#Yes I did play fast and loose with mythology to suit what I wanted | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

locitarose · 7 years ago

Note

Ooooooo! Supernatural Rogue Canary in a Historical setting, please and thank you (if you're up for it!!)!!

I didn’t quite manage the historical aspect in the usual way - though it’s definitely implied how long ago this is set so I hope you like it anyway. I also played with mythology with this one. Translations will be at the bottom.

The village of Thaymore was burning.

Mick looked over the various firesthat were consuming the village and nodded to himself as he made his decision.

It was time to get the hell out ofhere.

Mick knew he could travel faster ifhe transformed but he wanted to stay under the radar while he traveled whichmeant he’d be going by foot and, usually, at night.

Being a dragon meant he could seejust fine in the dark after all.

He glanced back in the direction he’dcome and thought about the village he’d left behind a few weeks ago. For once,he hadn’t been the one to start the fire but there were a number of people whohad a grudge against some of the town leaders and also knew he was a dragon.

Clearly they’d decided to takeadvantage of that. After all, who would look twice at one of the town’s belovedresidents when there was a dragon who could be blamed for it? Especially sincehe hadn’t gone out of his way to make friends.

He shook his head and turned tocontinue only to stop at the sight of the man in front of him.

Well, Mick realized with a tilt ofhis head, not a human man at least.

“What, exactly,” he drawled, narrowinghis eyes and crossing his arms, “is a dragon doing up here?”

“What makes you think I’m a dragon?”Mick asked.

A sharp grin appeared on thestranger’s face. “I’m insightful.”

Mick narrowed his eyes. “Who areyou?”

“You can call me Cold,” he said.

“Your name is Cold?” Mick asked,disbelief clear in his voice.

“I never said that.” Cold’s armsdropped to his sides and he smirked. “I said it was what you can call me.”

And suddenly it came to him. “You’re oneof the Fae. Unseelie, I’m guessing.” Unseelie were usually associated withwinter and with a name like Cold, not to mention his personality, Mick would putgold on Cold being one of the Unseelie.

Cold’s smirk slid in to a sly smile.“Hmmm. Once upon a time maybe. I’m more Solitary now.”

A Solitary Fae. That was just Mick’sluck. They were some of the most unpredictable and add in that he started outUnseelie…hell. Still, the Fae were not known for just giving informationaway. “Why tell me?”

“To get an answer to my question ofcourse.”

“You haven’t asked me a question,”Mick pointed out.

Cold’s eyes narrowed again. “Igreeted you with a question, dragon.Answer it.”

Mick huffed out an annoyed breath,smoke appearing with that exhalation. “I ran in to trouble a few weeks ago.Thaymore. A few people set a fire and set me up for it. I’m just looking for aplace away from humans so I can settle.” Mick would love to tell Cold what hecould do with his demand for answers but telling him was definitely the saferoption. One didn’t anger the Fae if they could avoid it and Cold was already unhappywith his presence here.

“Is that so? Then why don’t you movealong and find somewhere else,” Cold told him. “This place is off limits.”

“That so?”

“It is.” Cold took a step towardshim. “I imagine you thought that cave further up would be perfect. There’s ariver nearby and plenty of trees. But anyone who could bring trouble with themisn’t allowed anywhere near here. So you can move along, dragon.”

Mick shifted and looked passed Cold,taking in the trees beyond him. The sun had begun to rise and with it came aclearer view of the grove that shouldn’t even exist so far up this mountain andso near a cave.

He was protecting something. Even asMick came to that realization, something moved within the trees.

Leonard saw the realization in thedragon’s eyes even as he sensed movement behind him and fought the urge to swear.He’d been able to sense that the sun was coming up and he’d known that meantSara would be waking soon so he’d pushed too hard and too fast and now thedragon knew he was protecting something. Someone.

He had been Unseelie. He mostly still was—he liked going aftertravelers and messing with humans and pranking them. He liked lying to them andwatching them try to puzzle out what was real and what wasn’t. Occasionally, heliked hurting them when he sensed they’d be dangerous to Sara and the grove.

He’d come to care for Sara when he’dmet the hamadryad over two centuries ago. She wasn’t quite as shy as hersisters and she’d boldly ventured out of her tree to meet him. It had intriguedhim and a friendship had blossomed between the two, slowly shifting to morethan that in the last 75 years. They’d already begun courting each other, muchto the amusement of many, when a few mortals had set fire to the grove whereshe and her sisters lived nearly 30 years ago.

It had taken most of his magic totransport Sara’s tree away from there without damaging it in any way and createthis grove for her. By the time he had his strength back, most of her sisterswere dead. A few had somehow survived but they hadn’t wanted to leave wherethey were to join Sara in the new grove that Leonard had created. And as muchas Sara loved her sisters, she’d chosen to stay here, in the grove of oak treesLeonard had nearly died creating for her.

The Unseelie Court had been furiousat his interference because while hamadryads were considered fae, they werealso left alone because they tended to fall under the purview of the gods andgoddesses (Artemis especially) and when he’d threatened anyone who tried toharm Sara—then followed through on said threat when someone had been stupidenough to actually try—he’d been kicked out of the Court. A Solitary Faebecause while he loved being part of the Unholy Court, he loved Sara more. TheSeelie Court had found it touching and had given him aid a few times when he’dbeen in need and suddenly Leonard was one of the few Fae with contacts in bothCourts (because banished or not, Lisa still loved him and liked to sneak awayto visit whenever she could).

Now a dragon had found them. Adragon with fire in his veins who had already showed signs of the fire thatcould destroy Sara if he lost his temper. Leonard wouldn’t have it.

He should have thrown the damndragon down the mountain.

Toned and freckled arms wrappedaround his waist from behind and he let out a breath, his hand going to Sara’swhen the dragon focused on her arms in surprise. Clearly she’d managed to sneakup behind him without letting the dragon see her.

“Χρυσή μου,” he said,squeezing her hand. He turned his head to look at her over his shoulder andallowed his eyes to soften since the dragon couldn’t see it.

She squeezed back. “Ζωή μου,”Sara said quietly. Her gaze ticked towards the dragon and back. “He needs aid?”

Leonard fought to keep his stancerelaxed. Sara was bolder than any other hamadryad he’d ever met and she lovedsparring as much as she did singing and dancing but she also had one of thebiggest hearts he’d ever known. She’d hear his story and want to help.

Rather than groan, he let out a lowsigh. “The dragon is looking for a place to settle,” he told her, turning backto glare at said dragon.

Sara leaned further to the side sothat she could see around him and raised an eyebrow at the dragon. “Why?”

The dragon looked from Leonard toSara. “Got framed for setting a village on fire a few weeks ago. I left beforethey could make a move against me. Figured I’d settle away from humans.” Henodded towards the cave. “Found out about the cave up there a few days ago andthought I’d settle there.”

Sara considered him for a moment. “Areyou the type of dragon that goes around setting fire to things when you getangry?” she asked.

Leonard looked down at her. “Pleasetell me you’re not considering this,” he said.

“Humans are dangerous. How could wedeny him sanctuary?” she asked.

“Easily.” Leonard looked back at thedragon. “We don’t like fire around here. You can leave now.” He looked back atSara. “See?”

“Cold,” she said, using the namethat he gave strangers. “We can at least offer temporary shelter.” Sara lookedback at the dragon. “You never told me what type of dragon you are.”

The dragon gave her the first genuinesmile Leonard had seen since he arrived and he fought back a curse at thestirring of interest the expression caused. Sara tightened her arms around himand he felt her shake slightly with silent laughter though she managed to keepher expression serious.

His nymph knew him well, damn it.

“I’m the type of dragon that issimply looking for a place to keep his hoard. I only set fire to those thatcome after me.” The dragon bowed his head at her. “I would not harm you or yourtree.”

Leonard looked down at Sara andraised an eyebrow. The dragon had figured out what she was it seemed and thatmeant that Leonard would be keeping an eye on him. But he had created the grovefor Sara and if she allowed the dragon to stay, then Leonard wouldn’t object.

“You may use the cave,” Sara saidafter a few moments. Leonard’s lips quirked as he resigned himself to onlyhearing his name from Sara’s lips when the dragon wasn’t around to hear it. Offhis look, she moved so that the dragon could only see her arms and kissedLeonard’s shoulder. “Trust me,” she whispered. “I have a feeling about thisone, ζωή μου.”

At that, Leonard relaxed. He was theone that could sense when something was going to go badly but Sara had alwaysbeen able to sense when something would be to their advantage.

“Very well,” he said loudly enoughfor the dragon to hear. He looked back at the dragon. “But know this. If I seeso much as a spark near her or any of the trees, I will rip your head off andkick it down the mountain.”

The dragon’s smile widened at thethreat. “Understood.”

“Leonard,” Mick growled, his eyeslighting up as he stared down the path. “Humans are nearing.”

Leonard’s eyes snapped towards thepath that would lead the humans to the grove and narrowed. “Well then, let’sgo greet them, Mick.” It had been 150 years since Mick had shown up, lookingfor a place to settle down away from the danger that humans presented andLeonard had long ago lost any reservations about the dragon who had become hisand Sara’s third.

Sara had, as usual when it came tothings like this, been right.

Sara pressed up against Leonard’sback and reached out to pull Mick against them. “Don’t be too long, μάτια μου.I have plans for the two of you,” she told Mick with a smile that had himwishing humans couldn’t even see their mountain, let alone walk the path to thegrove.

“Best not to keep her waiting, αστέριμου,” Leonard said, using the name for Mick he’d chosen because, assappy as it was admit out loud, Mick burned so brightly. It was rare that heactually used the term of endearment but when he did, it promised to be a verygood night for Mick and Sara both. Leonard’s eyes glittered at the prospect ofmischief and he turned towards Sara, pressing a kiss to her neck then hermouth, humming in satisfaction when her hands slid up his chest. “You sure youdon’t want to come with us, χρυσή μου?”

Sara shook her head. “Not today.”She looked towards the golden trinkets that Mick had added to his hoardrecently. “I’m going to explore.”

Leonard and Mick exchanged an amusedlook. They had no doubt that they’d come back to find her decked out in gold orjewels and nothing else. She liked their reactions whenever she did that.

Mick pulled her close for a kiss ofhis own before he and Leonard stood and headed out of the cave, leaving behindtheir tree nymph.

He smirked when Leonard merelytouched his arm and transported them to the middle of the path, blocking thehumans in a way similar to the way he’d simply appeared before Mick all thoseyears ago.

“Well,” Leonard drawled, “you seemto be a little lost.”

The man in the lead scowled. “We’renot lost. We’re following the path,” he said in a tone that clearly calledLeonard’s intelligence in to question.

“You’re in my territory, mortal,”Leonard replied. “Which means you’re lost. Unless you meant to come here andthen I can only assume you’re stupid.”

Mick laughed and offered a smilethat promised plenty of pain when the group turned to look at him.

Coming to this mountain had been thebest decision he’d ever made. He glanced at Leonard and thought of Sara back inthe cave.

It had led him to his greatesttreasure after all.

Translations (all are Greek terms of endearment and found through people who live(d) in Greece and a linguist so blame them if these are wrong) :

Χρυσή μου / χρυσή μου: the feminine version of “my golden one”

Ζωή μου / ζωή μου: my life

μάτια μου: my eyes

αστέρι μου: my star

#sylvanheather #Nicole writes stuff #Rogue Canary #AU #Yes I did play fast and loose with mythology to suit what I wanted

9 notes · View notes

davidmann95 · 4 years ago

Note

So RWBY/Justice League is apparently a crossover that's actually going to happen. Of the little we know right now, how do you think that's going to pan out?

Anonymous said: Those questions about Superman and Batman in RWBY seem prescient, because I'm hearing that an official crossover is in the works

Anonymous said: Um, so there's a legit Justice League/RWBY crossover coming

Anonymous said: So, that official DC/RWBY crossover, huh?

Anonymous said: So, how about that DC/RWBY cross, eh?

Anonymous said: No more speculating how Superman would fit into RWBY when DC themselves are providing their own answer XD

The immediate thing that leaps out beyond the Kingdom Hearts* level of utterly out of nowhere berserk this premise is: while the RWBY comic had a couple minor sequel hooks, and I don’t know how it did in its original digital chapters or in trade, as a monthly periodical it was selling poorly enough that DC didn’t bother to print its last physical issue after the return from the Coronavirus shutdown, and while I thought it was great a lot of fans complained about its art and characterization throughout. I hoped for that sequel, sure, but I wasn’t expecting the book to be regarded internally as anything but a sales failure, nevermind not only continuing it but tripling down in the most extreme and bizarrely specific way possible that’s neither intuitive (unless you have special interests like me) nor surface-level ridiculous enough like Batman/Elmer Fudd that people will buy it just to see how it works. I don’t understand why this comic is happening when no one but me wanted this.

(* The Kingdom Hearts comparison is apt because they were similarly close to the top of things I’d love to see cross over with the DCU that would obviously never, ever happen because that’s too precise and random a combination of my interests. Even if this is legally possible where that isn’t, that would still be conceptually simpler.)

I was asked a couple times in the past about how Superman or Batman could make sense in RWBY’s setting, and it turns out I was closer with the latter than the former - that rather than a dimension-hopping traditional crossover, this is reverse-engineering what the assorted members of the League would look like if they had always been part of Remnant ala JLA/Planetary, some of the old DC/Marvel crossovers, or the more recent Batman/The Shadow. Which actually fits really well with the series regularly evoking assorted fairy tales and mythologies with their characters; this bunch is just one more set to be added. Though that raises several more thoughts and questions:

* The solicit refers to them as Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, and Diana Prince, but will they actually be referred to as such in the story, and will people comment on them not fitting with the color-based naming conventions of that world? Or will they be renamed and evoke their sources purely through iconography, ala Ruby not literally being Little Red Riding Hood?

* How much will the origins of the assorted characters be changed? Batman, Cyborg, and Aquaman would all make perfect sense within the ‘rules’ of the setting with few major alterations, but will Superman still be from Krypton and Green Lantern a space ranger, or will they simply be ordinary humans with thematically reminiscent backstories and Semblances/weapons that evoke the classic powers? I think the latter could work, but I imagine the former is more likely (even if Bennett might keep it vague on some of the details to preserve the aura of mystique and avoid changing the shape of the world too radically) simply because everyone’s surely aware that fans would complain about being ‘ripped off’ for getting the characters ‘in name only’ otherwise.

* Speaking of changes to fit the setting, between being a Faunus and the apparent low-tech traditional armor look of his suit, is Bruce Wayne in here not operating from a position of wealth? You’d just think as a given the Wayne family would be easily plopped in as business rivals to the Schnees and Alfred would be on a first name basis with Klein, but it seems Bennett might have something very different in mind. Also, little disappointing he simply has a katana rather than those collapsible batarangs that turn into swords that Ellis always gave him which would fit perfectly here. And, as so many have already asked: how miserable is he every second of every day in a world where everything is also a gun. At least this isn’t a universe where anyone’s gonna think he’s irresponsible for training teenage sidekicks.

* And if we’re going into individual characters: RWBY Barry Allen is adorable, what the hell. He just looks so dopey and hapless, I sure hope he doesn’t ever have to die to stop the Anti-Monitor. We’re definitely getting a meeting with Harriet that retcons in that he’s the other person with a speed Semblance she mentioned running into, and if he’s tapping into the Speed Force then the jokes that that’s what Harriet does are probably gonna become at least a little bit canon.

* Are the Themyscirans magic, given all magic has a very important common root in this world?

* I don’t think there’s a dud redesign in the bunch? These are all really inspired in their own ways, which is good because unlikely as it seems this is I believe the first time we’ve really gotten any sort of official interpretation of “here’s what the DCU would look like as a Shonen”. Go ahead and say the hell with it and make it Earth 28, I’ve thought before making that an anime Earth would fit with the map.

(By Ag_Nonsuch)

* Bunch of obvious ways these characters can play off of each other: Ruby is paralleled with Wonder Woman on the cover, and I’m curious how Bennett will play that, but she makes most sense next to Flash, a super-fast fan made good, or Superman, a character she so deeply if unintentionally evokes on so many levels I felt I had to make clear when describing her that I didn’t solely appreciate her as a psuedo-Superman analogue. Weiss makes sense up against Batman either as a wealthy heir or a Faunus who’s likely faced his share of pain from the Schees who either way are cold perfectionists defined by inner pain stemming from their families, or Wonder Woman/Aquaman as fellow ‘royalty’. Yang is paralleled with Superman on the cover and that makes sense with the two country bruisers with issues regarding their lost parents, though she’d also make sense with Aquaman as the ‘temperamental’ members a lot of the time of their respective teams, or Cyborg as they both deal with their relationships with their bodies after requiring prosthesis. And Blake pretty much has her pick: like Superman she uses an article of clothing to ‘pass’ and shares the commitment to justice, she and Batman are dark children of privilege (or not in this case, though in this world they’re both Faunus), she and Wonder Woman both left the island homes where their people were safe to try and make the rest of the world better, she and Aquaman are both Faunus royalty, and Green Lantern is about overcoming great fear and in Jessica Cruz’s case specifically about the guilt of running away.

* Will this be entirely flashbacks to the pre-series/Beacon years, or will those be flashbacks set from a ‘present’, and if so when? What happened between the siege of Haven and the train setting off for Argus is the most loosely-defined period in the story and is right on the heels of the end of the original RWBY mini, so I’d imagine it fitting here. And given they apparently join together “to take on a force unlike anything they've seen before” rather than purely the character work of that previous book, what might that be?

* Hey, superhero comics/superpowers as an idea already exist in this universe, will that come up?

* If we can get one single scene in this and it’s going with a “yes they’re still aliens and magic and whatnot” premise I want Clark, who hasn’t thought of being Superman yet and therefore is still at least somewhat hiding his powers, being wracked with guilt over not pursuing becoming a Huntsman and therefore not being there at the Fall of Beacon. Which is a ridiculous thing to take the blame for, but of course he would, he’s Clark, culminating in trying to apologize to JNR for Pyrrha dying he feels in part because he was a coward (when they don’t even have the faintest concept for why he would think he should have been there or could have done anything).

* Once all’s said and done, how is their presence in the world justified as not being a factor in the series proper? It’s simple if they’re ‘ordinary’ analogues who can go off to quietly have adventures elsewhere, but if not then some of them either have to be shuffled off stage or presumably left with their stories incomplete, with a little afterward of “and they went on to be the greatest heroes of all...later, after the scope of team RWBY’s main adventures so that we never have to directly address them again” to avoid them becoming unavoidable major factors in the war against Salem.

In the end, will it be DC’s best comic? No, though I imagine one of their better ones this year. Will it be among the ones I look forward to most each month? Right up there with Yang and Reis’s Batman/Superman baby, this is a miracle freak of fate and I’m gonna appreciate the universe bending over backwards to make entertainment for me and me alone while it lasts. Given I finally checked out RWBY in the first place because I was curious about Bennett’s original comic, this is a heck of a full-circle moment.

73 notes · View notes

moxy-fruitbat · 5 years ago

Text

Destined for Great Things - (Reposted)

Now it’s actually functional to read because I’m not posting from mobile! I’m so sorry about it being 10 miles long before. The actual story is under the cut!

This is my apprentice Laurene’s backstory of how she came to Vesuvia and met Marcel, the other half of the Sibling Apprentices. Laurene is Fantasy!Irish, and her culture is based on a mix of different Gaelic peoples, including the Gaels (more broadly), the Picts (more specifically), druidry, and my own experience as a pagan.

It also is heavily based on Irish mythology. If you don’t know the myths, it’s perfectly fine and you’ll still be able to understand the story.

Rating: T for depictions of trauma, but there’s no gore or explicit violence. Content Warning: Fire, claustrophobia, family death Length: 3,200 words.

Yeah, you read that right, it’s basically a full-length novella. I got carried away a bit, but I’m really proud of it. (And also always open to constructive criticism!)

Irish/Scottish Pronunciation Guide (written by an American with the internet, so it's not good):

- Labhraín: LAW-reen - Muirne: MIR-ne - Bandruí: BAHN-droo - Tlachtga: TLAC-da - Uncail: UN-cuhl - Tadg: TAH-dg - Cumhall: COOL - Áillen: AH-lehn - M'iníon: M'een (Irish translation: My daughter)

Labhraín woke up on a chilly autumn morning, curled up with her cousin Muirne to stave away the cold. Careful not to wake her, Labhraín slowly crawled out of bed and dressed near the central hearth. How Muirne could sleep through everyone bustling about in the house was beyond her - there were fifteen people in here, almost entirely women and children, and half the building was dedicated to the sheep and goats, past the partition. It was always so loud.

Labhraín had just finished braiding her long hair when Muirne came and joined her.

"Morning cousin" Muirne smirked, a smile partially hidden behind her mess of dark blonde hair. "Are you ready for the day? We have a lot of work to do."

That they did. Tomorrow was New Year, one of two days where the veil between realms was at its thinnest, and the day to honor the dead and do readings for the coming year. There was still a lot to do to prepare for the feast of the ancestors and the bonfire atop Almu Hill, and Labhraín and Muirne were the two oldest cousins and eighteen and nineteen, so it was their job to do a lot of that work. Labhraín's mother, Bandruí Tlachtga, always said it was a blessing that there were so many girls. Her father chose some other words to describe it.

Muirne leaned in and whispered, so only Labhraín could hear her. "Hurry up and meet me in the hazel wood, I have something important to tell you!"

---

"What's so important that we had to rush out here?" Labhraín questioned as she focused her concentration to make a gust of wind appear from her hands and into the branches of the sacred trees, rattling the hazelnuts loose.

"I have to tell you a secret. And you promise you can't tell anyone. Especially not my Da. Promise?"

"I promise, what is it?" Not even Uncail Tadg? He was the chief magician - not telling him must mean it's something bad. And knowing her cousin, that should be expected anyway. She was usually getting into some kind of nonsense.

"I'm leaving. Tomorrow." A smile spread gleefully across Muirne's face as she picked up hazelnuts off the mossy forest floor

"Leaving?! What do you mean, leaving?" She hissed.

"I met man, a few weeks ago. Oh, Labhraín, I love him. He's getting me out of here and we're going to get married. My Da wants to keep me here until I'm an old crone, and I can't do it! I know I'm destined for great things!"

Labhraín just sighed and looked at her cousin. Muirne was in love and there was nothing she could do to change her mind. Once Uncail Tadg found out she was missing, he would send out a manhunt. In the past he had said something about an omen, that Muirne could never get married. She wasn't sure exactly what kind of omen that meant, but the soothsayers never lie.

"His name is Cumhall, oh Labhraín, you'd love him. He's the leader of a different tribe, I know he'll take care of me. We're leaving tomorrow night, right after the feast. With all the festivities, no one will notice I'm gone!"

Labhraín thought it was a terrible idea, and even if he was a king she still wouldn't like him because he was taking her dearest friend away. But how could she pull her from what she believed to be her destiny? Was it even her place to say?

Instead, she just sighed, clutching her apron full of hazelnuts and headed back to the blackhouse with her cousin. "I'm happy for you, Muirne. I wish you the best."

They spent the rest of the day preparing for the holiday - rehydrating the woad pigment, baking dried fruit bread, gathering eggs for divination and herbs for the fire, and washing turnips to carve the next day. Labhraín went off on her own for a bit, to practice her music one last time before the bonfire with the other musicians in the family. She bumped shoulders with her cousin, Áillen. He made her laugh and for a brief moment she forgot how unhappy she was.

Silent tears ran down Labhraín's face as she tried to sleep that night, surrounded by her other cousins but holding Muirne close. The words she said kept playing in Labhraín's head: I'm destined for great things. I'm destined for great things. I'm destined for great things.

I'm destined for great things.

Labhraín hoped to the spirits of the forest and the ancestors that it was true. And she hoped the same for herself.

---

The next day, after they had the feast of the ancestors in silence with the rest of the family, she tearfully waved her cousin off into the dusky forest.

"M'iníon, what is wrong?" Her mother asked, catching Labhraín by surprise. "Why are you crying? Is something upsetting you?"

"Oh...nothing. Thinking about grandfather is just making me sad." She lied, quickly wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Yes, we did lose a good man this year..." She placed a hand on her daughter's cheek, wiping away a stray tear. "But don't you worry, he's watching over us, especially tonight. The fire is starting soon, would you like me to help you with your facepaint so you can join the other musicians?"

A small smile came upon Labhraín's face and she nodded. She was a grown woman, but her mam always knew how to make her feel better when she was vulnerable.

"I'd like that a lot."

As her mother brushed patterns over her face in the traditional blue pigment, Labhraín kept telling herself the bonfire will make her feel better. Without fail, it always does.

---

At the top of Almu hill, she readied herself behind her dulcimer, her aunts, uncles, and cousins beside her on other instruments. This is where she felt most at home. One at the hand drum, one at the flute, one on the pipes, with Áillen on the harp. He was the best musician of them all, his warm smile always lighting up the room as he played.

But this time, no, she had to be imagining it? Áillen looked different than usual - like a man half dead, his eyes like burning coals. He caught her looking at him, and the smirk he gave her made her stomach turn.

Something was wrong.

The bonfire was never actually lit. Everything happened so fast... They were playing the music, but as Áillen started to sing, all the men began to move slower and slower until they fell unconscious. Her uncle dropped the pipes. And then the destruction began.

Fire. So much fire. It began with Áillen? And the roof of the blackhouse, below them. What was happening? Where was her mam? It was chaos. The sound of screaming filled her ears. Her mother yelled for her.

"Mam!" Where was she? Everything was a blur of smoke.. Her heart raced. Her eyes prickled.

Through the flames she saw her.

"M'iníon! Labhraín! Run!"

It was all she could do. She snatched up her dulcimer and ran down the hill and into the forest, leaving everything behind her.

---

She ran until she couldn't feel her legs anymore, collapsing onto the forest floor. The hammers to her dulcimer were long gone, and she honestly didn't even know why she grabbed it in the first place. She knew she needed to pick herself up and keep moving, to get farther away from Áillen's destruction, but all she could do in the moment was sob into the dark earth.

She wanted her mam. She wanted Muirne. She wanted the hammers to her dulcimer. She wanted to be back in the blackhouse, waking up the next morning and none of this ever happening.

Something large crunched the dead leaves in front of her, and she almost didn't even look up. Whatever danger she was about to face, maybe it would actually kill her. Being dead was better off than her current situation, right?

But she slowly craned her head up, and her eyes grew wide as she looked directly into a pair of bright yellow ones. In front of her sat the biggest mountain lion she had ever seen.

Granted, she had never seen one before. She must have run farther than she thought, since these cats weren't usually found where her tribe lived. Maybe this one was lost like she was.

It cocked its head at her, whiskers twitching, and she heard it speak to her in her mind.

"Lost?"

"Ye-yes..." Her voice trembled. "I...there was a fire and..."

"Fire?"

"Yes... Everything is gone, my mother, she...she told me to run, but now...."

"Safe?"

"Me? No, I...I don't know..." It was the dead of night by now, in a part of the forest she wasn't familiar with. She could usually sense where the spirits of the forest wanted her to go, letting them guide her, but in her current state she wasn't sure she could muster up the strength.

As her voice trailed off, the large cat shook its head once and stood up, beginning to walk away, it's tail straight up in the air like a flag.

"Follow."

It led her to a crevice in some rocks, beneath the roots of a large tree. It was a den for rearing cubs, though she didn't see any. The cougar laid down on its side and curled up, looking up at Labhraín as if to question why she wasn't following in suit. Not knowing what else to do, she laid down beside it, the cat's tail wrapping around her. She heard one more word in her mind before exhaustion completely set in and she fell asleep.

"Safe."

-------

The cougar introduced itself as Philomena, and insisted on staying with Labhraín as she went through the forest, even though she really didn't have a place to go. She was physically and emotionally drained, her skin pale and her eyes heavy. What was the point of even going anywhere? She just wanted to lay down and sleep and never wake up.

Philomena headbutted her, urging her to keep going.

"Need to go. Safe"

She groaned, picking herself up. She gathered up her dulcimer and hugged it close to her chest, trying to pull whatever familiarity to home it had into her, as if it could fly away at any moment.

She walked out into the dewy morning, scattered sunlight filtering through the trees. She sighed - even at her worst, she couldn't deny that the forest was beautiful, and was still proud to call it her home.

Philomena nudged her again, and Labhraín closed her eyes, listening to the forest and feeling where its spirit pulled her.

"Slightly north to the setting sun." She said after a few moments of thought and gathering of her bearings. Her feet like lead and her heart still heavy, she trudged forward through the trees with the sun at her back.

They walked for days, stopping only for food or sleep, and the occasional rinse in a stream. Despite all of Philomena's pushing, Labhraín refused to eat meat, because that would mean she had to light a fire spell to cook it. She never wanted to look at fire again, or at least not any time soon. What if she accidentally lit the forest on fire? What if destruction is in her blood, like her cousin? She knew that didn't make much sense, but the fear was still there.

After five days, the deep forest she was familiar with began to thin. She went around a large mountain, and the trees changes species. Signs of other human life began to appear - she must be getting close to a village. The water from the falls was flowing down the path she was already walking. If she followed it, she would probably end up at the village, since they would be using the water. Is this where the spirits of the forest were guiding her? Her pace quickened - maybe she'll actually find a place to stay.

As she continued, she passed the largest tree out of them all, roots exposed on top of a pile of crumbling rocks. She made a note of it, that if she ended up staying in the woods it wouldn't be hard to turn those stones into walls and make a house under that tree. She would be alone besides Philomena, though, and she was eager to see another human being.

The trees finally cleared, and Labhraín came face to face with the entrance to the largest city she had ever seen. Over the walls was a large white building, with gold and spires and towers. She had never seen something so beautiful. Someone very important must live there.

Philomena nudged her back, causing Labhraín to turn around. The Mountain Lion was sitting up, a look of finality in its eyes.

"Safe." It said. This wasn't to urge her to keep moving, but a statement. This is where Labhraín was meant to be.

"Aren't you coming?"

"No. Stay out here. Home in forest."

That made sense. A large predator like Philomena wouldn't be welcome in her small village, and Labhraín couldn't imagine what a large city like this place would think.

"You're my family now, though, you know that?" She asked, scratching the cat's golden fur behind the ears before wrapping her arms around it in a hug. "I'll be back for you, I'll visit all the time. I promise."

"Familiar." Philomena purred. "With you. Always."

With that, they went their separate directions: Philomena jumped into the upper branches of the forest trees, and Labhraín made her way into the city. Her heart was heavy and she was scared, but Mierne's words echoed in her head, her mantra for her entire journey.

I am destined for great things. There was no turning back now.

---

Labhraín had never seen so many people in her entire life. This city was packed, everyone was pushing around one another and she felt trapped. She didn't really know how she got to this part of the city, the streets were twisted and confusing, but it was some kind of trade center. Everyone was buying or selling different foods, from the most delicious bread she'd ever smelled to piles of exotic fruits she had never seen before. One was dark red and leathery, and a perfect sphere - it had to be too tough to bite into. How would someone eat it? It wasn't until this moment that she realized how much she didn't know about the world. In the past hour she had seen more people of different skin tones, heard more languages spoken, and seen so many different foods than she had ever seen or heard before in her life. There were people who she couldn't tell what gender they were, or if they had a gender at all. She didn't realize that was an option. But most of all she noticed that up until now she had been relatively alone or in her small family group. She realized that all these people and all the noise made her very anxious.

There was so much going on. There were so many people…

The crowd jostled her to and fro through the streets, pushed her around. She found herself feeling smaller and smaller, her heart racing, her breath quickening. She ran to the edge of the street, her back against the stone wall of a building. She sunk to her knees and closed her eyes, hoping it would just go away.

"Are you alright?"

She heard a voice and felt a hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes, another face very close to her own, purple eyes looking into hers.

"Are you alright? Do you need help?" A person with tan skin and hair the color of woad knelt down in front of her, a concerned look on their face.

"I...I don't know. I..." Labhraín's voice trailed off.

"You're new here, yeah? I don't recognize you."

Labhraín nodded. Did this person know all these people in the city? How could they know so many faces?

"Here, come with me. The back roads are a lot more quiet. I can show you, if you want." They stood up and held out their hand for her. She took it, and they led her down some side streets away from the crowds They moved quite fast, twisting and turning through the alleys, and Labhraín almost had to run to keep up with their long legs. All the while, this person never seemed to stop talking.

"My name's Marcel, what's yours?"

"Labhraín."

"Law...reen?"

She nodded.

"Laurene. Okay, I think I got it! So you look pretty lost. You've never been to Vesuvia before, have you?"

She shook her head no.

"Yeah, it's a lot if you're not used to it. So welcome to Vesuvia! Are you staying or just visiting?"

"I… I think I'm staying."

"Oh, wicked. That thing you're holding, is that an instrument? It looks like a kanun?"

"It's a dulcimer. I'm missing the hammers, though."

"You play it with hammers? That's super cool! I play the oud."

Did they not know what a dulcimer was? To be fair, she didn't know what either of the instruments they mentioned were.

Marcel kept talking, asking a lot of questions that Laurene didn't think really meant much. What her favorite flower was ("We call it Lily of the Valley where I'm from"), or her favorite food ("fiddleheads". "Fiddleheads? I've never heard of that before. I like kousa mahshi." "I've never heard of that before."). They didn't mean much, but slowly they got Laurene talking, speaking to another human again. They reminded her of Muirne, and she smiled for the first time in almost a week.

By the time they got to wherever they were going, Laurene knew more about Marcel than she did anyone else. They described themself as "nonbinary" and didn't really go by any particular gender. They were nineteen, a year older than her, and was also a magician. Their facepaint helped attune their chakras, whatever those were, and they were really interested in the clothing of other cultures.

Marcel also was uncomfortable showing skin, which explained the boots, long pants, knee-length tunic, and jacket they were wearing. They even wore a looped scarf around their neck, to cover their hair and mouth when they felt like being extra modest. ("Large crowds make me nervous, so it makes me feel better to cover my head.") Laurene didn't know how they could wear so much fabric when the city was still so hot in autumn, but she could make an assumption that it was something magical.

The two of them came out of an alley in front of a shop a ways away from the marketplace, the wooden sign emblazoned with a mortar and pestle that hung next to the doorway creaked in the autumn wind.

"This is the magic shop!" Marcel grinned as they unlocked the door. "My auntie and I, we run it, and live upstairs." They paused, halfway through the door with Laurene still standing on the street outside, unsure of what to do.

"What, aren't you coming in for tea? You're new in town, you're a guest! Come in!"

#moxy ink blot #the arcana #the arcana game #the arcana mystic romance #the arcana nix hydra #the arcana apprentice #the arcana mc #the arcana fan apprentice #the arcana fanfiction #fan apprentice #apprentice laurene #fan mc #the arcana fan mc #apprentice backstory

6 notes · View notes

atricksterproblem · 6 years ago

Text

Fanfiction: Trickster’s Twosome

Here’s the last one. Unsearchable tag removed by reposting instead of reblogging.

Oh my god, you guys. All right. The Prompt of Doom has been answered and the resultant hot mess is below. Also a link to AO3, if you’re into that. Please to note that this is the first sex scene I have ever written, so I apologize in advance if this is terrible.

Notes: M/M, a bit on the rough side but consensual. Characters are Papa III and Loki. It’s Tom Hiddleston’s portrayal with a random overlay of actual mythology, because that’s how we roll around here sometimes.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16326416

The stranger in Papa’s office gave him a winning smile. “I have a little commission for the Band Project,” he said.

Papa raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh, really? And what exactly does this little commission involve?” You’re cute, whoever you are, but there’d better be a good explanation for this.

The Band Project was typically under the sole direction of the Church, and Papa Emeritus III was its primary creative genius. It was unheard of for an outsider to show up at the abbey like this with a special performance in mind.

The stranger only grinned wider. “Permit me to introduce myself. I am Loki of Asgard. You may have heard of me.”

Papa folded his arms and glared up at Loki. “You are telling me you are a God, yes? And I am to believe this? My Infernal Father is the Father of Lies, and I have heard them all. Prove it.”

Loki tilted Papa’s chin up with one long finger till their eyes met. Before Papa could shake him off or protest, he fell into their depths and saw a vision.

Afterward, he could never describe exactly what he saw there. Every time he tried to pin down an image or a memory, it fragmented into chaos. But when it ended, he knew the stranger spoke the truth.

“Does that answer your question, little avatar?” Loki purred.

Papa bristled. “Who are you calling LITTLE?” You may be a God, he thought, but did you have to be quite so much taller than me?

Loki laughed. “Only a figure of speech, I assure you. Now come. Let’s to business, shall we?”

“All right. I’m listening. For now. What is it you want the Band to do?”

“It is my will that things on Asgard be…shaken up a little, let us say. It is a hidebound place. Things change but rarely, and slowly. This does not suit me, as I’m sure you can imagine. I require Ghost to perform a Ritual that will shake it to its core. Consider it, if you wish, a sort of practical joke of epic proportions.”

Papa grinned, a gleam in his white eye. “Now you are speaking my language, Trickster. Let’s talk business.”

“What do you MEAN, you want the Ghouls to wear DIFFERENT COSTUMES?!”

Talking business was not going as smoothly as Papa would have liked.

Loki rolled his eyes. “Don’t be stubborn. I have a purpose in mind.”

Papa stood in front of the God and glared at him. “I don’t care WHAT you have in mind. You may be a God, but we don’t honor Gods here. We told them to fuck off ages ago, you may have heard about it. We don’t take orders from ANYONE. Not even you, Trickster.”

Loki glared right back at him. “Your drop of demon blood means nothing to me. You’re one of mine, little one, whether you realize it or not.”

Papa’s voice could have frozen a fire solid. “Call. Me. Little. ONE. MORE. TIME. Don’t TEST me, Trickster.”

Loki smiled, leaned in close, and looked him in the eyes. “Aww. Aren’t you cute when you’re angry.” He pulled him close and kissed him hard.

Papa growled in protest for a moment, and then melted into his embrace. The taste of Loki’s mouth on his was intoxicating. He felt the familiar warmth of desire spreading outward from his core.

You’re not playing fair, he thought. I can respect that.

But you’ll not have it all your own way.

His arms were over the God’s shoulders in a loose embrace. He wound his gloved hands into Loki’s long hair and gave it a sharp pull.

Loki broke the kiss with a gasp. “Like it rough, do you? I knew it. If that’s how you want it, that’s what you’ll get!”

“Oh, really?” Papa said. “Not while I’ve still got your hair in my hands, pretty boy. That’s a real liability. Perhaps I’ll cut it for you, eh?” He gave it another tug.

Loki laughed. “I don’t think so, little one. Not while I can still do this.”

He moved a hand to the front of Papa’s trousers and stroked his already obvious erection. Papa shut his eyes and moaned. “Ah!–You bastard!” He squirmed.

“Tsk. You’re already hard for me. Admit it. You want me.”

“You–fucking��stronzo!” Papa spoke through gritted teeth. Involuntarily, he released his hold on Loki’s hair, overwhelmed by outrage and sensation together.

“You say the sweetest things, my love! So, not ready to admit it yet? Well. I can fix that.”

Loki unzipped Papa’s trousers and freed his cock. He licked his lips. “They don’t call me Silvertongue for nothing, you know.”

He knelt on the floor, and took the length of him into his mouth.

Papa bit his lip to restrain a cry of pleasure. He bucked his hips, helpless to resist, nerves afire.

Loki grabbed his ass and pulled his hips close, taking him all in, teasing him with his lips and tongue until Papa could no longer hold back his cries.

As soon as he heard him, Loki stopped and withdrew. Papa whined in frustration.

“Ready to admit it, little love?”

Papa’s breath was ragged and his eyes were squeezed shut. “Yes, goddamn you YES!”

Loki grinned. “Good boy.” He pulled Papa close and gave him a sharp bite on the neck. He made a sound halfway between a gasp and a laugh. “You sly fucker. How the hell do you know what I like?”

“I told you, little one. You’re one of mine. I know you better than you know yourself. And now, you’re going to turn around for me, and bend over that desk of yours, and I’m going to fuck your brains out.”

Papa looked up, mismatched eyes full of mischief, right into the eyes of the God of Mischief himself, and laughed. “MAKE me, you crazy fucking bastard!”

Loki slowly shook his head. “The nerve of you, to speak to a God that way. Good thing for you there’s nothing I’d like more!”

The Emeritus bloodline is very, very strong.

Gods are still a good bit stronger.

Loki grabbed him, bent him over the desk, and pulled his pants down. He gave him a stinging slap on his bare ass that made him yelp.

Loki leaned over him and pinned his wrists down with his hands. “Now, little one,” he murmured, “You are going to tell me what you want me to do to you.”

Papa moaned. He tested Loki’s grip and found it implacable. The feeling of being forcibly exposed and made to submit was too much. The tips of his ears turned red as he blushed beneath his skull paint. He was already achingly hard after Loki’s teasing, and now he was desperate.

“Tell me!”

“Please–”

“Tell. Me.” Loki ground his hips against his ass.

“Ah!–Please fuck me! Please–”

“With pleasure!”

Loki unbuttoned his leather pants. He spat into his hand, lubricated himself with it, and thrust his cock in up to the hilt.

Papa gasped. “Oh hell–”

“You’re so tight–fuck–”

Loki took him slowly, withdrawing nearly all the way before filling him once more. Papa moaned. “Please–”

“Please what, little one?”

“Harder, damn you!”

Loki laughed. “Think you can take a pounding, you little slut? So be it!”

He complied, thrusting into him hard and fast. Papa cried out, fingers clawing at the wood of the desk.

“That’s right, slut! Take it!”

Both of them were close. Loki took Papa’s cock in his hand. “Say my name,” Loki growled.

“Loki–”

“Say. My. Name.”

“Loki!”

“SAY. MY. NAME!”

“Ah, fuck, LOKI!”

Loki came inside him with an ecstatic cry, and the hard pulses inside him pushed Papa over the edge, spending into Loki’s hand, crying his name.

The two stayed entwined for a moment, breath slowing, hearts still pounding. Loki tenderly kissed the back of Papa’s neck.

“You were delicious, my demon,” he whispered.

Papa laughed, still a bit shaky. “As were you, you savage God.”

The gradually disentangled. Papa pulled some tissues from a box on the desk and pushed the box over to Loki.

Loki smirked. “Good thing you have these.”

Papa grinned at him. “Surely you don’t think this is the first time I’ve had sex in my office? What do you take me for?”

Loki threw back his head and laughed. “I think I took you for all you were worth!”

Papa laughed. “You smug bastard! This is why we stopped worshipping you all eons ago, you know!”

Somehow they managed to get cleaned up in between verbal jabs and laughter. Papa looked up into the God’s eyes.

Loki gathered him into an embrace, gently stroking his hair. He kissed the top of his head.

“You’ve my blessing, avatar, though you do not want it.”

“You’re right that I don’t, Trickster, but it’s the thought that counts, eh?”

Loki released him. “I’m not going to get you to agree to the changes I want for the Ritual, am I?”

“Not a chance. Ghost is mine, Silvertongue. My way or the highway.”

Loki rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine. I do have one request, though.”

“And that is?”

“…Make sure you play ‘He Is’ as part of your setlist, avatar. And think of me, when you do.”

The lyrics ran through Papa’s mind.

He is He’s the shining and the light without whom I cannot see And he is Insurrection, he is spite, he’s the force that made me be He is Nostro dis pater, nostr’ alma mater He is

He shook his head and laughed. “It’s not about YOU, Trickster.”

Loki smiled at him. “No. But it could be. This once, avatar, when you sing He Is, do it for me. Please?”

“All right, FINE. But only because you ask so nicely.”

Loki smiled back. He imagined the scene on Asgard as a praise song to the Trickster himself resounded over the Ritual’s livestream. The court would have a fit.

“I think you and I might get on all right after all, Demon-boy.”

“Don’t push your luck, Liesmith!”

They grinned at each other in perfect accord.

The two would never have peace between them. But there didn’t need to be.

There would be Chaos. And it would be sweet.

#fuck you tumblr #fanfiction #my writing

7 notes · View notes

moxy-fruitbat · 5 years ago

Text

Destined for Great Things

I finally finished editing Laurene's backstory! It's a tale of how she came to Vesuiva and how she met Marcel, leading up to them becoming the Sibling Apprentices. It's long as fuck and I'm not sorry. Laurene is Fantasy Irish, and the story is full of bits of Irish mythology, and I encourage you to read some of the original stories, if you want! I love them.

"Fantasy Irish" is inspired by a lot of different Gaelic peoples, including (broadly) the Gaels and (more specifically) the Picts and a more mythological version of druids. Also influenced by my own experience as a practicing pagan.

Length: 3k words (I can't believe it either)

TW/CW: family death, fire, (mild) suicidal thoughts and PTSD, claustrophobia

Rating: PG-13 for depictions of tragedy. No explicit violence, gore, or sexual content

------------------------

Irish/Scottish Pronunciation Guide (written by an American with the internet, so it's not good):

Labhraín: LAW-reen

Muirne: MIR-ne

Bandruí: BAHN-droo

Tlachtga: TLAC-da

Uncail: UN-cuhl

Tadg: TAH-dg

Cumhall: COOL

Áillen: AH-lehn

M'iníon: M'een (Irish translation: My daughter)

Labhraín had just finished braiding her long hair when Muirne came and joined her.

"Morning cousin" Muirne smirked, a smile partially hidden behind her mess of dark blonde hair. "Are you ready for the day? We have a lot of work to do."

Muirne leaned in and whispered, so only Labhraín could hear her. "Hurry up and meet me in the hazel wood, I have something important to tell you!"

---

"I have to tell you a secret. And you promise you can't tell anyone. Especially not my Da. Promise?"

"I'm leaving. Tomorrow." A smile spread gleefully across Muirne's face as she picked up hazelnuts off the mossy forest floor.

"Leaving?! What do you mean, leaving?" She hissed.

"His name is Cumhall, Labhraín, you'd love him. He's the leader of a different tribe, I know he'll take care of me. We're leaving tomorrow night, right after the feast. With all the festivities, no one will notice I'm gone!"

Instead, she just sighed, clutching her apron full of hazelnuts and headed back to the blackhouse with her cousin. "I'm happy for you, Muirne. I wish you the best."

I'm destined for great things.

Labhraín hoped to the spirits of the forest and the ancestors that it was true. And she hoped the same for herself.

---

The next day, after they had the feast of the ancestors in silence with the rest of the family, she tearfully waved her cousin off into the dusky forest.

"M'iníon, what is wrong?" Her mother asked, catching Labhraín by surprise. "Why are you crying? Is something upsetting you?"

"Oh...nothing. Thinking about grandfather is just making me sad." She lied, quickly wiping the tears from her eyes.

A small smile came upon Labhraín's face and she nodded. She was a grown woman, but her mam always knew how to make her feel better when she was vulnerable.

"I'd like that a lot."

As her mother brushed patterns over her face in the traditional blue pigment, Labhraín kept telling herself the bonfire will make her feel better. Without fail, it always does.

---

Something was wrong.

"Mam!" Where was she? Everything was a blur of smoke.. Her heart raced. Her eyes prickled.

Through the flames she saw her.

"M'iníon! Labhraín! Run!"

It was all she could do. She snatched up her dulcimer and ran down the hill and into the forest, leaving everything behind her.

---

She wanted her mam. She wanted Muirne. She wanted the hammers to her dulcimer. She wanted to be back in the blackhouse, waking up the next morning and none of this ever happening.

But she slowly craned her head up, and her eyes grew wide as she looked directly into a pair of bright yellow ones. In front of her sat the biggest mountain lion she had ever seen.

Granted, she had never seen one before. She must have run farther than she thought, since these cats weren't usually found where her tribe lived. Maybe this one was lost like she was.

It cocked its head at her, whiskers twitching, and she heard it speak to her in her mind.

"Lost?"

"Ye-yes..." Her voice trembled. "I...there was a fire and..."

"Fire?"

"Yes... Everything is gone, my mother, she...she told me to run, but now...."

"Safe?"

As her voice trailed off, the large cat shook its head once and stood up, beginning to walk away, it's tail straight up in the air like a flag.

"Follow."

"Safe."

-------

Philomena headbutted her, urging her to keep going.

"Need to go. Safe"

She groaned, picking herself up. She gathered up her dulcimer and hugged it close to her chest, trying to pull whatever familiarity to home it had into her, as if it could fly away at any moment.

Philomena nudged her again, and Labhraín closed her eyes, listening to the forest and feeling where its spirit pulled her.

Philomena nudged her back, causing Labhraín to turn around. The Mountain Lion was sitting up, a look of finality in its eyes.

"Safe." It said. This wasn't to urge her to keep moving, but a statement. This is where Labhraín was meant to be.

"Aren't you coming?"

"No. Stay out here. Home in forest."

That made sense. A large predator like Philomena wouldn't be welcome in her small village, and Labhraín couldn't imagine what a large city like this place would think.

"Familiar." Philomena purred. "With you. Always."

I am destined for great things. There was no turning back now.

---

There was so much going on. There were so many people…

"Are you alright?"

She heard a voice and felt a hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes, another face very close to her own, purple eyes looking into hers.

"Are you alright? Do you need help?" A person with tan skin and hair the color of woad knelt down in front of her, a concerned look on their face.

"I...I don't know. I..." Labhraín's voice trailed off.

"You're new here, yeah? I don't recognize you."

Labhraín nodded. Did this person know all these people in the city? How could they know so many faces?

"My name's Marcel, what's yours?"

"Labhraín."

"Law...reen?"

She nodded.

"Laurene. Okay, I think I got it! So you look pretty lost. You've never been to Vesuvia before, have you?"

She shook her head no.

"Yeah, it's a lot if you're not used to it. So welcome to Vesuvia! Are you staying or just visiting?"

"I… I think I'm staying."

"Oh, wicked. That thing you're holding, is that an instrument? It looks like a kanun?"

"It's a dulcimer. I'm missing the hammers, though."

"You play it with hammers? That's super cool! I play the oud."

Did they not know what a dulcimer was? To be fair, she didn't know what either of the instruments they mentioned were.

The two of them came out of an alley in front of a shop a ways away from the marketplace, the wooden sign emblazoned with a mortar and pestle that hung next to the doorway creaked in the autumn wind.

"What, aren't you coming in for tea? You're new in town, you're a guest! Come in!"

0 notes