#hearthtales | feldmire

[strywoven]

cont'd. / @hearthtales

Instinct rules the nature of most ( if not all ) creatures.  In a scene such as this , confronted by an entity which radiates such WRONGNESS , a wiser animal would heed the advice of such natural inhibitions : do not trust it , RUN⸺ !

This godling is no such creature.  Though born of the wilds , with veins alive of blood which sings the song of divine beasts , they heed not to fear but instead to the CALL OF CURIOSITY , that contemptible recklessness of courage and brazen need to u n d e r s t a n d and be u n d e r s t o o d .  And indeed , this moment is just such a moment where it comes forth ; those sapphire hues wide and awestruck , not a touch of terror to be found.

Thus , there they stand , practically g l o w i n g in anticipation , rife with EXCITEMENT like a wee child gazing upon the grandest sight they’ve ever seen !  Such a characteristic would kill them , they know , but it is a sincere innocence just the same ; for no matter the horror which thinks to greet them , Kaen would take it into their heart with all the love they could muster.  Maude’s warnings and cautions fleetingly cross Kaen’s mind— But forgive them , what is done is done.  And this interest , Kaen speculates from the great entity’s demeanor , seems to go BOTH WAYS .  So they are fool enough to play its game ( or , perhaps , brave enough where none other were afore ) .

Kaen preens a bit at the compliment ( so they think it is ) it pays them , grinning a bit , giggling softly.  ❝ ‘Course Ah’m a little afraid , ❞ They admit , their voice lilted by a heavy , musical accent and playful verve , almost as if t a u n t i n g it , ❝ But tha’s ne’er stopped me b’fore.  An’ Ah’ve ne’er seen anythin’ like ye !  Wha’ ‘re ye ? ❞  It might be a bit much to get answers , but it doesn’t hurt to make an effort to converse with it , either.  They add on , continuing to prattle on eagerly , daring to TAKE A STEP NEARER , ❝ Miss Maude said ye were scary ta’ guests but … Y’re not so bad ! ❞

[justashadetalkative]

TRAIL :  for one muse to notice the other has been following them. (feld & diamond, whatever u prefer in terms of who is following whom!)

Diamond sighed. He’d been ignoring it for a while in the vague hope that whatever was following him would lose interest, but if anything it was drawing closer, its attention more focused.

He turned, cane held loosely upright at his side, head tilted. Raised his voice a little — not because the presence was distant enough to be likely to need it, but just to make it abundantly clear that he was addressing them intentionally.

“Can I help you?” he asked, tone bland.

[thesundowncrew]

As soon as the creature spoke, Samhain was quick to scribble into his notebook. "Ah'm grateful my 'silly' friend woke me," the ghoul replied flatly, his eyes still cast downward on his writing. "She made sure ah didn't waste away sleeping so punishment's not necessary, despite what you think."

Green eyes darted up and down as Samhain tried sketching the creature's current form as well as that of a snake and a horse. Next to the crude sketches were notes such as 'preferred forms?' and 'full of itself' in neat but hasty penmanship. Not wanting to dwell on past events for too long, Samhain asked with thriving curiosity:

"You've taken on different forms besides this one. Can you shapeshift into any creature you desire? Any form at all, even if it doesn't exist? Or can you only turn into things you've personally seen?"

Samhain paused, thinking to himself. Then he added on another question over the previous one: "Can you mimic a creature's abilities as well? You can mimic a bird an' learn how to fly.. Does that mean you can mimic a fish an' breathe with its gills? If you took on the form of a dragon, could you breathe fire?"

The ghoul wrote down his additional inquiries as he spoke, lest he forgot them. If the creature was in any mood to humor him, that was something Samhain would have to put up with. But like the most tenacious researcher, he enjoyed a good a challenge when an interesting enough subject matter was involved.

Once freed from the bubble, Feld ignored Samhain entirely at first. Ten seconds passed while the smoky creature darted from corner to corner, checking its usual escape routes — cracks in the walls, ceiling, floor — only to find them sealed. Another barrier.

Except, this time, Feld was trapped inside the room. Not outside. It didn’t find the irony amusing.

Giving up on escape for now, the creature settled on the headboard of the bed. Its foggy form smoothed into a dusty-feathered crow. “I did not have a good rest,” it informed him, its raspy voice like the crackle of autumn leaves underfoot. “It was cramped and you kept me in there too long. I didn’t like it.”

Shifting from one clawed foot to the other, the creature clacked its beak in displeasure. “You’re being very ungrateful. I gave you a nice dream, and your silly friend spoiled it.” It glared at Samhain with keen amber eyes. “It’s rude to wake people sleeping. You should punish her, not me. Put her in a bubble.”

[justashadetalkative]

Diamond laughed in return, a dismissive, rueful sound, even as he tracked the sounds of the creature's shifting location with faint unease. "Oh, too many things to count. Too many things to name. But eventually you have to decide whether you're going to spend all your time looking for shit that may or may not turn up, or whether you're going to work with the shit you actually have."

Diamond... hesitated, for a moment, expression fading into a pensive frown.

It was all well and good to say that, and it was something he believed; but where did that leave his thus-far-unfruitful efforts to find a solution to the Spire's dilemma?

...not the point, just now. Diamond drummed his fingers on the handle of his white cane, eyebrows lifting, tone returning to dry confrontation. "But you misunderstand me. What I meant is that I don't much appreciate being followed. Care to explain what you're up to?"

@justashadetalkative || continued from ☆

Oh, he’d noticed it! Delightful!

A raspy laugh left Feldmire from its hiding place, blending into the rustle of leaves. “Me? Help me?” It slipped closer to him, through the undergrowth, a wispy shadow of a presence. “No, no, a far more interesting question is whether I can help you.”

When it spoke again, its voice emanated from somewhere different, somewhere in the branches up and to the left of Diamond, though the creature itself remained unseen. A smile curled into its lilting words. “Surely you must be looking for something, yes? Or missing something? Most people are.”

[strywoven]

Startled , at first , for the sudden movement ( for a brief moment in time , this godling frets that the oddly pleasant encounter has truly gone awry— ) as it lunges towards them , its body coming undone at the seams in some uncanny unraveling , unspooling in half-tangible smoke threads which c o i l themselves ‘round and ‘round the faun’s petite figure.  True is it that Kaen has seen many STRANGE THINGS in their time ( fae , various divinities , ghouls , homunculi & chimera of all breeds ) but this is something … N e w .  New in the way that their sense for its otherness is ALIVE & ALERT , attuned to it nigh completely in some fixated sort of way like a hungry beast gorging itself on the marrow of a long-sought bone.

So forgive them the way the g a w k , the way they cannot help but want to reach out and t o u c h it ( though they were raised better , of course , they are not nearly so rude ! ) .  But this godling is … Wholly ENCHANTED by its presence , that much is certain.

❝ More like warned , ❞ Kaen replies , tone affable and lighthearted , ❝ But ‘s nicer ta’ ‘ear it from th’ ‘orse’s mouth , aye ? ❞  They presume QUITE A LOT to jest with it as if they have known one another for far longer than these mere moments of encounter , treating it already as if it is their companion.  The faun beams , crackling cinder sparkling and dancing in their hair , harmlessly placing a touch of fiery glint to their person.  ❝ ‘S very nice meet ye , Feldmire ! ❞ Oh , how SWEETLY they say its name !  Like its own little melody ‘pon a tender-noted tongue.

Though the faun knows this should be a f a i r give and take , they look the least bit daunted by its returned question ; unsure , uncertain.  They consider the question for a few moments before eventually giving answer , ❝ A halfling , ❞ It’s a simple enough answer , though they figure to elaborate a bit for the sake of h o n e s t y , ❝ Child o’ gods an’ fae. ❞  Which might very well explain their appearance.  It’s only another moment before another question is asked , ❝ Why’s e’ryone so scared o’ ye ? ❞

fear had never stopped them before. how curious. feldmire notes the gleam of stones set into their cheeks, the lilt of their voice, the melodic tumble of words from their lips. talkative, this one.

they step closer.

a ghost of surprise ripples along feldmire’s ribcage. the creature freezes in place, processing the faun’s movement. sheer delight at their audacity follows shortly afterward. a wispy laugh spills from its throat. feldmire stamps its hooves and steps away, shakes its head as though trying to clear water from its ears. then it rears back before lunging forward.

it does not attack. its form unspools into boneless half-smoke; its body and neck stretch to curl around the faun. still an equine shape, but with warped proportions. any touch would sink into its form slightly before meeting cold, leathery resistance.

“not so bad?” it echoes. its neck loops further around them, smooth as a snake slithering through the air, until its skull faces them again. “how kind of you.” its tone isn’t quite mocking, but it holds no measure of sincerity. ah, but they’d asked what it was, hadn’t they? it smiles. “haven’t you heard? i am the creature that haunts the inn. i am the innkeeper’s shadow. i am diawl or cythraul, to her, though she calls me feldmire when she’s feeling nice.” a lengthy reply, but a non-answer at the same time.

“questions for questions,” it hums. because this must be a fair exchange. “tell me: what are you?”

[thesundowncrew]

“Nightshade?”

The moment Nettie's voice sounded from the stairway, everyone fell into stunned silence. Luckily Bran's quick-thinking saved them from having to come up with any more excuses about Samhain's sudden disappearance and then reappearance and bought them time to gather their thoughts and come up with some kind of game-plan.

"This journal's for Ms. Haven, or uuh, Mr. Arthur if she's not inclined. It's regardin' the river nearby an' how it can help Bran's condition. Ah've detailed everything ah know," Samhain instructed Nightshade, even down to the improvised retrieval spell he thought would help ensure no one could touch Bran's food without permission. "This one's about the case," he added, pulling out his personal research log with all his notes regarding the entity named Feldmire, including the details he learned about the contract from Bran the night before. "For your eyes only," he stressed, to which Nightshade gave a curt nod.

"T'be honest, ah still don't know much about the creature. Ah wanna take this chance to speak with it, get to know its motivations.." the ghoul's words trailed off but Nightshade could almost tell what he was thinking. "Ah'll try not to be long but if ah need you, ah'll call."

"Sammy, wait-" Nightshade reached out for him just as he was about to leave. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it. With a sigh, she resigned to just wishing him "Be careful."

"I will," Samhain nodded, smiling back confidently at his friend and apprentice. Suddenly the ghoul's body became nothing but formless shadow, swirling and twisting, till it dissipated into the cracks of the ceiling. The last thing Nightshade saw of his human form were his green eyes, gleaming devilishly and that smug, knowing grin on his face.

Nightshade was worried, but not for Samhain this time.

After cleaning up and closing the bedroom door behind her, Nightshade rejoined everyone downstairs. "Oh heyya sweetpea! Aaaaw is that for me?" she beamed upon seeing Nettie, Samhain's backpack now over her shoulders and the two journals tucked in her arms.

—

It seemed that as soon as it had the slightest thought of hiding itself, the attic was enveloped in shadow. Having now familiarized himself with the entity's peculiar energy, Samhain could pinpoint exactly where it had tucked itself away. Skeletal hands manifesting from the floorboards suddenly snatching it up and gripping tightly, like when one wrangled a slippery creature with no intention of letting it go anytime soon. Slowly but surely Samhain emerged from the shadows, green flames flickering wildly at the corners of his eyes as he stared the creature down.

"An' where do you think you're going?" the ghoul hissed, with a dormant anger that was finally coalescing and bubbling up to the surface.

He’d wanted to take on Feld alone… he’d wanted to test his limits. And he truly had left the emergency line to Nettie — a child who still had no idea Samhain had stayed and had only called Nightshade because she was thrilled to chat with a kitty. Bran stared at Samhain, baffled. Words failed him entirely this time.

He barely processed Samhain giving Nightshade the cat carving; only her excited squeal pulled him from his daze. At Samhain’s next words, Bran’s face paled even further. Confronting Feld was a bad idea for so many reasons. He’d just opened his mouth to tell him this when someone called from downstairs.

“Nightshade?” Nettie’s breathless voice, both eager and puzzled. The child herself appeared on the stairs a second later. Her cheeks were flushed, curly hair damp and even more tangled than usual. Samhain’s rumpled flower crown still sat atop her head. She held another flower crown in her hands, with pink blossoms the same shades as Nightshade’s outfit.

Spots of mud stained her dress. Maude would fuss about that, Bran thought distantly, only to realize with a jolt of fear that Nettie had set foot upon the top of the stairs. She grinned at him with the delight that meant she was about to sprint toward him. Bran knew she’d burst into tears if she saw Samhain now.

Bran gave Samhain one last worried glance before he turned from the doorway and caught Nettie midway down the hall, stopping her before she reached the room. “She’s just finishing up now,” he reassured her quickly, remembering the child told him Nightshade came to search Samhain’s room. He managed a weak smile. “C’mon, she’ll be down in a moment.”

Nettie hummed and looked past him longingly, as though considering whether to dodge him and find Nightshade right away. Bran held his breath and let out a relieved sigh when she beamed at him. “Okay!”

As Bran held her hand and led her back down the stairs, she showed him Nightshade’s flower crown and described its creation with bubbly joy (Gruff had helped a lot, apparently). Bran nodded along, offering questions and compliments to keep her distracted.

In the attic, the cold presence decided to wriggle itself behind some old furniture and boxes. Wisest to hide for now, the creature mused from its dusty refuge, assuming Samhain would leave the inn soon. It liked the attic too much to abandon it right away.