going to miss them too... and I think... I think I understand,' he said. 'Being a spy hardly offers a life full of long friendships. It always felt more appropriate to keep my distance and to cherish moments for what they were without letting it become... more,' he sighed. 'If I were to follow your line of logic, then Caed Nua made me weak too. In no small part, thanks to you. I don't think you need me to explain why this happened to the both of us.'

The Watcher didn't reply, but she felt the ache in her chest ease slightly at the wizard's words. There was a bittersweet comfort lingering in the air and for the first time, Gaura felt that the silence of Brighthollow, which was now empty save for the two of them, was not all that suffocating as she has been feeling it for the last few days.

'Thank you,' she said, as she dried the last of her tears and straightened up. 'I needed that, truth be told.'

'Anytime,' Aloth smiled. 'Although I admit, it feels a bit strange to echo your own ideas back to you.'

'Perspective is funny that way.'

'Indeed.'

Gaura let out a long sigh, trying to rid herself of the rest of her tensions. She gave Aloth's hand a slight squeeze, then she stood up and stretched her limbs. She inhaled deeply, as if the comfort of the wizard's encouragement was a presence she could physically take with her.

'Alright, I think I'm good,' she said, while she turned to Aloth with a smile. 'You were looking for me for something I presume. I'm ready to listen.'

Aloth's smile, however, faltered at her offer. A shade of red tinted his face - one of shame and guilt. He avoided her gaze as he spoke.

'It's... it's not important. It can wait until tomorrow.'

Gaura's heart sank. He didn't need to say anything else. She felt the suffocation of the silence between them grow more oppressive, the longer she was processing the implication hiding behind his hesitant words. She should've guessed the moment he entered that kitchen. She visited him in his room just a few days earlier. She saw the maps, the list of names, the blueprint of a scepter called "Keybreaker". She saw everything she needed to see, but Aloth didn't say anything then, and once they were out of her sight, they were out of her mind.

'When are you going to go?' The Watcher's voice was shakier than she would've liked.

Aloth turned back to her, his gaze full of unsaid apologies.

'I was planning on leaving in two days. But if it makes things easier-'

'It doesn't,' Gaura interrupted him.

The wizard merely nodded as a response and looked down at his hands lying in his lap. The same hands that just a few moments ago filled the Watcher with the comfort of knowing she wasn't alone. He shifted his weight and decided have those hands grab his seat instead so tightly, his knuckles turned white from the effort.

Gaura approached him, fighting the burning sensation overtaking her eyes again. She swallowed hard, closing her eyes, trying to hold on to whatever was left of her dignity. But a moment later, she gave up: she let a quiet curse slip through her lips as she knelt down and let her head drop against Aloth's knees. She shielded her face with her arms, ignoring the wizard tensing up in shock at her touch.

'Please don't leave,' she whispered.

'I... I must,' an awkward answer came from above, prompting Gaura to look up.

'Let me just beg you in peace. Alright?'

Aloth's expression softened slightly. His gaze was still apologetic but his face reflected sincerity rather than discomfort.

'Alright.'

The Watcher hid her face again. 'Please don't leave,' she repeated. 'Please don't leave. Please don't leave.' Her plea to him turned into a mantra for herself. Her eyelids grew heavy as she continued and her tears stopped falling. She might've heard a spell being cast and she might have felt a hesitant stroke against her scalp right before unconsciousness turned her numb to the world around her, but she couldn't be sure.

#pillars of eternity #aloth corfiser #aloth x watcher #team gilded vale mentioned #kinda... not really but y'all will get it #gaura sélfolgh #oc fic: gaura #poe fic #Wrytinge™

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yanara126-writing · 4 years

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from the ashes of the dawn

Eothas between the Godhammer and the beginning of Deadfire. - Trapped in this maze of existence and doomed by misery I was blinded by my fears Lost in the dark through the shadows I heard you scream my name Oh help me, please, out of this nightmare (DragonForce)

Read here or on Ao3. (3748 words)

Have fun! Comments always welcome! :)

For the first time in his long existence Eothas truly felt pain. Not the emotional pain of loss, doubt, regret and all those other feelings that had piled up over the millennia, though he certainly had enough of that as well, but true, physical pain. Agony running through every fibre of what was left of his once vast being. There was no reality for him but pain, no truth but torment and misery, no world around him but anguish. No past that had put him in this state, no future to live for, only this moment of pure suffering as he felt his own limitations for the very first time. Parts of him were still breaking loose of the whole, fizzling, and burning away in embers and sparks, allowing no other thoughts to manifest. The agony was all-encompassing.

He might have screamed, might have made the world tremble with his own agony, might have shattered reality with wails of unimaginable suffering, or he might have been completely silent as he burnt apart. The sound of the divine wasn’t something easily heard by mortal ears, and none of his siblings dwelled on this plane who might have heard him. So who could truly say if he ever made a sound? Certainly not Eothas himself.

For a time that was all he was. A tormented being slowly, painfully healing from the disastrous destruction that had been inflicted upon him. Soon he became aware that he wasn’t whole, most likely would never be again. There were holes in his essence, some small, some large, but all painfully noticeable in their absence. The edges of essence were healing, the soft warmth he knew himself as replacing the burning blaze eating away at him, but what remained was scorched, damaged still and brittle, like it would crumble away again at the lightest touch. And the agony remained.

After a little more time, he regained enough of his mind to have a peripheral awareness of his surroundings. It wasn’t enough for an active train of thought, he still didn’t know how he came to be here, but at least now there was a here. Adra, that much he could recognize in his pain riddled mind. There were flashes of lucidity, where he could feel just how much adra it was… and that it was dead. He was alone in his suffering. The warmth of sentience that accompanied every soul, the love of which had been an ingrained part of him since the moment he was born, was missing, not a spark remaining in his vicinity. And even through the persisting agony, he was lonely.

But not for long. At some point later, a light entered his limited awareness. Small and weak, hardly more than a spark in comparison to him, even as damaged as he was. Kith, his mind supplied. Oh, he thought. I am again. His thoughts were a small thing, quiet and subtle, much like the little light now before him, but he lunged at both of them anyway. How ironic. The whisper drifted vaguely through his essence. Untouched and ignored as he basked in the presence of another. The pain was still there. The threads of agony still ran deep through his being, convening somewhere in a tight knot deep, deep within him that he had no interest of touching, but now there was something else, someone else, someone that could give him a purpose to be again. And the agony receded.

The light moved a little, not far, but far enough that Eothas had to work and strain to widen his awareness again so as to not lose sight of it. He found another light that way, even smaller than the other one, and somehow strange, but he was just happy to have more life around him. Life was his purpose, life was the reason he existed. Life would be the reason he healed again. Drawing comfort from the presence of the souls, he gathered what little consciousness he had and pushed through the pain still smouldering through his essence. He followed the threads of pain down, always down, deeper into himself, down to its, and his, core. He found the tight knot, the reason why it still hurt so much, even as he was healing, willing himself to heal.

He pulled at it. Threw all his strength into unravelling it, into solving this, so he could go back to the light, to being the light every part of him told him he was meant to be.

The knot gave. But it didn’t make the pain go away. It only released more of it. One second to the next all the things the knot had tied down and away burnt back through him with vengeance. The memories, the feelings, the agony that didn’t come from the bomb that had torn him apart, but from the one that had torn him away from his child. From his friend. The failure burnt stronger than the fire, sent new tendrils of pain through him that ripped him apart once again as he desperately tore through himself, heedless of the wounds he clawed back open in the process, looking for something he knew he wouldn’t find. He was alone. He had failed. Had abandoned the one he had promised to never leave to suffer on his own for Eothas’ mistakes. And the agony returned.

For a while Eothas pulled back into himself. It hurt too much to face the world he had created himself. The physical pain still burnt, the wounds to his essence still blazed with his sister’s fire, but the guilt over his failure to protect the one he had promised himself to was smothering the flames in ice that burnt just as strongly, drowned out all else. If this was how he fared after the blast, torn to pieces and still battling with the ongoing flames, he had little hope for the mortal soul he had bonded himself to. Even if he hadn’t been immediately incinerated in the blast, Berath would not care enough to save him from being crushed by the weight of the wheel.

Just like Eothas was being crushed by his regret. He had been foolish to underestimate Magran’s determination, the strength of her fear and ire. He had known that the mortal body would not survive the blast, had even expected some damage to himself, but the true force of the explosion had been a surprise to him. It had violently torn them apart and Eothas had not been able to grab onto Waidwen’s soul to pull him away quickly enough. Away from the true destruction of self Magran had deemed appropriate for her wayward brother. Waidwen. He didn’t want to think the name, didn’t want to be reminded of the moment his subconscious had actively banished in an attempt to protect him from the torment of knowledge, but forgetting and denying it would’ve been a disservice to both himself and the man who had followed him to his very end. Eothas wasn’t Ondra. He refused to be. No matter how much it hurt to see their last moment again and again.

Now that he was again, now that he knew again, he remembered that moment. He remembered feeling the energy crash into and through them, remembered his own panic and the realization that he had miscalculated. And most of all, he remembered being too slow. He could feel himself reaching out, grabbing onto Waidwen’s soul as tightly as he could, even as the blast tore him away. He hadn’t let go, never that, but the blast had ripped him apart, cleaving whole chunks of essence out of him and shattering their connection. There had only been a second for his helplessness and both their terror to sink in, until the fires had burnt away all consciousness.

He could vaguely recall grasping for something, anything to anchor himself, which is how he must have landed here. Wherever here really was. Choking on his pain and grief he hadn’t bothered to inspect his surroundings. But the fires were dying down, all that could heal was doing so, and the wheel was still turning. No matter how he drowned himself in remorse, he couldn’t save Waidwen anymore. All he could do now was to make sure the sacrifice wouldn’t be in vain. He would heal and plan and remember. And the first part of that would be finding out where he was and who that light was that kept returning.

His essence was still raw and his senses tender, so he bided his time in what he could now vaguely recognize as an adra statute. It was of enormous size and age, possibly older even than him. It was a masterwork of kith ingenuity and under different circumstances he might have been thrilled at the opportunity to explore such a monument, but as it was, he had to save his energy and so he contented himself with waiting.

He didn’t have to wait long, for the light returned soon, as it had ever since its first appearance. When it neared again, he tentatively reached out, brushing over the soul as faintly as he could. He did not want to be detected just yet, he doubted Magran would let him slip a second time. (And perhaps he was afraid. Afraid of touching another one like he had him.)

Maerwald. Watcher. Caed Nua. Ambitions. Help. Rebuild. Impressions trickled into his mind, slowly but forcefully, shining brightly and loudly and so familiar that Eothas flinched back like they had burnt him again.

This wasn’t Waidwen. He knew that. Was painfully aware of that. Maerwald wasn’t even all that similar to him, but it was enough to make the pain he had carefully packed away rear its ugly head again, ripping into wounds that had only just begun to heal. He didn’t reach out again.

Maerwald must’ve noticed something, for he came even more often now, just sitting around, working on something or other, but always with open senses. To Eothas it almost seemed like an invitation, though why it would be one he didn’t understand. Maerwald came again and again, and even without actively reaching out Eothas caught glimpses of the world above through Maerwald’s eyes. Glimpses of a slowly rising castle, of people coming with questions and leaving with answers, of spirits too caught up in their own pain to find the Wheel on their own being led there by a guiding hand. And Eothas felt himself give in to the draw of life. He didn’t touch again, but he watched more closely, distracted himself from the pain with taking what Maerwald seemed to offer so freely.

Maerwald wasn’t Waidwen. He was older, less scarred, surer of himself, broader in stature, merrier in spirit. But he was also kind, ambitious, driven, aware of the world’s cruelty and determined to change it, and Eothas allowed himself the comfort of that. He stayed hidden away, licking his wounds in silence, but didn’t look away.

Time passed like this. He liked the little bits of stories Maerwald brought him, until he didn’t. Until they were no longer about rising castles and helping hands. Until they started being about suffering, about fleeing people and those that were too slow to do so, of people slaughtered for saying his name. He started hearing them again too. He was healed enough that he could hear and comprehend their calls for him again. He almost wished he couldn’t. It was no longer only Waidwen and his soldiers’ that he’d damned, but also those who never committed any crime but to ask for his aid. He heard their calls for help, for rescue, for answers at least, and he knew he couldn’t give them anything. He could hear but not act, still confined and bound to the vessel he’d fled to. A safe haven and a prison.

Maerwald helped where he could. He quelled conflicts, smuggled people away, and laid to rest those he couldn’t, but it wasn’t enough. Maerwald grew tired and weary, and Eothas could only watch in silence. They both held up. Until they didn’t. Something broke in Maerwald, an awakening that split his soul so thoroughly that he couldn’t contain it. He shut down, drew back, away from the world, away from Eothas, who was still shackled down by helplessness.

The castle fell again, Maerwald suffered, and Eothas wanted to rip himself back open if only it would help. The purges, the hollowborn, nothing was as he’d wanted. His one, thin silver lining, the people questioned. He’d sown a seed of doubt, but still it rang hollow with how much it’d cost. Even without Maerwald he could see now, was forced to observe the tragedies in Woedica’s name. He was certain his sister didn’t know of his survival, but still it felt like her personal punishment for him, for his hubris of attempting to change.

Waidwen’s Legacy they called the hollow children. He abhorred the name as much as the occurrence itself. Waidwen had not wanted this, would’ve torn the land apart to stop it. Still, it wasn’t completely inaccurate, though not for the reason the people thought. It was their legacy because they hadn’t prevented it. Because Eothas hadn’t prevented it. The name was a constant reminder of his failure.

A failure he would have to correct with all the power he could muster. The more time went by, the more people died with his name on their lips, the longer he watched Maerwald succumb to himself, the more certain he became of that. Telling them, showing them, wouldn’t be enough. Waidwen had believed him because Waidwen had already doubted the “truth”, there was no guarantee everyone else would. He had set the world on fire and had given up control of it. He deserved the flames, but the others didn’t. Waidwen hadn’t. Next time… next time he would make sure that none could deny him, not kith and not his siblings. Next time-

But now wasn’t next time. He was in no shape to do much of anything, though he had already healed considerably since he became conscious again. His essence was still spotty, the holes not closed yet, and he had no way accomplish the plan that was growing in his mind. Not yet.

So Eothas bottled up all his pain and frustration and concentrated on what was before him, namely Maerwald. He couldn’t reverse the awakening even if he wanted to, he couldn’t end his suffering, but he could at least curb it.

Where once Maerwald had noticed and offered a guiding hand to the thing that had barely been more than a spectre, he now didn’t even flinch when a god touched his soul.

It burnt in the back of Eothas’ mind, like so many things did these days, but when Maerwald’s ravings became too much, when his body needed rest all too badly and his soul wouldn’t give him the peace, Eothas helped him, gently pushed his soul with all its splinters down into sleep, like he’d done so many times before for Waidwen.

Maerwald stayed close for the rest of his life. Perhaps something in his rattled consciousness still recognized that something helpful was here, perhaps he simply fled as far away from others as his broken body could take him, but he stayed.

His end, or rather the one to cause it, came without Eothas’ noticing. He only noticed her when Maerwald did, and for longs years he would question why it’d had taken him so long. She was hardly subtle after all, none of his children were. She may not shine quite as literally as those that kith called godlike, but her soul was marked far more than theirs. It called to him, shimmering with his own essence threading through hers, mending wounds from millennia past. Some stitches were torn open, bleeding again and smudged. For a moment Eothas forgot where he was, too focused on these injuries she hadn’t carried before the last time he’d seen her. He wanted to reach out, smooth over these ridges again, fill the gaps like he’d done once before. The smudging-

She killed Maerwald. Not out of malice, he knew her, and knew that, but it still jarred him. Another life lost as he could only observe. (And somewhere, deep down where no one would see it, he was glad it hadn’t been hers. He did not want to lose another one of his children. Not after Emblyn. Not after Waidwen.) He consoled himself with the pledge to help Maerwald at least now, to not let him wander around lost and disoriented.

But once again she surprised him. Hesitatingly she reached out with an awareness she hadn’t possessed before either. She took Maerwald like he had done for so many others and led him to the wheel herself. For the first time Eothas truly wondered what he’d missed.

She didn’t stay long and in a way it was a blessing, though it hurt to see her leave again. He wasn’t sure he could’ve stopped himself from reaching out for long. He was left alone again, unsettled and grieving now also for the only company he’d had in the last years.

And then she returned. And she left. Again, and again she left and returned, and the castle rose again. Everything that had fallen into disrepair when Maerwald had learnt too much about himself was slowly repaired. But the worst thing… the worst thing was that she put his name on it. She gifted the chapel to him, crafted a statue for him and crowned it, all with words of thanks on her lips as she suffered through injuries he had not healed well enough.

He hated himself for how thankful he was.

She always came to the chapel when she was in Caed Nua. She would come at dawn and the at sunset, hold a sermon she thought no one heard and talked to him. Asked him questions he had no answers to and told him of memories he already knew. He knew she didn’t sleep enough, felt the exhaustion as if it were his own, and perhaps it was.

Every time he reached out, gently soothed her to sleep when she sat before his statue, he told himself it was fine, she wouldn’t notice him, would just attribute it to the familiar scenery. Every time the farmer came, carefully picked her up and cradled her to his chest to carry her to bed, he told himself it was fine, he wasn’t aching at the doubtful looks the man threw the candles, he wasn’t reminded of another farmer he had disappointed.

One day she came back whole. The threads and layers of his own essence that had held her together more seemed like adornments now, ornaments worn with pride but not out of necessity anymore. She came back with a blessing from Hylea and spread it all over the land. He could feel the stream of souls returning to their intended place, neatly fitting where they had always been meant to be.

Two Millennia he’d been alive now, had seen countless civilizations, spoken countless languages, and still he had no words for how proud he was. And how sad that once again one of his children had outgrown his guidance.

From then on, she stayed. Other people came and went, including some of her companions. The keep and the lands around it filled, his name found its way back to the Dyrwood, without contempt or fear. For a while he was truly glad.

But the longer this went on, the more people came, the better he healed, the more aware he became of what he would have to do. What his dear child made possible for him without even knowing. How much he would have to hurt her and others to ensure his siblings wouldn’t ever again.

He waited five more years. For fives year he justified that he still needed time to heal. After five years was the 20th anniversary of Waidwen’s sacrifice. After five years he had talked to Iovara, who had thanked him for saving her sister, even after being locked away for eternity for doing the right thing. After five years he could no longer hide from his responsibility.

It was dawn, most were still asleep, Favaen was up in the chapel talking to him as she always was. For the first time in 20 years he answered.

It wasn’t a verbal answer. Words wouldn’t have been enough for what he had already done to her and what he still would. Instead he reached out with his whole being, stretched towards her and enveloped her soul with his own, drenching her in all the warmth and affection he could muster as he held onto her, like he’d last done before she had begun this life. He could feel her shock and ecstasy, the excitement and love, and broke inside. For her. For Waidwen. For everyone who would be.

I am so sorry. He couldn’t leave her without any words, couldn’t do this to her without any apology, no matter no small and insignificant in the grand scheme. He didn’t leave her time for confusion and instead yanked with all his might, hoping it would at least spare her the pain Waidwen had suffered. Her soul gave and he didn’t look back, tucked her in as deeply as he could, away from the distress and fear and terror he was about to cause and continued on with his mission, not giving himself any time to regret what he had to do.

He pulled the souls he needed from her people to move the body he’d so conveniently found and pushed away the knowledge that her last feelings in this life had been betrayal and horror, pushed away the thought of his broken promise to Iovara, pushed away the heart wrenching certainty that he had lead another one of his children to their doom for his own ambitions.

This was necessary, and it would be the last time. For any of them.

Caed Nua crumbled that day, obliterated by the absolute determination of a god rising from his own ashes, whose conviction to do right and despair about doing so could end the world as surely as save it. Whose attempt at saving a love and himself more pain lead to so much more than that.

#Pillars of Eternity #fanfiction #writing #Eothas #Watcher Wednesday #The Watcher #Watcher Favaen #angst #DragonForce #Maerwald #sad #hopeful ending #kind of #suffering

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queen-scribbles · 4 years

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Opening Day

For @pillarspromptsweekly fill 103, which marks maybe the dozenth time I’ve gone “Eh, I don’t have an idea, maybe I’ll skip this one” only for the muses to come clamoring by the end of the day. :P Set in the modern AU I started, before Catching Up and My Lucky Day.

---

“So... where are we going again?”

Tavi rolled her eyes. “Y’know, it’d be real nice for that memory like a fuckin’ steel trap to extend beyond work occasionally.”

Khellin shrugged innocently and braced his feet against the dash.

She sighed. “Put your feet down, you’re gonna break your fuckin’ legs if we crash.” She waited until he obliged to answer the question. “One of Aloth’s friends is openin’ a new cafe with her brother, today’s their grand opening, an’ I said I’d try to swing by.”

“Aloth has friends?” Khellin deadpanned. “Here I thought he preferred books over kith.”

Tavi let go of the steering wheel with one hand to smack him up the back of the head. “Yeah, ‘cause you’re Mr. Fuckin’ Social Butterfly. And yes, he does. Maybe not a lot, but neither do you or I.” She turned into the parking lot and found a space. “He and Adela had some class on the history of magical theory or some shit like that together, wound up paired for both projects that required partners, and she must’ve made a good impression, ‘cause they’re still friends.”

“Mm,” Khellin grunted as they climbed out of Tavi’s Jeep. He studied the plate glass window while they waited to cross the street, and Tavi watched his lips move as he read it to himself. ‘Café Nua.’ Then, below the large, stylized name, ‘Coffee. Tea. Pastries. Books.’ “Books?” he repeated aloud, arching a brow.

“Yeah.” She tugged his arm to follow her dash across the street with a break in traffic. “It’s a combo bookstore and café, way I understand.”

“Well, good luck to them, ‘specially here,” Khellin muttered, staring at the flowers wreath design that ringed the café name. “There’s a fuckin’ Leaden Tea franchise ‘round the corner and... six doors down,” he explained before she could ask. “Had about I’d guess a decade to entrench themselves as part of kith’s routine.” He raised a brow as he pulled the door open. “Your boyfriend’s probably frequented it more than once with all those late night study sessions.”

“It’s a coffee shop, not a brothel, Khel, so I dunno what’s with the tone. And it was the only place around here,” Tavi countered. “Now it’s not. And this place is nice,” she added, looking around.

The café was well-lit, plenty of tables scattered around, seating split between rather comfortable-looking wooden chairs and benches built into the walls. A painted border of ivy ran around the walls at roughly shoulder height for Khellin, joined by a spray of purple, pink, and blue wildflowers around the swinging door she figured led to the bookshop.

“You want me to order you somethin’ while you look for your boyfriend?” Khellin asked, craning his neck to see the menu mounted on the wall over the milling crowd. It was a good turnout for the opening of a place this size.

“Like you read my fuckin’ mind,” she grinned. “Hazelnut coffee an’ a bear claw if they have ‘em. Five bucks says I find Aloth in some corner of the bookshop that’s way quieter than in here.” She gestured to the wide collection of chattering kith that surrounded them.

“Not takin’ that bet.” Khellin shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. “‘M not stupid.”

Tavi laughed and headed toward the door. It swung open just as she reached to to admit a blonde-furred orlan, equally blonde hair pulled back in a braid it was starting to escape, and smears of dust on her lilac sundress.

“Oops, sorry! Didn’t hit you did I?” she asked, one hand sweeping back the loose wisps of hair.

“Nope, no worries,” Tavi promised. “I wasn’t close enough for there to be any damage.”

“Oh, good.” The orlan smiled, then cocked her head, a curious glint in her eye. “You wouldn’t happen to be Tavi, would you?”

“I would actually.” Tavi raised an eyebrow. “What gave me away?”

“The shirt.” She nodded toward the well-worn Sleeves are Bullshit emblazoned across Tavi’s chest.”Aloth may have mentioned it being your favorite once or twice.”

“So, does that make you Adela?” Tavi asked with a chuckle.

“Yes! Oh, sorry, manners.” She stuck out her hand and Tavi shook it. “Adela Tecali, but you can call me Adi. Everyone does, except Aloth. And a few of my professors when I was at the university.” Her fingers fiddled with the ivory elephant pendent that hung around her neck. “Nice as it is to meet you, I came over ‘cause Ben needed help, so I gotta go...”

“Sure, we can talk later,” Tavi nodded, Adi already moving past her toward the pastry counter. “Oh, is Aloth-?”

“Reading? Yep,” Adi called over her shoulder.

Good thing Khel didn’t take that bet, Tavi smirked as she pushed through the door and into the quiet of the bookshop.

Aloth was not hidden away in some back corner like she’d expected, however. He’d claimed a deep, low-backed chair that looked extremely comfortable and had a good view of the front door

“Not gonna make me brave a maze of shelves to find you this time, Corfiser?” she teased, perching on the back of his chair.

He flinched as he looked up from his book, and Tavi smiled watching him refocus on the real world rather than whichever written one he’d been enjoying. A smile he matched upon catching her eye. “They’re hardly a maze in this place, Tavi. And I thought you’d appreciate my making it easy just this once.”

“I do.” She leaned down to steal a kiss. “Even though I suspect the real reason is keeping an eye on things for Adi?”

Aloth chuckled as he nodded, closing the book and half-turning to more comfortably meet her eye. “Met her, did you?”

“Yeah, she seems nice.” Tavi smirked. “Probably a bit much of a chatterbox for you at times, but if she loves books enough to open up a whole fuckin’ bookstore, I can see why you’ve stayed friends.”

“You’re not wrong,” he admitted, running a finger along the edge of the book’s cover. “She jokes we balance each other out; my quiet and her noise. But she is a good friend, so if I can help out with this, since they’re busier than anticipated, then I shall.”

“Guess it’s a good thing to be busier than expected, huh? ‘Specially at your grand openin’, and extra especially when you’re so close to a blazin’ Leaden Tea location.” She adjusted her position to keep keep from sliding off her perch. “Why’d they pick here, anyway?”

“It was the only place they could afford that was also the correct set-up and size,” Aloth said. He reached for the half-full mug of tea sitting on the end table by his chair and Tavi smelled blackberries on the wafting steam as he took a sip. “Adela’s hoping they fill a different enough niche for business to stay steady after this initial rush.”

“I’d definitely rather come to a place like this, ‘specially if the coffee and pastries are good,” Tavi said, leaning back to scan the bookshelves behind her. “The personal touch is always nice.” She pushed to her feet. “And now that I’ve touched base with you, I think I’ll go see if Khel has my coffee yet.”

Aloth raised a brow. “He came, too?”

“You kiddin’?” she snorted. “You know my brother; I mentioned food and he was ready to run here on fuckin’ foot. Even if this wouldn’t normally be his first choice of venue.” She nodded toward the shelves. “Good luck with your guard duties.”

He chuckled. “Thank you.”

Tavi let her fingers brush against his shoulder as she turned to go, and caught the half-smile tugging his lips before he flipped his book open once more.

Khellin was just claiming a table when she found him and he grinned as he sat down. “Perfect timing; I was about to text you soon as I had a hand free.” He gestured toward the sage green cup and small plate. “Somethin’ about you had thirty seconds before I started eatin’ your food b’cause that looks fuckin’ delicious.”

“Well, I appreciate your restraint in givin’ me thirty whole seconds,” Tavi said dryly as she dropped into the chair. “‘Specially considerin’ you have you own.”

“Like that would stop me,” he grunted, breaking off part of his muffin and popping it in his mouth.

Tavi rolled her eyes, waved back to Adi when she grinned at her from behind the counter, and tore off a piece of her bear claw. She was encouraged by Khellin’s soft, happy groan at his muffin, and was not disappointed by her own pastry. “Oh, my fuckin’ gods, that’s good,” she mumbled around a mouthful of icing, pastry, and almond flakes. “Yeah, Khel, if you’d eaten this, I’d’ve had to fuckin’ kill you.”

He laughed. “If it’s as good as my muffin, it would be worth it.”

They sat in silence for a while, kith-watching while they enjoyed their coffee and food. The café was mostly full, so there was plenty to catch their eye.

Before she knew it, Tavi had reached the dregs of her coffee and only crumbs remained on her plate. She swirled the small amount of coffee and looked at the menu board. “I’m gonna get another,” she said, the chair legs scraping across the floor as she stood. “Since Ravi has me workin’ late shift tonight. You want a round two?”

“Y’know, most kith would maybe hesitate referrin’ to their boss by a nickname they knew he hated,” Khellin remarked, brow arched as he handed her his plate and empty cup. “And if you’re buyin’, yes, I will.”

“I don’t do it around him, I’m not stupid,” Tavi snorted. “You want another straight black or...?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

“Comin’ right up,” she joked, and headed for the counter.

There was an actual lull in customers, but Adi was on the phone, and the other orlan Tavi assumed was her brother had ducked into the back for something, so she still had to wait. Adi flashed an apologetic smile and held up one finger, to which Tavi nodded understanding and idly scanned the pastry case while she waited.

She couldn’t help but overhear Adi’s side of the conversation, however. “What? Are you alright?....” a heavy sigh, “How long’s that gonna take?... Well, I’m glad you’re okay, an’ I guess just get here when you can.” Adi hung up and pushed her glasses up onto her forehead so she could rub her eyes before flashing Tavi a smile. “Whadidja need?”

“Another hazelnut, and another black coffee. To-go this time,” Tavi replied, nudging the mugs across the counter. She nodded toward the phone. “Trouble?”

“Of the car variety, yes,” Adi nodded as she moved to wash her hands and get the requested coffee. “For the employee whose shift is s‘pposed to start in five minutes. I need to get back over to the bookshop, but I can’t leave Ben alone with this many kith. Here ya go.”

Tavi took the coffees and handed over the money, lips pursed in thought. “Y’know... I’ve got a good chunk of the day left before I gotta be at work. I dunno shit about coffee and pastries, but the register over in your bookshop”--she nodded to the swinging door--”looks like the same one we use at the bar. If you want--an’ trust me enough--I could handle that part for ya ‘til your back-up gets here.”

Adi’s whole face seemed to light up with relief. “Would you? That would be fantastic. An’ Aloth’s a good judge of character; if he trusts you enough to date you, I think I can trust you to run my bookshop for an hour or two,” she winked. “Keya should be here by then.”

“Alright.” Tavi winked back. “Oh, and you can just pay me in pastries, ‘cause those things are damn good.”

Adi giggled. “I’ll pass your compliments along to Ben. And thank you, seriously. You’re a lifesaver.”

“Hey,” Tavi shrugged. “Any friend of Aloth’s is a friend of mine. Lemme give my brother his coffee and I’ll head right over.” She strode to the table, handed Khellin the sturdy paper cup and the keys to her Jeep. “I’m lendin’ a hand for a couple hours, so you can head back to my place to get your car if y’ want.”

Khellin took both coffee and keys. “You trust me with your baby? And how will you get back?”

“That’s right, don’t make me fuckin’ regret it, an’ I’ll just catch a ride with Aloth.”

He smirked. “Does Aloth have a key to your place, or do I need to leave the door unlocked if I don’t hang around ‘til you get back?”

Shit. She glared in response to his triumphant grin. She hadn’t wanted to admit anything yet. “...Aloth has a key.”

“Kana owes me ten bucks,” Khellin gloated as he pushed to his feet.

“Dick,” Tavi growled, still glaring. “What have I told you about bettin’ on my love life?”

“What love life?” Khellin said with a chuckle, darting for the door before she could retort.

Tavi rolled her eyes--Brothers--and headed for the bookshop. He was lucky she couldn’t go after him right now.

---

In the end, it only took just over an hour before Adi showed up in the bookshop with a bag of pastries and the news Keya had made it, so Tavi could go. “Thank you so much, really, it was a huge help.”

“No problem,” Tavi laughed, nodding toward where Aloth still sat in the chair (though significantly further through his book). “I had good company.”

He rolled his eyes and Adi giggled.

“You’re welcome to hang around longer if you want, obviously,” she said, twirling a loose wisp of hair, “but I hereby release you from cash register duty.”

“Normally I’d love to, but I do have work tonight, I so I think I’ll steal your book guardian to give me a ride home...”

Aloth nodded at the hint and closed his book. “Of course.” He handed Adi the book as he stood. “Thank you for the recommendation, Adela. It was precisely what I was looking for-”

“I’m glad you liked it,” Adi grinned. “I thought of you when I got it in.”

He smiled. “If Tavi can spare me five minutes, I do want to buy it.”

“Sure,” Tavi shrugged.

“Great!” Adi beamed.

It did indeed only take five minutes, and then they were on their way.

Aloth was quiet for the first minute or so, before, “Thank you for helping.”

“It was for strictly mercenary reasons,” Tavi joked, rattling the pastry bag.

“I don’t believe that for a second,” he retorted, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Okay, you caught me,” she said with a shrug. “Adi’s nice, and b’sides, she’s your friend. I know you don’t let a lot of kith that close, so I figure the ones you do are good for me to be friends with, too.”

Aloth’s smile widened. “Whatever your reasoning, I’m sure Adela appreciated it even more than she let on.” He reached for her hand and laced his fingers between hers as he repeated, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Tavi said, squeezing his hand. “It’s a nice little place. Would make a great date spot,” she hinted.

Aloth chuckled and squeezed her hand back. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

She was pretty sure he’d already had it in mind, but the promise still made her smile. A little place like that would be a welcome change from the typical crowds and subsequent noise at Leaden Tea, so for that reason alone--not to mention the delicious pastries--she wished Adi and Ben success that extended far beyond their opening day.

-----

Adi’s dress is something like this one, just more casual and sundress-y.

Tavi is absolutely wearing this shirt.

She and Aloth have only been dating 2-3 months at this point, and with how badly her last relationship(Everin) ended, she’s playing details a lot closer to her chest this time around.

Khellin, being a nosy and protective little brother, has been digging for said details at every angle he can conceive the whole 2-3 months, so her basically handing him an opening on a golden platter was a big victory.

I sorta made the Leaden Tea into the Starbucks of this AU? Whoops?

#queens fic #pillars prompts weekly #tavi illani #khellin illani #aloth corfiser #adela tecali #modern au #this ran away from me and my hand was starting to hurt toward the end so i had to do a different ending #i love tavi and khel's relationship SO MUCH #there's a reason i gave him back to her even in canon #and yes adi co-owning cafe nua is ABSOLUTELY intended to lead to a coffee shop meet cute for her and heodan #they can compete with ederity for who's more nauseatingly adorable :D

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aedyre · 5 years

Text

Ohhh, I was about to go to bed when I saw @ariela-of-aedyr‘s ask meme :D decided to do it now and not wait for asks since well... bed, and technically it’s Thursday here already :’) also i just wanna babble about my baby

1. What did your Watcher make of the Deadfire Archipelago? Was it their first time there, or had they been there previously?

First time! Alfaris had never actually left the Aedyr Empire before the start of POE1 and hasn’t even seen all of the Empire at that. His first impression was pretty much “ugh so much ocean and see travel I don’t like boats-- OH GREAT I’M ALREADY STRANDED. awesome.” He... still isn’t that keen on it by the end, though he gets used to it. He also doesn’t like how the archipelago is run very much and could do without everyone and their mother vying for power against each other instead of addressing the very obvious problems being had. He did like the weather though! At least better than the Dyrwood’s.

2. Did they have a favourite location?

Not... really. Neketaka probably comes closest by virtue of being the biggest city around, but it also has both the Gullet (which pisses him off because the Roparu have such shitty living conditions) and the Kahanga palace (which pisses him off because he does not get along with the Kahanga royals :’D). Other than that he liked visiting small, unimportant villages that just peacefully existed. And the Engwithan ruin the Wahaki live in, because of the Thaos mural.

3. How about a favourite companion? Or a favourite NPC?

Of the new Deadfire crew, definitely Tekehu 😛 He’d endeared himself to Alfaris by the time they entered the Gullet together and Tekehu expressed his shock and dismay about how the people there are treated, and after that they got to comforting handholding really fast which was some wonderful gay shit. (...Also I just like it as a romance trope. Loved it with Aloth in the first game, loved it here, it’s good.)

As far as NPCs go... he rather likes Director Castol and Flaune Elette because he likes their idealism and vision. It’s why he very firmly sided with Castol during the company meeting, which should have been clear to the governor from the beginning -- “Ah yes, this extremely idealistic person who wishes to help people and has no interest nor need in making money (because he comes from money and is essentially never without it) will surely side with my profit oriented leadership over another idealist visionary!” ...Yeahhhhhh, no.

4. Was there a companion or an NPC that they just couldn’t stand? What was it about them that irritated your Watcher?

None tbh. Alfaris is relatively easy to get along with and to go into the “I can’t stand you” category you need to be a huge dick. (And if your name is Thaos, even that isn’t enough :P) He’d butt heads with Vatnir and Ydwin over ideology, philosophy and theology --though in Vatnir’s case he’d mostly want to help get Vatnir away from Ryrmrgand and more comfortable -- with Ydwin he’s lowkey “well you’re wrong about the wheel but I guess you’re entitled to your wrong opinion :/”, but he doesn‘t dislike either of them. He also wishes Serafen would “talk normally” and Maia ends up leaving because he sides with the Vailians, but they get on well until then.

5. Was your Watcher glad to have Eder, Aloth and Pallegina back again (if indeed they did)? Was there any other companion that they would have liked to have back in their party?

Yes!! I mean, Aloth is one of his bfs and Edér and Pallegina are his bffs. He wouldn’t mind any of the others except Durance back, though he especially misses Sagani and Kana.

6. What was your Watcher’s ship(’s) name(s)? Did they enjoy being Captain of a boat? Would they rather have been back at Caed Nua?

.....I can’t fucking settle on a name tbh. Last playthrough it was The Prince, named by his mum the Mecwyn when she heard that he would like a nice big ship with maybe a lot of cannons because there are pirates everywhere here, mother, can you believe it? But that wasn’t all that creative and is subject to change if I think of something I really like after all :D

He... didn��t exactly enjoy being a Captain, because traveling by ship is not his preferred method, but he also wouldn’t have preferred being at Caed Nua -- he was getting close to done with what he could do there to help and would have installed a steward before long anyway, and the Deadfire is where he was needed now.

7. Did they have a favourite quest or side quest? How about a least favourite?

I’d say no real favorite -- there were moments he enjoyed, like being able to help Biha, or get medicine for the sick Roparu, but nothing where I would say “Yes this entire quest is something he loved”. Similarly there were a lot he really did not like, but it’s hard to point to a specific one -- shoutout goes to Nemnok’s though because he got really damn pissed about the whole “oh let’s sacrifice our children to our new god” thing. a) No!!! Just no!!!!, b) dammit Thaos, once again proof your entire plan didn’t work because people are *still* doing this shit. The sacrifices ended up being all right after all, but the spirit of it still made him mad :P

8. Did your Watcher find romance, or close companionship, in the Deadfire? If so, who did they get close to, and how did that relationship develop?

HOO BOY does Alfie ever have companionship :D I don’t often care much for polyshipping, but he’s a big exception to that. Admittedly, hc wise he was already in a relationship with Aloth, because screw this dancing around your feelings for 5 years stuff in their case (and honestly, no way Alfaris wouldn’t have made sure to keep in contact with Aloth, while Aloth was off hunting down the Leaden Key!). He’s already close to his past incarnation too, though Caolan’s part of their soul ends up being kidnapped by Eothas and thus not around for a big part of the game.

And then there’s Tekehu, who, along with Aloth, is basically tailor made for Alfaris :P Sweetheart who wants to help people? Sad woobie who needs emotional support? A big sub? Yes. Good. Perfect. Alfie was making hearteyes at him by the time they left Neketaka together after dealing with the mess in the Gullet. Tekehu was similarly drawn to the Watcher rather quickly (he’s so easy to raise affection with...) and they talked a lot about the Deadfire and about the Huana and whatever was going on in their quest(s) at the time. Then his last fears that maybe Alfaris wouldn’t want to or couldn’t give him what Tekehu wanted were laid to rest when Alfaris revealed that yeah, actually, he is a dom and he likes taking care of people and giving them what he needs and literally everything Tekehu just described as seeking in a romantic and sexual partner is something he’s happy to give.

9. Which faction did your Watcher side with in the end, if any? Was there a particular reasoning behind their decision?

The Vailians! The pirates were never in the running despite Furante’s attempts, Alfaris was already annoyed with Onekaza and her brother over the Gullet and Onekaza’s behaviour (please stop trying to do ~banter telepathically kthxbye), then she sent him on a menial errand to get Mairu (”I’m a visiting foreign Prince but ok, maybe this is some cultural difference I don’t get”) which resulted in him freeing the dragon and then him and Onekaza slinging insults at one another. “It’s a poor ruler who doesn’t recognize what is under her feet” gave me life and him too for getting it off his chest :’)

And when it came down to Rauatai vs the Republics, he decided that animancy was more useful to deal with the crisis at hand. Which admittedly was also helped by Pallegina being his bff and very much influencing his opinion of the Republics towards being more positive.

10. Where do you imagine your Watcher’s life takes them after the events of Deadfire?

He would absolutely keep an eye on what’s going on on Ukaizo, considering how important rebuilding the Wheel is (especially since he’s such a big fan of reincarnation too!), but since he can’t exactly help the animancers fix it faster... I think he’d visit home, try to spread the truth about the gods more (which is helped, I imagine, by Eothas’s actions), help Aloth with the Leaden Key, and just generally keep an eye out for the next crisis to lend his hand, since his overarching goal is to make the world a better place and prove to Thaos that kith doesn’t need the gods for that and isn’t as bad as Thaos has come to believe.

(Though my money for a potential sequel plot would be something involving Yezuha considering the storms are now gone.)

#pillars of eternity #deadfire #watcher wednesday #poe watcher wednesday #the watcher #watcher alfaris #well i guess i did something other than an edit after all :D #man i can't believe the game is already a year old again... and last year around this time we actually had nice weather lmfao #jules.txt

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impossible-rat-babies · 5 years

Text

Writing Snippet #31

—

Dimitri has more than one caveat before jumping into a relationship with Tekehu.

—

The sunset bathed just above the horizon of shimmering water, painting the sky and clouds above in brilliant shades of yellow, orange and red. Dimitri leaned against the deck railing, carefully whittling away at a piece of wood he had picked up on one of the many islands they had taken their steps into. He smoothed his fingers across a freshly cut area, his ears twitching as he heard footsteps on the deck.

The crew was all below, the evening meal going over well. Dimitri would pick up his own meal later as he always did; he was a reclusive Captain, but one who had the crew’s respect and condemnation for his actions when it counted. None of them minded that he spent meal times away from them in his own privacy.

He tucked his knife back into his belt, watching as Tekehu approached, the source of the footsteps.

“Captain, a word?” Tekehu’s eyes widened in proportion to his smile and Dimitri grinned. Tekehu always had a way of filling a room and demanding all the attention within it, Dimitri’s attention included.

“What’s on your mind?” He asked, fussing with the carved wooden piece, his thumbnail stroking the still rough edges.

Tekehu came to stand next to Dimitri and he watched the Godlike’s face until he spoke.

“You came to the Deadfire for your own reasons. The problems of others, they must be noisy obstacles by comparison.” He spoke and Dimitri held his tongue until he finished. Tekehu looked back at him, blue eyes searching his. “We both know the burden of being looked to as a source of hope.”

Dimitri heaved a sigh, pulling himself up onto the railing of the ship. He held onto the edge, just in case; the ship was steady and secure in the calm waters, but he knew to expect the unexpected.

“It tests my patience now and again.” He grumbled, sitting nearly at eye level with Tekehu. He always did prefer equal footing.

“And you wish for a moment of silence to dampen the rabble.” Tekehu let out a deep sigh and planted his hands on the railing beside Dimitri. He searched for his eyes, making no move to look away from his venture.

Dimitri swallowed hard, his gaze dancing everywhere but at Tekehu.

“Dimitri.” He spoke and his eyes snapped to his; it was rare for Tekehu to use his name and the smile on his face suggested he knew well what he was playing at. Something in Dimitri’s chest skipped several beats, his breath growing short in his lungs as he refused to break their stare.

He knew Tekehu was watching his struggle, a grin spreading across his features. His gaze never left his, something in Tekehu’s gaze searching for something deep within his eyes.

Dimitri couldn’t break away, the feeling in his chest rising up into his throat in a way that made him feel like no matter how many times he cleared his throat, it wouldn’t be enough to dislodge the feeling.

Something black in the pit of his gaze drew him in, and it didn’t take long for Dimitri to realize he was leaning close to him, his grip loose on the railing to keep him anchored. Tekehu moved a fraction closer, and he could smell the ocean on his skin.

A flickering appeared deep in Dimitri’s own eyes, something like fire silently roaring deep in the red pits of his eyes. Tekehu could swear he could almost smell the smoke, but the feeling of Dimitri’s hand pressing against his chest pulled him back.

Dimitri trailed his hand across his collar bone, feeling both the smoothness and roughness the scales had to offer under his touch. He smelled like the deep salt water and the wind that would kick up before a storm, a tingle setting the hairs of the back of the neck to rise. Tekehu’s chest rose and fell with every deep breath under Dimitri’s touch, his grin both knowing and excited.

A long moment passed between them, Dimitri’s fingertips still exploring the skin around Tekehu’s collarbone. The dying light of the sun made them shimmer in reflected oranges and reds, painting him a red fish rather than a blue one.

“It is relaxing to lose yourself in another.” He spoke so slowly that Dimitri almost missed the words. The world pulled back slightly from Tekehu, but not enough to draw him away completely.

“I’m feeling braver than normal. Ekera, a good Captain has that effect on their crew.” He nearly purred and the sensation traveled down Dimitri’s spine, sending a shiver chasing his skin. Their eyes met again and Dimitri could’ve sworn Tekehu leaned in closer. “All the powers in the Deadfire have their eyes on the Watcher of Caed Nua. Tell me, is the Watcher...watching anyone?” He tipped his head coyly to the side, his grin making Dimitri brave.

He took the necklace around Tekehu’s neck, pulling on it just enough to pull the Godlike even closer. Their faces were mere inches apart, each breath sharing the same air

“Just you, pretty fish.” Dimitri breathed, his red eyes nearly smoldering under his gaze.

“For once, Ngati answers my prayers.” He grinned and Dimitri shared the look, gently biting his tattooed lip.

“Captain, I would speak plainly. Are you as excited about the possible...what I mean is, if we were to...” Dimitri blinked at his words, especially as he cleared his throat and studied him, eyes wide and imploring. He was far from used to modesty from Tekehu.

Dimitri hummed, gently teasing at the necklace he still held, keeping their faces close. “Let’s say I’m intrigued. Speak on.” He urged, letting go of the necklace as he pulled himself back. Tekehu pulled away as well, not realizing how much the elf had pulled him close. The thought would’ve made his flush if the story in his head hadn’t already made him flush.

“If such things interest you, my last...haphazard coupling was no so long ago. In Neketaka in fact.” He chuckled to himself, lips pursing in thought.

“Sounds like you have a story to tell.” Dimtri urged him on, watching the Godlike intently.

“Ekera, I am the hope and destiny of my people. My heart is full of stories.” He reminded him and something in Dimitri’s laugh made his heart skip a beat.

“She was a Godlike—one of Amira’s brood, her hair as neat and orderly as a raven’s wing.” He launched into his story, pulling out a black feather from a pouch on his belt. He drew his fingers down the fibers, smiling in rememberance.

“We found each other in the market, and...made ourselves comfortable behind a fishmonger’s stall. She left me this as a keepsake.” He sighed, holding the feather up to the dying light painting the sky deeper shades of orange.

Dimitri watched silently, a soft smile on his face while his eyes tracked his every movement.

“I never knew her name. Now I do not have to suffer the pangs of forgetting it.” Sighing, he let the feather fall from his hands. It danced across the sky before it fell into the ocean, disappearing to Ondra’s depths.

“Didn’t you want to keep that?” Dimitri asked and Tekehu hummed, eyes tracing the path the feather had taken.

“Most desperately...but I do not cage love or force it to be anything but itself. A bird fluttered away. She was not mine to keep.” He looked back to Dimitri and he cocked an eyebrow. Dimitri’s ears reddened and he looked away, moving his hair from his face.

“That was some fast seduction on your part.” He remarked, looking at him. Tekehu gave a knowing grin, teeth flashing.

“It helps when both parties are beautiful, full of desire, and have no afternoon plans.” Tekehu hummed and Dimitri gave a weak nod. He bit his lip, wondering how much that meant for him. It couldn’t; Tekehu was and had many things Dimitri lacked and he knew he didn’t have much of anything to offer back. It was a pointless venture.

“I was expected at the guildhall, but one must have their priorities.”

“If you are trying to charm me, talking about your past lovers is a strange way to do it.” Dimitri spoke quickly after he finished, a serious expression crossing his face. Tekehu blinked and chuckled, curiosity kissing his tone.

“Charm? Not so Captain. I would have you know me by my desires. These are the Tekehu as much as the living god.” He explained and Dimitri shook his head, chewing his lip.

“And who do those desires encompass?” He inquired and Tekehu gave a knowing grin.

“Well, the one before me is awful tempting.” He proposed and Dimitri snickered bitterly, jumping off the railing to walk away. And now the gig was up.

“And that is the problem...” He spoke just loud enough for Tekehu to hear and the Godlike let out a chuckle, folding his arms over his chest while his eyes tracked Dimitri’s every movement.

“Ekera, how so?” He asked incredulously and Dimitri shook his head, stopping his pacing around the deck. He let out a heavy breath, shaking his head yet again.

“I am...many things, but desirable is far from them.” He fussed with his hands, running them up his arms. He couldn’t feel the scars, but he knew they lingered under his thin cotton shirt. “I am picky, overthink...this body of mine is a...a disaster is one word that would come of it. Hardly a decent comparison, or match—” He bit his lip and Tekehu quickly stopped him, putting his hands on his shoulders. His shoulders were so small in his hold, but Dimitri refused to look at him.

“Dimitri.” Tekehu spoke. “I do not want you to misunderstand. I am a sea anemone—hungry and eager to close around stimulation. I would draw you in with care. With patience. Regardless of what you believe about yourself.” He raised a brow and studied Dimitri, looking for a reaction.

Dimitri’s lips pursed to a thin line, refusing the urge to shake his head. He sighed instead, chewing his lip again.

“If...if you—I cannot deny my attraction to you. And if you believe this persuing of each other is a worthy venture...” He spoke and he saw a question rise with Tekehu’s brow.

“I don’t wish to misunderstand me.” He added quickly. “My...my ameanablity has nothing to do with your status. It bears no will towards me in these matters. It’s all simply...internal for me. I wouldn’t wish to give you an unworthy chase.” Dimitri explained and Tekehu chuckled, carefully lifting his chin before he took his face in his hands. They were cool to the touch, a surprise he had not anticipated.

“Ekera, the chase shall be a worthy one for both of us.” He smiled in a genuine way Dimitri had yet to have seen. He pulled away a moment later, blue eyes easily looking him up and down, clearly appreciating the view.

Dimitri’s face flushed along with his cheeks, pale freckles in stark contrast to his deep complexion. He opened his mouth to speak, but Tekehu spoke over him.

“We could blunt our teeth on more chatter, but...I cherish the suspense.” He grinned, beckoning for Dimitri to follow him down into the hold.

As Tekehu finished speaking, his words slowed to a crawl, the world paling and slowing as well. The sensation of sinking into a pool of water began to touch him gently, starting at his ankles and easily washing up the rest of his body. Dimitri took a breath he knew he didn’t need, but he took it nonetheless.

I want better for him than you.

Ngati’s voice rang out in his head, her great bulbous eyes narrowing to pinpricks. A shiver crawled down Dimitri’s spine, more left unspoken between them. But the sensation of saltwater filling his nose pulled him away, the world reaassembling itself in front of his eyes. Even so, the sensation of moisture and depth pulled away, the sensation tracing his skin for longer than required. A reminder one might call it.

Tekehu paused and looked back at Dimitri, a question in his face. He easily waved him on, joining him. He gestured again towards the door, a strained smile painting his face. He glanced out of the doorway to the deep blood red sky and a soft sigh escaped his nose. He quickly shook his head however, dipping down into the hold below.

#aka im always inclined to make dialogue changes for dimitri #pillars of eternity deadfire #pillars of eternity #poe #watcher x tekehu #poe watcher #oc tag #watcher dimitri #otp: he was not mine to keep #brb posting this before tumble bumble dies

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rannadylin · 6 years

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Here continues the tale of two Awakened elves who just might be developing feelings for each other, along with my humble illustrations of the journey.

Pairing: Aloth Corfiser/Watcher Lenneth

Pillars of Eternity, sometime fairly soon after the confession on the bridge and the pistol scene

Word count: 1770

Rating: G

Now also on Ao3

Confidence: Scene the Third.

Grimoire management was a delicate business. The utmost concentration was essential, especially in the middle of a lively adventuring party’s camp. Thus, Aloth failed to notice the Watcher’s approach until she suddenly plopped down beside him as he was in the middle of imbuing one of his grimoire’s pages with the soul energy necessary to cast Chain Lightning, tracing out the intricate lines of the spell on the yellowed page. Startled out of his intense concentration, he uttered an invective he’d learned from Iselmyr. Lenneth uttered a startled giggle. Aloth sighed.

“All right,” he grumbled peevishly, “tell me what you want so I can get back to preparing for tomorrow. I’ll have to start this page over now.”

“Oh,” Lenneth said, her voice soft, brows knitting in concern as she saw, too late, what she’d interrupted. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”

“It’s all right,” Aloth sighed again, leaning back from the tome open on his lap and blinking away the eyestrain of such intense focus. “It’s hardly urgent; I have all evening,” he assured her, attempting to affect a polite and pleasant demeanor and not to think too much on her nearness or the warmth that seemed to radiate as if from her very soul in such proximity. He fancied that his grimoire, deprived suddenly of the energy he had been so carefully feeding it, tingled and shivered like iron filings about to leap to a magnet. “What can I do for you, Watcher?”

She eyed the tome for a moment longer before looking back to the wizard. “Do any of the special dishes you’re supposed to serve for the Feast of Feasts involve boar?”

Aloth blinked at her. Once. Twice, before he could find words, and even then it was just to echo, “Boar?”

“Because Hiravias just brought one back - only slightly mangled, but that’s what you get when you send a stelgaer out as your hunting party - and it seemed like a special occasion might be warranted, and it is the first week of Deep Summer, so I thought…” She finally trailed off and shrugged.

“I...haven’t celebrated the Feast of Feasts for years,” Aloth mused. “But yes, there is something involving a boar stuffed with small fowl on the fourth day.”

“Effigy’s eyes,” Lenneth swore. “It’s only Cönyngsdag. Don’t know that the boar would keep for two more days, even if we wanted to bother dragging it along on the road.”

“I should be very interested to see how you managed to cook such a dish on the road in the first place,” Aloth said, not trying very hard to suppress the smirk that arose at the thought of her doing just that. “Why do you want to do such a thing, anyway?”

“For fun?” she shrugged. “To raise morale? I don’t know, what’s the point of roasting a whole boar without making a special occasion of it?”

“I meant that it seems odd to celebrate an Aedyran holiday while you’re traveling through the Dyrwood with a company consisting of one whole Aedyran. Didn’t you say you were from Rauatai?”

“Once upon a time,” Lenneth admitted. “Haven’t been back in years. And my parents both came from other places before they lingered in Rauatai long enough to have kids, so wandering’s in my blood. Feels like I’m from a lot of places, these days.”

“Have your travels taken you as far as Aedyr, then?” he asked, his voice lowering a bit in a sudden fit of...shyness, or something like it he couldn’t quite name, at the thought of Lenneth in the land of his birth.

“Not yet,” she said with a brief glance his way, and a look about her that somehow seemed in concord with the nameless feeling that had come over him.

“How do you know of the Feast of Feasts, then?” Aloth pressed. “I didn’t think it was celebrated anywhere in this part of the world. Especially not in the Dyrwood, given its history with the fercönyng.”

“Unfortunately not, as far as I know,” she confirmed, producing a small, dog-eared book from a pocket somewhere. On its faded cover he could just make out the words Aedyre Customs. “Nicked it back in Defiance Bay,” she explained as he thumbed through the narrow pages. “It’s been good reading. It makes it all sound so...glamorous.”

Aloth snorted. “Then it takes serious liberties. And as a wizard, I’m obliged to remind you that the point of a glamour is to conceal the reality.”

“Oh, I know,” Lenneth grinned, amusement bubbling through her voice. “Never ran a con that didn’t call for a bit of glamour to do just that.” And she fluttered her eyelashes at him in a way that she probably meant only in jest at her former career, but its effect on him was more like she had cast some sort of gravity-twisting spell in the region of his stomach. Glamour, indeed. Feeling a moment’s sympathy with the targets of her past cons, Aloth fixed his eyes on his grimoire and caught his breath as she babbled on, “Anyway, maybe we’ll throw a proper Feast of Feasts when we’re back at Caed Nua. Or the last day or two of it, anyway. You’ll have to fill in the gaps for me on how to do it properly; the book’s so short it doesn’t go into much detail.” She nudged him with an elbow till he reluctantly glanced up, certain he felt her warmth of spirit reflected in his own face. She surely noticed the blushing, but mercifully only asked, “You don’t mind, do you? I know my curiosity is excessive at times, but you are our only expert on all things Aedyran. And magic. And the Leaden Key, about which I do have more questions…”

Aloth groaned at the mention of his former career. “If those are the options, then holiday traditions it is.”

“Splendid!” she smiled. Then she dropped her eyes, blushing a bit herself now as she added, “You’ll let me know, though, if I’m bothering you too much with questions? I don’t mean to annoy you.”

“You don’t,” he replied without hesitation. Annoy was certainly not the word for her effect on him, though he was doing his utmost not to consider too closely what else to call it. “Your curiosity is...it’s…” A welcome distraction. An endearing glimpse of your mind’s quirks. Refreshing in contrast to the two-faced civility of Aedyr. Confusing at times and never dull. But all he could come up with to actually say was, “...oddly...charming.”

Given the delighted and predatory smirk this brought to her face, that may have been the wrong thing to say. Or, he reflected, exactly the right thing, as she leaned closer and said, “Well, then. Can I charm you with another question?”

“Go on,” he said, already quite charmed.

She gestured to the grimoire, still open across his lap. “How does it work, your book?”

“My grimoire,” he corrected automatically, and she nodded with a look of eager inquiry in her eyes.

“Are the spells just too much to memorize, that they have to be written down?” she asked.

Aloth huffed. “Not at all. The words of power are simple enough. I don’t just read them from the grimoire; the spells themselves - the soul energy that powers them - are stored in the pages, contained and defined by the words and symbols, by how they’re arranged. The challenge is not in recalling phrases, but in coaxing that energy back out of the grimoire when I need it, in the form that I need. It must be stored just so; released just so - it takes years of study to master the precision required to cast from even the simplest grimoire, and it takes strength of will to bend it to your purpose, not to mention strength of arms to heft the thing.”

“Oh.” Lenneth frowned. “Sounds more complicated than I thought.”

“Everything’s more complicated than you think, when you start to look closer at it,” Aloth soothed.

“True,” she shrugged, still looking disappointed.

“Watcher,” he asked, appraising that look of disappointment and finding it unacceptable not to resolve it, if he could, “do you...Why did you ask about the grimoire?”

“Honestly,” she sighed, “I thought...I hoped maybe I could learn a bit of what you do. I mean, I’ve about got the hang of shooting a pistol, now, but what with sticking to the back of our group to make good use of it, I’ve got a far better view than I used to of my favorite wizard at work,” she elbowed him again, gently now that she had his full attention anyway, “and it’s...well. It’s a wonder to behold, Aloth.”

Stumbling over that favorite (and then chiding himself, you’re the only wizard here, it doesn’t count), it took him a moment to catch up and process her words. “You...want to learn to do magic?”

“It was a silly idea,” she shrugged, glancing away. “Don’t know where I’d put a grimoire, anyway, amongst all the knives and the pistol and everything. Or when there’d be time to learn something that takes years.”

“Years to master,” he reiterated, eyeing her thoughtfully. “But...to make a beginning…perhaps a few of the simpler spells...”

Her eyes were wide as she looked back to him. “You’re not serious.”

“Well, I can show you the basics, anyway. I don’t know if you could learn to cast in time to put it to use against Thaos, but you could certainly learn how it works. An awareness of the process would be of strategic value to you, at the very least, when you’re directing me in battle or facing mages among our opponents.”

She studied him for a moment. “You are...far more in favor of this than I’d have guessed.”

“Charmed by your curiosity, no doubt,” he smirked, winning her brightest giggle in response. He shifted the grimoire from his lap halfway to hers, so that they could both see as he flipped back to the first pages and traced a finger over the lines he’d penned there ages ago - the arcane phrases alongside diagrams like little sparkling stars. “Now this,” he began, “would complement your own skills well. Arkemyr’s Dazzling Lights - leave an enemy dazed, then slip into the shadows, as you so often do. To such great effect, I dare say.”

She traced a finger over the diagrams, following the path of Aloth’s own hand, then looked up at him with her smile wide and her eyes sparkling as if reflecting the spell itself. “Arkemyr’s Dazzling Lights,” she repeated slowly, savoring the words. “Sounds glamorous.”

#pillars of eternity #PoE fanfic #pillars of eternity fanfiction #aloth #aloth corfiser #watcher #watcher lenneth #lenneth #elves #fanfiction #ranna draws #from the desk of ranna

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tumblueberry · 7 years

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So, Arianna is still developing character in my head cause I can’t just pop out OCs completely developed, they start with some traits and then they grow I guess. So I’m writing down some ideas of how she came to be how she is now... just because? xD it’s just for future references and I guess I wanted to share in case anyone wants to know more about her despite the fact my girls usually aren’t that charismatic to get any attention lol xdd.

One of the things I’m thinking about is how she decided to come to the Dyrwood from the Republics. I’m still so new to this world that I lack a lot of knowledge about the lore, so I’m always afraid I’m coming up with ridiculous ideas that don’t make sense.

I might have said it before, but in my headcanon (xD) she spent most of her life with her mother taking care of caravans, always traveling, on the road, with all kinds of people, learning stuff from whom she could besides her mother. So, when mom passed away, she found herself without much purpose in life and came to the conclusion that she had nothing to do on the road anymore. In that moment of her life, she found purpose in her faith, joined the priests of Berath and decided she’d try to go back to the roads, but this time to make good in the name of Berath, not just to take care of passengers, merchants and travelers of all kinds. That is how her travels took her to the Dyrwood. Arianna wasn’t so interested on having lands, but on finding a settlement that apparently needed help. She felt lonely, she wanted friends more than anything... and boy did she get herself a bunch of misfits to care about xD

Another thing that I keep trying to figure out is her actual persnality? Because I try to play her as kind but sometimes I go for stoic/rational because those are more interesting, fitting with her faith or I don’t like the rest of options. So these days I’ve been thinking, perhaps she struggles to follow what she’s been told to? As a priest of Berath you should keep calm and stay neutral/be rational and practical? But she has too big a heart to stay silent and do nothing when people are badly treated. Another point that’s come to mind is that maybe when she traveled with her mother she was more prone to laughter,joke and smiling, but after she died, and with long periods of time being on her own, she ended up not seeing an actual reason why to do those things again. She didn’t have anyone who’d really make her laugh, smile, or be close enough to joke with others. I’m making myself sad xD But I think that fits with her trying to follow her faith’s ways but also being her own person at the same time, having her own views on how to do Berath’s will. AND MAN DID IT MAKE HER ANGRY WHEN JUST YESTERDAY I HAD TO GO BACK TO KILL RAEDRIC FOR GOOD, how dares him say he’s Berath’s voice, fuck you. But she did a great job, my girl. Anyways what I was trying to say before is, her mother made her laugh, she was Arianna’s light and source of inspiration, she wanted to be like her, and after she died, Arianna’s joy was gone with her. She’s learning how to be happy and comfortable around people again thanks to her new friends, which is sad but also hopefull? xD They came together for complicated dangerous reasons but at least they have each other. And a place to stay in the meanwhile, I mean, Caed Nua looks gorgeous now that I’m done with all the upgrades :D

And that’s all for now I guess xD thanks for reading if you did, wow, that’s flattering <3

#my shit #me playing PoE #Arianna

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queen-scribbles · 6 years

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Balance

For @pillarspromptsweekly fill #33: Vacation

The Dracogen was humming and lively, a usual state this time of year, and Charity almost missed the sound of someone calling her name. She’d only just swung toward the sound when a familiar, grinning elf plunked down on the barstool next to hers.

“Hey, Charity,” Tavi said cheerfully, raising a hand to flag down Dengler or Peycg.

“Hello, Tavi,” Charity laughed. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Visitin’ Edér,” Tavi replied, blowing on her hands. “Hylea’s feathered tits, it’s cold out there.” Dengler paused by the two of them and she flashed him a grateful smile. “I’ll have a cider, I guess. Unless you’ve added anything since my last visit?” When Dengler shook his head, she nodded decisively. “Cider, then.”

“Edér know you’re coming?” Charity asked, taking a sip of her own drink.

“Hopefully.” Tavi smiled sheepishly. “I did write, but I also walk fast, ‘specially alone, so it’s possible I got here first.”

“Well, either way, he’s in a meeting right now, so it’ll be awhile before he’s free,” Charity said with a shrug. “Cadwyn’s a chatty individual.”

“Great, then we can talk about him,” Tavi smirked, a mischievous gleam in her eye. “Edér, not Cadwyn.”

My favorite topic, Charity thought glibly, but didn’t let the words past her lips. She didn’t want Tavi getting the wrong idea. Or is it the right idea at this point? She wasn’t even sure anymore herself. “I figured,” she laughed instead. “What about him?”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It took almost every ounce of willpower she possessed for Tavi to resist the urge to sigh dramatically and say something along the lines of, The fact you’re fuckin’ smitten with each other for starters. Fun as Charity’s reaction would be to watch, the probable ensuing conversation might risk blowing open the courtship charade. So Tavi hid her knowing grin by taking a drink of her cider as soon as Dengler set it in front of her and substituted, “We could make sure you know the shit you should if he’s courtin’ you.”

“I know he loves animals, I know he snores, I know which god he worships, I know he smokes whiteleaf,” Charity ticked off. “What else do you figure is important fr to know?”

“His birthday’s the first day of Early Spring,” Tavi said with an offhand shrug. “That’s prob’ly somethin’ you should know about your suitor. Oh, and don’t ask me how I know this--I’ve been sworn to secrecy--he’s really fuckin’ ticklish.” She his another grin as she watched Charity’s face shade red ever so slightly. “Not sure why or even if you need to know the second one, but just in case.”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Charity took a large gulp of her drink, hoping vainly that would somehow cool her burning cheeks. “Good to know. It does feel something like cheating to have you just tell me all these things I’d have to learn from him over time if we were actually courting.”

“Aw, fuck, no,” Tavi shook her head, grinning wide. “I’d still be givin’ you all these pointers if you were really courtin’ him.” She snorted a laugh. “More, probably.”

“Mm,” was all Charity could think to reply. “Well, I feel like I’m set on pointers. Do... you have any stories?”

“‘Bout Edér?” Tavi’s grin actually got wider. “Fuck, yes. You want a funny one or a badass one?”

Charity thought for a minute, then smirked herself. “Got any that’re both?”

Tavi laughed and bumped her shoulder companionably. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They passed the remaining time until Edér showed up telling stories--mostly about him, but a few of the more personal variety. Charity knew without looking when he did show up, because Peycg shot her a knowing smile. She was already turning when his footsteps drew near her chair.

“Meeting go alright?” she asked with a smile.

“Well as it could,” Edér confirmed, bending slightly to kiss her forehead. He turned to Tavi. “Good to see you, Tav.”

“You, too,” she replied, something glinting in her eye.

“Next time, maybe give the letter sayin’ you’re plannin’ to visit at least a day’s head start, huh? “ he teased. “I only saw it right before my meetin’ with Cadwyn.”

“Sure. Normally I would,” Tavi said, rubbing the back of her neck. “I just needed to get the fuck out of Caed Nua for a while, and figured I’d check in with you.”

“Do I wanna know why?” Edér asked cautiously, mouth already curling in a half-smile.

“I punched a noble. In the face. Bastard shouldn’t have snuck up on me like he did.” She didn’t sound terribly apologetic.

Edér laughed. “Didn’t cause any permanent damage, I hope.”

“Nah, just gave him a bloody nose,” Tavi said, shaking her head. “Steward hinted I needed a break, an’ you know how much I enjoy visitin’ you.”

“How long this time?” Edér nodded his thanks as Peycg passed him an ale without being asked.

“Three days?” Tavi replied, sounding more like she was confirming than telling. “Keya agreed to run things for a week, but I gotta account for travel in there, too.” She gestured at the innkeeper behind the counter. “Don’t worry, I’m stayin’ here. Long as Dengler has room?”

Dengler nodded. “Several, Watcher.”

“So you don’t hafta worry about me invitin’ myself to stay at your place.” Tavi winked and took another swig of her cider.

“I wouldn’t mind if you did,” Edér chuckled. “You’d just be sleepin’ in the livin’ room ‘cause I don’t have an extra bedroom.”

“I’ve slept in worse places.” Tavi cracked her knuckles. “The room’s more to escape your fuckin’ snorin’, Teylecg.”

“Ah, the truth comes out,” Edér said with a laugh. “Just for that, I ain’t cookin’ for you t’night.”

Tavi shrugged. “Have you tasted Peycg’s stew? I think I’ll survie.”

“That is a valid point,” he conceded, after taking a swallow of his ale. “So, are we gonna visit here, your room, or my place?”

“Not my place?” Charity joked, immensely enjoying the two of them bantering.

“Your place is couple miles outside of town,” Edér said, squeezing her shoulder. “Normally I’m all for a brisk walk, but it’s a bit chilly for it today.”

“Your place is fine,” Tavi piped up. “Dengler, can we count this cider as me startin’ tab for my room?”

“We surely can, Watcher,” he nodded. “Which room d’you want that t’be?”

“The most basic, functional thing you’ve got,” Tavi said, finishing off her cider. “I don’t need anything fancy.”

“Noted. If y’ leave your pack here, I’ll make sure it gets to your room.”

“Sounds good.” She unslung her pack and sat it on the counter before grinning at Edér and Charity. “So. Your place, Edér?”

“Sure, why not?” Edér smiled, and it was almost second nature for them both to walk out with his arm around Charity’s shoulders.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They passed a good few hours sitting around the fireplace in Edér’s living room, talking about whatever came to mind. Tavi couldn’t help but smirk a little whenever Charity and Edér laughed at a private joke or glanced at each other for confirmation of a detail in a story. It was sharply reminiscent of her parents with company over, or her with Aloth, and it was all she could do not to mention it. This vacation was a very good idea.

“So,” she began, trying to sound innocent but not sure how well she managed. “how’s the pretend courtship goin’? I know you felt a little... off-balance at the start, is that any better?”

Charity blushed a little, played with the end of her ponytail, but nodded. “We’ve worked through most of the awkwardness, and things we weren’t sure of and figured out a good balance.”

“Well, that’s good to hear,” Tavi said cheerfully, biting back a smile at the look that flashed through Edér’s eyes. She let the conversation drift in a more benign direction before making a comment about being tired and excusing herself.

Despite the rapidly approaching dusk, Charity stayed. A fact which made Tavi smirk the whole way back to the Dracogen.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

She visited with Edér the other two nights of her stay as well. Her days were occupied with drifting around the village; she checked in on Eska, talked weapons with Winfrith, and made one visit out to Charity’s farm that was mostly spent playing with Sparrow. That night she started whittling a cat.

Her third day there was overcast from when she woke up, occasionally sprinkling flurries but otherwise content to look gloomy. Tavi spent most of the day in the inn, working on the cat carving. She bumped into Edér at lunch, who insisted she have dinner with him that night.

“Your sweetheart gonna be there?” Tavi teased.

“Wh- Charity?” He shrugged. “Probably. I mean, you two are friends, right? Makes sense for you two t’ get to visit again ‘fore you leave.”

“Oh, sure,” she nodded, completely straight-faced. “Only makes sense for her to be there.” She bit the inside of her cheek. “I have somethin’ to give her, anyway.”

As expected, the dinner was delicious. (She was still a little huffy he’d held out on her so long that he was a fuckin’ amazing cook.) Tavi gave Charity the cat she’d carved. Sparrow had been the inspiration for it, so it seemed only fair. The three of them sat and talked for a while before Tavi decided to head back to the inn for a good night’s sleep before walking all day tomorrow. She said her goodbyes, stepped outside, and pulled the door closed.

It was snowing. Just a little, the powdery white softly covering most of the surroundings. Tavi paused for a moment, briefly entertained the idea of warning Edér and Charity, then shook her head and returned to the inn. It wasn’t snowing that hard, surely the two of them wouldn’t talk long enough for it to be a problem. And well, if they did, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. She smirked. Maybe stuck together in a house the two of them would wind up admitting things.

She could only hope.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

As happened far too frequently when visiting with Edér, Charity lost all track of time. That was partly the winter’s fault; it got dark so early right now it was all but impossible to keep track of how late it was. She did love talking to Edér, though, and some of the blame did lay with her.

So when she finally admitted “I should probably go” around a yawn, she found that she couldn’t.

“No way you’re walkin’ home in that,” Edér said decisively, looking at the seven or so inches that had accumulated while they talked. “Even makin’ it to the inn would be a hassle.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to put you out,” Charity started to protest, reaching for her coat.

“You wouldn’t be,” he promised, resting his hand over hers to stop her. “I don’t mind, and it would save me worryin’ about you makin’ it somewhere safe.”

“Well,..” It would be easier, that was for sure. And not going out in the cold would be nice. “Alright.” She could behave herself. And they were friends, turning him down would raise questions. “D’you have an extra blanket? I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“I do, but you can have the bed,” Edér said, tone firm. Clearly not planning to be swayed.

Charity still tried. “Edér-”

“No arguin’,” he chuckled, gently tugging her ponytail. “I’d be a mighty poor host if I made a guest sleep on the couch.”

“You’re not making me, I’m offering,” she countered. “You weren’t plannin’ on me being here. It doesn’t seem fair-”

“Charity,” Edér cut her off, resting a finger against her lips, a teasing glint in his eye. “You get the bed.”

Part of her was tempted to argue the point further out of sheer stubbornness. But he was being nice. And the bed would be more comfortable. “...Fine.”

He smiled and left her unlacing her boots once more. “Lemme make sure the room is presentable.”

“Sure...” It wasn’t until he’d walked out of sight that it fully hit her. I’m going to be sleeping in his bedroom. Maybe I should have fought harder for the couch... But done was done, and it was only for one night. No big deal. She hoped.

“Alright, all set,” Edér said as he returned. “I hope you don’t mind a little bit of mess.”

“Oh, not at all,” Charity laughed, trying to ignore her suddenly pounding heart as she teased, “A lot of mess we might have a problem, but a little is fine.”

He chuckled. “I’ll have to keep that in mind.”

The two of them stood in the living room, silence stretching until it was almost awkward. Charity reached up to play with the tail end of her ponytail and cleared her throat. “We should probably get to sleep. It’s late and we’ll both have things to do tomorrow...”

“Right, good point,” Edér said with a sigh, almost as if he’d been holding his breath. You can do what you need t’ get comfortable, I won’t go in ‘til you come out in the mornin’.”

“Alright,” Charity nodded as she started back toward the bedroom, pausing to rest a hand on his arm and smile in gratitude. “Thank you.”

He smiled back, almost bashfully, and kissed the tip of her nose. “It’s my pleasure. Hope you sleep well.”

“You, too,” she smiled, tugging out her hair tie as she stepped into the bedroom, hoping her tone hid how off-balance the kiss had left her. We’re not in public, he didn’t have to.... “You’re the one sleepin’ on the couch.”

She heard him laugh as she shut the door, the warmth of it sending something pleasant curling through her chest. I don’t sleeping well will be a problem.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

She hadn’t counted on the bed smelling like him. Charity huffed her third sigh in as many minutes and stared toward the ceiling in irritated despair. The pillows, the blanket, all of it smelled like him and she couldn’t stop wondering if this was what it would be like to cuddle with him. Warm and safe and everywhere.

Gods, can we stop with this so I can get some damn sleep?! she begged, brushing hair out of her face. She could faintly hear Edér snoring in the living room. Good to know one of them was getting sleep. Charity hissed in agitation and dragged the extra pillow with her as she rolled on her side, wrapping one arm around it like she would a bedmate.

This was ridiculous, she thought drowsily, hugging the pillow tighter. She wasn’t some teenager with a crush, she was a grown woman.

With a crush, her mind finished (un)helpfully.

“Go away and let me sleep,” she muttered, snuggling deeper under blankets that smelled like Edér. That’s not what this is anyway.

It did, but it was still another hour before she fell asleep.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Tavi’s initial surprise and annoyance at the amount of snow that had fallen turned to almost gleeful curiosity very quickly. Sure, she’d have to start for Caed Nua in this mess, but if Chariy had been stuck at Edér’s... Well, maybe things had come into the open that needed to come into the open. She could hope.

Almost consumed with curiosity, Tavi bolted down breakfast possibly faster than she ever had in her life and headed for Edér’s house. She needed to say goodbye before she took off, after all. It would be extremely rude to do otherwise.

Edér opened the door on her second knock and hastily shushed her. “Charity’s still sleepin’. I think she had trouble fallin’ asleep, so I don’t wanna wake her ‘fore she’s ready.”

“Charity, huh?” Tavi grinned. Hylea’s fuckin’ feathered tits, yes. “Thought this was a respectable courtship, Teylecg,” she said teasingly, and shot a meaningful look toward the bedroom door.

“It is,” Edér retorted, a tad more defensive than she would expect. “I slept on the couch.”

Her grin widened. “So I woulda been sleepin’ on the fuckin’ couch, but you took it to let her have the bed?”

He actually blushed a little. “She’s a guest. You’re Tavi.”

“Nice,” she laughed. She took his meaning, but this was too good an opportunity to pass up. “You gonna cook her breakfast and all that shit?”

“Probably. That’s what you do as a host.”

“Chivalrous of you,” Tavi replied innocently. “The whole thing. I’m sure she’ll appreciate it. I just wanted to say goodbye ‘fore I head home.”

“You’re leaving? In this?” he frowned in concern at the sight of the snowdrifts.

Tavi shrugged. “I promised Keya. An’ this is nothin’ compared to the fuckin’ White March. I’ll be fine. Tell Charity goodbye for me when she wakes up, huh?”

Edér ran a hand through his hair distractedly. “Oh, uh, sure. Safe travels.”

“Thanks. Guess I’ll see ya whenever I visit next.” They hugged briefly, and then Tavi took her leave, heading back to Caed Nua with a smile on her face. Maybe she hadn’t gotten everything she wanted out of it, but it had balanced out. Short as it had been, she considered it a good vacation.

#queens fic #pillars prompts weekly #pillars of eternity #tavi illani #eder teylecg #charity #ederity

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queen-scribbles · 7 years

Text

Souls

For @pillarspromptsweekly second prompt. Wasn’t planning on writing anything for this one, but then Emiri gave me plot bunnies and well, here we are.

Many ages ago, before the foundations of the great fortress Caed Nua had been laid, before Defiance Bay was a glimmer in an architect’s eye, there were two scholars of Eir Glanfath, Tala and Averin. They were nigh inseparable; never one seen without the other close behind. The stories can’t agree if they were friends, lovers, siblings, or something else, but their bond was unbreakable. Even, some say, by death. Souls twinned to one another. Inexplicably drawn together every time they finish a turn on the Wheel and are reborn. Restless and empty until they reunite. If they reunite. Souls are funny things, and the gods can be fickle. Friends, lovers, strangers who never meet, Tala and Averin have been all, through countless lives.

Or so the tales claim. But everyone knows most tales are no more than a lick of truth dressed up in pretty lies. Most.

>o<

“Come to join me again tonight?” Kana asked with a smile as she approached.

Emiri smiled back and shrugged. “What can I say, it’s habit-forming, and I can’t sleep anyway.”

His expression shifted to one of concern. “Things have gotten worse since the animancy hearing, haven’t they?”

She nodded. “Since then I’m lucky to get an hour’s rest without the dreams making an appearance. What’s your excuse this time? Still star gazing?”

Kana gave a sheepish laugh and patted the ground next to him. ”Does it make it better if I promise I don’t do this every night?”

Emiri’s smile widened as she sat next to him, leaning back against the cool adrastone pillar so their shoulders were just barely touching. “A little. So, I have the good fortune of only being driven to wander by my insomnia on the nights you’re out here?”

Kana shrugged, looking up at the stars. “Perhaps it’s the gods doing you a kindness. Sleepless nights are much harder to face alone.”

She snorted a wry chuckle, fingers tangling absently in blades of grass. “If the gods are doing me a kindness, it would be the first.” It took an effort not the rub her scarred wrists, or dwell on various other mementos of her last two decades.

“There is a first time for everything, Emiri,” he pointed out gently, after a moment’s pause.

“Kind of wish the first time had come when I was screaming myself hoarse asking one of them to strike the pirates dead where they stood,” Emiri said with a humorless smile. Her expression softened, almost teasing. “But your company’s good, too.”

Kana chuckled. “I suppose I can live with being the consolation prize if it makes your burdens a little easier to bear.”

“It’s more than a little,” Emiri said softly, bumping her shoulder against his. “Having friends--to help, but also in general--makes things a lot better.”

They settled into silence after that, comfortable as it stretched between them. It was always like that when she was around Kana, Emiri reflected as the adra warmed against her back. Maybe it was the kindness he’d shown her from the beginning, maybe his general air of openness, but she felt like she’d known him forever instead of just a few months.

She tilted her head, gaze drifting to the stars, and started reviewing the constellations she knew. She got stuck on the bright pair off to the west, fairly certain she’d never seen them before. “Kana?”

“Mm?” He sounded distracted, meaning she’d likely pulled him from a reverie of his own.

“What’s that one?” Emiri pointed to the twin stars. “I don’t remember them.”

Kana took a moment to follow her outstretched arm and locate the constellation in question. “Ah, the Twins. They’re not always so bright, and thus easily missed.”

“What’s their story?” Emiri pulled her knees toward her chest and folding her arms across them. “Can’t imagine it’s very long, simple as the name is.”

“On the contrary,” Kana said with a smile. “It’s not named for their proximity, or even an actual set of twins, but rather for soul twins.” Something in the way she reacted--he’d always been better at reading her than most--had him raising an eyebrow. “You’ve heard of them before, then?”

Emiri flashed back to Gilded Vale, Caldera, the conversation that revealed she was a Watcher. “Once. Without a lot of detail. Tell me about these two.”

“Tala and Averin,” he began. “They lived during the height of Eir Glanfath. The tales never have agreed what nature of kith they were, or even their relationship. Most claim they were lovers, but a fair few insist they were friends, and I’ve even heard a version that cast them as siblings.” He shifted position slightly, peeling apart a stalk of grass as he continued. “All that truly matters is that they were inseparable. They were so close in life that when their time came to return to the Wheel, their souls had bonded together. Some claim they were the very first soul twins, the first to find each other life after life. True or no, it remains that they were always drawn to one another, no matter how far the gods scattered them. There were, of course, times when they were born years or decades or continents apart, or never found each other, but most times they succeeded. Eventually the gods were so impressed by these souls’ tenacity that they hung two new stars in the sky as testament . It’s said the stars shine brighter when both Tala and Averin walk the living world, and dim when they return to the Wheel.”

“I like that one,” Emiri commented idly, leaning back against the adra until she felt it press the halo-like growth encircling her head. “Are they always lovers, when they find each other?”

Kana shook his head. “The exact balance varies by the teller, but friends or lovers get a fairly even share... a few even say they came back as actual twins a time or two.”

Emiri smiled as she looked at the brightly glimmering stars. “Well, they must be walking the world somewhere. I don’t think I’ve ever seen stars brighter.”

Kana chuckled. “Perhaps that means they’ve also found each other again.”

It was a nice thought, and Emiri let her mind drift with it until she felt the subtle pull of the past wanting to share its stories with her. She, as always, let it. The images flooded in; a dwarven woman shoulder to shoulder with an orlan man, both in scholar’s garb, chattering excitedly, talking over each other as much as to each other in their shared enthusiasm. Then was a pair of elven women, red hair contrasting against black, warriors who moved as one, unbeatable and inseparable. A human farming couple, aumaua sailors, a dwarven miner and elven noble, all blurring past until she was left with a sense of both cheerful restlessness and cautiously optimistic relief.

“...miri?” Kana’s voice broke through, not overtly concerned--he’d seen her do the Watcher thing before--just checking on her.

“I’m fine,” she assured him, blinking a few times to center herself on the present. “Just seeing some old memories. Theirs, I think.” She nodded toward the Twins.

“Really?” He sounded surprised. “I thought you could only read a soul through the person it was currently inhabiting, or an object they possessed.”

Emiri shrugged, feeling the adra rub her spine. “Maybe this is enhancing my abilities so I can see the memories simply by thinking about them.” She let out a small sigh and shifted closer to him. “You should probably get some sleep, Kana. I was thinking tomorrow we could venture into Od Nua, look for your book? Figure you want to be rested for that. No telling what we’ll find down there.”

Kana smiled. “All very true, and thank you.” He pushed to his feet and offered her a hand up.

Emiri shook her head. “I’m going to sit here a while longer, clear my head, before I try sleeping again. But you definitely helped.”

He nodded. “Glad to hear it. You deserve your rest as much as the rest of us, if not more. Goodnight, Emiri.”

“G’night, Kana.” She watched him walk back toward Brighthollow, her soul warmed by his concern, before her gaze drifted back to the stars.

#queens fic #pillars prompts weekly #emiri #kana rua

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