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queen-scribbles · 6 years ago

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Unlikeliest Places

@pillarspromptsweekly fill 95. It’s another Roll for It, and my elements are The Living Lands, travel fatigue, and a beautiful natural vista. (also, crazy self-indulgent bc my birthday is this coming week AND I think this is my 100th prompt fill(?) so I wanted to have even more fun with it than usual.)

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Despite how much she loved traveling and adventure, Tavi did have to admit there were some not so great things about it. Like sore feet. And walking in the rain. She didn’t have anything against rain, per se; when she was somewhere like Caed Nua or an inn and it was her choice she loved to go for long walks and get absolutely soaked to the skin. But that was completely different from this--boots squelching with every step as she she and Aloth trudged down another road after another lead. It wouldn’t have been so bad if she knew how far to their destination. But road signs were apparently unheard of here, and the last person to give them directions had just vaguely gestured down the road and told them it was a straight shot of “a few miles”. A few miles so far was up to six by Tavi’s reckoning.

At least the Living Lands were more scenic than, say, the Vailian Republics. And all the flora and fauna was new and unusual. It made her regret never making it up this far before.

And then she stepped in a deceptively deep puddle and almost lost her balance. Would have if Aloth didn’t grab her arm.

Abydon’s fuckin’ forge, we better find somethin’ that makes this fuckin’ worthwhile Tavi shot him a grateful smile as she shook muddy water off her boot. “Thanks. I’m gettin’ real fuckin’ close to wantin’ to talk with that orlan about the definition of the word ‘few’.”

Aloth chuckled. “In my experience, places this... provincial tend to use that as a catch-all for anything lower than about twenty.”

She snorted and raked sopping tendrils of hair out of her eyes. “You can say ‘backwater mudhole’ if that’s what you mean, Corfiser, no one’s here to get offended.”

He shrugged and rolled his shoulders to shake rainwater off his cloak. “Better not to take the chance.”

She shook her head fondly. “You are incorrigible, city slicker.”

Aloth snorted in amusement as he tugged his hood further forward. “And you’re one to talk on that score, Tavi.”

Tavi grinned despite the rainwater trickling down her face. “Pot and kettle, what a pair we make, huh?”

He actually laughed. “You could say that.”

“Or I could point out I think I finally see a town up ahead,” she chuckled. “It better be Stilden, or I really will go hunt down that fuckin’ orlan to have a few words...”

“Whether it’s the town we seek or not, I’ll be satisfied if there’s an inn,” Aloth pointed out. “Just getting out of the rain will be enough for now.”

“Heh, true,” Tavi snorted. “We can dry out while we try to figure what the fuckin’ Key wants up here. Untamed frontiers never struck me as their kinda place.”

“No?” Aloth raised an eyebrow as they drew close enough to see this was indeed a community of some kind. “With all the unexplored valleys in which to hide, the potential ruins waiting in their depths, and a high likelihood no one will question your disappearance--or others’ who poked where they didn’t belong--because meeting an unfortunate end is all too common?”

“Well, when you put it like that...” Tavi grinned, letting the words trail off. She nodded toward the only two-story building in sight. “That’s prob’ly either a tavern or a general store, an’ both’ll serve our purpose.”

“After you, then,” Aloth said lightly, tucking his hair back behind one ear.

“Yeah, ‘cause I’m the diplomatic one,” she teased, rolling her eyes.

“Perhaps not, but you are the forceful one, and I have a feeling that counts for more out here,” he returned.

From the sign over the door--the carven torrents of a splashing waterfall--Tavi was pretty confident this was an inn, or at least a tavern, as they approached.

The sight that greeted them when she pushed open the door confirmed that; the interior was full of tables(half of them occupied) and fairly tough looking folk woman stood behind the long, rough-hewn bar.

Thank fuckin’ Hylea, Tavi sighed. I need a drink.

Every eye was on them as soon as they stepped through the door. and she practically felt Aloth tense at the attention. Tracking down a Leaden Key cell usually relied heavily on keeping a low profile, and this was the exact opposite of what they wanted.

“Can’t be helped,” Tavi murmured, tugging his arm so he’d follow her toward the counter.

“I know,” he murmured back, slipping his hand in hers. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

She squeezed his hand in silent agreement--at least out here no one recognized the Watcher of Caed Nua--as the woman behind the bar jerked her head toward them in greeting.

“Don’t get many travelers through here,” she commented, bracing her hands against the counter. “What can I getcha?”

“Whatever you have that’s strongest for me,” Tavi replied as she pushed back her hood, extremely aware of the drip trail they were leaving across the floor.

The barkeep nodded approvingly and raised an eyebrow at Aloth. “And you?”

He met the question with a tight smile.”I’m fine, thank you.”

“Whatever y’say,” she shrugged. “What brings you through Stilden?”

Aloth’s grip tightened fractionally on Tavi’s hand. She shifted her weight, brushing her shoulder against his as she replied, “We’re adventurers. An acquaintance mentioned there were plenty to be had up here.”

The barkeep snorted as she pulled a dark green bottle from under the counter and popped the cork. “Heh, this acquaintance would be right. You sure they ain’t also tryin’ to get you killed? We got more up here that’ll do ya in than any other country in Eora.”

Tavi laughed and accepted the freshly poured drink the woman pushed toward her. “Pretty sure, yeah. And I think we’ll chance it, either way. Danger just adds to the fun.”

The barkeep smirked. “Good attitude to have up here. Just don’t go lookin’ for too much fun or ya might might get in over yer head.”

“That’s good advice anywhere,” Tavi said glibly. She picked up the mug, smelling the alcohol in the drink before she had it more than a couple inches off the bar. She’d said strong and the woman had obliged. She took a good hard swallow and ranked it better than most of what she’d had in the Deadfire, even if it wasn’t the best she’d ever had.

She nodded appreciatively as she lowered the mug. “That’s pretty good.”

The barkeep grinned. “Thank ya, I brew it m’self.” She held out her hand to shake. “Hilde.”

Tavi shook her hand and introduced herself. “Any other advice for increasing our chance of survival?”

“Don’t travel after dark,” Hilde said with a shrug. “An’ your best bet is t’ hire a guide if y’ wanna go explorin’. A good one,” she clarified, “who’s seen a lot of this place. Hey, Tarven,” she called across the room to a dark haired elf slouched alone at a table. “Skellen back yet?”

The elf snorted. “With the shit his group was lookin’ t’ find? We ain’t gonna see them for another month or two at least.” He tipped his head and gave Tavi and Aloth a meaningful look. “If we ever do.”

“They get the point, Tar,” Hilde said dryly. “You wouldn’t happen to know who is around, would ya?”

Tarven pursed his lips in thought a moment. “They could ask the Rook whelp, I s’ppose. He don’t do much guide work these days, though. His wolf’s too old t’ keep up on the long trips and no one who makes it this far into the Lands wants a short one.”

“Can’t hurt t’ ask,” Hilde retorted. “An’ he’s been roamin’ the Lands more’n three decades, I’d hardly call him a whelp.”

“He is in the scheme of things,” Tarven shot back, before locking eyes with Tavi, his ears dipping in mild irritation. “But I can tell ya where to find him, if you wanna gamble on bein’ special enough he’ll say yes.”

Tavi shrugged and took another swig of her drink. There was a note of something in there she couldn’t quite figure out, but it was really growing on her. “Worth a shot. Worst he’ll do is say no, right?”

“Kel, yeah. There are some folk that would do more dependin’ on their mood.” Tarven straightened in his seat. “Now, he works outta his folks’ salvage business, so it’s a little ways outta town...” He beckoned them closer, and Tavi went, her drink in one hand and tugging Aloth along with the other. He followed just behind her without protest, though she could see concern in his eyes. She made a mental note to ask about that as they sat down across the table from Tarven so he could lay out the route to where they could find this guide.

o.O.o

It took a while to finally get some privacy; Tarven proved chatty, and Hilde even more so when they attempted to wait out the rain. When the weather showed no sign of relenting anytime soon, they caved and got a room.

“Alright, spill, city slicker,” Tavi said soon as the door closed behind them. “You’re so tense I can practically see your anxiety floatin’ over your head like a fuckin’ storm cloud.”

Aloth half-smiled at her attempted humor. “I’m simply concerned about bringing someone into our confidence who we don’t know.”

“Whaddya mean?” Tavi probed as she hung her cloak over the back of a chair to dry and sat down to start working off her boots.

“This guide,” he said. “I do appreciate improving our odds of survival, but how do we search for a fanatically secretive cult without tipping him off to what we’re doing? There’s only so much we can explain away with the adventurers cover.”

“What’s so wrong with tippin’ him off that we’re lookin’ for someone?” she shrugged. The stubborn boot finally came off and she started working on the other one. “Obviously he doesn’t need to know everything, but what can it hurt tellin’ him we’re... shit, lookin’ for evidence of an ancient guardian order. We can just leave off that we think they’re still around and fuckin’ with the course of history.”

“Because we don’t know how large a presence they have here,” Aloth replied, absently raking his fingers through his still-damp hair. “For all we know, this Rook fellow could be one of them. Even if not, who’s to say he wouldn’t answer any questions put to him regarding our business, whether for compensation or simply due to not having a reason he shouldn’t?”

Tavi snorted. “If you’re gonna be that fuckin’ paranoid, maybe I shoulda used a fake name, Engferth.”

He shot her a dirty look for that, but she saw the corners of his mouth twitch. “Tavi, it’s been two years, are you ever planning to let that go?”

“Nope,” she said cheerfully, kicking her boots under the edge of the bed. “It’s too much fun givin’ you shit for it.”

“That’s the answer I was both afraid of and expecting,” Aloth said with a long suffering sigh. He was smiling as he joined her on the bed, however. “The benefits of aliases aside, we really do need to decide if we’re going to employ this Rook, and if so, how much we tell him.”

“Look, city slicker,” Tavi turned so she was half-facing him. “I know we’ve survived everything from town drunks to cultists to the fuckin’ gods themselves, but I didn’t survive all that to get eaten by a fuckin’ lion or some weird plant b’cause we were too paranoid to take advantage of local knowledge and experience.”

He shot her a dubious look. “A plant?”

She shrugged. “Y’hear things. Rumors’n shit.”

“I... highly doubt there’s any truth to that one,” Aloth said diplomatically.

“Better safe than sorry,” Tavi insisted. “I say we hire the fuckin’ guide. You can decide how much we tell him,” she conceded. “You have more experience with the fuckin’ Key than I do.”

Aloth mulled that over a moment, twisting one of his rings while he thought, before nodding. “That’s a fair compromise.”

“Great. Then I’m goin’ to bed,” she grinned, wriggling out of her pants and kissing him on the cheek. “B’cause walkin’ in the rain and mud all day is fuckin’ exhaustin’.”

He chuckled. “I’ll join you shortly, there’s something I want to check first.”

“If you wait too long, I’ll be asleep,” Tavi warned playfully around a yawn as she snuggled in. She hadn’t realized how tired she was til she said something, but she really was exhausted.

“I’ll just have to take that risk,” Aloth said with a smile as he pushed off the bed.

o.O.o

Tavi’s suspicions proved correct and the night was at least half over before she felt the bed shift as Aloth settled in next to her. But he’d never needed much sleep, and the lack of it didn’t have a noticeable effect on his mood, so she didn’t tease him too much as they prepared for the day.

Aloth took all of it in stride--he was well accustomed to her habits by now--and waited until they were leaving the room to inform her that her hair had dried slightly curly.

“Oh, yeah, it does that sometimes,” Tavi grimaced self-consciously. “’Specially in humid weather if I’ve cut it recently.” Which was the case; she’d trimmed it less than a week ago. She sighed and feathered one hand through it. “Oh well. Nothin’ I can really do about it, so guess you get a peek at what I looked liked in my twenties,” she teased, pulling on her cloak as she stepped into the hall.

Aloth raised an eyebrow. “This is how you kept it back then?”

“Well, yeah, city slicker, I was workin’ for the blacksmith at that point, short hair was much easier to keep out of my fuckin’ eyes.” She tugged the door closed behind them. “An’ our part of Old Vailia got humid as fuck in the summer, so this is how it usually ended up.” She scowled at an ugly thought and kicked the wall. “At least until everything went to shit. There was a while in there I couldn’t cut my hair, even if I’d cared enough to.” Her gaze dropped to her hands, just in time to watch Aloth take them in his.

“Tavi,” he said softly, deliberately turning her hands so she couldn’t see her scarred palms. “I didn’t mean to bring up unpleasant memories.” His thumbs swept in matching arcs over her knuckles.

Tavi snorted a shaky laugh. “Shit, Corfiser, it’s almost forty years ago. I can’t expect you to walk on fuckin’ eggshells ‘bout anything that might bring it to mind.” She squeezed his hands appreciatively all the same. “B’side I walked myself into that one.”

“Still, I am sorry for bringing it to mind.” Aloth tugged her hands to close the distance between them and steal a kiss.

“Mmm, not that you need it, but you’re forgiven, Aloth,” she mumbled, smiling, into the kiss.

“You know how much I admire your resilience,” he whispered when they finally broke the kiss, foreheads still touching.

“Tough as fuck,” she agreed mischievously, freeing one hand to cup his jaw as she tipped her chin forward for round two, murmuring, “Just like you,” right before their lips met.

Gods, she loved the way his ears went pink whenever she complimented him.

“I don’t know about that,” Aloth demurred. “I’ve seen some of the things you survived and doubt I would have fared as well.” He cleared his throat. “But don’t we have somewhere to be?”

“Right.” Tavi brushed her thumb against his cheek one last time before stepping away so they could resume course downstairs. “Let’s go hire a guide so we can have an adventure with less risk of dying.” She laughed when he rolled his eyes. “Didja figure out what we’re telling him?”

Aloth nodded. “We’re searching for Engwithan ruins. It’s a large enough portion of the truth to serve our purpose, and still sufficiently commonplace to not raise suspicion. And given the connection between the Key and Engwithan culture, it’ll at least get us where we need to start looking. Between what we learned in the Dyrwood and the fact you understand the language, it’s more than plausible.”

“Also, if it’s leaked somehow, worst that’ll happen is the Key comin’ after us rather’n us havin’ to hunt them down,” Tavi added with a dark grin.

“I did consider that, actually,” he said dryly.

Tavi shot him a bemused look as they exited the tavern. “Covering all your angles?”

“Exactly.”

o.O.o

Tarven’s directions from the night before proved easily followed, and this salvage business equally easy to find. The walk was also far more pleasant now that it wasn’t raining and they could enjoy the view. There was a wild, untamed beauty to the land, even this close to a settlement, and she could see trails that meandered toward tangled forests and overgrown ravines. I really should’ve made it up here sooner, she mused. This place would be perfect for me.

But it she had, she wouldn’t have met Aloth or Kana or any of the others, or shit, even Maren and the rest of Silversteel. So she wouldn’t really change things. Besides, this place didn’t seem overly given to change, so it probably didn’t look that different than ten or twenty or even forty years ago.

“This place reminds me of you,” Aloth commented, almost as if he’d heard her thoughts.

Tavi snorted. “Stubborn and untamed?”

“And chaotic, and fascinating....” He nodded toward the sprawling vista off to their right, trees framing the view of sky and clouds, ground split by a red-rock valley. “Beautiful.”

“Now we’re talkin’,” she teased. “Shame I can’t think of anywhere flatterin’ to compare you to, city slicker.”

Aloth smirked. “You’ll just have to come up with something else, then.”

“Yes, I will, but later.” Tavi nodded toward a dirt path that wound off to their left, curving around a clump of trees before looking like it maybe, eventually, led to an indistinct shadow that might’ve been a house.

“Well, this just fills me with confidence,” Aloth said dryly.

“Why?” Tavi laughed, starting down the path. “He’s a wilderness guide, I”d be more worried if he lived in the middle of fuckin’ civilization.”

“Or what passes for it out here,” Aloth muttered, swiping at the tall grass that encroached on the trail.

“Be nice,” she scolded playfully. “‘Specially since you just said this place reminds you of me.”

“Fair point,” he conceded, lips curving in a faint smile.

The indistinct shadow had started to take more definite shape now; a low, single story bungalow, with semi-neat piles of miscellaneous goods lined up along the sides. As they drew even closer they could see the figure sitting out front, a few feet away from the door. A blond elf, the sun catching both the reddish highlights in his hair and the silver-streaked coat of the wolf lounging at his feet as he worked. Tavi gave the longbow he was shaping a once-over, one brow arched in admiration. Bows might not be her weapon of choice, but she’d spent enough time with archers to recognize a well-crafted one when she saw it.

By now they were close enough for the wolf to catch their scent, and it lifted its head, ears twitching back, to alert the elven hunter.

“Easy,” he murmured, not looking up from his project to address them. “Help you?”

“Yes, we were looking for Kel Rook,” Aloth said. Tavi bit back a smile at the wary glance he sent the wolf. Just because Tarven had alluded to the animal getting old didn’t mean it was harmless.

“Found him,” the blond grunted, flicking a brief look at Aloth before returning to the bow. “But it’s just Rook. Why the interest?”

There was something familiar about his voice, in a way that set Tavi’s teeth on edge and squeezed something tight in her chest. She didn’t like the feeling much. Probably because outside Silversteel or her Dyrwood and Deadfire companions pretty much anyone familiar had likely tried to kill her. She crossed her arms defensively(as if that would help). “We’re lookin’ to explore around here an’ were told you’re a good guide.”

Rook frowned. “Damn Tarven,” he muttered, running his hand along the curve of the bow. “Were you also told I don’t do guide work often now that Fletch has trouble keepin’ up?”

“Maybe you could give it a fuckin’ try,” she returned, more irritably than she meant to as that nagging familiarity squeezed tighter. “We’re lookin’ for ruins, so we’re not gonna be movin’ all that fast, an’ we can handle ourselves, so it shouldn’t be too dangerous.”

“Everything here is fuckin’ dangerous.” Rook shot back heatedly, finally looking up to scowl at her with glass-green eyes. “I work best with an animal partner, Fletch ain’t up to it, and the pup I’m trainin’ isn’t ready yet.” He cocked his head and his scowl turned to a squint for a protracted moment before, “Have we... met?”

Tavi frowned. “Not unless you’ve been outta this fuckin’ jungle at some point in your life.”

“Not since I got here.” His brow furrowed. “Somethin’ familiar about you, though.”

Tavi crossed her arms tighter. That weird feeling was getting stronger and it was setting off alarm bells and she really didn’t like it. She shuffled a half step closer to Aloth and shrugged. “Well, I’ve never been up this way, so can’t help ya. C’mon, city slicker, if the man won’t do it, we’ll just hafta find someone else.” Someone who didn’t send spider-feet sensations crawling up her spine. Something about Rook tugged at her and whether it was from her own life or just more Watcher shit, she didn’t like it. She’d apologize to Aloth and explain herself later.

“But-” Aloth started to protest.

“Hylea’s tits, just-”

Rook caught a sharp breath and stood so fast the bow he’d been crafting tumbled to the ground and his wolf bolted up on shaky legs in case he was needed. “...Tavi?”

She froze. How...? She looked, really looked, at this naggingly, uncomfortably familiar hunter with his reddish blond hair and pale green eyes. The burn scars she hadn’t noticed before that trailed down his arm and up the side of his neck. There’s no fuckin’ way. It can’t be.

“What’s wrong?” Aloth whisper, protectively glued to her side.

Tavi shook her head. Nothing was wrong, just her world being tilted on its axis. Tarven had called ‘the Rook whelp’ Kel. No, Tavi, she scolded herself as she pictured the man in front of her thirty-odd years younger and with his voice a couple octaves higher and a ridiculous hope started to sprout in her chest, nearly four decades after the worst day of her life. They all died, all of them. Even him. It’s not... He can’t be.

But hope was a wild thing, stubborn as Tavi herself, and the name escaped in a breathless, unbelieving rush. “Khellin?!”

He nodded and the world screeched to a halt, fading out around the edges as she clapped her hands over her mouth.

“Oh, Hylea’s blazin’ feathered copper-fucking tits,” she muttered through her fingers. This couldn’t be real. She hadn’t really woken up yet, this was a dream or some shit like that. She bit the tender skin at the base of one finger hard enough she nearly drew blood. OW. Nope, not dreaming. FUCK.

Khellin--who was really standing there, she wasn’t dreaming--gave a strangled laugh that sounded more than half a sob. “Figures you still swear enough to send Mom into fits.”

“‘Course,” Tavi snorted shakily, dropping her hands. “I’m fuckin’ incorrigible, you know that better’n anyone.” Almost anyone, she corrected herself, darting a glance toward Aloth.

He was staring at her with wide eyes. He’d been there through enough occurrences of the relevant anniversary to know exactly the implications of this turn of events.

Khellin laughed again, this one closer to the real thing. “Can’t argue with that.” He ran one hair through his hair. “Guess it’s a bit of an understatement to say we have a lot of catchin’ up to do?”

It was Tavi’s turn for a shell-shocked, almost hysterical sob-laugh combination, because her brother was alive. He was alive and she wasn’t dreaming and what the fuck, whichever god she needed to thank she’d do it gladly because Khellin was fucking alive. “I think callin’ it just a bit of an understatement is an understatement.”

Forty years. She’d thought he was dead for almost forty gods-damned fucking years and he’d been here the whole time. I really should’ve visited the Living Lands sooner.

Khellin reached down to brush his wolf’s ears in a comforting gesture when he whined. “How ‘bout I change my answer, help you two find those ruins you’re lookin’ for?” he offered. “We can start the blazin’ long process of catchin’ up while we search.”

Tavi nodded, not even looking at Aloth to check. There was no way he’d deny her this, even if they hadn’t been planning to employ him before her own personal Godhammer had been dropped on the encounter. “Sounds like a fuckin’ plan. There’s just... something I need to take care of first.”

He cocked an eyebrow and she could feel Aloth’s curiosity as well before she crossed the distance in three swift strides and pulled her baby brother into a ferociously tight hug.

Khellin flinched and his wolf’s ears tipped backward, but he did wrap his arms around her after only a few heartbeats and hug back.

“Sorry,” Tavi whispered. She knew he wasn’t always thrilled with physical affection, she just couldn’t help herself.

“Don’t be,” Khellin mumbled, hugging tighter, his voice further muffled by her shoulder. “You’re an exception, always have been.”

Tavi matched his strength, still hardly able to believe this was happening, even though she could feel him, warm and solid and real. She finally, reluctantly, loosened her grip and stepped back, surveying him head to toe again. “I guess... I guess if we’re gonna travel while we talk we better get movin’?”

He nodded, glancing between her and Aloth before he bent to pick up the dropped bow. “We should; it gets dark early if you’re under tree cover. And it seems you’re lookin’ for somethin’ special? Usually hafta go pretty deep for that.”

“Not today, I fuckin’ don’t,” Tavi grinned and Khellin laughed.

“No, I guess not.” His fingers brushed the wolf’s head as he turned to go lean the longbow against the bungalow. He ducked inside briefly, returning with a shortbow and quiver of arrows as well as a ration bag. “Preparedness is our chief virtue out here,” he explained, slinging both quiver and bag over his shoulder. “Let’s go find whatever it is you came lookin’ for.”

Tavi was pretty sure she’d be smiling for the next several hours at least. “Let’s,” she agreed, reaching for Aloth’s hand and weaving her fingers between his. She felt really good about their odds now. She’d hoped to find something worthwhile up here, and that had already been granted beyond her wildest dreams.

Surely they’d find something to work with; the Living Lands had all sorts of great things hiding in the unlikeliest places.

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I’ve been wanting to let Tavi find out Khellin’s alive for... I think like a year and a half? Maybe longer? And just never had the chance to do it, so when I saw the elements for this week’s prompt I had a MY TIME HAS COME moment and decided to do it now. Obviously at some point there’s gonna be a follow-up that’s them talking about what happened to each of them, woven in with Tavi and Aloth’s hunt for the Leaden Key. But we’ll just have to see when I get the chance for that ;)

#queens fic #pillars prompts weekly #tavi illani #aloth corfiser #otp: third time's the charm

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dragonologist-phd · 6 years ago

Text

Breathe So Deep

For the @pillarspromptsweekly topic “Versatility”- or, what happened when my Ranger decided to learn how to punch people. Also posted on AO3.

Rudi was pretty sure she was dying.

“You’re not dying,” Eder said, exasperated. “You just spent an hour getting the stuffing beat out of you because you’re wearing the wrong armor. I warned you this would happen.”

Moving was excruciating, but Rudi garnered all of her remaining energy to raise a middle finger in Eder’s direction. He just laughed.

“Dick.”

To Eder’s credit, he took the insult in stride. “How about we call it good for today? We can try again another time. Maybe when you’re wearing some real armor.”

Rudi groaned, pulling herself off of the floor. She was exaggerating a little- this certainly wasn’t the worst she had ever felt. But it was a helluva lot worse than she was expecting this training to be.

“You know I can’t move around in that clunky stuff.”

Eder shrugged. “Well, you either gotta wear the armor or take the hits.”

“Isn’t whole point of fighting not getting hit?”

“No, that’s why they invented shields. Which you also refuse to use.” Eder’s amusement was evident in his voice. “I don’t really know what you were expecting to happen here.”

“Oh, go bench-press a boulder or something.” In her tired state, Rudi’s insults lacked her usual bite. She did, however, earn a chuckle from Eder.

“You don’t have to put yourself through this, you know. Why are you aching to brawl all of a sudden?”

Rudi shrugged and looked away. “You know me. I’m an asshole who wants to hit things.”

“Sure.” Eder didn’t sound totally convinced, but he let it slide. “Same time next week?”

Rudi’s muscles screamed in protest at the mere thought of more of this torture, but she was far too stubborn to turn him down. “You bet. Once I get the hang of this, I’ll wipe that smug look off your face.”

Truthfully, the whole stupid idea had started when Sol got his foot stuck in a clamp trap during a fight in the Russetwood. Rudi was more than confident in her ability to defend herself- and she had a reputation throughout the Dyrwood to back that up- but she hadn’t quite realized just how much that ability depended on a lion standing between her and her enemies. As deadly as Rudi’s bow and arrows were, they weren’t much use against a foe standing only a foot away and swinging a sword.

Rudi had hit the ground, bleeding and uselessly trying to string her bow before another strike could fall. Sol had still tried to protect her, of course. He’d ripped himself free of the trap and thrown himself back in the fight as soon as he saw his master fall, despite his injured paw. If Pallegina hadn’t been watching their backs… well, it had been far too close a call for Rudi’s liking.

As soon as they returned to Caed Nua, Rudi had enlisted Eder’s help in training.

As time passed and no noticeable improvement was made, Rudi’s patience began to thin.

Eder was a good teacher, but his method relied on armor and heavy weapons and a shield fashioned from a reinforced door, for crying out loud. Rudi couldn’t lug around a shield in addition to her bow and quiver of arrows. She couldn’t scout or stealth in stiff, heavy armor.

But she also couldn’t sit with the knowledge that she was helpless without her bow, so she kept returning to the training grounds to get her ass kicked.

Rudi ducked as Eder’s wooden training sword whistled over head, barely missing her. She took advantage of the situation to charge him, but he thrust his shield forward to block her. Unable to halt herself, Rudi smacked into the large shield. Her own training sword crashed to the ground, leaving her hand ringing from the impact.

Shit!

She lost her footing for a moment, and before she knew it Eder’s wooden sword had swing back around and caught her in the stomach, sending her sprawling to the floor.

Again.

Rudi groaned as she sat up, wincing at new bruise in her side. Eder leaned over, holding out a hand. “You alright? Maybe we should finish up for today…”

Rudi swatted the offered hand away in irritation. She grabbed her sword and heaved herself up, getting back into sparring position. “One more time. I need to get this right!”

Eder sighed and shook his head. “We keep trying this, but I just don’t think it’s gonna work.”

“Why not? I’m following your instructions.”

“No, you’re not. You won’t use the right equipment, and it’s messing you up. You get distracted, then angry, and then you fall apart.”

Rudi bit down on her lip to keep from yelling something she would later regret. She knew she shouldn’t lose her temper over this- especially on Eder, who was remarkably patient.

But she needed to learn this, and she couldn’t, and that was seriously pissing her off.

Taking in her frustrated expression, Eder sighed. “I wish I could tell you something different but…the truth is, I don’t really see you becoming a fighter anytime soon. Sorry.”

After that disaster of a training session, Rudi found herself making her way to the stone amphitheater. Sol liked to nap in the sun there- she would sit with him for a while, and hopefully that would calm her down.

She did find Sol there, but to her surprise he wasn’t alone- Zahua was sitting beside him, staring unblinking into the sun as he slowly stroked Sol’s mane. He didn’t acknowledge Rudi until Sol jumped up and padded over to her. That must have broken his concentration- he blinked slowly and turned to smile at her.

“Ah, the young Watcher. How goes your training?”

“It doesn’t,” Rudi replied flatly. She scratched Sol’s ears, earning a low, approving rumble from the lion.

“You’re quitting?”

“No,” Rudi snapped automatically. She hesitated, gnawing on her lip. “Well, yeah. Maybe. I’m not getting any better. I think I’m actually getting worse.”

Zahua regarded her for a moment. “Perhaps you should join me tomorrow in my meditations. I would be willing to share my knowledge and skills.”

Surprise kept Rudi from answering for a few moments. Zahua’s style was…intense, to say the least. If she couldn’t handle Eder’s training, she didn’t even want to think about Zahua’s.

But right now, it seemed her only other option was quitting, and Rudi hated quitting.

“First tell me- is this ‘meditation’ one of those freaky torture things you enjoy so much?”

The nice thing about Zahua was that Rudi never had to worry about offending him. His smile only widened. “My particular practices, valuable as they are, are perhaps not suited for one not of the clan. Tomorrow will be a simple meditation, to clear the mind as dawn clears the night.”

“And is that just code for ‘doing whiteleaf while everyone else is asleep’?”

Zahua considered that for a while. His brow was furrowed in concentration, and at last he said, “Not necessarily.”

Not exactly promising, but at this point, Rudi was willing to try anything.

Despite what Zahua had told her, Rudi was still surprised to find that his meditation was actual meditation.

She met him as instructed in the Caed Nua gardens just before dawn, sleepy-eyed but determined. Zahua was already sitting contentedly when she arrived. His legs were crossed and his eyes were closed, and Rudi honestly wasn’t sure if he was meditating or sleeping.

“Sit with me,” he said as she approached, not opening his eyes. Huh. He actually was meditating.

Rudi obliged, copying his stance and closing her eyes. She didn’t feel nearly as confident as Zahua looked. “Um… what do I…?”

“Your goal is to detach yourself from this world. Clear your mind and forget your body. The rest will follow with time.”

“Just this once, could you actually explain what you mean?” Rudi pleaded. “It’s a little too early for me to follow this cryptic stuff.”

“Either you will understand or you will not. More talking will make no difference. Our breath is better served breathing.”

Rudi huffed but closed her eyes and did her best to clear her mind. It was difficult- trying to deliberately not notice things went against her nature. The nearby sounds of nature, the feel of the wind, the urge to open her eyes and check her surroundings- rather than fade with meditation, it all seemed to amplify.

Focus, she snapped at herself, but it was hopeless. She couldn’t clear her mind, and frankly, she didn’t see the point of it. This wasn’t going to help her defend herself any better. And next time she was caught unprepared in close combat, someone was going to get hurt. Probably her, but possibly one of her friends, or- Gods forbid- Sol. All because she couldn’t-

“You are not following instructions.”

“Dammit,” Rudi muttered. She opened her eyes and leaned back on the grass, glaring at the sky. She felt like she’d been sitting here for hours, but the sun still wasn’t up. She could feel Zahua watching her. “I really am trying. But I don’t know how to clear my mind.”

“Of course you know how,” Zahua said. “Everyone knows how. You only need to discover where that knowledge lies within you.”

“Zahua, I don’t know what the fuck that means.”

“Do you not harness your focus as you fight?”

“Sure, but my mind’s not clear when I’m firing arrows,” Rudi said with a frown. “I notice everything. That’s what long-range attackers are supposed to do.”

“Exactly,” Zahua said unfazed. “When you fight with your arrows, do you put all of your focus onto one single target? Or do you take in every target, every threat, every change in your environment? This is the difference between a distracted mind and a clear one.”

“Shouldn’t that be opposite?”

Zahua shook his head. “When I clear my mind, I am not devoid of thought. I am simply able to process my thoughts without the haze of emotion.” He smiled at Rudi, as if he was making perfect sense. “This is why I thought this style would suit you. These Dyrwoodans are effective, but preoccupied with what is in front of them. You and I, we approach the battle from a distance.”

“Do we?” Rudi asked, skeptical. “You fight by punching, Zahua. You’re about as much in the thick of things as you can get.”

“My body is.” Zahua agreed. “But is my mind?”

He paused, and Rudi wasn’t sure if he wanted an answer or not. The silence continued to stretch out, and she finally said, uncertainly, “…no?”

Rather than respond to her answer, Zahua closed his eyes. “Let us continue our meditation. Copy my breathing, and trust yourself.”

Rudi was lost as ever, but she acquiesced. She copied Zahua’s posture once more, and tried to remember his advice. This time, instead of fighting against the noises and feelings of everything around her, Rudi followed her instincts. She listened to world around her, and as the minutes passed she grew used to the rhythms of her surroundings.

And in a strange way, Zahua’s words began to make sense. The meditation was reminiscent of the long hunting trips she took back home- the endless hours of moving through the wilderness, taking in the prey and predators around her, at one with the hunt.

When Rudi opened her eyes again, she was surprised by how high the sun had risen.

Of course, it couldn’t all be meditations and sunrises. The time came when once again, Rudi had to endure sparring sessions.

Zahua, however, eschewed the training swords in favor of simple hand-to-hand. As always, he wore little in the way of armor. This was a small comfort to Rudi- at least there would be no concern over heavy metal weighing her down.

And yet the training was more ruthless than anything Eder had put Rudi through.

“Fuck!” Rudi yelped, cradling her bruised arm. “That’s gonna hurt for weeks!”

“Of course it will hurt.” Zahua’s eyes seemed to burn as he stared Rudi down. His fists were raised, ready to lash out again at any moment. They had barely started the session and he’d landed countless blows against her, while Rudi was barely able to stay on her feet as he danced around her.

“Our way is not comfortable. Nothing worthwhile in this world is comfortable. We do not do this because it is easy. We do this because we must.” He lunged forward, but Rudi managed to dodge out of the way. She swung out, managing to graze him with her fist. He took her strike with a grin. He lunged again, this time managing to grapple Rudi and trap her in a hold.

Rudi threw her weight forward to try and break the hold, but Zahua held fast. “You will not succeed in these methods until you embrace what must be endured. I know why I must do this. Do you?”

Rudi struggled to free herself, but Zahua’s grip was iron. She was left to consider his questions. She still didn’t understand Zahua’s philosophy- his journey for perfection had never made sense to her. But she did understand the need to hold on to something important, the last thing he had of his home.

“I’m doing this because there are things I need to protect,” she said, breathing heavy. “And I can’t do that if I can’t protect myself.”

“And this is something you will suffer for?”

Rudi was almost afraid to answer, but she took a deep breath and steeled herself. “Yes.”

“Then do not focus on the pain. You have already decided you can accept the pain. Clear your mind. Forget your body. See the battlefield from afar. See how everything is connected. See how you can use the pain.”

That’s not helpful! Rudi thought, but she bit back a barbed retort and tried to go back to that space she was in during meditation. She tried to step out of her body, take in the sensations, and trust herself. And to her own immense shock, a sudden flash of clarity came. Rudi sensed the weakness in Zahua’s hold, and could see in her mind how she could twist and break his grasp. It would mean straining-possibly dislocating- her already aching shoulder, but it was the only way.

So Rudi gritted her teeth and shoved herself to the side.

It worked- Zahua’s hold broke, and although Rudi’s shoulder was screaming in protest she was able to whip around and kick his feet out from under him. Despite the pain, Rudi barked out a laugh. This was the first time she’d held the advantage over somebody in close combat. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

Zahua leapt back to his feet, grinning maniacally. “Now we’re having some fun!”

Afterwards, they did smoke some whiteleaf.

Sol was curled up at Rudi’s feet. She wondered how much the lion truly understood about their lives. Did he realize how far they were from their home back on the Plains? Did he wonder what happened to the village they left behind? Did he keep count of how many times they’d both nearly died this past year?

Sol yawned, looking for all the world like a careless, sleepy cat. Rudi wondered just how fast-acting this stuff was.

“It relaxes the muscles,” Zahua claimed. “Very important after a sparring session. It is also good for meditation.”

Rudi wasn’t sure how seriously to take him, but for once, she decided not to question his methods. Despite her tired, aching muscles, Rudi thought her journey to monkhood might not be all that bad.

#pillars prompts weekly #pillars of eternity #due to internet problems and my inability to stick to a minimum length #this came out a tad late #poe fanfic #watcher rudi #rudi #this is my first fic for rudi she turned out to be a lot of fun to write #and weirdly enough so did zahua #warning for drug use i guess #its fantasy pot but still #drug use #zahua #poe fic #fanfic #fic: rudi #ch: rudi

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berah-ronah · 3 years ago

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Brief thots on the Characters as of just arriving at Caed Nua:

Eder: a real Good Old Boy but in a good way. I'm interested in learning more about his faith and his history as a soldier. Kinda surprised he just stood there when I told the dude in the temple of Eothas to fuck off and get some morals instead of like. Reacting to the dude who left the priests of his faith to die

Aloth: seems nice enough, I'm a little worried they're gonna do a whole "ooooih he has a mischievous aggressive split personality with a different accent" thing tho.

Kana Rua: man of the year. Tall, melodic baritone voice, dedication to knowledge, devil-may-care attitude about assassins pursuing him, can do bard shit AND carries that Glock on him. Reminds me of Loial from the wheel of time. I've known him for five minutes and he's already my fave

Durance: literally just Rasputin, freak shit and all. I was tempted to ditch him at the crossroads after he undressed my character w his eyes but I'm curious to see if he has actual Plot or if he's just the mineta of PoE

I am once again attempting to play through pillars of eternity despite my hatred for real-time crpg combat

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ohlawsons · 7 years ago

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HOMESICK

SUMMARY. Neria's used to spending her birthdays at home and with family. This year, she's spending it surrounded by undead. NOTES. written for @pillarspromptsweekly prompt 0006 birthday prompt! this turned out longer than i’d figured but hey, i finished on time, which is more than i can say for last week’s prompt. i’m still slowly working on the old flame prompt. slowly. anyway fun fact -- i opened up my copy of the pillars cookbook for the first time bc of this fic LINKS. [ ao3 ] [ Neria’s tag ]

She brings it up on their first trip into Defiance Bay, as they’re passing by the market in Copperlane.

“D’you think they have ymyran pudding?” Neria asks no one in particular, falling a bit behind as the group walks through the city.

“Do they have what?” Eder slows, letting Kana and Sagani pass him up as he waits for Neria to fall back into step beside him. “Sounds like some sort of fancy Aedyran thing.”

From just behind them, Aloth scoffs. “It is.” Eder can’t see the elf rolling his eyes, but he can assume. “It’s a very sweet, very heavy cinnamon dessert. I’m not surprised you had it in Rauatai.”

Neria shrugs, the movement quick and unsettled. “I didn’t, really. Myra used to make it for my birthday every year, even after she went back to Ixamitl. I just thought, since it’s-- well, nevermind.” She takes a deep breath, face tilting upwards to give a wide grin to both Eder and Aloth. “Just let me know if you see some? Dyrwoodans can’t bake for shit and it makes me kinda homesick.”

Kana turns to face them, his booming laughter reaching them easily. “That makes two of us, then. Maybe when you’ve gotten Caed Nua back to a reasonable state, we could try our hand at making some sweets. Rauatai pies, perhaps?”

“By the Effigy,” Neria groans, “I would kill for a Rauatai sweet pie right now.”

“Anything chocolate, really,” Kana agrees.

From up ahead, Sagani shakes her head. “The two of you have a sweet tooth as bad as an Aedyran. No offense, Aloth.”

The wizard sighs. “None taken.”

Neria and Kana continue to trade sickeningly sweet treats that they miss as the group walks through the city towards whatever horrors await them in Heritage Hill. Eder chimes in every so often, sometimes to defend the relatively bland Dyrwoodan cuisine or to offer a clever remark of his own. He pays particularly close attention to Neria, tucking away whatever little bits of knowledge he can about her as she talks, including the pudding -- which he’s already forgotten the name of.

There’s one point he really wants to ask her about -- her birthday, and the odd way she hesitated when she brought it up.

He doesn't get the chance, though, because they're leaving the populated districts of Defiance Bay and Neria’s bribing the guards, and suddenly they're surrounded by undead and half-dead. They stop to catch their breath in one of the partially collapsed mausoleums -- Neria pulls out some jerky, asks if it's distasteful, and Eder and Sagani laugh alongside her -- and once his pulse has returned to normal, Eder tries for a conversation.

“You mentioned something about a birthday, earlier,” he mentions, nonchalant.

Neria looks up from where she's sitting beside him, inspecting the blade of her axe. “Yeah, it's… It's weird. Don't worry about it.”

Kana perks up at that, his eyes lighting up as he turns his attention towards Neria. “What do you mean?”

She sets the axe down on her lap and sighs. “It’s weird,” she repeats. “I don’t actually know when my birthday is. I mean, my parents tried to abandon me in the forest to avoid the ire of Berath, so it’s not like they told me. All I know is the day Myra found me, which,” she pauses and shrugs, “would be today.”

“And we’re spending it in a haunted neighborhood chasing down cultists.” Kana shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Neria. Perhaps we’ll have time to celebrate when we get back to the inn.”

She grins. “Well, I’m not gonna turn down an excuse to spend the night drinking.”

They don’t spend the night drinking.

They’re ambushed by guls in one of the abandoned, run down manors on the east side of the district. Sagani takes a hard hit and she’s still standing but barely, so they gather in one of the rooms on the top floor and Neria barricades the door while Kana sings a quiet song of rest. Itumaak curls up beside Sagani, and between Kana’s singing and the bandaging they manage to stop the blood flow.

Neria offers to take the first watch, wanting to give Kana and Aloth plenty of time to rest. She pulls the last of her jerky out from her pack and settles onto one of the dusty armchairs, the upholstery torn and stained. It’s going to be a long, quiet watch, she knows, because they’re inside and there aren’t even stars to watch.

She’s on her last strip of jerky, tearing it into increasingly tiny pieces to make it last, when she hears a sound from the floor below them. It’s nearly time to wake Eder for his watch, anyway, so she shoves the rest of the jerky into her mouth and shakes him awake.

“There’s something downstairs,” she whispers, the words garbled through her mouth full of jerky. “I’m gonna go look.”

As Neria turns to leave, Eder reaches up to grab her wrist -- he’s sitting upright, and they’re nearly eye-level now -- and shakes his head. “Just leave it. We’ll worry about it if it comes up here.” He pauses and looks her over. “Besides, you need to rest.”

She frowns and tugs her wrist free from his grasp so she can cross her arms. “Fine, take all the fun out of this trip.”

He gives her a slow smile. “You mean you haven’t been having fun?”

“Oh, loads,” she assures him, hoping to draw out another smile. “I usually spend my birthday in Ixamitl with Myra, but going up against mindless undead and fucked up animancers? Huge improvement.” She pauses, then glances back towards the door. “I’m just gonna go look.”

“Neria, wait.” His smile has disappeared, and the soft, measured way he says her name is enough to break through the last of Neria’s resolve.

“Alright, alright,” she relents, letting her war hammer drop to the dusty floor beside her with a thunk. She rests her left hand on its haft, fingers drumming against the sturdy wood as she thinks. “I can’t believe I’m stuck in a fucking haunted house.” The words are bitter and quiet, meant only for herself, but out of the corner of her eye she just catches the way that Eder’s brow knits together. Neria bites back a curse; she hadn’t meant to bother him -- or anyone else -- about her birthday, but the combination of this Watcher bullshit and the fact that it’s the first birthday she’s spent away from Myra has put her in a particularly sour mood.

“Hey.” Eder puts a hand on Neria’s shoulder -- and it’s odd, because he’s still sitting and neither of them are used to being eye-level with each other -- and offers a warm smile. “Soon as we get back to Copperlane, we’ll celebrate with drinks and some of that immer… ymyr… whatever pudding it was that you were lookin’ for.”

She isn’t certain she should find his clumsy attempts quite so endearing, but they are, so she returns the smile and gently corrects, “Ymyran pudding. And I doubt they have it anywhere in this city and if they do, it’s probably shit. I’ll settle for drinks, though.”

“Good,” he grins. “I know where to find those.”

Even once they’ve dealt with the nightmare that is Heritage Hill, Neria doesn’t get to spend the evening drinking and celebrating.

She does drink, though it’s far from celebratory; the sensation of physically breaking someone’s spirit -- even if that someone was an undead animancer trying to take advantage of a tragedy for her own good -- had left Neria more than a little uncomfortable. The soul machine is destroyed, though, and that does bring her some satisfaction.

They find an inn in Copperlane to spend the evening, and Neria quickly retires to the room she’s sharing with Kana. Most days, she would gladly deal with such a state of mind by drinking until the discomfort has been thoroughly dashed, but this soul magic and Watcher nonsense is completely over her head and she hasn’t quite figured out how to deal with it.

So instead of staying down with the others, she curls up on one of the two small beds and pulls out one of the books that Kana had recommended to her. It’s filled with myths and legends from all over the Eastern Reach, and they’re as interesting as they are implausible and the sheer ridiculousness of some of them brings her a strange comfort; it’s as if perhaps everything she’s experienced the past few days is nothing more than a story, and will all one day end up in a book filled with fantasies like the one she’s reading now.

She’s in the middle of a story about a delemgan’s curse when there’s a knock at her door. She makes a face -- she really doesn’t want to have to deal with social niceties at the moment -- but slowly closes the book and sets it aside. “Yes?”

“It’s me.” Eder’s voice is muffled through the thick door. “I’ve got something for you.”

“Oh.” Curiosity piqued, Neria slides off the bed and pads over to the door, opening it to find Eder holding a small platter covered with a cloth napkin.

“No luck with the pudding,” he explains without pretense, holding out the platter. “But Kana had another idea.”

“O...kay?” With a little frown of confusion, Neria reaches up to take the platter. She glances up at Eder -- who’s watching her, almost expectantly -- before slowly sliding the napkin off. Beneath is a large piece of Rauatai sweet pie, warm and rich and sending a wave of nostalgia through her. “You found Rauatai pie.” Combined with the mention of pudding, the pie is enough to remind her of their conversation earlier in the day about the ymyran pudding she'd been craving.

He shrugs, as if to downplay the way he’s beaming down at her. “Least I could do, after the birthday you had.”

Unable to hold back her excitement any longer, Neria reaches greedily for the pie. “Want some?” she asks, almost as an afterthought. “It's a pretty big piece.”

“Already tried some. It's a little too heavy for me.”

“Dyrwoodan,” she mutters, glancing up to grin at Eder before taking a bite of the pie. It’s not as good as she remembers -- although that may just be the homesickness coloring her memories -- but it’s still rich and chocolatey and sweet. “Thank you,” she offers, wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand and awkwardly setting the rest of the pie on the dresser. “It’s been pretty shitty lately, but this… helps. Like a little piece of home.”

Eder’s still beaming down at her, giving her a warm smile that’s equal parts proud and apologetic. “Like I said, it’s the least I could do. Wish I could’ve done somethin’ more than just get you a pie.”

Neria plants a hand on one hip, leaning against the doorframe. “It’s more than enough, Eder. It’s a lot more than I was expecting, honestly. But,” she shrugs, “feel free to shower me with gifts when we get back to Caed Nua and I throw a huge party.”

“If I’d known you’d be throwing a party, I might not’ve wasted my evening trying to find a baker from Rauatai,” Eder teases, giving an innocent shrug of his own.

Before Neria can answer, she hears someone clearing their throat from in the hallway. “I don’t mean to interrupt,” Kana apologizes, behind Eder and just outside of Neria’s view, “but I’d like to turn in for the night. Unless you want to switch rooms,” he offers, a wry edge creeping into his voice. “I have nothing against staying with Aloth.”

“I was just leaving,” Eder says, stepping back to give Kana a hearty clap on the back. “But I’ll keep that in mind.” With a wink, he begins making his way back down the hallway.

Neria watches as he goes, aware that she’s staring and aware that Kana is still watching her with amusement. “He found Rauatai sweet pie for me,” she informs the aumaua. “I think I’m in love.”

“Technically,” Kana corrects cheerfully, “I helped. The two of us went out searching for the bakery.”

“You know I love you, Kana.” Neria grins up at him, then tilts her head towards their shared room. “C’mon, I’ve got a pie to finish and I want to show you one of the stories in this book I’ve been reading.”

#pillars of eternity #pillars prompts weekly #neria eleri tag #fic: neria #brooke writes things

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cannibalisticskittles · 6 years ago

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vela is sweet and i like having her on the ship but the canon way of getting her there is........................... well. to be honest. i did not know that was how it was gonna go down. i saw gifsets of vela talking to companions in poe2 w/ the comment that all you have to do is say that ur keeping her in poe1 and i thought oh, how sweet, u look after a baby!

if i’d known that picking that option meant murdering her foster-brother to keep her, i would have, uh, thought differently.

the only way i can reconcile what i was expecting w/ what happened is to like. imagine an in-between. accept the quest, grab baby vela, when her brother confronts u outside say “oh no dude, i just wanna make sure the baby’s safe, like. someone might come in and see that she hasn’t been liquidized to a soul potion and report back to ur dad. actually, u being here makes this easier, can u like, walk w/ me and the bab to blood sands and just hang out with her there until i’ve, uh, ganked ur dad? makes a better cover.”

and then finishing the quest by ganking his dad and asking “so uh. does she go back to her birth parents now? do u take care of her?” and getting the explanation on why vela is there and how that works with all the clans fostering kids from other clans, and says “hmm. well. you can’t give baby back, i get that. at the same time, you don’t seem 100% prepared to be the sole provider for a baby suddenly, and i’m like.... amassing a ton of riches from being the owner of a super haunted castle, and i’ll have a lot of free time on my hands once my soul is no longer in danger of strangling me with memories of the past, maybe i could drop by after i fix that and say ‘hi,’ bring some toys or supplies or food or whatever, babysit for a few hours to make things easier?"

bond with the baby and the foster-brother to the point where they eventually get a weekend or two a month to hang out w/ her, and a few weeks in the summer so vela can run around caed nua, and it’s during one of these times that the Weird Shit Happens and they wake up on a boat after having most of their soul ripped out, see vela, and go “oh, shit, summer’s almost over and my time with her is almost up, if i don’t get her back to her family in eir glanfeth in the next week, i’ll be breaking the custody agreement, fuck.”

#vela repeats them and yells 'FUCK' and the watcher panics #'oh nO baby i can't take you home saying shit -- STUFF -- like that oh no oh gods'#kelsey plays pillars of eternity #vela

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captainofthefallen · 8 years ago

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Berath’s Gate (2/2)

Watcher/Eder, continued from the Watcher’s POV

blame @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels

She's not really clear on what happened. Some kind of earthquake, but they're in the middle of the Dyrwood. They don't get earthquakes, in her limited experience. Not by natural causes, anyway.

She's standing on a road, she thinks. Narrow, surrounded on all sides by a field of stars. Is she dreaming, then? Maybe. Or maybe it's another vision.

Ahead, she sees a door. A door in a skull's mouth, like her vision of Berath. Behind, a light, so bright it almost burns, but it's not welcoming or inviting.

She falls to her knees (if they're even real) under the weight of a sudden flash of memory. Lightning flashing around the outside of the keep, turning the world purple, she runs out of Brighthollow, telling everyone to get to the keep for safety, praying it will be enough, but suddenly the stones around the chapel shift, and the ground quakes, and a gigantic adra fist closes around the building, crushing it to splinters.

She gasps, opening her eyes, looking back and forth between Berath (the Usher and the Pallid Knight flank the door) and that strange light that blinds but doesn't burn.

If she goes onward, she's choosing death, that much is clear. Funny, she thinks. Didn't think I'd get a choice.

She doesn't want to die. She turns back toward the light and pushes to her feet, but something stops her, almost like a physical force holding her back. Why is it...

With a startled cry, she falls to her knees again as another flash of memory overtakes her. She sees the fist and she runs, there's only so much she can do, and she knows that if she dies Caed Nua goes with her. It might be going anyway, but she has to try. Get to Steward, her mind says. She may be able to help. Some hidden defenses, or, or something. On the threshold of the keep, she turns back. There's a hole in the ground. A pit, descending into the depths. She's been there before. She's seen Od Nua's titan in its entirety. She never imagine it would come to life. But there it is, and as it turns its head to face her, something flares to life across its forehead. A symbol. No. She returns to herself with a gasp. Eothas.

Her first thought is of Eder. He'll be crushed.

This is the choice she faces, then. Last time she walked Berath's road, she had no choice. This is hardly better. To die, or to return to face an enemy worse than any she could have imagined. More powerful than Thaos, more powerful even than the Master Below; a “god” who clearly gives fewer shits about following the rules than even Woedica.

If she goes that way, if she chooses to return... will he not just kill her immediately? Or has he already left her keep behind to ravage the rest of the world?

So she stands, facing to one side, unable even to look at Eothas' light, but unwilling to move toward Berath. She faced down impossible odds before, and won. She wants to go back, she's not ready to die, but... the light. Somehow, whatever Eothas is doing, he's keeping her from moving back. As she thinks, though, the ring on her finger grows warm, and her hand begins to move, as if of its own accord. It lifts, shifting until it shields her face from the blinding glow of the once-dead god.

And then, the glow seems to fade, as though it is being eclipsed. Cautiously, she begins to lower her hand. There's a figure, on the road directly in front of the light, blocking it. And suddenly she can move.

She takes a few cautious steps, back toward the eclipse of Eothas, waiting to see if she'll encounter another block. There's nothing. Encouraged, she walks faster, then breaks into a run.

The road is far longer than it looks. She suspects this may be Berath's doing. But as she runs, the light of Eothas seems to fade, receding into nothing, blocked out completely by the interceding figure. A figure she now recognizes.

She runs faster and she doesn't stop, ready to throw her arms around his neck in greeting, and then--

A foot away, she stops short. Remembers everything that happened (or didn't happen) between them. And then it occurs to her that he is standing here, with her, on the road to death.

"What did you do?" She's afraid now, and makes no attempt to disguise it. If he's traded his life for hers, or something equally stupid... "What I had to," is his answer. It's not reassuring.

She reaches out, tentatively, hovering for a moment before putting her hand on his shoulder. "Are you...?"

"Dead?" He gives her that trademark half-grin. "Not sure. Doesn't matter anyway."

Her eyes bug. "Are you crazy?! Of course it matters!"

His grin fades into something more gentle and he shakes his head. "Nah. You're alive. Or you will be. 'S all I care about."

She crosses her arms and narrows her eyes at him. "Oh yeah? How's this, then? I'm not leaving here without you, Mayor Teylecg."

He chuckles, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. "You're stubborn, I'll give you that. Almost as bad as my brother. By the look of this place, though? Berath wants payment. And I'm not letting it be you."

"Fuck Berath," she snaps with unexpected vehemence. "He's not taking you."

He folds his arms with some kind of omniscient smirk, like he knows he's going to win this one. She glowers at him. "Looks like we're at an impasse then," he says.

"Looks like we are," she replies, mimicking his pose.

They stare each other down in silence for a few moments before he says with an air of forced casualness, "So... how's the Dyrwood nobility?"

She rolls her eyes. "Ugh, don't get me started. Part of me almost regrets not just letting Gathbin have the place, so he could deal with all the assholes himself."

"Aw, come on," he says. "Place wouldn't be half as good with him running it. And the basement would still be full o' monsters."

She grins suddenly. "Love to see him try to fight that adra dragon."

They laugh, and for a moment it's back in the old days, and they're gathered by the campfire, and they're not standing on the road to death facing an unbearable ultimatum.

"How's Dyrford?" she asks.

He shrugs a shoulder. "Better and better. Always new problems to deal with, of course, but they're doin' all right."

Silence falls again, fraught with tension, and finally she sighs. "Look, Edér..."

He looks over at her, a strange softness in his eyes. "I missed you," he says.

She'd had an argument all planned out. Caed Nua’s done for anyway, he has a village depending on him--but it all vanishes in an instant when she meets his eyes. What comes out instead is... the truth. "I can't lose you." Well. Not the whole truth. But a large part of it. "Half of what made all this bearable was..." she twists the ring on her finger, "knowing you were out there. I can't lose that. I can't lose you."

He sets a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Then you know how I feel."

Her heart skips a beat. He doesn't... he can't.

She glances back over her shoulder. Neither aspect of Berath has moved. She looks back at Edér, steeling her resolve. "You know what? Fuck 'em. No one loses anyone today."

He frowns. "But..."

"You were there," she reminds him. "They're not gods. That means they can be stopped, and they're not absolute. Let's see Berath try to stop us."

"How do we--"

"Just follow my lead."

She clasps his hand tightly and closes her eyes, concentrating with all her might on Caed Nua, all but dragging her soul back to her body, and his right along with her. Berath, or whatever it is, resists, but somehow the knowledge that he isn't omnipotent is all the strength she needs.

The pain returns with awareness. Broken ribs, probably, and at least one broken leg. She isn't about to check. Or move.

She groans. "Maybe I should've just died."

"Don't say that." He's there, right at her side, one of his hands gently cupping her face. "And don't do that to me again, you hear? Thought you were dead."

She nods, too weary to argue. He seems to notice, and his gaze softens. "You're gonna be okay," he says. "Get some rest. I'll be right here."

"Can you...?"

He nods before she can finish the question. The last thing she hears before slipping back into unconsciousness is his voice, soothing her to sleep. They've got problems, sure. Boatloads of them. But for now, he's here, and she feels safer than she has in months.

#claire says things #claire writes things #claire is also a goddamn sap #pillars of eternity #pillars of eternity fic #watcher x eder #it's all madison's fault i tell you

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queen-scribbles · 6 years ago

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Just a Suggestion

For @pillarspromptsweekly 66: Gratitude. Anyone object to ridiculous amounts of borderline cheesy Ederity fluff? No? Excellent. :D

It was finally here.

All the excruciatingly long days had passed, ticked off with glee at each sunset. All the preparations had been made, everything would be taken care of. There wasn’t anything left to do but get on with it.

Tavi ran through her mental checklist one last time to make sure she had everything before securing the buckles on her pack. All set. She stepped out of the room, pack slung over one shoulder, and pulled the door closed behind her She was off for Dyrford. Well, as soon as she talked to Keya she would be.

Fortunately, teal-haired orlans weren’t that difficult to track down. Especially when they were perched on the top rail of the training yard fence, yelling encouragement at the pair sparring within.

“Keya!” Tavi hollered as she approached, and she obligingly swung around.

When she saw who was calling, she barked a Keep at it! to the sparing guards and hopped down to greet Tavi. “You heading out, Watcher?”

“Yep,” Tavi said, unable to hide her grin of anticipation. “I just wanted to thank you again for always bein’ willin’ to take over here when I get restless.”

“Or when you wanna go play matchmaker?” Keya added with a wink as she crossed her arms.

“It worked, didn’t it?” Tavi laughed. “But yes. Then, too. I really appreciate havin’ the freedom to get away when I want.”

“No problem,” Keya shrugged. “You sure as shit pay me well enough, and I like it here. I’m happy to keep it runnin’ smooth when you’re gone.” She smirked. “‘Specially now that all the men know I could kick their asses in my sleep an’ don’t give me lip anymore.”

Tavi raised an eyebrow. “That was a problem?”

“Only the first time,” Keya waved it off. “Showed I knew what I was doin’ and wouldn’t stand for grumblin’ and it all worked out. Might still get the occasional cat-fucker from more uncouth and unsettled petitioners who weren’t expecting to find an orlan in charge, but all of Caed Nua’s men are solid. No worries, boss.” She grinned and flicked one narrow braid back toward its dozen-odd fellows. “Go have fun and bask in the glory of bein’ right.”

“An excellent plan,” Tavi laughed, jostling the pack to a more comfortable position. “See you in about a week, Key. I told the cook all your favorite dishes that I can remember, so you can at least eat good food while shoulderin’ the burden of leadership.”

Keya’s eyes lit up. “And that’s why I like workin’ for you. Thank you for that, and see you ‘round.” She gave a final, confirming nod before turning back to the sparring match.

Tavi watched for a minute, grinning as Kya offered advice and encouragement, and then set off for Dyrford Village and a day she’s been looking forward to for months.

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

Tavi had, for this visit, insisted she was staying at the Dracogen. Charity protested--they had fun when Tavi stayed at her place, she didn’t mind, it made more sense--but Tavi held firm. To her, it made more sense to let Charity have the house to herself one more night before she had to share it forever. No amount of cajoling on Charity’s part could change her mind. She even went so far as to prearrange with Dengler and Peycg to hold a room for her.

She was very glad for this arrangement when she reached Dyrford and found the Dracogen full to bursting with a large adventuring party. They were apparently bound for Clîaban Rilag, to hear their braggart leader talk, and none too happy some of them would have to double up. It was the kind of group Hiravias would have torn apart single-handed, if they didn’t piss themselves and run away, so Tavi could only imagine what a group of Glanfathans who caught them trespassing would do. She might have felt more sympathetic regarding the rude awakening that awaited them if said braggart leader wasn’t currently trying to bully Peycg into giving her group all the rooms with no current occupants.

Bullying Peycg--or trying to--was stupid as the day was long, and she could more than handle herself, but Tavi still made a show of sidling up and asking Dengler for the key to her room, “seein’ as your wife is busy” with a shit-eating grin.

Dengler matched her grin as he handed over the key. “It’s that corner one y’like, away from the currier’s.”

The braggart’s eyes flashed fury as she put a face to the kith who’d nicked one of the best rooms in the inn before her company arrived. Tavi ignored her, thanked Dengler, waved a greeting to Peycg, and headed for the stairs. Hopefully those copperfuckers wouldn’t be around long. She’d hate for something like them to ruin Edér and Charity’s wedding.

The anticipation washed over her again in a giddy rush, and her grin shifted to one of pure joy as she hastily dropped her pack on the bed and headed out to visit Charity.

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

It was a good thing the thought occurred to check the Berathian temple before walking all the way out to Charity’s farm, because that was where Tavi found her. The redhead was twirling the end of her ponytail with one hand while the other gestured animatedly as she talked with Harbinger Boedmar.

“...not askin’ people to sit still for that long, Harbinger. ‘Specially for pageantry. We just want the meat of it, we told you that,” she said emphatically.

“But people will expect a certain level of ceremony, him being the mayor-” Boedmar tried.

“I wouldn’t care if he was the damn duc,” Charity cut him off. “We don’t want anything but what’s necessary; the vows and such.” She smiled wryly. “It’s my weddin’, Boedmar, and I don’t wanna stand in front of people for three blazin’ hours.”

“I see your point,” the old priest finally relented with a laugh. “And he is a very to the point sort of man, so I suppose people will understand.”

“Thank you.” Charity caught sight of Tavi and flashed a smile as she excused herself from their conversation. She quickly crossed to where Tavi waited. “And thank you for for an escape from that conversation.”

“You’re welcome,” Tavi said with a chuckle. “Though hearin’ the end of your conversation, I feel it’s a fair trade for you gettin’ us guests out of a three fuckin’ hour long ceremony.”

Charity snorted. “You’re also welcome, but that’s as much for us as for everyone else. And hang anyone who doesn’t understand.”

Tavi raised an eyebrow. “That’s usually vehement for you. Is it just weddin’ stress or...?”

“Mostly,” Charity admitted with a sigh. “There’s a lot of planning, and I’ve been doin’ most of it ‘cause Edér gotta be mayor--he helps as much as he can, don’t get me wrong,” she added hastily. “Mostly back rubs and hugs when I get too stressed. But I’m still handlin’ the bulk of it.” She fiddled with her necklace, zipping the pendent back and forth on the chain. “Beyond that, though... we’re already compromisin’ enough; getting married in Berath’s temple by Berath’s priest. They can give us a tolerable ceremony length.” A smirk pulled at her lips. “Can you imagine if we’d said we wanted a ‘proper’ Eothasian wedding?”

Tavi rolled her eyes and huffed a laughed. “They prob’ly would run you both out of town on the fuckin’ rails, regardless of how much they like his mayorin’. Are you alright doin’ it this way?”

Charity shrugged. “In a perfect world, Waidwen wouldn’t have been such an ass and made people look down on Eothasians so we could do this the way we want,” she said in an undertone, as Boedmar was still scuttling around putting the last touches on his sanctuary. “But since it ain’t perfect, we make the compromises we need. All that really matters, to both of us, is that we love each other and we get to be married.” She grinned and steered Tavi toward the door. “Which, by the way, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for that.”

“Me?” Tavi feigned innocence as they exited the temple. “Why me?”

“Aside from you being a very good friend to both of us, always willing to help or give advice, and the nudge we needed to pick a damn date and get things moving toward this?” Charity said, ticking off points on her fingers and gesturing toward the temple doors. “All of which I greatly appreciate, mind you. If memory serves, you were the one to suggest we pretend to court in the first place. To cover why he was visitin’ me so much.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Tavi said dramatically(as if she could’ve forgotten. Of all the plans she’d conceived in her life, that one had far and away been the most successful). “Well, you’re welcome for that.”

“No, seriously, Tavi.” Charity pulled her to a stop just aside from the temple steps. “I love him so damn much, and he loves me back, and we are so unspeakably, incandescently happy, and it only happened because of your suggestion.” She took Tavi’s hands in hers and squeezed them fervently. “I don’t know how we... how I can ever repay you.”

“Oh, trust me,” Tavi replied, pretty sure she was grinning like an idiot. “Seein’ you two happy together is more than enough for me. And y’know... I don’t know everything involved with an Eothasian wedding, but you’re a priest, right? Couldn’t the two of you do a quick, y’know abbreviated one in the morning before the ‘official’ Berathian ceremony?” Charity was staring at her, mouth slightly agape, so she pressed on. “It’s just a suggestion, since I know your faith is real fuckin’ important to both of y-”

Charity let go of Tavi’s hands and yanked her into a hug tight enough to knock the wind from her. “Tavi, you’re a genius!”

“Happy to help,” Tavi managed, smiling to herself as she patted the other woman on the back. Auroch’s shadow, how and when did I forget how fuckin’ strong she is?

“No, really, that’s blazing brilliant,” Charity said eagerly as she let go. “Can’t believe neither of us thought of it. I’m gonna go talk it over with Edér.” She gestured vaguely toward the mayor’s office. “Can you check with Dengler or Peycg that everything’s going alright with the food?” She started off, then spun back. “Oh, if Edér likes the idea, will you be our witness?”

Tavi laughed and nodded. “Of course.” She trolled back toward the Dracogen, hoping fervently that the adventuring company had all retreated to their rooms to talk business or something. So long as they weren’t around when she talked to Peycg or Dengler. And anyway, the sooner they were moved on the better.

Luck was with her, and the only people she could see when she entered were a couple locals, Sid, and Dengler minding the counter.

“Just the man I wanted to talk to,” Tavi said brightly, hastening across the room anf plunking down at a counter seat. “Charity asked me to confirm everything’s goin’ alright with the food.”

“Oh, aye,” Dengler nodded. He leaned forward with a wink and a conspiratorial grin. “Peycg has all but adopted that girl, and she’s mighty fond of Mayor Teylecg, too. You think she’s gonna let anything bad happen to the food for their weddin’?” He scrubbed a stubborn stain and laughed. “Effigy himself would have to deal with my wife if he tried anything.”

Tavi laughed with him, greatly enjoying the mental image of Peycg fending off Skaen from disrupting the wedding. She’d do it, too, Tavi had no doubts. “Well, that’s good to hear. I’m glad Charity and Edér have so determined a guardian in charge of the meal. I’ll bet it’s fuckin’ delicious, too, if the food I’ve had from here is any indication.”

“Oh, aye, what we serve on the regular is a fair example of Peycg’s cookin’,” Dengler nodded. “The folks here about are in for a treat.”

“Bet most of ‘em know it, too.” Tavi bit her lip and picked at a chip in the counter. “Can’t wait for that party. I’m gonna go find Charity again, confirm everything’s good here and see what else I can do to help.”

“She’s right lucky to have a friend like you,” Dengler winked.

Tavi shrugged, but her cheeks still warmed at the compliment. “I did kinda nudge ‘em together, so I feel some responsibility to help this go smoothly.”

“Ah, so you’re the one we need to thank,” Peycg emerged from the kitchen, grinning like the cat who got in the cream. “I was plannin’ to do some nudging myself, then they wised up and started courtin’. I wondered if they got there on their own or had some help.”

It was a fucking miracle she kept a straight face. “Yep, I nudged. Pretty hard, truth be told. May have straight up told ‘em to fuckin’ court. Glad it worked. But since I am here a day early specifically to help the bride, I should go see if she needs me.”

“Course, Watcher. See you at the weddin’.” Peycg waved farewell and ducked back into the kitchen.

Grinning big, Tavi pushed awau from the counter and headed off to find Charity again.

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

It took more work than she expected. Charity wasn’t at Edér’s house, or the mayor’s office, or any of the other places Tavi thought she’d find her. She finally all but bumped into the woman near Winfrith’s shop.

“There you are!” they said in unison and near-matching levels of relief.

“I know why I’m glad to see you,” Tavi chuckled. “I checked with Dengler and the food’s all comin’ along great and will be ready right when you need it.”

“Good, that’s... good,” Charity muttered, sounding distracted. One hand zipped her pendent back and forth on its chain. “Tavi, how good are you at fixing hair?”

Tavi blinked and fought the urge to snort. “Shit, Charity, you know what mine’s always like. And I didn’t have any sisters to practice on or anything. Why?”

“Oh, Hendyna was supposed to do my hair tomorrow, but, um, she can’t now.” Charity tugged on the pendent hard enough Tavi worried she might snap the chain. “She was fillin’ an order and spilled some acid concoction that burned her hand. It wasn’t too bad, and I got her all patched up, but now her hand’s all stiff and she can’t fix my hair.”

Tavi raised an eyebrow. “You do know you could prob’ly do that messy bun you use for workin’ in the garden an’ Edér would still think you’re fuckin’ gorgeous, right?”

Charity blushed, but bit her lip and nodded. “I just feel like I should do something a little fancier for my damn wedding.”

“A fair point.” Tavi huffed out a sigh, blowing her bangs out of her face. “I can try, I guess? But I make no promises an’ you might wanna have a back-up idea that you can do yourself.”

“That’s all I can ask,” Charity said, shoulders slumping in relief. “You’re the best, Tavi.”

“I know,” Tavi joked with a roguish smirk. “What did Edér think of the, uh, idea?” They were in public, she didn’t want to give anything away.

“Oh, right.” Charity’s smile blossomed like the sun. “He thinks you’re a genius, too. I think we’re gonna do it.”

“Does this mean I hafta be out at your place at the asscrack of dawn?” Tavi asked, eyes narrowing.

Charity shrugged, smile shifting faux-innocent. “You could just stay in my blazin’ guest room, then you’d already be there.”

“No,” Tavi said emphatically. “I told you, I’m lettin’ you have the place to yourself your last night as a single woman. Edér must’ve told you how stubborn I am, if you managed to miss it yourself; I ain’t changin’ my mind. Even if it means gettin’ up at the asscrack of dawn for you two.”

Charity gave another shrug, caving with some reluctance. “Alright, suit yourself. I’ll stop askin’.”

“It’s more than not inconveniencin’ you now,” Tavi said hastily to reassure her. “I am inconveniencin’ those copperfuckin’ adventurers who wanted to take over the Dracogen, and that’s just too damn fun to give up.”

“Ah, well, in that case I understand,” Charity laughed. “That does sound like something you’d enjoy.”

Tavi flashed a wide grin. “So, whaddya need from me, aside from servin’ as witness at your”--she dropped her voice to a whisper--“secret dawn wedding?”

Charity rolled her eyes. “Right now, before I can focus on anything else for today, I need a drink. Just one, not even alcoholic. Just wanna breathe for a minute. Let myself be giddy instead of stressed about tomorrow.”

“One breather comin’ right up,” Tavi said, and tugged her toward the Dracogen. “If anyone deserves it, you do. Well, you and Edér, but I can’t do anything about the mayor shit. We’ll relax for a bit, chat, and then get back to business.”

Charity nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

She insisted on paying for their drinks, as “one small thank you” for everything Tavi had done. Tavi let her--she’d never been one to turn down free drinks. But she’d been completely serious before; her real reward was going to come tomorrow.

And she couldn’t fuckin’ wait.

#queens fic #pillars prompts weekly #ederity #charity #tavi illani #who is flying her SHIP CAPTAIN banner like nobody's business right now #she's SO EXCITED #otp: brighter than the sun

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queen-scribbles · 6 years ago

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📊 🚼 💋 for Tavi; ⛔️ 📢 👧 🌎 🎭 🎁 for Adi; ⏰ 💔 🐜 🌎 for Charity; 🔗 🌠 🍟 🌺 for Emiri?

TAVI

📊 - How does your muse feel about the state of the world? Could it be better? Could it be worse?

Oh, the world’s a fuckin’ mess, but there are pockets of beauty hidden in with all the terrible shit. Find those and life’s not so bad. Like almost everything, the world could always be both better and worse, depending. She’s pretty sure, though, that she’s never going to see the absolute worst it could be, unless things unravel way faster than she thinks they will in the aftermath of the Eothas Shenanigans in Deadfire.

🚼 - How would your muse react to losing a child? How would they cope?

OH boy. She would not handle it well, I think. At all. I mean, no parents copes well with losing their child, but given she’s already lost her parents and brothers (though she potentially has Khellin back by this point), I think it would be even worse for her. There would be lots of drinking the first week or two, lots of swearing, isolating herself from everyone except Aloth bc crying is a level of weakness she’s only comfortable showing around him. She would probably have some very strong, decidedly uncomplimentary words for Hylea(starting with (”FUCK YOU, WHY?”).

Though, I guess, there are a few influencing factors that might change things a little; how old a child, how they die… (esp. if, say, a godlike who gets *ahem* converted for their parent god she would be very. scary. indeed. But that’s a plot bunny I don’t want to chase bc that way lies many sad and terrifying things)

There would be healing eventually, though never complete, bc Tavi is nothing if not resilient.💋 - How does your muse feel about people who cheat? Do they see a reason for it, or is it completely immoral?

Fuckin’ assholes. She wants to break their faces in. In her opinion, if you’re in a relationship you need to cheat on(that you feel safe cheating on), just leave it.

ADI

⛔️ - How does your muse react to others breaking the law? If they would do it themselves, what is their reasoning?

She’s not really comfortable with it, but in some circumstances understands and would turn a blind eye if there was no other way for her to help. She knows sometimes parents steal food to feed their children etc. And in some places the law–whether the statutes or the people enforcing them–is corrupt, and in those situations, her view is more “do the best you can to help and protect the innocent”👧 - What is your muse’s relationship like with their siblings? Who do they get along with best?

She gets along pretty well with all her siblings. None of them are as curious as she is, so their eyes tend to glaze over a little when she goes off rambling about something new she learned, but she forgives them for that. She’s probably closest with Ben, actually. He’s the oldest of the siblings, ten years older than Adi. When the next kid down the line came along(Tia, three years younger than Adi), their mom was a little overwhelmed. Ben wound up playing with Adi a lot to keep her busy and from being too clingy while Mom was taking care of Tia. They bonded, and she’s been really close to him ever since.🌎 - Does your muse want to change the world? How would they go about it?

(I hope this is right. The symbol didn’t show up, but there’s only one on the list like that, so hopefully I still got the right question xD)

She has no large-scale dreams of changing the world, no. But she wants to see as much of it as possible, and leave everywhere she goes better than she found it, so between those two things, she probably will change it, at least a little.

🎭 - How does your muse handle their emotions? Do they bottle them up or pour them out as soon as they start to feel?

Oh, she’s very open about her emotions, especially when she’s excited about something. Negative stuff she might try to hide, but she has a very expressive face, so it never lasts long. This girl walks around with her heart on her sleeve no matter what.

🎁 - Does your muse celebrate their birthday? If yes, how do they celebrate? If no, why not?

Yes. At home, there would be a big meal with all her favorite foods–and Ben probably invented some new dish that she’ll love as a surprise–her family spends the day together, there might be presents, and she definitely spends a lot of time reading.

CHARITY

⏰ - Does your muse feel like they need to do things quickly or do they take their time?

I mean, once she has a task in mind, she doesn’t see a point to dillydallying. She’s going to get to work. But she’s very patient, and understands some things take time to accomplish(knitting, for example), so she paces herself on those in order for them to still turn out good.💔 - How would your muse react to losing a romantic partner? How would they cope?

She’d be a wreck for a while, no matter what. If he broke up with her, she’d spend some time on self assessment, figure out if she did something that made her less attractive as a partner, and fix anything she might find. (If she doesn’t find anything and this is all on him, well, then, the wrecked stage will be much shorter) If she’s lost him because he died, she’s gonna grieve a really long time. That whole “perils of loving deeply” thing; the more you care, the more it hurts. She’d probably keep some article of clothing of his to wear when she misses him

🐜 - How does your muse feel about animal lives? Do they treat them the same way they’d treat a person, or do they feel they’re inferior?

She loves animals and values them pretty highly, but not quite the same level as a person. Like, if there’s a person and an animal totally helpless and in danger, she’s going to try and save the person first, but she’ll feel really guilty about not being able to save the animal too.

🌎 - Does your muse want to change the world? How would they go about it?

Nah, the last time she tried to be vocal about making things better, she essentially got run out of town and her parents threatened. She’ll stand up for what’s right, but doesn’t want harm coming to the people she cares about as a result, so she tends to focus on smaller scale things.

EMIRI

🔗 - What are your muse’s standards for meaningful relationships? How quickly do they form relationships like these?

Mostly just the ability to form a strong emotional connection with someone. Shared interests are a bonus, of course, but not necessarily a requirement. Someone she can trust, who treats her like an equal, preferably alright with hugs and such as gestures of platonic affection, bc her Love Language is physical touch. The speed these relationships form varies depending on the person, tbh. She and Aloth bond really, really fast, like before they even get to Caed Nua. Hiravias it takes a little bit, but the two of them do wind up really good friends(a lot of their bonding is through the ‘The Gods Fucked Me Over But Good’ Club (his phrasing not hers) so the actually relationship doesn’t start developing til later in the game. Edér and Kana are sort of in the middle, Sagani’s another fast one(though that’s almost more Emiri imprinting on her like a baby duck who needs a mother figure at first).🌠 - Would your muse make a wish on a star? If so, what would they wish for?

She might, but wouldn’t more than half believe there was a chance of it coming true. She’d probably wish for either the guts to tell Kana she likes him or to remember her family better so maybe she could try and find them.🍟 - How does your muse feel about their body? Would they change it if they could?

She’s pretty okay with her body. She’s occasionally regretted being godlike simply bc that’s the reason she got snagged by the pirates, but she’s pretty comfortable with her body and I don’t think she’d change anything. (Being moon godlike–the most accepted one–probably helps)🌺 - Does your muse have a favorite flower? Why do they like it?

Either Admeth’s Wyrt or Pilgrim’s Crown, both just because they’re pretty.

#thoughtful muses questions #tavi illani #adela tecali #charity #emiri

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queen-scribbles · 7 years ago

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Crossing the Line

For @pillarspromptsweekly Fill #34. This week was another Roll for It, and boy howdy was I happy to get Gathbin in there, :3 Playing with Tavi’s opinion of him is FUN. Also got Great Hall and reclamation(which you kind of have to squint to see) (ao3 link coming bc tumblr’s still doing the thing)

“Watcher, there’s a visitor waiting in the Great Hall,” the gate guard announced as Tavi led her group back into Caed Nua.

She fought the urge to groan. She was tired, the cuts on her arm had reached the point in the healing process where they itched like crazy, the lot of them were worse for wear after the bandits they fought on the way back, and she was very much not in the mood. “Who is it?” If Azzuro’s tryin’ to part me from a couple thousand pands for somethin’ I don’t fuckin’ need again...

“Lord Gathbin, I believe,” the guard said, a slight smirk pulling at his lips.

“Really, now.” Tavi flashed a predatory grin. “It would be rude to make him wait.”

“He certainly has some nerve,” Kana murmured behind her. “I wonder what he wants.”

“I know what he’s gonna get,” Tavi snorted, stomping across the grounds with far more vigor than she’d felt a minute ago.

“Tavi-” There were hurried footsteps, and then Aloth was beside her. “Don’t do anything rash.”

“Oh, I’ve spent plenty of time thinkin’ about what I”m gonna do to that fucker,” she growled.

“Aye, an’ well he deserves it!” Iselmyr’s comment spilled out before Aloth silenced her with a wince.

“Whatever he might deserve, if we handle this properly, not only can we completely annul his claim, but he’ll be humiliated in the process. He sent assassins after you who failed. Usher’s eyes, you took them single handed. But if you barge in there and threaten to gut him in front of witnesses, you’ll be no better in their eyes.”

“Fuck what they think,” Tavi shot back with a snarl. “When have I ever cared what people fuckin’ think about me?” Aside from you, anyway. Not waiting for his answer, she slammed open the door to the Great Hall and strode inside.

“...claim what is mine by rights,” Gathbin was saying to Marshal Forwyn. He spun around, scowling, at the interruption. “You! What are you doing here?”

“I was about to ask you that,” Tavi retorted, crossing her arms. The motion pulled at her injured shoulder but she ignored the twinge. “Didn’t you basically forfeit your claim with your hissy fit in the Chancellor’s office?”

“Nothing of the sort,” Gathbin snorted. “Caed Nua is mine, you filthy little guttersnipe. I’ll not have some unwashed Vailian sword-for-hire stealing my family’s property.”

“It’s not stealing if I won it because you wouldn’t pay for service rendered,” Tavi growled. Even with Aloth’s (very sound) advice ringing in her ears, she was a hairs breadth from actually gutting the pompous fuck. She smirked. “It must burn you up t’ know that I’m living here, and doing a good fucking job.”

He sniffed disdainfully. “Oh, yes, it’s positively flourishing under your control.” He shot significant looks at the rubble clogging the way to the library and barracks. “Such a fine keep deserves better than your fumbling attempts at leadership.”

Tavi’s hands curled into fists. She might not like the politics and business of being the Watcher of Caed Nua, but she’d be damned if someone was going to insinuate she couldn’t do it. “Is that why you sent fuckin’ assassins, Lord Gathbin?”

He didn’t even blink at the sarcasm dripping from his title, face going studiously blank. “I didn’t send assassins.”

“Bullshit,” Tavi snapped, digging into her belt pouch for the letter Keya had found. She hadn’t wanted it to mysteriously vanish and had kept it with her. “I have proof. It has your fucking seal on it, you bastard!”

“I hired no assassins,” Gathbin repeated, adjusting one silk glove. “I may have paid some men to exterminate vermin encroaching on my keep, but-”

Tavi was launching herself forward before he finished the sentence, too furious to even holler the obscenities pilling up in her head.

Kana caught her before she’d made it more than a foot or two, wrapping an arm around her waist and hauling her off her feet. “I think it’s time to let someone else handle this conversation.” He nodded to Aloth and started carrying Tavi back toward the door.

She thought about fighting him, started to struggle, and then remembered two things. First, Kana was roughly as strong as she was, and second, he was one of six siblings. From her own experience grappling siblings who were doing(or about to do) stupid shit, she knew she was at a disadvantage. Kana already had her off her feet and was a fair bit bigger than she was. The part of her seeing red still wanted to try and work free so she could punch Gathlin in his stupid fucking face, but when she twitched Kana tightened his grip. So she resigned herself to glaring daggers at the man until the door closed between them. She was still all but snorting sparks when Kana set her down and rested his hands on her shoulders.

“Alright, Tavi, no prying ears--except mine, I suppose--what was that about?” he asked gently.

“You heard him,” Tavi muttered angrily. “Vermin, my ass. I’ll leave him for vermin to chew on...”

“I did hear him,” Kana nodded. “This is not your usual reaction to insults. Usually, you reply with with a snarky comment, and are only ready to murder if necessary. This is... much stronger than normal.”

“He crossed a line,” she said with a growl, crossing her arms. Her fingernails bit into her biceps in a vain attempt to hide her anger. “Exterminating vermin, he said.”

“Tavi. You’ve been called worse and brushed it off,” he said softly.

“Aloth and Keya were the first ones in my room with the ruckus,” she finally caved, voice so quiet Kana leaned forward to hear her. She glanced down at the parchment still clenched in her hand. “The orders said no witnesses. If I hadn’t killed them, if Aloth or Keya weren’t prepared, it could’ve gotten” -Him- “one of them hurt. Or killed.”

From the look on his face, Kana knew--or guessed--where her thoughts had gone. He was nice enough not to bring it up, instead pointing out, “But you did kill the assassins, and I was there, Keya and Aloth were both prepared for trouble.” He smiled. “Your cursing loudly in the middle of the night is a rare enough occurrence they were suitably warned.”

Tavi managed a weak smirk. “I try to save the cursin’ for daytime hours when everyone can enjoy it.”

Kana chuckled. “And we appreciate your valiant efforts on our behalf. My point, Tavi, is that everything turned out fine.”

“I know,” she said quietly, feeling the coil of rage in her gut begin to loosen. But what if it hadn’t? “He just made it way more personal than most do.” She raked hair out of her face. “So I reacted in kind. Still kinda want to fuckin’ strangle him,” she admitted, kicking a pebble.

“And I don’t blame you for that in the slightest,” Kana said with a nod. “But think how much more satisfying it’ll be to defeat him in proper combat.”

She snorted. “To Rymyrgamd’s fucking void with proper combat, I’m just sick of him bein’ a threat.”

“I doubt he’ll try anything like this again,” Kana shrugged. “Especially knowing that you’re wise to him, and given that he all but admitted to attempted assassination in front of the marshal. His next move will likely be more direct.”

Between the time to think and Kana’s rational commentary, Tavi found herself calming down. “That... does make sense. And it would feel great to let the bastard think he can beat me before I prove him so wrong it’s fucking hilarious.” She cocked her head. “Can I just challenge him to a duel and get it over with?”

Kana shook his head. “You could, but he’d never accept. You’ll just have to bide your time until you have a big enough army to meet him in battle.”

“Damn,” she groused, but just then the door swung open, distracting her from further comment.

Lord Gathbin stormed out, back rigid. He sent Tavi a venomous glare but didn’t say anything as he strode rapidly toward the gate. Aloth and Sagani emerged only a few seconds behind, the latter’s hand on her bow as if to make sure their guest truly departed.

Tavi raised an eyebrow as she watched him go. “I’d consider him handled. Gods, city slicker, what did you say?!”

Aloth shrugged. “I simply reminded him of the combat prowess that made you a contender for Caed Nua in the first place.” He smiled slyly at her. “And informed him that you dispatched all three assassins single handed in under a minute, so he regrettably had not gotten his money’s worth with them.”

“That’s not even the best part, though,” Sagani crowed, apparently satisfied Gathbin was really leaving as she turned to join the conversation. “Tell her what you said after that.”

“What I said isn’t important,” Aloth protested. “All that truly matters is that he knows better than to do something like that again.”

Tavi looked at Sagani, curiosity only further piqued by Aloth’s humility. “Do tell.”

“Sending assassins is the mark of either a desperate men or an unworthy coward-”

“One so cowardly as to be unworthy of his title,” Aloth interrupted, face bright red and gaze studiously fixed on the hangnail he was picking. “If you insist on quoting it, at least do so properly.”

“Oh, I’m sorry if any of your poorly hidden contempt for the man got lost in translation,” Sagani said dryly. “Anyway, it was basically that if he was either of the previously mentioned types of kith, you were more than capable of handling him.” She grinned as Aloth’s ears twitched. “Then something about that not being a threat, just a statement of fact. Which, by the way, I second. You could beat that man with one hand tied behind your back, Tav.”

“‘Course I could,” Tavi snorted, studying Aloth’s face. “That just sounds a little more, well, me of a sentiment than you would usually voice, Aloth.”

The wizard shrugged, briefly meeting her eye before returning his gaze to the hangnail, which was now bleeding. “He crossed a line,” he said quietly. “And you’re rather important, being the leader of our group, and a Watcher, and the only one with a prayer of tracking down Thaos. Life will be significantly easier without Lord Gathbin trying anything further.”

“Thanks for havin’ my back, Corfiser,” Tavi grinned, lightly bumping her shoulder against his.

“Oh, it was no trouble,” Aloth mumbled.

“I can still appreciate it,” she said warmly. “Now come on, you lot”--an inclusive gesture to the lot of them--”we’re leavin’ for Defiance Bay first thing in the mornin’, an’ I want everyone well fed, well rested, and stocked up on whatever you think you’ll need.” If she hesitated a beat so she could walk to Brighthollow roughly next to Aloth, it was no one’s fuckin’ business but her own.

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

Everyone went to their own quarters when they entered Brighthollow, of course. But it was only a couple minutes before a growling stomach led Kana to the kitchen in search of a snack. And apparently, he wasn’t the only one.

Sagani waved a cheery greeting from her perch cross-legged on the table. “Lookin’ for the cookies? I haven’t eaten all of ‘em yet.”

“I had been considering something a bit hardier,” Kana laughed, “but since you mention it...”

She leaned forward and nudged the half empty plate toward him, commenting, “Interesting homecomin’, huh?” She gestured in the direction of Caed Nua’s main hall with her partially eaten cookie to clear up any potential confusion.

“It certainly was,” Kana agreed, chuckling as he reached for a couple of the golden-brown treats. “I haven’t yet seen anyone get a rise out of Tavi quite like that.” He sat--properly--at the table, noting with amusement that it put him perfectly eye-level with the dwarf.

“Yeah, Gathbin sure got under her skin,” Sagani mused, taking another bite of her cookie. “She say anything to you regardin’ why?”

Kana shrugged but smiled. “Who were the first ones in the room, who may have come to harm?”

“Keya and Al-oh.” Sagani smirked. “I knew it! It’s mutual, isn’t it?”

“What is?”

She rolled her eyes and teased, “Well, there goes my high opinion of your observational skills. Aloth’s been carryin’ a torch for Tavi at least since I joined up, maybe longer.” A giggle escaped, along with a few crumbs. “You really didn’t notice?”

Kana reflected, then gave a conceding nod. “In hindsight, yes, it is rather obvious, isn’t it? And she’s definitely carrying one for him. One obvious enough I wonder that you missed it.”

“I suspected,” Sagani shot back, grinning. “Now, how long you figure ‘fore they admit.it to each other?”

Kana thought for a moment, munching on his cookie. “A month? Perhaps longer, Tavi’s still in a state resembling denial.”

Sagani snorted. “Please. I give it a week. Two, tops.”

Kana shot her a curious look, grin playing at his lips. “How certain are you of that prediction?”

“Fifty pands sure,” she shot back, matching his grin.

“I’ll take that wager,” he said with a nod.

They shook on it, and returned their attention to polishing off the plate of cookies. They were setting out tomorrow; no telling when they’d have another chance to slow down and enjoy the simple things in life.

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

Sagani wins, btw. It’s only a week and half from here that Tavi has Near Death Experience #3 in Third Time’s the Charm. Kana’s okay with this. (He wins the bet on how long til their first “real” kiss after that, so it balances out)

#queens fic #pillars prompts weekly #pillars of eternity #tavi illani #kana rua #aloth corfiser #sagani #otp: third time's the charm

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