#to help set all trace of FD on fire

[captusmomentum]

@feynites @theladypirate

Here’s Part 1 of the “Worst Honeymoon Ever” or “Cleaning Up Falon’din’s Mess”

I figured I’d post the part I had that wasn’t fighting with me since it’s a good length and who knows when they other bit will wanna play nice. 

So enjoy some more Tanzanite Trio arranged marriage au stuff!

Uthvir and Thenvunin (mentioned) are feynites!

No one was under the illusion that renovating Falon’Din’s lands and holdings would be easy. Everywhere his influence had touched some kind of nightmarish element to it and removing those while trying to maintain the structure and not interfere with his former victims lives was slow difficult work.  The project was in a odd nebulous place, it was aesthetic in someways and so not a priority, but his tastes were so morbid and unappealing and his memory so unsavory that stripping everything so people could live there comfortably and safely was a high priority.

Which is how it ended up being put on Inanallas’s desk as her major task in this…whatever it was but how it  also ended up wildly understaffed, consisting of just her and a few small crews of workers from various clans. The idea is that his palaces will be converted into something more akin to embassies or as needed housing for the clans and the rest of the renovations will create a blank slate for the people living there to decorate as desired. The people most likely to live there were Alhanin and themself along with their spouses, but Alhanin had more than enough to do and Inanallas was already the political middle man, so they were the “best choice”.

Inan had been uncomfortable with requesting workers from the imperial elves, it was too uncomfortable knowing how little choice the workers would have in it and everything was simply too horrible to force on people, so they’d just made a very loud request through the clans and some people can forward and here they were.  

Inan had also maybe made very desperate plea full of sad puppy looks to Haninan to help them, though only once the brunt of the removal was done or if they ran into a major problem. He had made a very big and very hammy display of being put upon but resigned to helping a foolish child with their lessons.

The project meets almost immediately with a problem, the question of where should Inanallas and their new spouses live during this. The logical choice would be on or near the site but it there was no way Inan would subject them to this horror show. Maybe when they had at least half of the main palace stripped bare Inan would consider it, since there’d then be a reasonable about of Non-Horrible space to move around in. But they also can’t not have them nearish without a very good reason and they can’t just say “your brother/son was a monster and his design choices were a sadist’s fever dream made real” when asked about it. Especially since there’s no clear timeline for how long this will take, years certainly. It’s a lot of land to cover but how many? The longer they’re apart from their spouses the worse it will be in the long run for negotiations and all that political stuff. And cultural too they suppose, since people from each side will likely see it as a failure and blame it on the other.

But on the other hand they do have a good point when it comes to holding them off for a time. There is a lot of work to be done to make this place livable, and they’re going to need quarters here which will have to get renovated at some point. Logically their rooms should be at minimum demolished and cleaned out before the two consider moving there. As a bonus for the political end they can call it a wedding gift or something and you know, not just basic decency, which seems to be the pattern with the imperial types. Why be decent all the time when you can withhold it and then be heralded as a hero for not kicking someone in the head? Still…someone will still probably want them in sooner so they’re close to Inanallas regardless of all that…

Eventually after a lot of brooding, pacing and discussion with some of their friends in the Dreaming they decide to leave it up to their spouses to decide what they want to do. They’ll explain the renovation situation, and tell them their plan to prioritize renovating their quarters first. That by no means do they have to move in immediately or even after more of the palace renovations are done, but they’ll at least have their own quarters ready for them to personalize or transition into as at their own pace.

Thenvunin’s reaction is unsurprising. He’s intensely relieved despite his obvious attempts not to show it and they don’t blame him, they don’t want to be there either. He thanks them politely for considering him in the process and thinks he will begin to prepare himself to move once his quarters are stripped and redone but first he must confer with Mythal on the matter for her opinion. They respond with equal politeness that it was no problem and that he could take as much time as he needed and he was always welcome to call on them if he so desired.

Uthvir’s is a bit surprising. At first they bristle, clearly very against the idea of living there— again, the only correct reaction, but then there’s a lot of questions, generally about things like “how much is being destroyed?” and “how would they be doing it?”. They seem to become more thoughtful then, once it’s clear there’s going to be a complete gut job. They’re surprised when they agree to come with them later to start the whole process but they don’t question it. Andruil must be worse than they thought, or something else is going on they’re unaware of.

Uthvir doesn’t seem to have much in terms of personal effects outside of equipment which they guess makes sense, they can’t imagine the Evanuris actually let people keep things. They help them move it all into the aravel Inan has been living in during all this, the two of them will live there until they get their own quarters in the building livable. They start early the next day, Inanallas accompanying Uthvir to pick out both their quarters and Thenvunin’s future one.

Inan had already decided sight unseen that Falon’din’s former apartments were completely off limits to everyone for any reason. The first thing they had done when they’d visited here months earlier was to quarantine and lock off the whole floor and the floor under it on top of the various stasis spells and warding their colleagues had done, just to be safe. They were not looking forward to dealing with that later…

It’s not pleasant picking out their new living spaces what with everything still looking like a psychopath’s wet dream, even so Uthvir seems even more uncomfortable than they do. They’re tempted to ask if they’re okay but decide against it, not sure how to even broach that with the hunter. It doesn’t take too long for the two to pick for themselves, neither of them are exactly fancy or picky, but Thenvunin’s takes a little longer. It has to be reasonably close to both of theirs but also be Thenvunin-y, which is something Inan is relying heavily on Uthvir to find. They managed it before long, finding three apartments in the corner of a floor 2/3rds up the building. Inanallas taking the smallest and the largest would be Thenvunin’s.

Inan marked the doors with bright Xs in paint so they could find them again then told Uthvir they could start working on their own rooms while they went to give orders to the work crews for here and to those crews being sent out.

When they get back Uthvir’s door is open and they’re working like a demon, systematically ripping the place apart. They talk briefly before Inan leaves them to it and starts on their own. Eventually someone comes and hands them some food which the two of them pick at occasionally while they work, more interested in getting done then anything else at the time. It’s well into the night when they’re done and Inan is genuinely surprised by their progress, their rooms are both completely bare down to the baseboards. Of course they’d managed that speed because neither of them was being particularly careful, there was an absolute trash yard in the hall outside, and they had both exhausted themselves and were now covered in grime and sweat. So… not exactly a great method to do the rest of the Palace with…

Inan looks morosely at the pile. They should really do something about that now, they think, even though they really wanted to just go to bed and sleep for 50 years. It’d just be a hassle tomorrow if they left it there…

Mournfully Inan tells Uthvir they can go back and sleep if they want while Inan deals with the rubble but the hunter just brushes it off, with a look ad a grunt and sets to helping them break the wood and furniture into fuel for the crews’ fires then taking that, the stone and any other detritus down to the designated spaces. The two go through the motions in the silence of determined exhaustion, violently hating very second of it and themselves for being so disgustingly responsible. Or at least that’s Inanallas’s feeling which they are completely projecting. When the two finally make it back to the aravel there’s the grim realization that there’s more between them and rest.

There’s no way Inan can get to sleep this filthy and they bet it’s about the same for Uthvir—maybe worse since they wore armor the entire time.

“There should be a bathhouse somewhere in the Palace.” Uthvir offers, voice a little hoarse from tired.

“Any idea where it is?” They reply with weak hope.

“No.”

Inan groans. “I don’t wanna wander around there in the middle of the night looking for jack shit.” They sigh and grab a couple of large buckets outside of the aravel. “Gimme a minute, I’ll be back.”

Uthvir debates their options. They don’t like the idea of stripping in range of a near stranger (or anyone really) but Fear’s hackles raise even further at the idea of bathing — no matter how quickly — alone and in any secluded place outside in Falon’Din’s former lands. Too dangerous, it hisses and Uthvir can’t help but agree. They knew being here would be hard, but the opportunity to obliterate all traces of  Falon’Din was worth it for the most part. Or it would be, in the end.

They consider if they can tolerate it until they can find the baths, but they’re so coated with dried sweat, dust and debris that had somehow gotten under their armor they cannot stand themselves. They consider if they can wait until Inanallas is asleep but then they run the risk of the little wild elf asking questions which they too tired to deal with deflecting right now.

Eventually they settle on washing now and begin taking off their armor. Uthvir is halfway through when Inanallas returns with buckets full of water, a spell for heating crawling across them. They pause in divesting themselves to collect a change of clothing and towel from inside the aravel as Inanallas does the same. Oonce back outside Inanallas begins to strip immediately looking as desperate as they feel to be clean, but Uthvir does not speed up their pace to match. They take stock of the sheer amount of tattoo work on Inanallas with great interest, particularly the 4 concentric rings and magical writing on their back. Hm. That certainly explains some of their power…

They also take note of their form but are frankly, too tired to care much past basic observation. Petite, well muscled, with broad shoulders and slim hips, scars, and a sea of freckles all over. Not bad… it seems at least Uthvir has lucked out and been saddled with two very attractive spouses. Uthvir washes their hair first before they’re completely undressed and by the time they’re ready to move on to their body Inan is groaning in reluctance and begrudgingly pulling down her disastrous braided bun.

Uthvir’s plan as worked perfectly, Inan’s vision is completely obscured by their long mop of hair, completely unable to see anything as Uthvir briskly cleans themselves with furious efficiency. They��re dried and dressed and Inan is still powering through their hair muttering curses the entire time. They decide to take pity and help them with rinsing and managing it as they haphazardly comb and braid it. Their lips twitch, almost into a smirk as they imagine Thenvunin’s reaction to this poor display.

Now clean and barely conscious two stumble blearily into their lodgings and promptly collapse.

Inanallas has nightmares.

A rough pattern emerges as they move into the swing of things, they eat with the rest of the workers then get to work tearing out everything that’s not necessary to the building’s integrity. The majority of the work is being done in the public areas and Uthvir slowly gains some authority over the workers as Inanallas leaves them in charge when they have to travel to check on the other work crews spread throughout the territory. When they can swing it, they visit Thenvunin —sometimes together, sometimes separately— to give him updates and spend time with him. He himself only visits when strictly necessary, the more time they spend wading through Falon’din’s aftermath the more and more glad the other two are he comes so rarely. After work all the workers including Inanallas and Uthvir, generally eat together then do whatever they wish until the next day. The two have mutually decided to not live in the palace for as long as possible, it barely required more then a look for that to get settled.

They can see Inanallas degrading with each day the strange elf is here.

Uthvir has asked them about it after the other had a straight week of nightmares and began plastering the aravel with increasingly more spells, wards and charms. Inanallas had explained their abilities somewhat and how the area was not mixing well with them, but did not wish to go too deeply into it. They aren’t sure if the vagueness is from a lack of accurate description, their usual poor speech impaired by exhaustion or an intentional if sloppy dodge but they don’t press the issue. They didn’t need to cause them more discomfort or try to decipher their babbling to understand how toxic this place was, it was wearing at them too.

Fear was riding high constantly now and their joint maelstrom of negavity was draining. Every minute here is like having an old wound opened and forced to stay so, they despise every second of it so intensely they can taste it. It’s not difficult to see how it’d be even more damaging to someone significantly more open to the Dreaming and all that entails. At least for Uthvir there is some deep satisfaction in smashing in the head of every statue of that monster, and hearing the wild elves cheer at their destruction is a lovely icing to their revenge. For Inanallas however, it’s just work. Hard,   seemingly endless, torturous work. There’s little they can do to aid them past taking some of the responsibility and make sure they do not over exert themselves. They try when Inan is asleep to help soothe them, but Fear can only do so much, Inanallas has many fears —most contradictory somehow— but they’re not exactly scared of this place, they dread it but they’re not afraid. Fear soothes what it can as Uthvir watches them and wonders what is going on in that odd little head.

Despite all that —or perhaps because of it— Inanallas made the call to finally do the first sweep of Falon’Din’s chambers. There’s several offers to assist them but Inanallas shouts them all down, even Uthvir, claiming that there’s no need for them all to drop everything to do this. It’s unspoken that what they’re really saying is “I won’t make anyone else be exposed to whatever horrors are in there”. They don’t admit to it but Uthvir is quietly relieved they don’t have to go up there, regardless if it means Inanallas is going in alone.

They take the reins of the workers again but keep an eye out for Inanallas that day. First they see her not too long after she’s begun working on Falon’din’s apartments returning from the aravel with more clothing on, including some sort of tight head covering, not too unlike a fitted scarf, that obscured their nose and mouth. The stone of dread that had been heavy in their stomach since the morning grew larger, they do not ask why.

The second time is when they come to talk quietly with some of the other clan elves— the ones with the highest constitutions they suspect— and pulls them away to help them with whatever they’ve found. Again they do not ask.

The third time is when they and their assistants begin bringing down boxes that can only be makeshift coffins they’re using to transport the remains of Falon’din’s final victims. Uthvir turns and does not watch as they go.

“We have to tear this entire thing down.”

It comes out of the blue but it’s not a new thought.

Inanallas declares it shortly after Falon’din’s apartments are opened. The overall mood has been muted since then but this halts it completely as the severity of that unspoken thought finally being said out loud washes over them.

“The entire place has too much that needs to be removed and trying to do so while keeping things in tact is more time and effort than rebuilding completely. And the Dreaming connected to this place is ruined and corrupted, we have to tear it all down and start from fixing that, otherwise this place will aways be a horror regardless of what we do. Do a final sweep for anything that should be removed from the building then seal it. I’m going to go to Arlathan to talk to the Elders and Evanuris about this.”

There’s general muttering of agreement as people bring their breakfasts to a quick end and get moving early to condemn the place. Inanallas prepares for their trip and before they go, Uthvir catches their arm, they’re not sure why nor do they have anything to say but Inan places a hand of their’s for a brief moment, then removes it and goes.