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hiddendreamer67 · 5 years ago

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“What do you want me to say?” with my homie Quill Thornton

Quill is off on one of many trading expeditions, and he comes across the legend of the ‘brownie’- a little creature that lives in human homes. Immediately Quill grows curious about these secretive beings.

Or, part 1 of Quill accidentally makes a new best friend.

——————————————————————————————-

“There you are, Mr. Harrington.” Quill nodded to himself, unloading the last crate of furs. “40 of ‘em to my count, but by all means don’t take me at my word.”

“Oh, you’re too modest, Quill.” Harrington gave him a hearty pat on the shoulder. “I’m sure they’re all there, you haven’t done me dirty yet. And I must say, I appreciate ‘ya making the trek this far north.”

“Aw, it’s nothing, honest!” Quill assured him. “Just doing my job, sir.”

“And a hearty good job of it, too.” Mr. Harrington peered at the horizon, where the sun was steadily sinking, the sunbeams all but fading completely. “Seems the day has a way of slipping away from us. Tell you what, how about you stay the night? I’d rather you were well-rested for the journey ahead.”

“Oh, that’s very kind of you, sir.” Quill politely declined. “But I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“Nonsense, son!” Harrington wasn’t about to take no for an answer. “No trouble at all, you can just wheel your cart into the spare barn at the back of the lot. We can set you up with a few blankets from the house, I can even send Alice out with ‘em, so long as you keep your hands to yourself.”

Quill gave an uncomfortable laugh. It was a common occurrence for common folk to try and set him up with their daughters, and while Quill was flattered on principle it was hardly proper to play with their emotions. Quill wasn’t ready to settle down and court a lady, not when the open road was still calling his name. He loved helping around the homestead and supporting his family, but whenever he thought about a homestead of his own Quill couldn’t picture it. Not now, at any rate.

“I don’t think that’s necessary.” Quill shook his head. “I wouldn’t want you thinking I’m making advances on your daughter. But I will take the barn, if you’re certain.”

“I’m certain.” Harrington left no room for debate, guiding Quill around the house. He pointed to an older structure, just beyond the first field. “You see there? Should be unlocked, just slide the bolt.”

That seemed a bit careless, but Quill wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He nodded in thanks, guiding Velvet the Mare back towards the stable. Quill unlatched the entryway, peering in to see the moon peeking through the rafters. A few cattle gazed back at him with a bored expression from their pens.

“Evening, ladies.” Quill chucked, unlatching Velvet and guiding her into a spare stall at the end of the way. The cart fit neatly between the rows with room to spare, and Quill got situated with a few blankets of his own. He was well-prepped for travel, having left home with the intention of being gone a few weeks.

Quill paused, hearing a shuffling in the rafters. Huh. It seemed the Harringtons must have mice in their barn. A quick glance around revealed there was no farm cat present, but no matter. Quill didn’t mind mice so long as they weren’t causing a problem. Hopefully they’d stay out of his food stores.

Satisfied with his work, Quill crawled into his cart and fell asleep. The night passed with no remarkable incident, and indeed Quill woke up feeling surprisingly well-rested for someone who spent the night in a cart.

A knocking came at the barn door, and a moment later a young familiar face peered in. “Good morning, sleeping beauty.” Alice greeted, coming inside. A bucket was held in her hand. “Did the girls give you any trouble?”

“Hmm?” Quill glanced again at the cows, who all seemed to perk up at Alice’s appearance. “Oh, no. We had a lovely evening together.”

“With words like that you’ll make a woman jealous.” Alice teased, opening the gate to have access to the first cow. “Don’t mind me, it’s time for their daily milking. Else Bell here wouldn’t be so pleasant, would you, girl?” A slow blink was the only response. Alice chuckled, carefully getting settled in on a stool.

“Do you need a hand?” Quill offered. “I would certainly be willing, especially after your father was so kind as to open his home to me.”

“The barn’s hardly our home.” Alice gave him a smile. “And you needn’t worry yourself about helping lil’ ol’ me with my morning chores, I won’t be a moment.”

“All the same, it feels rude to leave you to your task alone.” Quill admitted. “Are you certain there’s nothing I can do to repay your family’s kindness?”

“Oh, you’re already a right joy and delight, Quill Thornton.” Alice assured him. “You keeping those trade lines open for us is more than enough, at least in father’s eyes. Go on, get Velvet all settled in, you’ll want to get a move on while the day is bright.”

“If you’re certain.” Quill finally relented, heading to Velvet’s stall with only a slight guilt in his heart. He opened the gate, surprised to see Velvet had been groomed. “Now wait a moment, did you sneak in here last night?”

“Hmm?” Alice frowned. “I don’t know what you’re insinuating, Quill, but-”

“No, no!” Quill hastily corrected. “It’s just- Velvet. Her mane’s been brushed.” The proud creature gave a happy whinny, clearly happy to be noticed.

“No, it wasn’t me.” Alice was thoughtful for a moment. “Maybe it was the spirits.”

At first, Quill thought she must be teasing him again, but peering over the stall walls Alice appeared to be serious. “Come again?”

“The brownies?” Alice offered, looking at him as though he were the mad one. “Our farm has at least one or two for certain. They must have taken a liking to you and your horse.”

Quill frowned, feeling as though he was missing some very important information. “I’m afraid I’m not familiar with those. What exactly is a ‘brownie’?”

“What, you don’t have brownies down south?” Alice looked surprised. “Why, everyone around here would be lost without them! They’re little household creatures that will help you with chores and the like. Sometimes they’ll give gifts, too. You have to leave out food for them so they’ll stay, and you mustn’t offend them, but if they like you enough they’ll stay and bless the harvest.”

“And how big are these little brownies?” Quill asked, leading Velvet slowly out of the stall.

Alice hummed, contemplative. “About the size of a palm, I’d say. It’s hard to tell; not many people have seen a brownie. If you try and watch them at their work they’ll be offended.”

At this, Quill couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “See, now I know you’re pulling my leg.”

“Am not!” Alice looked offended at his statement, tossing down a rag she had been using to clean up Bell.

“My apologies, m’lady, it’s just- well, look.” Quill gestured to Velvet. “You’re telling me a lil’ thing like that was able to give Velvet a good brushing? Why half the time even I can’t get her to cooperate.”

“They’re magic.” Alice insisted, standing up to move on to Poblano. “And don’t you go spouting off and scaring ours away now, Quill. I’m certain you’ve got your own collection of unexplained events back home, brownies or no.”

Well, thinking back to the recent magical events occurring in the forest behind his house, Quill couldn’t exactly disagree.

“You’re right, Alice.” Quill relented, leading Velvet to the cart and beginning to hook it up. “I apologize for any offense I caused.”

Alice snorted, glancing at the rafters. “I’m not the one who will be looking for an apology.”

Quill paused, wondering for a moment if this was truly happening. It was. He turned to the rafters as well, trying to figure out what exactly to say. “I apologize for any offense!” Quill announced loudly. “I imagine you’re quite real, for if you’re not I imagine I’d look quite ridiculous right now.” He was silent for just a moment, feeling foolish for expecting a response. “…I think I’m going to take my leave now.”

Alice burst out laughing, her hands around her waist as she fought for breath. “Quill Thornton, you really have the darndest way of addressing the magic folk.”

Quill turned a bit red, turning to her with an exasperated expression. “It runs in the family, I suppose.”

“That’s- that’s not how you apologize to a brownie.” Alice said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“What do you want me to say?” Quill asked, wishing he could be mad at her but finding her mirth contagious.

“You don’t say anything.” Alice stood with a smile, wiping a tear from her eye. “You give a gift.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Quill tilted his head, only used to the dangerous tales of trickery associated with the fae back home.

“…what?” Alice looked at him as though he were alien. “What’s so dangerous about leaving out some milk?”

“I suppose you’ve never met a fae.” Quill glanced around. “I don’t suppose I could barter for any milk, in that case?”

Alice nodded. “You’ll want some honey as well. There should be some in the house, I imagine mother would be more than willing to make a trade, especially if she knows it’s for our brownies. She’s quite fond of them.”

Still not fully understanding what all the fuss was about but not wanting to offend one of his consistent trade partners, Quill found himself standing on Harrington’s doorstep ready to ask for some milk and honey. Before he could get a word out, however, Harrington ushered him in.

“Ah, Quill, I’ve got a spot of bad news for you.” Mr. Harrington’s expression was a bit grim. “Last night, a tree toppled over the southern path. The bridge is blocked.”

Quill internalized a groan. “You’re kidding.”

“I’m afraid not, son.” Harrington scratched at his beard. “Just got wind of it myself. The thing’s massive, a wonder it didn’t do more damage. The men are heading down to chop it to pieces, but it looks to be a few days before anyone’s going anywhere.”

A few days? Quill let out a frustrated sigh, knowing there was nothing to be done about it but hating to be tardy when his family was counting on him.

“Hey.” Mr. Harrington put a hand on his shoulder. “Quill, I owe you an apology. If I hadn’t insisted on you spending the evening here, you’d be well on your way.”

“There was no way of you knowing.” Quill easily forgave him. “I can’t fault you for your hospitality.”

“Then allow me to offer it for a few nights more.” Harrington decided. “The barn is yours until the path is clear.”

“Sir, that’s a generous offer.” Quill smiled in gratitude. “I’d be most grateful, but I must insist I do something for you in return.”

“Go help the others down by the bridge clearing the way.” Harrington instructed. “I’m sure they’d want me to send an able-bodied man, and then I can still attend to my own duties. That’ll be help a’plenty.”

Quill decided this to be a fair enough trade, returning Velvet back to the barn. She gave a soft whinny, clearly not eager to be locked up all day, and Alice offered to watch her in the pastures while Quill got to work. Once that affair was settled, Quill headed down the path, a borrowed lumber axe in hand. He got to work under the instruction of a large burly man who might’ve been part tree himself for his imposing stature and aged complexion. It was hard work, and even after working diligently all day Quill tried not to feel disheartened when they had barely made a dent.

“How was it?” Alice asked, waiting outside the barn for him.

“It has to be done.” Quill gave a small shrug. “What’s that for?”

“This?” Alice glanced down at the bowl of milk and honey in her hands. “It’s for the brownie, remember? Did you really forget already?”

Oh. To be perfectly honest, yes he had. “Of course I didn’t.” Quill assured her, taking the bowl.

“Set it out where they’ll see it.” Alice instructed. “They like a hearth, but since it’s the barn, perhaps the workbench will do.”

“Naturally.” Quill, despite being exhausted, gave her a small smile. “Thank you, Alice.” Satisfied with the gratitude, Alice returned the smile and trekked back to the house.

Quill sighed, heading into the barn where Velvet was already placed in the stall. He set the milk and honey mixture on the workbench as Alice had mentioned. “This is for you.” Quill called out, once again feeling a bit silly as he got comfortable in the cart. He didn’t change out of his work clothes, feeling too tired to do so. That, and once the idea of being watched was planted in his head Quill just didn’t feel right changing. He chuckled, staring up at the rafters. “Guess you’re stuck with me for a while yet.” He paused. “I hope I’m not terrible company.”

Quill listened for a while, imagining he saw a small shadow running along the ceiling. He tried to track the figure’s movements, but in a blink the shadow disappeared entirely. He sighed.

“I also hope I’m not just seeing things.” Quill brushed his hair back. “Sorry, I’ve been told I talk people’s ears off when I’m tired, and today was quite exhausting.” Quill bit back a yawn, sparing a glance at the worktable. “I assume you’ll find the milk and honey to your liking, if that is what you drink. I’ve never tried it myself, but I imagine it’d be quite sweet…”

Quill blinked, rubbing at his eyes. At this point it was obvious he was just talking to himself, or rather any mythical guests were not keen to indulge him in conversation. He settled into his blankets and tried not to be so disappointed.

With how tired he felt, Quill was surprised when he didn’t immediately fall asleep. It seemed that his curiosity outranked his exhaustion. Without meaning to Quill found himself lying awake far into the night, waiting for … something.

And then, it happened.

It started with the same shuffling from the night before. A whoosh followed, as if a pulley failed and the bucket was plummeting rapidly. Quill braced for the sound of a crash, but all that came was a nearly inaudible thud.

Did he dare to peek? Had Alice warned against that? Perhaps there had been a clause about not spying, but Quill had come so far now, and it was hardly his barn in the first place. Surely the brownie would understand.

Thus decided, Quill opened his eyes, staying absolutely still as he adjusted to the darkness. It seemed he had neglected to close the barn door all the way as some moonlight came pouring in, illuminating the workbench. The milk and honey mixture sat in the center of the glow. And there, standing over the edge was a tiny humanoid figure, surely no taller than a few inches, dressed all in makeshift rags and furs. From here, Quill couldn’t make out any more details.

“…Oh.” Quill whispered, unable to stop himself in his awe.

The creature jumped, staring at him with wide terrified eyes. It dropped its hands, milk dribbling back into the dish.

“Oh, go on!” Quill assured, sitting up and startling it into taking several steps back. “Oh, ah, sorry. It’s for you.”

Despite Quill’s reassurance, it made no move towards the bowl, and its eyes were darting around now like a prey animal desperate for escape. Quill winced, not used to having the upper hand on a magical entity. He knew a thing or two about frightened animals, though.

“I know you’re not supposed to be seen.” Quill admitted. “But I don’t actually live here, so… I think you should be fine. Please don’t leave, Alice will surely have my hide. Unless there’s more of you here helping out. You are a brownie, aren’t you?”

Quill paused, realizing he didn’t actually know if the creature could understand his words. It certainly wasn’t eager to tell Quill anything, that much was clear as it folded further in on itself.

“Oh dear.” Quill sighed. “I didn’t mean to frighten you, lil’ fella. I was just curious. Alice was singing your praises all morning. And you did a right good job with Velvet, I don’t know how or if that was even you but she and I both appreciate that.” Quill jabbed his thumb back towards Velvet’s pen. “That’s Velvet, by the way. She’s my horse. Well, not my horse, she’s on loan on account of business. You know how it is.”

Based on the blank look on the brownie’s face, they did not, in fact, “know how it is”. That being said, when Quill mentioned Velvet it could have been his hopeful imagination but the brownie looked a little less like he was going to throw himself off the workbench at any moment.

Quill shifted, itching to get up and go investigate. “Alright, I’m gonna stand up now, okay?”

That got a reaction. The brownie hastily threw its head back and forth, very clearly shaking in a ‘NO’ gesture.

“No?” Quill blinked, surprised by the response. “So you can understand me, can’t you?”

The brownie didn’t respond, and Quill tried not to take it personally.

“My name’s Quill.” Quill introduced himself. “What’s your name? Er, I mean, what may I call you?” Still no response. “What, cat got your tongue?”

At the mention of ‘cat’, the brownie jumped about a foot into the air, and Quill hissed in sympathy. “Oof, sorry, poor choice of words. I’m not used to dealing with little folk. Well, littler folk, I suppose most people tend to be shorter than me…” Quill rubbed the back of his neck. “Boy, I sure am running my mouth a lot, aren’t I?”

Slowly, the brownie gave a tentative nod, and Quill chuckled at the sight. He couldn’t tell with the shadows cast by the brownie’s hood, but Quill imagined the brownie was smiling along with him.

Unfortunately, the magic of the moment couldn’t last forever. Quill hid a yawn behind his hand, once again reminded of his lack of sleep. The brownie began to shift from foot to foot, looking ready to dart off at a moment’s notice.

“I don’t want to keep you from your work.” Quill relented, realizing that he had to let the little fella go. “Will I see you again? I’m stuck here ‘til the road clears.”

The unrelenting stare of the brownie offered no insight. Instead, it made a small shooing gesture with its hand, and Quill realized it wasn’t going anywhere until Quill at least pretended to go back to sleep.

“I’ll take that as a ‘maybe’.” Quill answered himself, laying back in the cart and closing his eyes. Immediately he heard the telltale erratic shuffling of the borrower racing about, but this time he didn’t peek. “Goodnight, little brownie.”

———————————————–

Welcome to the world my mute brownie, currently unnamed! Aren’t they a gem? Real excited for them to get closer w/ Quill, though I ran outta steam with this go at it so I’m waiting for some more prompts for these two. (I’ll reblog another list in a min.)

Oh shoutout to @delimeful for helping me name the animals. XD So far I only showed the tame cow names but they’re all peppers.

And lil’ bit of worldbuilding for those interested because I find it interesting, this takes place pre-Cam (or at least Quill knowing about Cam) but post the forest becoming magical & dangerous. And also this northern town is near the giant lands, hence why the tree blocking the path is so incredibly massive and hard to deal with.

#g/t #gt #giant/tiny #brownies #brownie #borrowers #borrower #basically magic borrowers #but only a lil' magic #original characters #writing #writer #writblr #Quill #flower fae #mute borrower #...they do need a name #huh #OCs

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oooo-kpop-reactions · 8 years ago

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Questions Tag:

Tagged By: @vanessa-lovesexoandbts (Thank you for tagging me again)

Rules: Answer the questions in a new post and tag 20 blogs you would like to get to know better.

Nickname: I don’t have many nicknames, my main nickname is Bunnie which is why my name on here is BangtanBunnie. For a while I was called Dea, but it never stuck.

Starsign: Scorpio ^^

Height: I’m from the good ol’ USA... so I use feet. I’m barely 5′3... if I were to convert that I’m roughly around 162cm.

Time right now: 10:56 am

Last thing googled: “Topp Dogg Hansol” (Which by the way if y’all haven’t heard about Topp Dogg you’ve been sleepingggg!)

Favorite music artists: Which genre are we talking about? I like a lot of kinds of music so... let’s see, for Kpop my blog pretty much says which artists are my favorites currently, plus adding Topp Dogg, Vixx, and Winner. I also like Zion T. I also enjoy some French pop like Stromae and Indila. Other music I like is rock like Guns n’ Roses, Blink 182, and Avenged Sevenfold- I could be on this question forever so I’ll move on for now, that’s just a small portion of what I listen to.

Song stuck in your head: Y’ALL KNOW WHAT IT IS MAN- MONSTA! MONSTA! X! X! WHAT? WHAT? WHAT?? Okay man- let’s go- (Monsta X- Hero)

Last movie watched: I was babysitting my little 3 year old niece who wanted to watch Minions... enough said.

Last TV show watched: Bromance (a Taiwanese drama on Netflix it’s so good!!)

What are you wearing right now: black and white patterned sweatpants with a Tina Belcher T-shirt that says “Smart Strong Sensual”.

When did you create your blog: I have four blogs- this current blog I made a few months ago-- probably around May. But I’ve been on tumblr for about 5 or 6 years.

What kind of stuff do you post: On this blog, pictures and memes that revolve around kpop or requests like fake texts, snaps, scenarios, reactions, mtls-- I’ve thought about adding ships.

Do you have any other blogs: Yes, three other blogs- one is filled with anime/ manga, my main blog is memes and photography, and another one... which will be referred to as the ‘other one’.

Do you get asks regularly: Asks for requests? Yes, but I’ve been sick recently so I haven’t been able to do many requests since I’ve been very weak and I want to put out well thought out content. Other than that- once in a great blue moon do I get asks about myself, (I do not expect to get them since this is a request blog.)

Why did you choose your URL: My URL isn’t very creative I just pictured someone saying “ooooooh kpop reactions” and didn’t give it much thought after that. Though sometimes I want to change it tbh.

Gender: Female

Hogwarts house: Y’all don’t hate me but I don’t know anything about Harry Potter. Does anyone think they might know what house I would be in? Let me know!

Pokemon team: Again.... if this is about Pokemon Go- I don’t play it I’m sorry don’t kill me pls ;^; For regular games though, I prefer to start with a fire pokemon-- I know that isn’t the same question.

Favourite colour: Pastel blues and purples or really deep reds and pinks.

Average hours of sleep: About 6...closer to 5.

Lucky number: 8 or 13.

Favourite character(s): This is probably as difficult as choosing biases for me. Um to name a few, Axel from Kingdom Hearts, Sophie, Howl, and Calcifer from Howl’s Moving Castle, No Face and Haku from Spirited Away, Boris Airay and Blood Dupre from Alice in the Country of Hearts, and Ban from Seven Deadly Sins, and Mare Barrow from Red Queen.

How many blankets do you sleep with: 3 and a heated blanket. My room is the coldest room in my house.

Dream job: Musician/ Model/ Makeup Artist. Realistically speaking though, English teacher.

Following: 1526 amazing blogs asdfghjkl;

I’ll Tag:

1. @lil-miss-chesire 2. @toastyyoongi 3. @xx-bangtanboys-xx 4. @eris0330 5. @astarotha 6. @eggsandbaekcon 7. @exactlyelegantstarfish 8. @im-alice-in-neverland 9. @positivemoni 10. @luna208 11. @imtrash143 (ok but same tho) 12. @fandom-trash99 (again same) 13. @xxjungkookiesxx 14. @slipintobangtan 15. @blackholeforamind 16. @yehet-intensifies 17. @bangtanxruinedmylife 18. @bloodsweatandjimin 19. @j----nope 20. @chaoticnightmarestarfish

#admin post #admin tag #kpop blog #kpop

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