#Do they know how much went into Beauregard Lionett asking 'you got my back?' knowing he did | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

randoimago · 3 years

Note

Your agoraphobia headcannons are really soothing, thank you for writing them. With COVID and everything it’s definitely a fear I’ve developed to a certain extent. Could you do a one shot in the same vain where the reader tries to go out with Caleb (maybe to browse components or a bookshop because that’s very much a wizard date) and the crowds are bigger than expected but Caleb does a good job leading his S/O through even as they panic? Ignore if I’m asking too much obviously, have a nice day!

Pairing: Caleb Widogast x Reader

Character(s): Caleb Widogast

Mentioned Character(s): Fjord, Beauregard Lionette, Veth Brenatto, Jester Lavorre

Support Me (if you want): https://ko-fi.com/jinxitty

Words: 1188

Notes: I feel that. Covid really screwed up so much. My ability to talk to others (like having conversations) really took a dive due to being inside for so long. I'm glad you enjoy the headcanons though and I'm happy to write this out for you!

So I used google translate for some German since Xemnian is essentially German. Because of this, I don’t know how accurate the translations are so I’d appreciate it if you guys let me know if I need to change anything because the translation is wrong!!

It has been a while since you all had been in a town. Everyone was needing supplies and you definitely know that Caleb has mentioned needing more of his ink and paper.

You couldn’t help but feel more jittery the closer you got to the town. It wasn’t a city but it was still on the bigger side despite being classified as just a town. The idea of crowds wasn’t great and you know that you’d have to go too to find an inn.

Your thoughts were paused when you noticed the wagon you all had stop outside the town. Fjord went to stable the horses as everyone got out to stretch and talk about their plans.

“What about you, [Y/N]?” You heard Beau ask you as you glanced to the town before looking back to the group.

“Uh,” You were a bit stumped. Everyone knows your predicament when it comes to a lot of people and you were hesitant to go alone. Thankfully, someone had an idea as there was a sound of Caleb clearing his throat to speak up.

“Uh yes, I was going to ask [Y/N] to go with me to get my components. If you want to?” He asked and you noticed a light blush on his face. You couldn’t help the smile appear on your own face as Beau started making gagging noises while Jester squealed happily at you two. You avoided looking at those two.

“Yeah, I’d be okay with that.” Honestly, being by Caleb’s side for this gave you comfort. For one, you’re definitely closest to him of the group. For another, it’s a lot easier to travel with someone else than by yourself.

Caleb gave a smile to you as everyone else said their plans before the group split up. Caleb and you entered the town together. You felt some relief at first but then felt the feeling of your heart tightening up and your throat constricting when your eyes saw more and more people as you continued to travel in.

You ended up freezing, grabbing onto the back of Caleb’s sleeve. There was no way you could keep walking. You wanted to hide, you wanted to find some alley to duck into.

Caleb glanced back and noticed your expression, his own becoming thoughtful before he held his arm out to you.

“Hey, [Y/N], I know things are scary but do you trust me?” You looked away from the crowd to look to Caleb. You shakily gave a nod, not trusting your voice. “Good, now take a deep breath, hold onto my arm. and close your eyes. Just focus on holding onto me and I will get you through this, liebe.”

You took a deep breath like he told you before holding onto his arm. You held on tightly as you closed your eyes, trusting Caleb as you felt him start moving so you began moving with him.

Now and then he would let you know if he was turning or if there was a puddle that you two were going around or something. Blocking out everything except for him definitely helped you steady yourself. There were times when you wanted to open your eyes, but you trust Caleb and knew that he knows what he’s doing.

“We’re here, [Y/N].” You heard him say. You hesitantly opened your eyes back up, sighing in relief when you saw the front of the store. You still didn’t let go of Caleb’s arm as he went to open the door to let you both in. You felt even more relief when you saw that the inside of the store had practically no one besides the shop keep.

“Thank you, Caleb,” you told him and he gave you a smile. You felt your heart flutter at the sight as you smiled back.

“I might be weak enough to snap into two, but I will protect you,” he said and you felt your heart flutter more at that. “Now, paper.” You laughed softly and followed him, you letting go of his arm but holding his hand instead.

After looking around a bit, Caleb and you made your way to the shop keep. They gave a smile to the two of you, before that smile left when Caleb asked for about 300 gold’s worth of ink and paper. The shop keep’s seemed to pale at that, muttering, “great one of those types” which caused you to feel some amusement considering how many places Caleb tends to buy out.

Before long, you got a bag that had Caleb’s supplies and the two of you exited. You continued to hold his hand as you walked. The crowd seemed to have died way down, much to your relief. That didn’t stop you from keeping a hold on Caleb’s hand though.

“Today was nice?” Caleb seemed to be saying it as a question as the two of you walked. It looked like he was double checking that you did have a good day despite what happened earlier. You just gave him a bright smile.

“Yeah, today was really nice. Thank you, Caleb...” You trailed off as you remembered one specific thing he said. “Hey, Caleb?”

“Ja?”

“What was that word you said earlier? Leave? Leabe?” You asked, trying an absolutely butchering the pronunciation.

“Oh ah.” Caleb seemed to grow flustered at that. “Liebe. It’s, um, Xemnian. It means... Oh there is Veth.” You frowned a bit at Caleb avoiding your question, but didn’t want to push him. You figured he’d let you know at his own pace.

You two joined up with Veth, Beau, and Jester who had split up together. Jester began talking about how her day went with the two, probably exaggerating some stuff but that’s Jester. You were too wrapped up in that that you didn’t notice the side conversation happening a bit behind you.

“So Caleb, I know you know what you’re doing and you’re very handsome so you have no trouble with [Y/N], but I got you this!” Veth had said in a soft voice to not alert anyone else as she pulled out a ring from a side pouch. There was a gemstone embedded in it and Caleb’s face went bright red.

“Where did you get this?” Caleb questioned as he quickly glanced to you to see if you noticed, feeling relief as you did not. “It is way to soon for that,” Caleb stated.

“Yes but we could die at any moment so just in case! ... And I bought it like a good person.” Caleb was a bit suspicious of the last statement from Veth, but didn’t find any lies. He just gave a sigh before shaking his head.

“I have some rings, but thank you Veth.” She gave him a curious look before giving a nod and putting her new jewelry piece away. Caleb’s hand couldn’t help but drift to the book holster that he hasn’t unfastened in front of the others yet. The holster that has all those letters he can’t send just yet. The holster that also carries the wedding rings of his late parents.

#critical role x reader #mighty nein #mighty nein x reader #caleb widogast #caleb widogast x reader #caleb x reader #cr spoilers

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iatethepomegranate · 3 years

Text

A fic in which Caleb buys a house in Rexxentrum with Beau and Yasha, becomes a professor, and learns how to be a person.

Chapter Summary: The sands of time stop for no one, and the Nein eventually go back to their separate lives. Caleb grapples with the responsibilities of his new position, invents the support group, and Astrid gives him some rather unsettling news.

Notes: Caleb and Essek's scene together is a little spicy, but not explicit. Chapter title is from In the Embers by Sleeping At Last.

*** Chapter 5: Like fireworks we pull apart the dark

Caleb was smiling when he got back home. Veth aimed her crossbow at him.

“Quick! Tell me something only Caleb would say!”

Caleb sighed and held up his hands in surrender; he should have expected this. “You almost inscribed a rune upside-down today. I lent you my spellbook.”

“I don’t know, man,” said Beauregard, lounging across Yasha on the couch and completely fucking with them. “An imposter could’ve interrogated Caleb and forced him to recount his day. Caleb is pretty squishy.” Caleb almost reminded her he had been taught to withstand torture, which he’d first told explictly her while compiling his testimony for Trent’s trial, but he didn’t want to ruin her fun.

“Oh, that’s very smart,” Yasha said.

“Thanks, babe.”

“Say something else,” Veth demanded. “Something not from today. How did we meet?”

“In prison. You stole a bottle of cherry wine. I had Frumpkin retrieve a piece of wire so you could pick the lock and then I set the jail on fire and screamed for help. The guards ran away and we walked out. We have been best friends ever since. You were also a goblin at the time.”

“But wouldn’t an imposter have asked about Caleb’s known associates?” Fjord supplied.

“Fjord, I can and will burn your hair off. And, unlike Aeor, it will not grow back overnight.”

“Ha!” Veth put her crossbow away. “Welcome back. Sit down. Cad’s making tea again.” She dragged him over to the blanket nest that no one had bothered to put away, and shoved him in it.

Essek poked his head out of the kitchen. “How was your meeting?”

Caleb didn’t want to get into it. “I took the job.”

“Woo!” Jester yelled from the kitchen. She poked her head out, just next to Essek. “Did Astrid like the cookies?”

“Ja. She says thank you.” Caleb felt fine, except from the fact he was fucking exhausted. He tipped his head back, landing on Beau’s shin, and closed his eyes. “Uh, Beauregard? She says to look into Headmaster Zivan Margolin, who is also the Archmage of Conscription. He’s a link to Trent. A weak one. Apparently he has been running his mouth about how he saw my potential from the beginning. Ludinus is uncomfortable with the implication and may throw him to the wolves to save his own neck.”

“I’ll pass it onto Yudala tomorrow. Take a nap while we wait for dinner.”

“The head of your school is also in charge of conscription?” said Fjord. “Wait. You’ve said this before.”

“A long time ago, ja.”

“Look, I’m only a few months old,” said Kingsley, who had been sprawled behind the couch the whole time, apparently. “And even I know that’s kinda fucked up.”

“No shit.” Caleb was half-sleep already, eyes closed. A small body curled up against him. Veth.

“Caleb, that’s really awful,” said Jester. “I’m so sorry.”

“Jester, I appreciate that, and I love you very much, but I am exhausted and cannot talk about this anymore.”

Caduceus saved him by bringing a tea tray into the room. “Let’s all unwind for a bit. Dinner will be ready soon.”

Caleb drank half his tea and fell asleep on Beauregard, who had to kick him awake for dinner. Well had to was a strong way to put it. Regardless, he shoved some food in his face and then went to bed with Essek.

****

Astrid sent him tidbits of information as more details of his professorship were finalised. He would assist Professor Weber with the beginner and intermediate Transmutation classes. He would also assist Professor Winterheart with the beginner Evocation class, due to his experience. He would also be on call to assist with other classes as necessary.

What really shook Caleb, however, were Bettina’s plans for Advanced Transmutation. She told him herself over coffee in the ex-smut shop.

“Astrid has assured me of your capabilities,” she said, stirring sugar into her mug. “And she’s of the mind that the Advanced students may need your guidance the most. You may end up with a few former Volstrucker students, if we can get them back in class.”

“That is a big if.”

“Ja. Would you talk to Astrid about it? I don’t want to overstep.”

“It has been on my mind. I will talk to her.” If Caleb hadn’t been dead on his feet last time they had spoken, he probably would have brought it up. It would take time to track all of them down, and Caleb had not been in the right headspace to handle that kind of work previously. But things were more stable now, even if he cried at the drop of a hat these days.

“Danke. Now, Advanced Transmutation. The advanced students start on the third week of term, so you will have had some time to find your feet. I want you to take the lead with them.”

“Bitte?” Caleb wasn’t sure he understood what she was telling him.

“I want you to teach the advanced students,” Bettina clarified. “I will be on hand if you need, but I think you can handle it once you have a few classes under your belt.”

“Bettina, I have no experience.” Caleb was about three wrong words from hyperventilating. This was ridiculous. And irresponsible.

“I know that’s not true, Mr Widogast. Sorry, Professor Widogast.” The slip was deliberate. Bettina used his first name most of the time. She was making a point of his new title. “Astrid has spoken to your expositor friend, who said you have been teaching magic to one of your friends for over a year, and that you helped her run a summer camp for adventurers in Nicodranas. Expositor Lionett also insists you are very good with children.”

“My friend’s young son, specifically. He is not a difficult child.” Well, Luc was a handful for his parents, but Caleb didn’t have to worry about controlling him like they did. “And… advanced students are teenagers, not toddlers.”

“I understand this is a lot to ask,” Bettina said evenly. “I am asking because some of these children have been through a lot. My inaction, whatever the truth of it, will not instill confidence. You put Trent in prison. You were an adventurer. You can relate to them. Not only can you be a safe person for them, but you are interesting. Teenagers respond best to people who are genuine, and genuinely interesting. Even the children who have not been pulled into Trent’s web have just been through a war. Some of them may have lost family.”

“Bettina, I appreciate you are trying to explain your reasons, but it is not helping.”

“I will be there in class for as long as you need my help,” Bettina promised. “I will only leave when you are ready. I promise. You can ask for help at any time. I will help you with your lesson plans and give you all the advice I can. You will be fine. I would not suggest this if I thought you couldn’t handle it.”

****

Caleb went back home after his meeting with Bettina. He was still worried, but he was having a decent day overall, so it wasn’t overwhelming him at the moment. He stepped inside Beau and Yasha’s side of the house, the scent of freshly baked bread filling his nostrils. It was almost lunchtime.

Most of the Nein had gone home by now, except Essek and Caduceus. They were in the kitchen with Yasha, inspecting a fresh loaf of bread on the counter. The top of it was sprinkled with rolled oats.

“I think it worked,” Caduceus said. “Ah, Caleb. Rye bread? Does it look right to you?”

It smelled like the Vollkornbrot Caleb remembered from his childhood. “Ja. This looks close to what my mother used to make.”

Yasha and Caduceus high-fived over Essek’s head. Essek’s nose wrinkled a little bit in a moment of endearing, petty irritation. Yasha cut the bread into slices and constructed a sandwich to take to Beau, who was at the Archive. She buttered a slice and shoved it into her mouth before she rushed out the door.

Caleb sat with Essek and Caduceus. The latter finished serving up the bread with a generous spread of butter.

“Did you start this last night?” Caleb asked. It was chewy as intended and tasted like home, maybe a tiny bit saltier, but that was fine.

“Yeah,” replied Caduceus. “You were pretty out of it. We looped Essek in once you were out of the house this morning. This one seems doable for Yasha to make without us. You might have to help her.”

“I can do that.” He used to help his mother with the bread whenever he was home. The memories were not too painful today, just an ache.

“How was your meeting?” Essek asked. He had been hesitant to leave Rexxentrum until Caleb was a bit more settled, but the hourglass was almost drained of sand.

“Good, I think.” Caleb chewed, mulling the whole thing over. “Professor Weber is giving me her advanced transmutation students.”

“You look worried,” said Caduceus.

“I am. It’s a lot of responsibility. She thinks the older students need me the most. As a safe person. I was their age when I… when everything went to shit. She thinks we may have a few survivors of the program in the class, and other students will have lost family in the war.”

Essek’s shoulders slumped. He ate quietly.

“And the Professor doesn't think she can be that person?”

“She insists she didn’t know what Trent was doing, but she expects the survivors will only see the face of someone who didn’t help them.”

“That is very self-aware of her. Do you feel that way?”

“No. But I’m not seventeen years old.”

“True. Well, I think you have the tools to help the kids, if you feel up to it.”

“I… maybe. Bettina said she’ll help me in class until I don’t need her anymore.”

Caduceus nodded slowly, with a smile. “You’ll be great.”

****

Essek and Caduceus had dinner at the house, and intended to spend a few more hours there before teleporting to the Blooming Grove, where Essek would trance before heading off in the morning, only short of one big spell instead of two. Caleb almost wanted to ask him to burn a second spell to trance here instead, but he knew Essek found the Grove calming. And one of the few places he didn’t have to worry about the Dynasty or the Empire. Caleb wouldn’t take that from him.

But they had a bit of time, which Caleb and Essek spent in their room together. Caleb let a few of his dancing lights float around the space, so he could see Essek for the last time in who knew how long.

“You were better today,” Essek said softly, slowly unbuttoning Caleb’s shirt.

Caleb watched him concentrate on the buttons, memorising his tiny frown that also graced his face when focusing on intricate spellwork. “Being here is getting easier. Thank you for the bread.”

Essek chuckled softly. “I did very little.” He pushed Caleb’s shirt off his shoulders. “But I’m glad it made you happy.”

“The best bread is the kind made by someone I love.” He shivered a little in the cold. Essek pressed his lips to Caleb’s shoulder, remaining there as the seconds ticked away. Caleb got to work on Essek’s shirt, finding the strings on the back through sheer muscle memory. He picked the bow apart and slowly unravelled the lacing. He pulled Essek’s shirt over his head and kissed his collarbone.

They had a few more hours. Caleb intended to treasure every second Essek could give him.

Essek pulled Caleb’s ponytail free and ran his fingers through the braids he had made that morning until they twisted apart. He cradled Caleb’s head as they kissed. Vulnerability between them had been hard won, and now it was as easy as breathing. Easier, sometimes.

They separated, and Essek slowly dragged his thumb across Caleb’s lower lip. “I will message you every day I can.”

“You better. Or I will hunt you down.”

Essek smirked, and it did things to Caleb. “And if I misbehave? Will you give me detention, Professor?”

“Essek, I love you, but never say that again.” Caleb shut him up with another kiss. “I do not want one of my last memories of you to be… that.”

“Not so adventurous after all,” Essek teased.

“We are not bringing our professions into the bedroom. That will not go well for either of us.”

“Hmm.” Essek’s eyes were distant for a moment. “You are… not wrong. Whenever I hear the word Shadowhand, I think of my mother.”

“Could be worse,” Caleb said dryly.

Essek wrinkled his nose. “Yes. Well. That has killed the mood.”

“I can fix that. May I?”

Essek sat back on his hands, raising an eyebrow. “Do your worst.”

“Challenge accepted,” Caleb murmured. He shoved Essek onto his back, straddling his hips. Essek was a lot smaller than Caleb, though the force of his personality and his floating cantrip had once hidden that reality. Now, however… Caleb could keep Essek in place with his weight alone. And Essek liked it when he used that objective fact to their benefit.

Essek’s lips parted, and it took him ten seconds of shallow breaths to find his voice. “Challenge completed,” he said breathlessly.

“It’s one of my many skills, Liebchen.” Caleb knew his voice became extra husky when aroused, and he knew how much it broke Essek’s brain.

Essek opened his mouth again, but nothing came out except a soft, breathy laugh. He reached up and pulled Caleb’s hair until Caleb leaned down and kissed him hard. The throaty mmph noise from Essek was satisfying as fuck. It was very easy to get Essek aroused at the right moment. The harder part was finding that moment. He was sensitive to Caleb’s emotions, and it was hard for him to get in the mood if he had even the slightest inkling Caleb was not having a good day. For now, at least, it meant what sex they did have only happened under the best circumstances. It was a far cry from the last relationship Caleb had been in, where most of the sex had been after a bad day, all three of them on the brink of falling apart.

Caleb pulled back a little bit to lightly brush his fingernails across the sensitive skin of Essek’s lower abdomen, just above his remaining clothing. Essek’s breath hitched.

“Caleb. Please.” Essek was flushing red beneath the purple of his skin, turning it a lovely plum tone. Caleb kissed his stomach, and slowly undressed him like a long-anticipated present he was afraid to break. Essek squirmed beneath him, no matter how hard he tried to hold still to make the job easier.

“What do you want, Kätzchen?” Caleb said quietly, stroking the inside of Essek’s bare thigh. Caleb never used terms of endearment like this in casual conversation. He liked to save it for special moments, specifically because he knew it broke Essek’s brain very badly to be called things like kitten or sweetheart in Caleb’s own tongue.

Essek let out a shaky breath; his violet-blue eyes were half-lidded and he was out of his fucking mind. “I want… anything. Everything. You. I can’t think.”

“I know,” Caleb said, sliding off the bed, just out of Essek’s reach. “I like it that way.” He slowly unfastened his pants, watching Essek twitch in a half-aborted attempt to move closer to him. “Stay right there.” He let them drop, kicked them aside, finished undressing. He lingered out of reach until Essek bit his lip, gazing up at him with a silent plea. Only then did Caleb climb back onto the bed, settling between Essek’s shaking legs. “Let me take care of you, ja?”

Caleb caught Essek’s lips in a messy, breathless kiss as their bodies fit together at long last.

Later, they lay together under the covers. Caleb had extinguished his lights. Essek could see him perfectly well. Caleb had almost left the lights on so he could drink in Essek’s features for a little while longer, but he was sluggish and borderline mindless from his most recent orgasm. He would rather spend what little concentration he had on running his fingers across Essek’s features so he had a few more memories to keep him warm until they could meet again.

“I will stay until you fall asleep,” Essek said softly. “Then, I will message you tomorrow after I leave the Grove.”

Caleb hummed quietly, not trusting his voice beyond that. This goodbye was hard every time.

“I’m proud of you, Caleb.” Essek kissed him, and then pressed their foreheads together. “You will be an incredible teacher. You already are.” Caleb swallowed against a lump in his throat. He was not going to cry. He was not going to make this harder for Essek than it needed to be.

Somehow, he managed to find his voice. “I finally had a good example.”

Essek chuckled softly. “That may be the one thing in my life I did right.”

“It’s an important thing you did right, but not the only one.” Caleb found his hand, twining their fingers together. His grip would slacken in sleep, letting Essek extract himself without too much difficulty.

“I try to remember that. Thank you. Get some sleep.”

Caleb didn’t want to close his eyes, knowing Essek wouldn’t be there in the morning. But Essek had to leave sometime, and he was giving Caleb every moment he could spare. So Caleb closed his eyes and relaxed into the pillow.

“I love you, Essek.”

“I love you, Caleb.”

Sometimes they didn’t need to say it. It was always true, whether or not they put it into words. Tonight, however, they both felt just a little more fragile, a little more vulnerable, and the words helped.

And then Caleb slept. The last thing he remembered was Essek’s fingers dancing sweetly in his hair.

****

Waking alone, Caleb tried not to be too dour in the morning, but given Yasha kept trying to find things around the house to keep him busy, he was clearly not doing a good job. He had to meet with Astrid (and probably Wulf) later in the day to discuss work some more, and he needed to bring up the Volstrucker survivors. Maybe Astrid had already been working on contacting them, but it wasn’t clear. It needed to be.

For now, however, he let Yasha drag him out to the garden. He liked having his hands in the soil, coaxing life out of the earth. After dealing so much death in this world, it was nice to put life back into it. He knew Yasha felt the same. It also let him reminisce about some of his less painful memories of home. Planting green beans with his mother.

It was also a little easier to bask in the afterglow of last night out here in the sun.

“Did you have a good time last night?” Yasha asked. Caleb was glad Beauregard was already at work. She wouldn’t tease him, but he knew she would have to restrain herself.

“Ja,” Caleb said quietly.

“He’s soft with you. It’s lovely.” She watched him, and she saw a little too well. “You miss him.”

“A lot, ja.”

“You’re good for each other,” she said. “I’m glad you have him, even if it’s not all the time.”

Caleb knew his smile was incredibly sad, but it was a smile nonetheless. “Me too.”

Essek’s Sending reached him in that moment. “Hello, love. I have arrived at my destination in one piece. A little further away than intended, but unharmed. How’s your morning?” A slight pause. “I love you.” Ah, he’d realised he had three words left.

Full of warmth from the sun and Essek’s word economy, Caleb responded, “Hallo, Essek. Glad you are safe. I am gardening with Yasha.” She waved. “She says hi. We had leftover bread for breakfast. Talk soon. Love you, too.”

“That’s very sweet, Caleb.”

He chuckled, and it sounded a little more fragile than he would’ve liked. “Careful. I will start crying again.”

“Hey, that’s okay. I’ve been crying a lot, too. I think it’s a good thing.”

Maybe. Caleb found it too unsettling to have that view on it. He stood up from the ground, knees damp with morning dew, and dusted the grass off his trousers. Establishing a garden here, and actually putting his own hands in the dirt this time, felt permanent. Unless something went very wrong, they were going to be here for a long time.

Yasha hadn’t had a stable home for years, either. And she also had awful violence and loss baked into her past, and terrifying blank patches in her memory. It was easy to spend quiet time with her, because they understood each other in a way the others sometimes couldn’t.

They enjoyed a quiet cup of tea on the steps linking the back door to the garden. Yasha was partway through repairing the fence back here, and she insisted on working with it alone; magic would end the project too quickly.

The sun reflected in her whitening hair, glowing like the radiance inside her. She deserved all the gentle mornings; she wore them well. Yasha gazed out at the barest beginnings of their garden, and she smiled.

“This suits you,” Caleb said.

“I’m getting used to it,” she replied softly. “After so long, I get to just be a…” She caught herself. “Well. I’m not a wife.”

“For now.”

She chuckled. “For now. It’s nice here. I get to bake bread, and grow a little garden, and welcome the people I love when they come home. And I get to love whoever I want. That’s all I ever wanted.”

“You deserve it. You deserve peace.”

Yasha smiled into her teacup. “Beau tells me that every day. I think I’m starting to believe it. What about you?”

A short question, with a complicated answer. “Sometimes. I do not know if I will ever feel like I deserve this without reservation. It is getting easier. Having a mission helps, I think.”

“We can do this,” Yasha told him. She said it quietly, but with every ounce of determination she had. Yasha had a lot. Caleb was struck by her soft strength, as he often was. Letting oneself be gentle after years of violence and pain was one of the hardest things to do. Caleb knew that all too well.

Caleb held out his fist, and she bumped it. “Ja, we got this.”

And he actually believed it. If only a little bit.

****

Caleb had an easier time walking into Soltryce Academy this time. Starting from a far more energised and calm place than last time carried him through the memories. Entering Astrid’s office was still a little painful, but he was strong enough to handle it.

Astrid and Wulf were seated in armchairs in front of the fireplace, reading. There was a pile on the table between them, and evident gaps on the bookshelves. They had rarely gotten to read books from Trent’s personal collection. The silent fuck you was vindicating, even vicariously.

“The old man had some interesting material,” Astrid said in Zemnian, skipping over the pleasantries. They didn’t need them at this point. She messaged him frequently enough that it felt like they were simply picking up a briefly dropped conversation. They usually spoke Zemnian when they did not have non-speakers to contend with, and Wulf followed suit. They would occasionally borrow a word or phrase from Common if the sentiment worked better.

Wulf snorted. “Pretty dry reading. You’ll like it, Bren.”

Caleb shrugged. “Once a nerd, always a nerd.”

Wulf set the book on the table, stretching; his shirt rode up a little bit and Caleb kept his eyes on his face with a great deal of effort. “If you want more colourful reading, the smut shop you were asking about is on the north side of the market.”

“Kingsley asked me.”

“Uh-huh,” Wulf said flatly.

“Listen, you cannot flirt with all my friends and then take that tone with me.”

“Just did.”

Caleb resisted the somewhat mild urge to scream. Wulf and Astrid were both very good at putting him off-balance, in very different ways. “Whatever makes you happy, Wulf. Astrid, can we talk about Advanced Transmutation? I am going to explode if I don’t talk about this in the next ten seconds.”

Astrid had been watching his exchange with a cocked eyebrow, but she smoothed out her expression and gestured towards a third armchair, closer to the fire.

He sat down, holding one hand out towards the warmth. “Astrid, I say this with all the respect in the world: what the fuck?”

“The advanced classes are in a delicate situation,” Astrid replied. “Professor Weber and I want as many of the Volstrucker program survivors back in school as possible. You are a better person to work with them than Bettina, and with any students who lost loved ones in the war. She told you her reasons, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Then what is the problem?”

“Aside from my lack of qualifications and the fact I never technically graduated from the Academy?”

“Bren, your practical experience outweighs all of that. Bettina will help you with the rest.”

“Astrid suggested you take the advanced students,” Wulf said casually, leafing through another tome as if he wasn’t throwing a bomb into the conversation.

Caleb felt an ache in his gut, and he had to close his eyes and compose himself. “Astrid. Why?”

“The Academy is about to throw those children into the world,” she replied quietly. “Whatever lessons you wish to impart, you have to impart them now. Not only that, but Bettina is not well-suited to teach survivors of the Volstrucker program. She has spent her entire life in the Academy. They will not take her seriously. Some may resent her for not doing something about the abuse happening right under her nose. She told you that.”

“How many survivors do you expect we will have?” asked Caleb.

“I am still trying to track them down,” Astrid replied, with an edge of frustration.

“I was meaning to talk to you about the Volstrucker.” Caleb had been racking his brain whenever he had the time and energy. There was no formal infrastructure to support the survivors of the program. If Caleb hadn’t met Veth, and then later the Nein, things could have gone very badly for him in so many different ways.

“Talk,” Astrid said.

“These people need help,” he said. “Unless we get that mental health support I asked for, we are effectively on our own. Even if the Assembly throws us crumbs, nobody can understand what it was like except others like us. We need to talk to each other. Regularly, if possible.”

Wulf’s eyes stopped scanning the page. “Do you really think Volstrucker will want to talk to each other about this shit?”

“Who else is there?” Caleb said plainly. “They--we deserve the chance to support each other. Regular meetings, if we can. A support group, I suppose. Low pressure. Just a group of people who understand each other going through yet another upheaval in a life filled with them.”

Astrid watched him closely, eyes narrowed in thought. “Interesting. I think I understand where this idea came from.”

“We got each other through a lot back in the day,” said Caleb. “But we weren’t equipped for it. There was no blueprint for what we were to each other, but we did our best. Until it wasn’t enough. And later, I had the Nein. I would not be here without them. I owe them everything. Not everyone has people like that.”

“I’ll find us a place and let you know,” Astrid said.

“Thank you.” Caleb had expected he would be a little emotional about it, so at least he was prepared to ward off tears. “Thank you so much.”

Astrid averted her eyes, gazing into the fire. “As for your job, most of the children in the program have been located. Some of their parents have pulled them out of school. I am… trying to talk them out of that. The last thing we need are traumatised, half-trained adolescents running around unchecked.”

Caleb was hung up on her wording. Most of the children had been found. “There are some unaccounted for?”

“Two. Felix and Nicolaus. They’re both seventeen.” Astrid didn’t need to point out why their age was a problem.

There was no time to panic; Caleb needed details. “What do we know about them?”

“I worked with them a little,” Astrid replied. “They are close, not unlike the three of us at their age. If we find one, we may find the other. They are from Blumenthal. The Crownsguard are keeping an eye out, but I do not trust them to handle this with the care this situation requires.”

“Specialisations?”

“Both Evocation.”

Caleb didn’t need to say aloud how bad this could be. Two missing Evocation wizards, on the edge of graduating the Volstrucker program, who had possibly had their memories modified and orders distributed. It had been a few months since Trent would have last had contact with them. The worst could already have happened. Then again, Caleb had been in Blumenthal not that long ago to visit his parents, and he hadn’t heard anything that would have given him pause.

“I was in Blumenthal a few weeks ago,” Caleb said. “If they followed through on an order, it was likely after that. I’d… like to think I would have noticed otherwise. Most people seem to agree that I am rather intelligent.” The dry humour probably wasn’t appropriate in this moment, but he needed to keep himself calm and sarcasm usually worked a treat. “In more recent times, I would assume word would have gotten back to you. Maybe we are not too late.”

“Optimism is a new look for you, Bren,” said Wulf.

Caleb would never call himself an optimist, but he could see why Wulf was uncomfortable, even if he hid it behind one part sarcasm and one part a veiled flirt. “Wulf, I have seen a lot of things in this past year alone that have… changed me. There was a time, not too long ago, when I did not expect to survive the week. And… look at us now. We are sitting here in Astrid’s office, reading Trent’s old books because he is stuck in a dark hole and cannot do anything to us. I spent the morning gardening with Yasha. My friends bought me a quilt because it reminded me of my mother. Things are better for me than they have been in a very long time. So, I am trying new things, like having hope sometimes.”

“Point taken,” Wulf murmured, averting his eyes. Tense. Uncomfortable.

“I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything about the boys,” Astrid said. “Whatever happens… I think you should be there.

#shadowgast #caleb widogast #professor widogast #essek thelyss #astrid beck #eadwulf grieve #yasha nydoorin #fanfiction #critical role #cr2 #my fics #the pomegranate's professor widogast fic

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poesparakeet-fics · 3 years

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Second part done! Read on AO3 or here! SFW!

Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Caduceus Clay & The Mighty Nein, Caduceus Clay & Jester Lavorre, Caduceus Clay & Mollymauk Tealeaf, Caduceus Clay & Yasha, Caduceus Clay & Caleb Widogast, Caduceus Clay & Beauregard Lionett Characters: Caduceus Clay, Jester Lavorre, Mollymauk Tealeaf, Yasha (Critical Role), Nott | Veth Brenatto, Caleb Widogast, Beauregard Lionett Additional Tags: Tickling, Revenge, Shrinking, wild magic mishaps, safeword, Teasing Summary:

Caduceus has made a habit of tickling some of his companions, be it as a cheer-up, a settle-down or a playful punishment. When a mishap with some wild magic makes his smaller than his friends, a few decide to get a little revenge.

CHAPTER 2 TEXT

They’d all agreed to wait a few days before going anywhere weird or dangerous, at least until Caduceus was back to normal. Sure, he didn’t fight using his size much, but the dangerously thin firbolg looked so breakable without his formidable height that they agreed to wait it out. After all, it was only a few days.

So naturally, trouble had found them.

They were lucky, really. Nobody was hurt badly, just a few scrapes and bruises. The spellcasters were burnt out, though.

“OK…” Jester said as they breathed a sigh of relief after entering the tower’s front door. “I got one healing word in me. Caduceus, want me to take care of that cut on your head?”

Caduceus reached up to touch it. It was barely a scrape. “Nah, I’m good. Maybe take down some of the bruising on Yasha’s arm?”

Jester did so, and Caduceus started to float upward toward his room. Thanks to the floating he didn’t even notice he was being followed until two sets of feet set down behind him, two bodies suddenly moving to walk with him pressed between them.

He looked up. It wasn’t Beau and Yasha, as he would have expected, Yasha being the only one to share the floor with him. It was Beau and Caleb, both smirking in ways that made his stomach squirm.

“Hey Caleb, did you hear what went on down there?”

“Ja, I think I did, Beauregard.”

“I think Caduceus just dodged a healing spell.”

Panic ripped a gasp out of Caduceus chest. “I did NOT!”

He started to try and break away from them, but Beau caught him around his middle and hugged him tight from behind. She lifted him off the ground easily, his feet kicking the air while Caleb stared him down.

“Jester offered you healing and you refused, Herr Clay. These are your rules. We have a zero tolerance policy, you see.”

Caduceus squirmed in Beau’s grasp. “It’s not the same –”

“Um, actually…” Beau cut him off, starting to walk them toward his room, “I’d like to refer you back to a previous instance of you counting Caleb’s ribs two months ago, where you involved Mollymauk for the first time. I believe it was the seventh instance of this punishment being meted out. In that instance, there were limited healing spells left and Caleb’s injury was superficial, but you cited the zero tolerance policy.”

“Ungh!” Caduceus grunted, trying to tug himself free of two arms as strong as ship cable, “You two are–”

“–Going to find out how many ribs a firbolg has?” Caleb teased over a very frightening little smirk that broke into a grin when his eyes flicked over Caduceus’ shoulder. “Veth the brave! I could use your assistance!”

When Beau turned to look he caught sight of Veth floating at the centre of the tower, her arms crossed and an amused look on her face. Her eyes met Caduceus’ gaze for a second.

“Nah. You guys have fun.”

Beau jostled Caduceus as she addressed Caleb. “Don’t worry you skinny shit, I’ll hold him down for you so you can get a little payback.”

“Noo…” Caduceus whimpered, the futility of the situation growing ever clearer. Caleb and Beau ignored him, talking to each other over his head instead as they entered his bedroom.

“Hey, has he ever done that thing where he tickles you until you say nice things about yourself?”

“Ugh. Ja.”

“So what’s he gotta say?” Beau climbed onto the bed with Caduceus still in her arms, keeping his back to her front.

“Hmm. We could make him say something mean, but that does not quite fit….”

“Nah.” Beau started to wrestle with Caduceus arms, fighting to get them up over his head. “How about just ‘I deserve this’ over and over until we’re satisfied?”

Caduceus fought her, whimpering, but her hands were as quick as sparrows and it was barely a moment before she had his wrists gripped tight. He tried to twist and get his feet under him on the bed, but Caleb grabbed his ankles and tripped his feet out as he perched on the side.

“Ja, that works for me.” Caleb shoved Caduceus’ shirt up, tucking it behind his head to keep it out of the way.

“No no no!” Caduceus wheezed as he saw his wizard friend and frequent victim smiling like a cat who caught the canary and floating his hands in a move that was clearly meant to rile him. It worked.

“Ah, you can take it, I’m sure.” the wizard answered, meeting his eyes with a wicked glitter in his gaze, “I mean, you could safeword, but I don’t think you will. Not when you know you deserve this.”

Caduceus choked a little at the reference to his very first time counting Caleb’s ribs, a whine building in the back of his throat as the man’s hands drifted closer. Oh, he was in for it . It might be easier just to cast gentle repose on himself now— Jester wouldn’t be able to bring him back until the morning.

“Alright, so we start with number one, ja?”

Caleb’s ink-stained fingertips found Caduceus’ lowest rib, flatter and broader than a human’s. The firbolg bit his lip and whimpered as first they only grazed the downy hair there before starting to pinch along the length.

“Eeheek!” Caduceus squeaked, his heels drumming on the soft bedspread as giggles poured out..

“There, just like the first time.” Caleb teased over a tight-lipped smile. “Although, actually…” Caleb’s fingers started to attack him on one side, and then the other, switching back and forth to make him writhe. “That first time, you did it one side at a time, didn’t you? So, do you deserve this, Herr Clay?”

“Noho! I- I caught you ahaha– with aha broken rib thahahat first time!”

“He what ?!” Came a growl from over Caduceus’ shoulder.

“Ah– nothing. Moving on. Two!” Caleb’s hands jumped up one rib, drawing a satisfying squeal from their captive. “Now, the second time was still just you, but a little more like… this.”

Caleb ducked down to nuzzle his nose and cheek across Caduceus’ lower rib cage. The gentle pressure and rough hair along his cheek nearly made Caduceus jump out of his skin. His back arched, his body driven back into Beau’s embrace for lack of a better place to go.

“Aha— AHAha— Ohoho, OHo OK! I deserve it! I deserve it!”

Caleb stopped nuzzling but put his fingers back to work immediately. “Wunderbar! Three.”

“Nohoho! I deserve it! Aahaa! Please!”

Caleb ignored him. “The third time… that was Veth and her feather, wasn’t it?”

Caleb pulled away to dig around his coat, and Caduceus got a precious moment to breath. He slumped against Beau and tried his best to unscramble himself.

“Got it!” Said Caleb.

Caduceus’ eyes shot open to see the wizard twirling a quill in his hand.

“Eep! Wait! I deserve it, I deserve it, I deserve it! ”

Caleb flicked the soft fronds of the feather across one rib, then another. “It’s good that you can admit that now. So here is three, and there is four… I’m sure you have more ribs than I have vengeance, right, Herr Clay?”

Cad was too breathless to answer, slumped against Beau in a frenzy of chirping giggles that pitched upward when Caleb jumped another rib. The feather was surprisingly maddening after the rough scrape of stubble.

“Five!” Caleb cheered, “so the next time would have been Yasha…”

“NO! Nononono! Pleeheeheehease!” Caduceus didn’t bother telling them he deserved it this time, that clearly wasn’t getting him anywhere.

Caleb chuckled, exchanging a devilish wink with Beauregard over Cad’s shoulder before leaning in to nip at the side of Caduceus’ ribcage.

His reaction was more scream than laughter. Oh, the teeth were bad . The biting had all the same staticy mix of sensations that the nuzzles did with the added maddening little scrape of teeth. His breathing was hitched, his legs were kicking desperately against the bedspread. By the time Caleb let up there were tears in his eyes.

Caleb let him catch his breath and watched him with a little softness.

“While we are not nearly even for what you have put me through, I do feel a little bad. You’re nearly done, eh? How about this: We’ll skip to Mollymauk–”

“NO!” Caduceus yelped, still breathless.

“Hey, hey, calm down. I only want one. You made me use my safeword over a black eye, Herr Clay. You deserve much more, but if I get one, we may call it even.”

Caduceus’ whole body was rigid, and he groaned from behind clenched teeth. “Even? Blank slate?”

Caleb chuckled at the answer. “Ja. Blank slate. Until you decide to torture me again.”

“Well that’s up to you, man.” Caduceus growled, shutting his eyes tight and clenching his teeth. “OK. Do it.”

“Ja?” Caleb asked with a renewed smile.

“Yes!”

“You’re ready?”

“Cale–”

Pbbbbbt!

That sound again, this time mostly drowned out by a bleating shriek as Caduceus jerked like he was hit by lightning. The single raspberry felt like it went on forever, a rare credit to Caleb’s lung capacity.

When Caleb pulled back he was chuckling, partly out of delight for his vengeance and partly out of mirth at Caduceus’ reaction, now starting to fade into a collection of leftover giggles, sniffles and hiccups. Beau let go of his arms and hugged him to let him lean against her and catch his breath.

“The next *hic* time you beg for *hic* mercy…”

“You’ll take it very easy on me. We are even, remember? No vengeance allowed.”

Shit . Caduceus winced. He hadn’t processed what he was agreeing to, something the wizard had undoubtedly been hoping for.

“You know, I think this erases your escalations, too.” Beau added from over his shoulder. “Blank slate, right?”

Caleb brightened considerably. “Ja! A blank slate. Starting from the beginning.”

Caduceus growled, crossing his arms and trying to look annoyed while still hiccuping. Beau crawled out from behind him, and they both rose to their feet. Caleb planted a kiss on top of his head.

“Goodnight, Herr Clay.”

…..

He was big again before long. It happened when he was sleeping, and the next morning he’d made a pot of tea by the time he realized he no longer needed two hands to pour. The epiphany made him spring up straight, a smile on his face. He felt like himself again.

It was Veth who trundled into the kitchen first.

“Good morning!” Caduceus greeted her.

“Oh! I see you’re back. Are you happy to be big again?”

“Well, it’s a little more.. Me.”

“Yes, I think it is,” her eyes glittered at him, “now you’ll be safe from the others.”

“Heh.” Caduceus nodded, “I think everyone who wanted revenge got it by now. But I am glad to be a little harder to pin down. Thank you for not helping them.”

He turned toward the sink with his mug, and Veth was suddenly hanging off his back with her feet braced on his belt.

“We both know I don’t need you to be small to get you, do I Mr. Clay?” She whispered in his ear.

Caduceus barely got one large hand over his own mouth before one of Veth’s small ones was plunged down the back of his shirt collar. Her arm disappeared there, fingers scrabbling at the skin between his shoulder blades. He squawked into his hand, legs collapsing and spine twisting. He ended up on his knees, trying desperately to shake her off as she moved with him like a rucksack, as slippery as an itch he couldn’t reach to scratch.

“Ok! Ahaa! Ok! Veth, please!” He wheezed around his hand.

She did stop, hopping off his back with a little smirk. “Don’t worry, I’m gonna keep that secret and hold over you for a while yet.”

“Wonderful.” Caduceus groaned from his position curled up in a ball on the floor.

“Just don’t get cocky and I’ll never have a reason to TAKE YOU DOWN!”

“Alright, alright.” He sighed as he stood up. “Deal. Mercy. And don’t worry, Caleb already negotiated a pretty generous immunity offer for himself.”

Veth snorted. “Please. Do that as much as you want. Just don’t. Get. Cocky.”

“Ok, Veth.”

#critickle role #caduceus clay #tickle fic #tk fic #caleb widogast #beauregard lionett #veth bernatto #tickling #ticklish #rib tickling

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beauregardlionett · 3 years

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morning begins with your lips

AO3 Link

The Mighty Nein was a group that one could describe as existing in a constant state of flux. Sometimes they appeared competent and sometimes...well. Precious little in their lives remained as a fixed constant, including themselves. They were always changing and shifting one way or another, and it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It did, however, make it rather difficult for allies and enemies alike to keep up.

There was, however, one consistent constant - even if it was a minuscule detail. Beauregard Lionett always woke first in the morning.

Her training was a hard thing to shake, and life on the road did not lend to sleeping late most days. Beau also wasn’t in the market for changing her sleeping habits. So she woke moments before the dawn each morning and went through her usual workout.

That morning found them in a tavern, Caleb having used up too many spells the day before to cast their tower. It was a fairly nice tavern, so none of them minded. Beau sat herself at a circular table in the corner with coffee and some food (thankfully they had bacon here), and waited for everyone else to arrive.

The rest of the Nein arrived in a particular pattern - one Beau kept intricate familiarity with. About twenty minutes after she got back from her workouts, Caleb would show his face, slightly haggard, but awake. His inner alarm clock benefited him in waking up on time. Veth often followed close on his heels, especially since they frequently shared a room.

Fjord came next, no more than ten minutes after Veth. Beau suspected his life at the docks had ingrained the habit into him over the years of work. Jester and Caduceus were a toss up because sometimes Jester arrived first, others it was Caduceus, and sometimes both appeared at the same time. No matter what the order, the clerics always arrived to breakfast looking perky and put together.

Yasha always woke last, and Beau knew it was because the Aasimar always struggled to fall asleep at night. She slept late every morning, and usually just rolled out of bed, straightened out her clothing, and came down to breakfast.

A consistent morning routine that Beau knew by heart, a practice in a punctual routine that soothed like meditation. A promise kept the same way the sun rose every morning.

Sure enough, Beau sat in her seat, nursing her coffee and savoring her bacon as Caleb trudged down to the tavern. His tired blue eyes scanned for her, his feet carrying him her way once he located her. Beau watched as he gave the barmaid his quiet request for breakfast on his way over. The wizard dropped into his seat beside her and yawned a greeting.

Beau slid what remained of her coffee his way in silent commiseration. His fingertips were ink stained, which meant he probably had gotten little sleep, the fool.

Veth came bounding over minutes later, cheerful and sleep rumpled as she perched on Caleb’s other side. Stretching up on her tip-toes, the Halfling planted a sweet kiss to his cheek (a practice only done occasionally) before hollering an order to the barmaid that hollered back.

“Morning,” Beau said as she tugged a piece of bacon into two, trying to make it last longer.

“Morning,” Veth returned, fiddling with her crossbow already. Beau didn’t ask what she was attempting this time, just monitored the mechanism in case it misfired.

Their conversation didn’t extend much past that as Veth continued fiddling and Caleb tried to keep his eyes open. Beau was content with the familiarity.

They had barely finished exchanging pleasantries when Fjord arrived, yawning but alert. The half-Orc caught Beau’s eye with a nod before he wandered over to the bar. She watched him exchange pleasant conversation with the barkeep for a few minutes, probably gleaning some information about the town or surrounding area. He did this sometimes when they got to new towns none of them had heard of or been to before, and it almost always helped.

Beau tracked Fjord’s movements as he left the bar with a coffee, making his way to their table. The barmaid arrived with Caleb and Veth’s plates as Fjord sat down on Veth’s free side.

“Whatever you’ve got works for me,” Fjord said pleasantly, his effortless charm pulling a smile to the woman’s face. She bustled away, and Fjord suppressed another yawn as he turned to the table.

“Barkeep says the town’s been calm ever since the war was called to truce. Decreased presence of guard, not as many brawls in the streets and bars, and trade has been up. I don’t think there’s much going on here if we want to move on later. We might have some luck in the market for rations, but beyond that,” Fjord ended with a shrug.

Beau appreciated his forethought in matters like these, because she sometimes got caught up in the bigger picture. Her mind worked in ways better attuned to connecting threads and digging up nuanced details. Sometimes she could ground herself enough to get shit done in the present, but it was hardly ever regarding mundane day-to-day plans.

“So, shopping and hit the road?” Beau said, tearing her bacon into smaller pieces again.

“Sounds like a plan,” Fjord nodded, sipping at his coffee. The barmaid arrived then with the half-Orc’s food before she bustled off again.

Beau settled into her seat, one leg thrown over Caleb’s lap as he chipped away at his plate. Veth began needling at Fjord in teasing conversation, the half-Orc indulging her with fond exasperation. Beau watched on and chuckled now and then, thoroughly entertained.

Veth had just convinced Fjord to play a game of boulder parchment shears for his last piece of sausage when Caduceus and Jester arrived. The clerics were discussing the benefits of talking to the massive oak tree they saw on their way into town as they took their seats. Jester flounced into the seat beside Fjord, Caduceus sitting on her other side as they kept talking. The pair paused long enough to greet the table before getting back into it.

“I’m just saying - morning guys! - we should try it,” Jester said, eyes boring imploringly into Caduceus’. “Maybe the oak will be friendly!”

“Of course we can try,” Caduceus agreed, setting his staff to lean against the table. “But in my experience, oak trees are always rather stuck up.”

Beau decided not to question how many oak trees Caduceus spoke to in his free time. The barmaid swept up to their table again, distracting the clerics momentarily.

“I’ll have some potatoes and tea, please,” Caduceus drawled with a pleasant smile.

“Do you have any pastries?” Jester asked predictably, violet eyes wide as she twisted in her seat.

“We’ve got muffins?” The barmaid said, eyeing Jester’s bright, eager eyes warily.

“I’ll take three!” The Tiefling chirped. “And a glass of milk, please!”

“Sure,” the barmaid nodded before sweeping off.

Beau gnawed on her bacon as Jester and Caduceus resumed their conversation, Fjord dejectedly losing his sausage to Veth’s victorious crow. Caleb started tapping an absent rhythm against Beau’s knee, and she let him. All was as it should be thus far, Beau’s eyes wandering to the stair as she waited for the last piece of the puzzle to fall into place.

Yasha’s absence when she had been under Obann’s control was a jarring discontinuity to Beau’s routine. She had been off kilter for more than one reason the entire time Yasha had been away. Beau hated to remember those days. As much fun as they had on some of their adventures, there was always that missing piece, that quiet snark that never piped up in conversation. There was no one at her back in those fights, no familiar battle cry, no unyielding support that Beau could fall back on with absolute trust.

She knew Yasha was last to rise, but the passing minutes never failed to pulse in Beau’s veins with anxiety. An irrational yet rational fear that she would never show.

Beau counted the minutes, tuning out conversation, absently aware of Caleb’s pattern against her kneecap.

Yasha stumbled down the stairs, tugging her tunic into order as she made her way over to their table. A surprising amount of tension bled from Beau’s shoulders with every step closer Yasha took. Jester came up from devouring her muffins long enough to greet Yasha, crumbs falling out of her mouth as she did.

“Mornin’ Yafa!” Jester managed through her food. The Aasimar offered the Tiefling a sleepy smile as she headed for the only empty seat between Caduceus and Beau.

“Good morning,” Yasha murmured as she rounded the table. Her eyelids still drooped with exhaustion she had yet to shake off. But she smiled small and warm at them all, her eyes landing on Beau as she stepped up beside the monk. Fondness made Beau feel like her heart was melting in her chest as she grinned up at Yasha, tipping her head back to catch her eye.

Yasha bent down and planted a quick, sweet peck on Beau’s lips, the monk’s smile curling wider as Yasha pulled away with a murmured, “morning Beau.”

The Aasimar wandered off to the bar a moment later to get a drink, yawning as she did. Beau happily went back to her bacon, picking it into pieces and popping them in her mouth. It took her a few moments to realize that something had changed.

Looking up, Beau froze with bacon halfway to her mouth when she found everyone at the table staring at her in stunned silence. Caleb’s tapping against her knee had ceased, Veth’s mouth was hanging open with sausage half-chewed. Fjord and Caduceus were giving her matching stares that were somehow both knowing and awed. Jester looked as if she were two seconds away from combusting into glitter.

“What?” Beau asked, somewhat defensively.

“Beau!” Jester exploded, squealing loudly. “You didn’t tell me you and Yasha finally talked!”

Beau’s cheeks grew hot, and she put her bacon down slowly. “Talked about what?”

“You kissed Yasha like it was a normal, everyday thing!” Veth said, thankfully swallowing her mouthful of food beforehand. “When did that happen?”

Beau froze, eyes going wide.

Oh.

“Uh...just now.”

“What?” Fjord said, brows furrowing.

“It happened just now,” Beau said, quiet and struck.

“Oh my gosh,” Jester gushed, practically vibrating in her seat. “That was your first kiss with Yasha? And it was that easy? And we all got to see it? That’s so romantic, Beau!”

Beau’s eyes flit to where Yasha stood at the bar. The Aasimar had twisted around to look back at the table, eyes wide and mouth agape. Clearly, she had come to the same realization as Beau. That same fondness from before softened everything in Beau’s countenance near instantly, and she smiled across the tavern at Yasha. She watched the Aasimar blush as she grinned back, turning to the barkeep to order when they came up to Yasha.

“I guess it is pretty romantic,” Beau whispered.

Veth and Jester squealed with each other as Fjord and Caduceus went back to their breakfasts. Caleb gently pinched the inside of Beau’s knee where her leg was still across his lap. He smiled when she looked at him and squeezed her ankle.

Beau’s chest felt full to bursting when she realized that her happiness could spread so easily among this family she had cultivated. She settled into her seat as Yasha came back and held her hand under the table for the duration of their meal.

This was something new Beau wouldn’t mind adding to their routine.

#cr #critical role #beauyasha #beauregard lionett #yasha #m9 #writing #my writing #[shrug emoji]

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swiftbell · 3 years

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So I had some thoughts on where everyone in the Mighty Nein ended up, and I needed to write them down somewhere, so have my thoughts under the cut!

To me it really felt like all of the characters ended up so beautifully where they were supposed to be.

Beauregard Lionett, the angry teenager who was always ignored, who screamed at the unjust world, and when it didn’t listen to her she beat it instead. That angry lonely Beau helped make the world more just, by telling the stories of people who had been silenced, by being the central piece in making sure those who had taken advantage of others got their due. She told the truth, and the world listened. And instead of having a family that abandoned her because she was a ‘problem’ she has a family that’ll never give her up, that’ll always support her, and love her.

Caduceus Clay, the soft spoken graveyard keeper who was alone in his home, was forced to go into the world, and do things that went against what he stood for because that’s what he had to do. He not only got his family back, he got a new family as well. He got to return home, he got to make things right, and he learned that when they went too far, he had what was needed to stand up, and demand they help fix what they broke - his way.

Caleb Widogast, born with the name Bren Aldric Ermendrud, who had been shaped by pain and fire, who killed his family, only really living to fix the past, wallowing in his guilt, and hiding in fear. Caleb let go of the past, let go of his guilt - and yes some of it is always going to be there, but it’s no longer the crushing weight it once was. He stopped running from his fears, instead he faced them, and beat them with the intellect they had sought to use, and with the family they would never again take away from him. Caleb got to make his parents proud, and is looking to fix the future rather than the past. Shaping it with creativity and love, making sure there would be no one else who had to suffer like he did. And while he didn’t end up with any of the many romantic interests he had, he is healing, and has them by his side still.

Essek Thelyss, who had his own goals and motivations, who started a war just to gain more knowledge, and who put himself first above all else. Aloof and stoic. He learned what it means to belong, what it means to care, favouring the simple pleasures of life, and the value of giving to others. “Caleb, I’m scared”, he says. “Will you do it?” He says “I will help you.”

Fjord Stone, orphan, who never had a home to speak of, and who was so focused on how others saw him that he changed his appearance, his mannerisms, and his voice - just to be someone he looked up to. Who was pulled into servitude for a dark force and given powers he had so badly wanted - but not this way. Fjord got a family, Fjord got a home he can return to whenever he wants, and still got to stay on the sea he loves. He let his tusks grow out, and stopped trying to be someone else, he grew into himself, and when he met his father figure again, that he had, by himself, grown up to be so much like him. And the powers? He threw them away into a river of molten rock, and then turned around to ask the goddess of nature if he may choose to serve her. His choice, not someone else’s.

Jester Lavorre grew up confined to a room, with only her imagination and possibly imaginary friend to keep her company. Always so full of creativity, so full of the love her mother showed her, the little sapphire. Jester whose trickery got her into so much trouble she had to leave her home behind, and flee into a world she had only read about at most, being scared, and fascinated at the same time. She managed to make friends wherever she went, she learned some hard lessons on the way, but in the end she always made it through. Tougher than the world, sweeter than sugar, and cunning like the fey she gave a heart. Jester got her romance she had always wanted, and she got the adventure she had always craved. And through it all, she was always had a good imagination.

Mollymauk Tealeaf - or really, Kingsley Tealeaf now, dug himself out of his own grave with no memories. He was nothing. Empty. He experienced the world, and inspired those around him to be better - even if he wasn’t. He never cared for his past, didn’t want to know it, ran away from it when he could. He was his own self, and the past wasn’t allowed to change that. Then he was taken away. Sudden, unexpected, too soon. He was gone, and then he was someone else, someone who was like him, but in all the wrong ways. Someone who fought the ones he had come to love, and who tried to kill them. Someone who didn’t want to know the past, who didn’t care, but who never got away from it. And then he died, and was someone new again. Not entirely empty this time, but not quite who he had been before. Someone new, someone who accepted that he could be his own person, and honour the past at the same time. Kingsley got what neither Molly nor Lucien got - he got to be alive, and he got to be free to be who he wanted to be.

Nott the Brave, Veth Brenatto, goblin, halfling. Both, neither. Who had lost her husband and son by sacrificing herself, who wasn’t who she used to be, and who was so caught up in her own insecurities she’d rather tune out the entire world with alcohol. Who would insist that she wasn’t smart, that the others were obviously better than her, that she was not brave. Veth kept sacrificing herself - but now she has others to make sure she makes it out alive too. She has a bigger family than ever, and doesn’t have to choose between one or the other, family or adventure, home or the world - she can have both. She gets to invent, to fully use the skills she had always had, but was too insecure to use, and she gave up the veil she put over herself to hide from the world. No longer Nott the Brave, but Veth Brenatto, the Brave.

And Yasha Nydoorin, from the barren wastes, with holes in her memory, with death on her back, and on her hands. Who lost her love not once, but twice - because she had failed. Wandering, trying to find herself, with a grief heavy heart, and who was used by others to commit crimes she never agreed to. Yasha got to break free from those chains weighing her down, to not only walk freely, but to fly in the sky. She found guidance in the storm, and used that to make sure she would never fail those around her again. She got to stop wandering, and instead got a home to fill with flowers, life, and love.

And at the end of the day, they still have each other, and always will. They travel independently, and they grow, but they always have a home, and they make sure to keep in contact, and stay together. As a family. As the Mighty Nein Nine.

#bibbly bobbly talkey talkey stuff #Critical Role #cr 2 #critical role spoilers #long post #I'm not gonna tag all the characters #I wrote this mostly for myself #I needed to write my thoughts down properly #oh man this finale got me good #I loved it #anyways off to bed for me now #I've not had much sleep today XD #got to watch the finale live though so #worth it

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itsomgitsgreenblogging · 3 years

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Xhorhassian Castle Strategy: A Shadowgast fanfic

Shout out to the ETFC. I swore I wasn't going to write this...and then we had such an amazing conversation that I just had to write this because of the vibes. The Queen's Gambit is a great show on netflix about chess...which I know nothing about and I just figured since that there are no rules for the dnd equivalent dragonchess so I could do whatever I wanted lol. This is really here for the vibes.

Enjoy! Read on AO3 The hotel was a swanky joint, one of the most expensive hotels in all of the Dwendalian Empire. Essek didn’t have much use for the light and the noise...it wasn’t like they were trying to make anything easier for him and he wouldn’t have asked regardless. However, once they all got past the formal stilted manner of most Empire competitions during the actual playing, the after-affairs tended to be rather convivial and light-hearted. Most players knew each other from circuits and practice and other competitions, so it wasn’t too surprising to see players who had just been engaged in tough matches to reach each other and ask to meet up for dinner or a drink. Essek, as a rule of thumb, couldn’t be bothered with those kinds of things and didn’t really know anyone besides. After all, he was the only Dynasty dragonchess player who had been invited to the tournament...and it had been done out of obligation rather than a sense of sportsmanship. You couldn’t claim to be running the “Dragonchess World Championship” without the top players from across the world...even if they were your political enemies. Essek was sure they would have rather had Adeen (who had come in last or second to last in the past five World Championships) just to save their glorious Empire sense of superiority. But Essek had trounced him months ago so decisively that Adeen had gone to “find himself and his play style” out in whatever backwater Greying Wildlands hovel that artists went to go and starve for their creative vision in. And so, Essek had been invited and now was on track to win. There was only one final obstacle in his path. The Zemnian was there with the others, milling about after the day adjourned. He had finished his game quickly. Though Bryce was known for their elegant and thoughtful play on the board they got discouraged quickly. The Zemnian had made quick work of them as soon as he smelled discomfort. Brash and bold on the board, cocky almost to a fault in contrast with his placid demeanor-he played to win and was out for blood every time. He had smashed through Bryce’s defence almost instantaneously the minute the other had faltered. Essek, though he wouldn’t like to admit it, had a much harder time with Beauregard Lionett. She was the opposite of the Zemnian. Though her personality was all bluster and edges, she played a precise and precocious game-was flexible and agile upon the board. It was like trying to capture a swallow-though in the end, she had been cornered and forced to submit through gritted teeth.

Essek made his quick escape up to his room, not wanting to be pulled into an obligatory conversation or useless pleasantries. For a while, he lay on the couch and let the tension seep out from his back. When he played he often felt numb to everything but his thoughts. It was wonderful and freeing and exhilarating. However the minute he stopped playing he would feel his stress pounding in his ears...locking up his jaw and neck and joints. It was like a residual pain that haunted his body and he did his best to just block it out. In his mind, the moves echoed there like footsteps. He could almost ignore the pain when he focused on them. Clicking into place in a rhythm of the clock and-

“Essek? We’re back,” Verin said as the door opened and revealed him and his mother. It startled Essek, but it shouldn’t have. His brother had never had a good sense of privacy. Verin set a bottle of water by the table for him, and Essek took it and swung himself into a seated position despite the complaints in his muscles. “Well? Congratulations on making it to the finals.” “He was watching me again,” Essek sighed as he took a sip of his water and not having any time for his empty congratulations considering his only real challenge was ahead. Essek would only accept congratulations when he won. Which he would, of course, but still. He eyed his notebook where he had written down his notes the dragonchess matches from that day. He should have been studying his only real competition’s moves, he should have been mentally preparing, but the only thing he could think of was his eyes. Blue and piercing and digging into his thoughts. It was infuriating if he was being honest. “Who?” Verin asked curiously, tipping his head to the side. “The Zemnian,” Essek said, annoyed that he even needed to clarify. “Why?” Verin asked, still clueless as ever. Essek tried to breathe his irritation out and settle his mind. Victory only came when your mind was as still as a pool, it was an old proverb that Leylas Kryn liked to say to him. “He unnerves me,” Essek admitted.

“Oh please,” his mother, Deirta sighed from where she was lounging, dramatically draping herself as if she had no time for his concern. “You don’t really believe he will beat you, do you?”

“The reason I dislike you mother is because you are so incapable of surprise. You lack imagination. I know I don't,” Essek said as he got up with a huff, unable to be in the room with them any longer or else he was going to kill them. And he couldn’t do that...he needed them to get home. “I’m going to get a drink.”

His mother threw her hands in the air but let him leave from the hotel room they were occupying. He got a few looks from people as he walked down the hallway but didn’t pay them any mind. Drow weren’t a usual sight in the Empire, and he knew he had a reputation. Essek Thelyss, the young upstart dragonchess prodigy-representative of the hope of thousands of others to break through and make the Empire bend the knee in any way they could. Personally, Essek could do without it all. He wanted-no, he needed to win to satisfy his vanity and ego. But he didn’t care about the hopes of his country. Honestly, it was exhausting to pretend he did. But he didn’t want to lose, and if he didn’t want to lose then he had to put up appearances so the Dynasty would bankroll his way to competitions.

He stood in the elevator, the other tenants hoping off on the way down. In his mind he replayed the game in his mind and visualized the moves of the game. Barbarian to C5, Monk to 4D-then the Archmage Reversal formation. If he had just put the Rogue in an offensive decision the game probably would have been decided three moves sooner- The elevator opened, and the Zemnian stood for a minute. His face was a study of surprise, as he blinked rapidly at him. Essek felt his back straighten as he held his head high and refused to give the Zemnian more than a cursory nod of greeting. The Zemnian walked in, looked at the button for the lounge that Essek had already pressed, and then stood a few steps away from him. Essek for a minute closed his eyes and tried to breathe, refusing to look at the Zemnian. The pressure in the air could have made Essek’s ears pop-the weight of his attention chafed against his flesh like cheap fabric and almost made him squirm.

“The opening was surprising for you,” the Zemnian finally said. His voice was much quieter than Essek had expected. Essek was sure he had heard him speak in interviews before, but it was still a surprise. “You prefer the Xhorhassian Castle Strategy.”

“Beauregard Lionett is a student of Grandmaster Dairon,” Essek said, insulted by the insinuation and folding his arms over his chest. “Expositer’s Gambit. Only an idiot would play Xhorhassian Castle against a Monk lead. I wasn’t going to make the same mistakes as Obann.”

“You studied her game against Obann?” the Zemnian asked, a quiet reflective surprise in his voice. Essek refused to turn his head and look at him. He didn’t want to see him-see his blue eyes or his rugged jaw or the lines in his face.

“A decisive and well played match,” Essek said curtly. “I make it a habit to work through all of my competitors’ matches, no matter how unknown or new they are.” “I see.” “I know you see, you’ve been watching me,” Essek said as he watched the elevator buttons continue to light up as it moved down. Surely this was the longest conversation of his entire life and he was going to personally murder whoever had built this elevator for forcing him into it. “I imagine you were doing the same.” “Of course,” The Zemnian said, and Essek was glad he didn’t bother to deny it. Essek could feel his gaze digging into his neck and it made him want to swat at his own skin. “If you want to enjoy staring at me longer, it may be worth your time to invest in a photo,” Essek said, tapping his foot at the elevator that hit the floor before their destination. He couldn’t hide his irritation.“I have quite a few good ones in the Dynasty Times.” “I know...I’ve seen them,” the Zemnian said. Essek refused to flush or flinch, and clenched his jaw so tight he was sure he was about to crack a tooth. “Of course you have,” Essek said with a controlled sigh as the elevator finally hit the floor and opened. Essek took a few steps out only to turn and see the Zemnian reaching out his hand. Essek stared at him. He couldn’t have been more surprised if the Zemnian had grown a second head and started singing Marquesian folk songs.

“I was going to meet with my friends,” he said, his expression was soft-like Essek was a slightly feral creature he was trying to soothe. “We were going to go over the matches so far. Would you like to accompany me?”

“You mean my matches,” Essek said, unable to help narrowing his eyes. His hand returned to his side in response. “With who? Beauregard Lionett? Veth Brenatto? Jester Lavorre?”

“As well as Fjord and Caduceus,” he said with an almost-smile. “Is it not practice in the Dynasty to do the same?”

Essek almost grimaced. It was standard practice for groups of skilled dragonchess players to go over games and sequences and practice together. Essek never did. Standard practice to be bogged down by old players stuck in their old ways, to be told you were too young or too ambitious or too reckless or too careful. There was nothing to be learned from such sessions that you couldn’t learn on your own or from just watching.

“Dragonchess is an individual affair,” Essek reminded him. “At the end of the day, you and I are going to face each other alone. I’ll win on my own terms.”

“I played like that before, but I find this way more enjoyable,” he said with a tinge of humor to his tone.

“I know you did, back when you had a different name and a different circle you ran with,” Essek said simply. “Your play style hasn’t changed too drastically-you always were a stickler for the scorched earth tactic no matter how you like to present yourself.”

“My name is Caleb Widogast,” the Zemnian told him, an unreadable expression on his face.

“It doesn’t matter to me what you call yourself-Nine Hells, you could call yourself King Dwendal and it would make no difference to me,” Essek told him. “My only request is you meet me on the board at your best tomorrow. Show me the best you can do. If I wanted to beat a player like any of your friends, I would just play them again.”

“That’s a big request coming from the youngest Xhorhassian Grandmaster in history,” Caleb said with a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth where Essek was definitely not looking.

“Said the youngest Zemnian Grandmaster in history,” Essek pointed out with a roll of his eyes.

“Have a good evening, Herr Thelyss,” he said with a look that Essek refused to register as something deeper. Their eyes met, and for just a single moment Essek wondered how it would feel to be seen like that all the time. But the thought was fleeting. After all, victory came from clarity...and his greatest clarity was only found in solitude.

“Have a good evening, Mr. Widogast,” Essek said quietly, not for an instant feeling regretful.

And so they parted ways without a single look back. After all, Essek had his eye on the prize.

#critical role #critical role fanfic #shadowgast #shadowgast fanfic #essek thelyss #caleb widogast #queen's gambit au #dragonchess

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idonthaveanyurlideas · 4 years

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The Lionett Estate Scene Ep92 Transcribed

So that final scene of the episode absolutely destroyed me, but so much was going on and I didn’t want to misremember any of it.

So I transcribed the whole thing while watching the rerun because I’m not a subscriber lol. Anyway it’s under the read more, including everything up to the gang arriving at the Lionett Estate to the end of the episode! I might’ve missed my body language, but I think I got everything else right.

Jester: Beau… whatever happens… he was an asshole for being mean to you. You’re a wonderful person… [Looks at Nott, and the others.] Nott: You’re a wonderful person! Jester: You’re a wonderful person he was lucky to have you for a daughter, hopefully he will realise that now. If he doesn’t, remember what you told me. Fuck him. You have us, and we love you so much, okay? Beau: Thanks Jes. [They hug, and then Beau exhales.] They added an arch. It’s even more pretentious now. Okay lets go. Nott: Do we knock? Or call? [Description from Matt. Yasha looks for flowers, of which there are none. Fjord looks for guards. There’s about two. They walk to the gate, which Beau unlocks with a hair pin. They hitch their horses.] Nott: After you, Beauregard.  Jester: If you want us to attack anyone at all, just say armadillo. Beau: Armadillo, got it. [Deep breath.] Okay. Lets go. Fjord: Do you want us with you? Beau: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I roll deep, that looks fucking awesome. Jester: You’re in charge of us, you’re the leader of the group, cool cool, cool? Beau: It’s fine it’s fine- Okay, let’s go. [They walk to the front door. Beau uses the door knocker. Door knocker jokes ensue.] Servant: Hello, can I help you? Beau: Is the lady or man of the house here tonight? Servant: May I ask who’s inquiring? Jester: Tch. Beau: Beauregard Lionett. Servant: [visibly shocked] Oh, um, I’m afraid the master is attending to the vineyards at the moment, he’ll probably be back shortly for dinner. Ms Lionett is inside, please enter. Jester: Oh shit. Beau, what if your dad recognises my voice? Beau: He probably will. Jester: shit- [chatter between Jester, Beau and Nott about Jester changing her voice.] Servant: Wait just a moment. Madame? Madame? [Beau walks over to the fireplace and stares at it.] Nott: Yeah, I mean, looks pretty awful here. Right? No? Caleb: The family has done alright for themselves. Jester: How you are- how- how- Nott: How you are. Jester: How are you? Are? [Nott and Fjord both mess around with the order of ‘How are you’] Clara: B e au re gard- Beau: Hey Mom. Clara: I-I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were coming. Uh- Beau: Yeah its kinda a trend I have going on. Clara: Well- uh- hehe- [Walks down stairs, approaches, halts, uncertain.] [Awkward, kinda warm, kinda stilted hug between Clara and Beau ensues.] Beau: I’m sorry to barge in, I know you were wanting to kinda keep me distant from the family but, um, I need to talk to Dad its important. And then we’ll be gone and you don’t have to [unintelligible] anymore- Clara: Oh you can stay as long as you like and who are your friends? TJ: Mommy? [runs downstairs and hangs onto Clara.] [Clara takes Beau’s hands.] Clara: It’s good to see you. Beau: Yeah? Clara: Would you like to stay for dinner? Someone, probably Jester: mmm- Fjord: That’s most gracious of you. We are the Mighty Nein, we are esteemed friends of your daughter. Clara: Well any friends of Beauregard are friends of ours. So, uh- Nott: How you are? Clara: Uh- I’m Clara Lionett. Beauregard’s mother but I assume you know that by now. Um- I’ll ensure some places are set. Beau: Hey Mom, remember that year we had that, like- mudslide that ended up happening and took out half our stock and we only have a few bottles left can we grab one of those. I’ve been talking about that a lot and uh- Clara: Yes, of course [sends a servant for a bottle] Anyway, uh, Oh my goodness oh my goodness I didn’t even, Beauregard- Clara: Thoreau Jr, I’d like you to meet your older sister Beauregard, Beauregard this is Thoreau Jr. TJ: That sister? Clara: Yes, that’s your sister. [TJ walks up, Beau crouches down. They hug. I die.] Beau: He’s has that uh smell to him. Like all the fuckin kids in Kamordah. Clara: Uh, we were hoping you’d come by sometime to meet him. Beau: Did you know- It was the timeline was always interesting to me. Did you know you were pregnant with him when you sent me away? [Long, very awkward silence] Fjord, very randomly: The Mantle is LOVELY uH-Jester would you help me out for a moment, Nott- perhaps uh [clears throat] if everyone- [Beau leans down to TJ] Beau: Hey little man. TJ: Hey. Beau: What’s your favourite colour? [TJ looks totally stumped before he points at Clara’s dress] Beau: Green? [TJ nods] Beau: Well here, you might like this then. [Passes over her jade necklace. He begins to eat it.] Yeah. It’s been in some dank places little man so uh, it’ll really build up your immune system. [TJ continues to eat it.] Clara: Look. Beauregard… Things are challenging all around, I didn’t- You’re father didn’t mean things to- become so tense. When you went away. Beau: Well it was a hell of a goodbye, you know. Not entirely sure why anyone would think that was a good fuckin idea to handle a situation. With a daughter that was clearly just wanting your fucking attention. Clara: I’m sorry. And it doesn’t mean much. Your father was under a lot of stress and- Beau: [scoff] Clara: Things should’ve been handled differently, you’re right you’re absolutely right. Beau: Fuck Mom. So you’re just as passive as you were back in the day. Did you get that bottle of wine? [Jeanine appears with wine] Beau: JEANINE. MY HERO. Clara: Here’s the thing- Beau: Jeanine! Jeanine! Jeanine! Give- [Passes out wine.] It’s like, one of our most expensive bottles of wine, so, enjoy. [Door opens. Thoreau Arrives. He is Surprised.] Thoreau: Beauregard. Beau: Hiiiii. [Waves loosely.] I’m home. Thoreau: I can see that. I… was not expecting to see you today- Beau: or ever. Thoreau: Welcome, welcome. Friends of yours, I assume? Beau: Yeah, mum, dad, this is the Mighty Nein. Nott: Hi. [Thoreau looks at Nott and instantly gets weird.] Beau: Dad, don’t. Don’t do that, Dad. Nott: Oh. It’s fine. [Clara picks up TJ] Beau: Fucking embarrassing. Nott: Cute kid. Yasha: Looks very tasty. [Clara looks very concerned.] Clara: I’m gonna put TJ to- put him down. [Clara and TJ leave the room.] Thoreau: Well it’s a pleasure to have you all. I’m glad you’ve all been… been… travelling, I assume. [Nott rifles for cups] Thoreau: I’ve been receiving updates about your work with the Cobalt Soul. Apparently been doing quite some fine work. I-I guess I should say Expositor Beauregard? That’s incredible, I mean- Beau: Still sending you tuition updates, huh? Thoreau: Well, it’s important for us to know how our Beauregard’s doing. Caleb: Unparalleled, she is. Thoreau: Mhmm, as she would be. [Jester makes a 23 Insight Check to see if Thoreau is being genuine and gets a whisper] Nott: Found a couple cups. Caduceus: This I will try. Nott: Ooh. Thoreau: Well, I- uh- A toast to Expositor Beauregard Lionett, heh. Fjord: Cheers. [Everyone raises their glasses.] Thoreau: I know you well enough, Beauregard, to assume you haven’t come for the sake of pleasantries. [Jester moves next to Beau and puts a hand on her back] Jester, whispering: Do you want us to stay? Beau, very quiet: please. Beau, louder: Uh- yeah, you know me Dad, wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want something. Um- listen, that story you love to tell at every family gathering and for bedtime and any chance you had, uh- that old hag that you talked about. We need to find her. Is that story even real? Or is it just meant to terrify me. [T finishes drink and sets it down.] Thoreau: Of course it’s real, Beauregard. Look, I know you- I know we’ve had our differences. And I’ve not- I’ve not been the pinnacle of a father in the same way that you’ve been the pinnacle of a daughter. I accept my responsibilities in the things I may have been a bit harsh on. But look what you’ve become. Beau: This feels like a- a weird justification of your behaviours, but I’d like to hope that I became had fucking nothing to do with you but maybe I’d be lying to myself. Yeah, I was difficult. I had my onus(?) in everything that happened. But I thought a dad was supposed to stay by their kid when they’re having a fucking hard time. [pause] Mom already fucking mentioned that life gets difficult and its hard. So you’re right maybe it’s easy to justify the easy way out, just get rid of the problem. Thoreau: That’s not what this was about. You were on a self-destructive path. We didn’t know what to do. I’ve never been a- no one teaches you how to be a good father. [pause] I regret choices I have made, and you think I don’t hold myself responsible for- I thought I was doing what was best for you, truly. Beau: You did. It was probably the best thing you could’ve done for me, so thank you. [pause] Beau: Tell me the story again, and then I’ll go. [pause] Thoreau: It’s true. I haven’t lied to you or made anything up. Why are you asking about this? [Beau looks at Nott] Beau: She has information we need. Thorau: You’re trying to actually.. go to her? Beau: We need her. Thoreau: What for? [pause, Beau looks at Nott again.] Beau: Why are you afraid? Thoreau: I’m not afraid, I’m just curious. Beau: We think she has something to do with why… Jester, in some kind of southern accent: We need it to break a curse, that’s all. [The cast break into giggles.] Nott: Your daughters trying to do what she always does. Help a friend. Thoreau: Well… I mean I just heard the stories. Growing up about the witch in the mountains. Beau: What was her name? Thoreau: I don’t remember she was just the witch in the mountains- Beau you know how I grew up, I had nothing. I was in the street I had nothing to lose. I mean if I was lucky, it would work. If I wasn’t quite as lucky she’d chop me up and eat me, I didn’t have anything else waiting for me. So I-uh just went and wandered north, through the mountains through the forest and my shoes began to split and chased by wolves and worse til eventually one day I just stumbled upon this little shack. And there was the witch, right when I began to think it was all a lie and I’d thrown myself to the wolves for nothing, there she was. With her crooked smile and hungry eyes. Jester: did she have long arms? Thoreau: Longer than natural, yeah. She asked me how I come here and threw myself so withered before her and I said I had nothing to lose and had heard that she can help people. She said she could. She said she was a fortuneteller. She said fortune was her specialty. And so she threw her runes and played her cards and said that there was a way to get what I always wanted. For just a fragment of… my fortune. And I said well I don’t have a fortune. She said, not that fortune. Your {pointing at beau] fortune. And I agreed because I had nothing to lose. So this woman I wanted to marry doesn’t deserve an impoverished man. Whatever it takes. And so, she said, I’ll be a great craftsman, working in fine spirits, to pick a place in the mountain land and wherever I picked, the ground would grow. She said that a young Beau/Bow(?) would take on the great name, to continue the success. Til everything, eventually, will humble me by that which I desire most. [pause] And then she sent me on my way. [Pause] Thoreau: We came back, we built our land, the last bit we could borrow from our family, and she was right. And we had another blessing [gesture to Beau]. And the fact that it all worked means I don’t know what else she took, and I don’t know what’s coming to humble me, and I just wanna protect my family, so if you intend to actually go and see this witch, just be careful. Beau: For me? Or for you and yours? Thoreau: For Us, Beauregard. [Pause] Beau: Maybe I’m the one that’s sent to humble you. Thoreau: [inhale] Beau, don’t think for any moment that your mother and I haven’t loved you from the depths of our hearts this entire time- I’m sorry if we didn’t show it properly. [Pause. Beau shakes her head, before chuckling.] Beau, tearful: I don’t know if I feel validated or vindicated or what! Jester, quiet: It’s so confusing. Thoreau: My apologies. I didn’t realise this would be- the evening I think any of us was coming home to. I’m a bit caught off guard, and unprepared. Beau: Yeah. Well, some things never change, do they, Dad? Jester: Beau? [pulls her aside] Beau: I’m like seconds away from losing my shit- Jester: I know, I know you are. Um, I just want you to know that, um, he looks like he’s telling the truth. Beau, obviously he was terrible to you, obviously he didn’t terrible things and he sent you away and that’s horrible, but I do believe they love you. I do. And- I don’t expect you to forgive them right away by any means. But I would just encourage you to maybe, maybe, listen to them the way you listen to us, with open ears. Beau: How did you do it? Jester: Do what?  Beau: Forgive your dad so quickly. Jester: Well… I mean, he seemed pretty earnest… and, there’s not a lot to be gained from holding grudges. You know, it feels like poison inside of you. How much better would it feel if you could just… be clean. Beau: But I’m so good at holding grudges. Jester: I know, you’re really good at it. [pause] Beau: You make… an interesting point though. [unintelligible] Caleb: This is an excellent bottle. Thoreau: Well, looking at the bottle its an extremely rare one that I would have preferred to keep in the cellar, but it’s a special occasion, so, enjoy it. Caleb: A most special occasion. A reunion. With Beauregard. [pause] Beau: Im gonna go find this woman that you based so much of our entire lives around, and hope that I can better understand, why and where you’re coming from. Because- what you and mum didn’t do, a lot of the footwork into understanding me, it doesn’t mean that I can’t do my research to better understand where I came from. You’ve done a lot. To reflect on- what choices I’ve made to put me in the position that I”m in. And I guess I’m just mildly disappointed to see that the same amount of work hasn’t been done, or at least even remotely attempted- Thoreau: That’s not entirely true, Beauregard. [pause] Not entirely wrong, either. Beau: I gave Thoreau Jr the jade necklace. Make sure he doesn’t choke on it. Thoreau: D-don’t leave and go to his woman without any sort of protection, hold on just a second [He leaves.] Nott: You’re doing great, you’re doing amazing- Jester: You’re doing a really good job, Beau- Nott: Protection? You think that protects you? Beau: I told you, he’s incredibly superstitious. Jester: We never actually checked if it did anything it could be really valuable- [Caduceus casts Detect Good and Evil, then Detect Magic. Liam casts Fireball. Sadly, Caleb does not. Thoreau comes back with a new jade necklace. Lights are magic, necklace is not.] Thoreau: This is your mothers, but, just please, please, for me. If you’re going to do this. Beau: [unintelligible] -kind of an upgrade. Thoreau: I only hope… hope that I can make up to you, the missteps that I can plainly see behind me. It’s rare that a child’s damage at that age and- behaviour doesn’t reflect how I - misstepped in my parenting. [pause] Beau: … thank you, for that. Um- Thoreau: Your grandfather was no peach either, and there’s- there’s difficulty in realising how much you intended to be different. And then to realise that you’ve become so similar. So I hope that with the company you keep, maybe you won’t repeat the same mistakes I have. By treating the people around you. Beau: I’m trying to do better. [pause] I’ll let you know how it goes. Thoreau: Good, good. Jester: Are we staying- are we going- Nott: Are we leaving? Beau: We should go. Yasha; Yeah? Beau: Tell mom, thank you. [pause] MOM! [Clara appears] Clara: Yes? Beau: I’m going, mom. Clara: Oh, oh alright. [Brings TJ out as well] [Hands TJ to Thoreau, takes Beau’s hands] Clara: I’m sorry things- things are strained tonight, but it’s good to see you. Beau: [leans in, whispering] You’re allowed to have an opinion too, mom. I’ll let you know how it goes. Clara: Of course. [squeezes hand and lets go.] [TJ comes up, starts sucking on necklace again.] Clara: No-no- [Tries to stop him.] [Beau fist bumps TJ or something] Thoreau: Be safe. Beau: I will. I promise. Thoreau: [At M9] Keep her safe. Jester: Always! Caduceus: Of course. Jester: You won’t wanna give her an awkward hug or anything she’s gonna face a pretty powerful being. Beau: I think we’re good. Thoreau: Right. Jester: Okay, just checkin. Nott: Good luck to you too. Beau: Any landmarks to look out for? Thoreau: If you hear noise, run. There was a thick, bramble, tangle. Partially grey and petrified, like many of the woods there. That means you’re close. If the ground begins to tar, it looks like, you’re almost there. And if I recall, it’s pretty straight north from here. Beau: Alright. Jester: Should we take horses there, or should we go on foot?  Thoreau: You can take horses as far as you want but there’ll be a point where you won’t be able to bring them with you. Jester: So leave the horses here? Or- Nott: Take em for a bit Jester: alright. Nott, quiet: if we care about horses- Thoreau: Well, uh- the Mighty Nein. It’s been a pleasure having you. Welcome to the Lionett Estate and travel safe. We look forward to seeing you again. Nott: You too. Many years ago I was granted a wish by that same witch and I turned into this as a result so I hope the same doesn’t happen to you. Bye. Beau: Bye dad. [swipes a bottle of wine] [Nott takes the cup she was drinking and also steals some jade rabbit sculptures.] Nott: When our friend [Fjord/Travis, who was absent from the table at the time] gets out of the shitter tell him to meet us outside. [Yasha hangs back] Yasha: You should be very proud of your daughter, you are very lucky to have her. Thoreau: I agree. Yasha: You should show her that more then. If for some reason, we end up killing this hag, will all of this go away? [pause] Thoreau: I don’t know. Yasha: Well. Maybe that would help you remember what’s important. Have a good night. [They leave. Thoreau stands with the door open for a moment watching them before closing the door. Beau, crying a little, pulls the Nein into a group hug.] Beau, quiet: Yeah, that’s good.

[Episode Ends]

#cr spoilers #critical role spoilers #beauregard lionett #critical role #thoreau lionett #transcribed #long post #oh my gossssh this was a lot

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inktog · 3 years

Text

I did this several years ago, and I thought it would be fun to do again now that many of my ships have changed. Consider yourself tagged if you want to participate, though I’m also tagging @kingofterrors specifically.

First, list your top 10 ships without reading the questions below.

Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe

Shallan Davar/Adolin Kholin/Kaladin Stormblessed

Amity Blight/Luz Noceda/Willow Park

Jester Lavorre/Beauregard Lionett

BoJack Horseman/Diane Nguyen

Anthy Himemiya/Utena Tenjou

Chandra Nalaar/Nissa Revane

Harrowhark Nonagesimus/Ianthe Tridentarius

Jade Harley/Rose Lalonde

Keyleth/Vax’ildan

Then answer the questions.

Do you remember the episode/scene/chapter that you first started shipping 6? Nope! I mean, I guess I kind of shipped it before I even watched an episode? I went into RGU knowing that Utena/Anthy was a thing, but I wound up disappointed that it wasn’t as much of a thing as I expected, or at least not the particular type of thing I expected. It wasn’t until I rewatched the series while reading the Consulting Analyst that I began to appreciate Utena and Anthy’s relationship. But I can’t pinpoint a particular moment during the rewatch where it clicked for me.

On a side note…goddamn, I really demoted these two, huh? They used to be my #2 ship. My backup OTP. Maybe I’m due for another rewatch.

Have you ever read a fic about 2? Yes, but the cosmere fandom is small. I’ve read only a handful of Shakadolin fics out of the like…few dozen handfuls that exist. Haven’t found anything that particularly strikes my fancy.

Has a picture of 4 ever been your screensaver/profile pic/tumblr? No. Maybe I should do that more often...Beaujester would certainly be a fun screensaver.

If 7 were to suddenly break up today, what would your reaction be? I have very little interest in catching up on the Magic story, so I can’t give an answer that’s grounded in canon; I don’t even know whether they’ve gotten together yet. But in general, I fucking love stories about relationship drama, so it’d probably be a net positive for me—provided that the quantity of queerness in the story didn’t decline as a result. (I.e., Either they got back together, or at least one of them started dating another woman.)

Why is 1 so important? Eh, the #1 slot hasn’t changed since last time, and I don’t feel like explaining it all over again. Tl;dr: it lets me vicariously relive the experience of being a young teen and falling in love for the first time.

Which one has the strongest bond? I think that honor goes to Connverse. There’s something immensely powerful about Best Friends To Lovers, and Steven and Connie have worked really hard to build a lasting relationship. Utena and Anthy are a strong runner up, but I feel like a lot of their bond isn’t sustainably strong. Not yet. Their canon interactions exist in a tangled web of lies and manipulation and non-communication, and the hard work is still before them.

Which ship has lasted the longest? Okay, I think I previously misinterpreted this question. I suppose it refers to the length of each relationship and not (as I originally thought) how long I’ve been shipping them.

…then again, is this question assuming a canon status? Or is it asking which ship would last the longest, were they to get together? Least likely to break up? That just feels like a reprise of the last question. Okay, I’m going with my original interpretation.

I think I’ve been shipping Connverse for longer than anything else on this list. I could be wrong: Homestuck precedes SU on my fandom timeline, so maybe it’s actually Jaderose. But I don’t think I shipped Jaderose right away, while I shipped Steven and Connie pretty much immediately.

How many times, if ever, has 6 broken up? When it comes to post-canon Utenanthy, the fandom, from what I’ve seen, tends to focus on the Healing From Akio’s Abuse angle and the Fluffy Domestic Life angle. Understandably so! But I think this trend has left me with the impression that Utena and Anthy have a mostly uncomplicated post-canon life. And, well…

Their canon relationship is so fucking unhealthy. Anthy spends almost the entirety of the show deceiving and manipulating Utena, while Utena speaks for and over Anthy without ever listening to her. And like, sure, Akio’s out of the picture now. That’ll definitely make things easier. But Anthy is still vindictive, passive-aggressive, and utterly disinclined to communicate her feelings or preferences. Utena is still headstrong, quick to anger, and not a good listener. They seem to be outgrowing these traits by the final episode, but that isn’t the kind of thing that happens overnight.

In short, how many times do I expect them to break up—messily, unable to put the past behind them, each feeling hurt and betrayed and seen in the worst possible way while she drives a knife as deep as she can into the other’s heart?

If the world was suddenly thrust into a zombie apocalypse, which ship would make it out alive: 2 or 8? My first thought was that Harrow and Ianthe obviously win this round. I mean, come on, they’re necromancers. However, Shakadolin have the skill set to not only survive a zombie apocalypse, but rally other survivors as well. Kaladin scouts for stragglers and flies them to safety, Shallan Soulcasts food and medicine, and Adolin organizes defense of the camp perimeter. There’s a chance that Kaladin succumbs to zombie-apocalypse-induced depression, but the other two are good at helping him through it. And let’s be real, Ianthe probably caused the apocalypse in the first place.

Did 7 ever have to hide their relationship for any reason? Tfw you date someone from the same tightly knit friend group slash superhero squad as you and neither of you wants to tell your other friends slash co-heroes because damn that’d be awkward so you pretend nothing’s happening until one day after a particularly close battle you kiss each other thoughtlessly in an oh-thank-god-you’re-alive kind of way and then you realize everyone else saw and you start to explain yourselves only to learn that everyone already knew. They all knew.

Is 4 still together? Bold of you to assume they got together in the first place :'c

Is 10 canon? Yep! A pleasant surprise, honestly, since I shipped them long before I had any idea that they’d end up canon.

If all 10 ships were put into a couple’s Hunger Games, which couple would win?

Okay, time to rank power levels again. Also time to collapse two triangles into lines.

Jade/Rose

Harrow/Ianthe

Connie/Steven

Keyleth/Vax’ildan

Shallan/Kaladin

Chandra/Nissa

Jester/Beau

Amity/Willow

BoJack/Diane

Anthy’s magic is such a goddamn wildcard that I have once again removed her and Utena from the rankings.

By far the most powerful remaining competitor is Jade Harley. She can instantaneously teleport herself or anyone else to any location in the universe; shrink, grow, accelerate, and decelerate anyone or anything; and generally manipulate the fabric of spacial reality. She also has the hit points and damage output of the GREEN FUCKING SUN. And if by some miracle you manage to kill her, she comes right back to life unless her death is suitably Just or Heroic, conditions that I don’t expect to be met often in the Hunger Games. Rose is mostly a liability, and I expect that Jade, not wanted to take a chance on the god tier clock, would focus her early efforts on protecting her girlfriend. If they both survive the first few minutes, Rose’s Seer powers suddenly become a huge asset. She’s the only person who can see into the future, except Jester (whose foresight via divination is extremely limited) and maybe Amity (we don’t really know how oracle magic works, but it’s probably not as powerful as a fully realized Seer of Light).

I won’t break down the power level of everyone else, because it would be kind of boring to get into the nitty gritty. Just imagine a line between 5 and 6; each couple above the line has at least one person with some kind of Extreme Damage Resistance, while everyone below has a normal vulnerable meatsuit.

That said, there are a two people worth mentioning.

Steven’s rank has improved considerably thanks to the later seasons, especially SU Future. He’s been shown to rival White Diamond and even the Cluster in power level. And he’s much more willing to use his power offensively. Nevertheless, I think his surest path to victory is to slow down time and run the fuck away. I don’t care how much power the Rose Quartz gem has in it (and it’s clearly a fuckton); neither shield nor bubble would hold a candle to fusion of two dying universes. If he can find his way to relative safety, he can use his empathetic powers to push Jade into grimbarkness, opening up the door to a Just death. Then he could kill her by possessing her. It’s a long shot, but technically possible. Sadly, Connie is probably dead no matter what.

Beauregard is the dark horse because she could, in theory, stun all the key players—Jade, Harrow, Ianthe, and Steven if he doesn’t run—with a single round of attacks before anyone else reacts. The Green Sun probably grants Jade an ungodly bonus to Con saves, but the necros have negative Constitution as a rule, so there isn’t too much luck involved. If it works, you’re suddenly left with a fight between people of roughly the same power level, and it’s anyone’s game…for six seconds.

BoJack and Diane die immediately, no matter what.

Has anyone ever tried to sabotage 5? Yeah, BoJack has.

Do you spend hours a day going through 3’s tumblr tag? Not enough content to spend hours per day in the tag, but I certainly have it bookmarked c:

If an evil witch descended from the sky and told you that you had to pick one of the ten ships to break up forever or else she’d break them all up, which ship would you SINK? The witch already came and she broke up BoJack and Diane, making the show 100 times better than if they’d ever boned or dated.

#mine #lex don't look

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thedivinecommaarbitrage · 4 years

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Waiting for Lightning - Chp 1

I Remember Days When I Was Younger

AO3

Beauregard Lionett, junior at the University of the Cobalt Soul and star of the track team attended every 6 AM weekend practice hungover. She said it was her secret weapon. The added pain from the pounding headache gave her an edge. (And turned her on a little, though she'd only admitted that to Fjord while quite tipsy.) This morning was no different, except the women's rugby team was practicing on the indoor field the warmup track circled. Beau was mid-stretch, jamming to her tunes, and checking out the women on the field, a state of being she rather enjoyed.

Now Beau considered herself a bit of a Casanova. She had slept her way through most of the girls on the track team, and the soccer team, and half the sorority girls she partied with if she was being honest. So, she was sizing up the rugby team, looking for her next one-night stand when she saw the most striking woman.

Running drills across the field was a Norse goddess. A tall, muscular woman with hair that went from black to white tied back in a loose mess of braids. Beau couldn't see her eyes from this distance, but she had dark makeup all smudged around them. Beau could appreciate that aesthetic since she normally sported day old, messy eyeliner. The mystery woman also had a blue line inked from her lower lip down her chin and neck. Beau bit her lip wondering how far down that line went. Beau was so caught up in ogling the woman that she didn't notice Dairon was behind her until they smacked the backside of her head.

"Get your head out of the gutter, Lionett, and get on the track. It's time for training, not drooling over the other athletes." The assistant coach was already walking away before Beau could react.

"Hey! My head's here in the game, Dairon. I know what I'm doing. I'm the best for a reason, okay. Lay off for a minute, will ya?" Beau said as she stood up and jogged after her coach. Dairon had taken an interest in Beau during her freshman season on the team. They were a total hardass, and Beau would never admit it, but she would have washed out without their help. "I'll do my laps, okay. You don't have to tell me twice." And she took off before Dairon could continue telling her off.

Beau ran her laps, with her music turned up loud enough to compete with the sound of blood pumping in her head. Right now, it was Joan Jett. She kept stealing glances at that woman as she played on the field. Beau didn't know much about rugby, but she could still tell that the woman was good. She hadn't ever had the ball, but she had made successful tackles against most of the players who had possession of the ball. That woman was all muscle and ferocity, taking down opponents left and right. It was really fucking hot.

Unfortunately, the rugby team's practice ended before the track team's. Beau watched the woman quietly gather up her things and head to the locker rooms, not talking with any of the other players. Surprisingly, off the field, the woman seemed demure and reserved, compared to the powerhouse she was on the field. Beau only focused back in on her laps once the woman was fully out of sight.

“Lionett,” Dairon called to Beau as she walked away from the track at the end of practice. “Meet me at 10:00 in the practice room for more training. It’s been awhile, and I’m worried you’ve gotten rusty.” They turned on their heel and marched away before Beau could respond.

“Great, yes, Dairon, that fits perfectly in my schedule. Thanks for asking. You’re such a considerate coach.” Beau said to Dairon’s retreating back. She sighed and continued on to the locker room. She was already feeling the laps in her legs and more training with Dairon would just hurt more.

When Dairon had first taken an interest in Beau, she had been rather angry and troubled. She was getting into fights with her teammates and was close to being kicked off the team before they stepped in. Dairon had taken her to a small practice room and said, “Take a swing. Try and hit me. Take your anger out here, off the field.” So, Beau took a wild swing. Dairon easily sidestepped, so fast Beau didn’t even notice, and then followed up with a slap to the side of Beau’s head. “You’re sloppy, directionless. You need discipline and order. Again.” Beau swung out again, and Dairon raised their hand in an effortless block. “Better, but you’re still miles away. Try again.” Beau yelled in frustration. Why was her coach doing this? She closed her eyes and breathed out through her nose and took one more wild swing. To her surprise, this one connected with something soft, and she felt a small crack. Beau opened her eyes to see Darion staring back at her in shock, blood gushing from their nose.

“Oh my god, did I break your nose? Fuck, that’s cool. Ah, I mean, shit, fuck. Are you gonna kick me off the team?” Beau’s sudden joy at landing a blow on her coach was crushed as she remembered the reality. She had punched a school official, fuck.

Dairon lightly touched the side of their nose and laughed. “That was good. A little wild, but when you focused, and let your anger slide away, you connected. You have potential, Lionett. And no, I’m not going to kick you off the team. I’m going to teach you to fight, properly, with restraint and focus.”

Beau stood there, shocked. Fighting training? All she had wanted as a kid was for her dad to enroll her in karate or any martial arts, but he had refused on account of it being improper for a girl to learn to fight. “Really? What, that’s so cool! I can’t wait to punch things so good. This is gonna be sick,” Beau said, looking at her fists. She already felt so much cooler.

“It’s not something ‘cool’ or something to be taken lightly. You need control and composure if you’re going to be successful on the team. It’s about discipline. Remember that, Beauregard.” Dairon opened the door to the practice room. “Every day after practice, we will meet for another hour, and you will learn. Now, get out of here.” With that Dairon turned on their heel and walked off down the hall. Beau was left standing, still in shock, feeling like her world had been shifted.

Beau slammed the door to her dorm open and tossed her gym bag in the general direction of her closet. "Morning, Jessie!" She called as she strode across the room to flip down in her roommate's bean bag.

"Beau, why do you have to be so loud? It's the morning. It's time for sleeping. Do you even sleep, Beau?" Her roommate, Jester, groaned as she rolled away from Beau.

"But, Jess, I brought pastries." Beau held up the paper bag, emblazoned with the emblem of The Slayer's Cake, the most popular bakery in Zadash.

"Pastries?" Jester squealed and snatched the bag out of Beau's hand before leaping back onto her bed. "Beau, you're the best roommate ever. Thank you!" She rummaged through the bag. "And you got my favorite blueberry muffins? You really are the best."

Ah, it was nothing really. The on-campus store is in between here and the track." It really wasn't, but Beau loved making Jester happy. She was the best friend that Beau had ever had. (Though she would punch out anyone who accused her of being soft like that.) “Come on, eat your sweets, I’ve got to meet Dairon again in a couple hours and we have to study with Fjord before then.”

Beau had met her wild roommate on move in day freshman year. She'd driven herself to school in her shitty, old Toyota Camry because her parents couldn't be bothered to give a shit about their only kid leaving for college. Her brother was born less than a year later, and Beau stopped wondering why they never gave a shit about her anymore. She had finally made it to her dorm to find a bubbly, little blue tiefling decorating one side of the room in pink, frilly things, and a tall, buff minotaur standing guard, arms folded. “Hey, ummm, I’m Beau. Your roommate, I guess.”

“Oh, hi! I’m Jester. And this is Bluud. He’s harmless. Bluud, get out of her way, so she can unpack. I can’t wait to be the best of friends. I’m an art major. What are you studying?” The tiefling, Jester, bombarded her with even more questions while they set up their room and ran out to get more supplies at the local Target. Beau was sure she was going to hate Jester, but after a few hours, they were good friends. And by the time they went to bed, Jester declared them to be best friends forever. They had been roommates ever since, so for now, Jester’s declaration was holding true. Beau couldn’t picture anyone else putting up with her shit, and no one else could handle Jester’s specific brand of wild.

“Hey, Jess, I saw this cool chick at track this morning. She was practicing with the rugby team, and I’ve never seen her before. She had this really goth look with black and white hair and a chin tattoo. Have you seen her?” Beau began changing out of her running clothes into a different cut off t-shirt and sweats.

“Oh, I think you’re talking about Molly’s new roommate. She just moved here from another school; I think. Her name is Yasha. I saw her briefly when I was at Molly’s last weekend.” Jester turned back to her vanity to finish putting on her makeup for the day. “She didn’t really talk, but yeah she looks really cool and really strong. Did you see her arms? Like, so nice.”

“Yeah, she was a powerhouse on the field,” Beau turned away from Jester to hide her excited expression. Jester knew who she was, and she was Molly’s friend. Beau and Molly may not always get along, but they still hung out with the same people. Beau would have a chance to meet her, to meet Yasha, then. “Yasha…” Beau murmured. The name was beautiful and strangely fitting for the woman she had watched on the practice field. Beau blushed as she thought about her. Beau was going to talk to her. Get her number. Maybe even court her. That last thought made her laugh; Beau hadn’t ever courted anyone. But that muscular, goth woman made her want to try, and Beau would try anything at least once.

#fic #my writing #critical role #beauyasha #beauregard x yasha #beauregard lionett #yasha nydoorin #jester lavorre #crit role #college au #giving writing another shot #this will sporadically updated #if you're my irl friends (you know who you are) this isn't for you

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your-reference-here · 4 years

Note

for the prompts, jester meets beau's parents and when they make a snide remark she geTs SO pissed!

[Oh hell yeah, time to unleash some protective Jester on these bitch-ass parents >:D]

Beau is nervous. She tries to hide it, and is doing a pretty good job for the most part, but Jester knows her well enough by now to pick up on the little ticks she has—the subtle way she rubs her fingers together under the table is a dead giveaway. Jester wants to reach out and take her hand, to let Beau know she’s here for her, but she doesn’t for fear of it being too much in an already tense moment.

The group had finally gotten back in contact with the Gentleman—that reunion was a trip and half but that’s another story—and it turned out one of his jobs involved the Lionett wine dynasty. More directly, it involved brining it down from its high horse a bit to help another growing wine family that the Gentleman had connections to. Obviously he didn’t want to completely devastate the Lionett brand, but competition was the grounds for the betterment of the industry, as the Gentleman explained, and sometimes the scales needed to be tipped manually.

Jester honestly didn’t care all that much about the politics. Her concern was with Beau. She hadn’t told them everything about her past with her family, but from what Beau had said, and what she gave away through hints and body language, Jester assumed their relationship was strained at best and abusive at worst. She was glad she’d gotten the chance to spook Thoreau already as a little bit of payback for whatever he’d put Beau through growing up.

Now, about a week later, the Mighty Nein found themselves seated with Beau’s parents at an ornately decorated table in an ornately decorated room in an ornately decorated house that made even Jester gag at how ostentatious it was. It was hard to picture Beau in a place like this. It just...wasn’t her. This place felt so refined and cold, whereas Beau was scrappy and warm and wonderful. It made her heart hurt to think of little Beau in a place like this. At least she’d had her mama and the Traveler growing up. Beau didn’t have anyone.

But now she did.

“You’ve certainly made some...interesting friends during your studies with the Cobalt Soul,” Beau’s mother commented. Jester saw her give a slightly disturbed side-eye towards Nott, who was in the process of draining her second glass of wine before dinner.

“I can assure you that Beauregard has been a great friend to us as well,” Caleb responded, with a slight hint of animosity hidden in his accent that made Jester smirk. “Many of us would not be here if not for her skills.”

“Yeah! She’s super strong and super smart and a super good friend,” Jester added. She looked over at Beau and was met with a small, appreciative smile.

“Well, I’m glad to hear that,” Thoreau replied. Jester caught a slight twitch in Beau’s smile before it slipped away and she looked back down at her plate.

“I, uh-” Beau began, clearing her throat a little before continuing and looking up at her parents, “I don’t suppose my...brother will be joining us?”

There was a heavy pause at the table.

“He’s still so little, I’d hate to wake him from his napping,” her mother responded. It was an obvious lie, Jester could see that, and it seemed like the rest of their group could too.

“Surely just a minute wouldn’t hurt?” Fjord tried. Thoreau shot him a sharp look over his wine glass before placing it down on the table.

“While we appreciate your interest,” Thoreau replied in a low, warning tone, “we’d rather ensure that our son gets his proper rest.”

“What about your daughter?”

The room went deathly quiet as all eyes turned to Beau. She held her head high and defiant, but Jester could see the slight tremble in her hands where they now rested on the table.

“Do I not have the right to see my own brother?” Beau asked, years of pent-up venom seeping into her voice. Jester looked over and saw Thoreau’s eyes narrow.

“I don’t recall you caring much about the rights our family name carried,” he replied coldly. Jester bristled at his condescending tone, feeling a familiar ice run through her veins. She curled her hands into fists below the table and willed herself to hold it back.

“Well, you did make it abundantly clear to me from a young age that I wasn’t exactly deserving of that family name,” Beau shot back.

“Indeed,” Thoreau scoffed. “It’s still apparently a far better name than someone like you deserves.”

“How can you say that?”

The table creaked as Jester shot up from her chair, her hands slamming onto the wooden surface as she leaned toward Thoreau. She felt the same ice that was coursing through her seep out from her fingertips, and her eyes burned with a blazing fury.

“Beau is one of the best people I know in the world and she deserves so much! She’s helped so many people besides us and she cares about the people around her and wants to put an end to the war and everything bad out there! And she’s putting herself in danger and fighting all the evil head on like a super buff super hero every day!”

Jester watched as Thoreau and his wife’s eyes went wide at her passionate speech, and underneath the rage she felt in the moment, there was the slightest hint of satisfaction at the shock and fear she saw in both their eyes.

“How can you be so mean to your own daughter? How can you not love her with everything you have? She’s a strong, caring, beautiful person just the way she is but for some stupid reason you can’t see that! But we can! I can! And I love her just the way she is, so fuck your stupid family name, she doesn’t need it to be deserving!”

The room went quiet again, save for Jester’s heavy breathing as she came down from her passionate rant. When she finally did look around at her friends she saw all of their eyes were wide with varying levels of shock and pride. What really mattered, however, was what she saw when her eyes finally locked with Beau’s.

In those beautiful, glassy blue eyes, she saw hope. And as they held each other’s gaze, Jester watched as that hope transformed into a strength that made her heart soar. In that moment she knew that Beau knew she was with her, no matter what, and that she always would be.

“You’re right Jester,” Beau said, voice firm and sure. She reached down to place a hand on top of hers, and Jester felt the ice melt away at her touch. Beau smiled at her before she turned back to Thoreau. “I don’t need your family name. I’ve got my own family now.”

Jester saw Beau’s eyes grow dark and threatening as she leaned forward to stare her father down. “But I promise, if I ever hear that you’re mistreating my little brother, there won’t be a plane of existence you could run to that would hide you from me.”

Jester didn’t think Thoreau’s eyes could go any wider, and yet they practically doubled at the sight of his daughter in all her threatening glory. She would have bet ten gold pieces that he actually pooped his pants.

Needless to say, they didn’t stay after that. The dinner was more of a formality anyway. The work they had to do for the Gentleman was done and they could peace out of this stupid, hoity-toity wine town. As the Nein walked to the outskirts so Caleb could set up a teleportation circle in peace, Beau stopped Jester.

“Thank you,” Beau said earnestly, admiration shining in her eyes in the last of the evening light. “For what you said.”

Jester smiled. “I meant every word of it. You know that, right?”

Beau smiled. “Yeah. Which is weird, 'cause you know how bad I am about compliments that actually mean anything.”

“Well, then I guess I’ll just have to shower you with them every day until you get used to it,” Jester teased, and Beau groaned but didn’t try to hide her smile. Jester had a thought suddenly and her shoulders fell. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to meet your brother though. I know you kind of wanted to.”

Beau’s eyes flicked back over her shoulder towards Kamordah. Jester couldn’t read her distant expression, but when she looked back at her she didn’t sense anything troubling. Much to her surprise, actually, she saw a flicker of mischief.

“Ah, I figure I’ll just sneak back and see him when I want to anyways. Besides, who wouldn’t want to have a badass monk sister who can sneak you out for late night shenanigans?”

Jester grinned. “And an amazing aunt who buys all kinds of delicious pastries!”

Beau’s expression softened as she smiled back. “Yeah. Definitely an amazing aunt.”

Jester felt her cheeks warm and she looked away. Suddenly she felt Beau take her hand, and as she looked back up into those beautiful blue eyes she felt the warmth spread to her heart.

“Hey Beau!” Nott called, breaking the moment. The two women sighed, released their hands, and turned to face their goblin friend, who was waving a bottle in the air. “Guess how many of these bottles I snuck into the bag of holding!”

Beau laughed and jogged over to count their plunder—a total of ten bottles, as it turned out—and as Jester followed close behind, she silently thanked the Traveler for helping to bring this little family they’d made together.

#beaujester #critical role #oof this turned out super sweet and sappy at the end #but hey sometimes that's just how it happens #thefiveavengers

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conceptstage · 5 years

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A Marriage of Convenience {Chapter Fourteen}

Beau woke up to find Yasha’s face staring down at her. She grinned. “Am I in heaven?”

“Oh, that’s cute,” said a voice that caused her to frown. “You think you’re getting into heaven.”

She groaned. “Fuck you, Molly. Where am I?” She looked around and found that they hadn’t moved It was well passed noon now if she was looking at the sun correctly. She groaned as she moved her sit up, her muscles screaming at her and head still pounding. “Did I pass out?” Yasha was beside her, ready to catch her if she couldn’t hold herself up.

“Yes, about an hour ago. Jester wanted to wait until you woke up to figure out what you wanted to do.”

Beau looked around to find Jester and found her and Nott a few yards away discussing their preferred sandwiches. She didn’t even seem to realize that Beau had woken up. “Do about what?”

“About you,” Caleb said, speaking up behind her. “Beau… you’re out of the boundary.”

“Oh shit…” In all the chaos it hadn’t occurred to her.

She back to look at Caleb to find him pointedly avoiding her eyes.

“Beau?” Jester looked over and realized that she was sitting up. “Are you feeling better? Mr. Clay and I ran out of spells, we could couldn’t heal everything. Are you still hurt?”

“I’m fine Jes. Thanks. Caleb,” she turned back to him and he looked up at her. “Will you take someone to the gate and relight the candles?”

His eyes widened and he opened his mouth to speak but Jester spoke first. “What? Beau… You’re free.”

“I know. And now I know that there are people I can trust with my freedom. This spell was made to keep me isolated but it didn’t work. Now I have at least two people who would take the risk of blowing the candles out for me for the first time in my life. It’s not a prison when I have the key. I can’t leave yet but when I’m ready I’m leaving on my own terms. Let’s go back. For now.”

Caleb was woken the following morning but a knock on the door and a cheery voice calling his name. “Mr. Widogast!”

He groaned and shuffled out of bed, still sore and tired from the hectic day before. He paused to throw the blanket over Nott’s sleeping body. He opened the door and saw the last person that he expected. He cleared his throat and reached up to shake out his hair. “Madam Lionett! This is a… surprise. What can I do for you this morning?”

Georgina gave him a look over and visibly suppressed a frown. “Good morning, Mr. Widogast. I have the flower arrangers coming in after breakfast this morning and I wanted to make sure you knew where to go. Did Beauregard tell you?”

“Ah, no. Are we all looking at flower arrangements for the wedding?” Not ideal, but if Beau was there it wouldn’t be so bad.

“No, of course not, Darling. Beau’s working with her father today, getting more into the business like you encouraged her. It’s just us and the flowers today. Come down to breakfast if you would.”

“Will Sir Lionett be joining us?”

“Unfortunately no. That breakfast a few days ago when he joined us was an anomaly. No, he spends weeks at a time in that office. He’s got a cot in there and he has his meals delivered,” she paused and sighed. “Don’t get me started. Join us when you’re ready.”

He watched her until she was gone and then shuffled over to Beau’s room in his house slippers. He knocked furiously on the door. “Beau,” he hissed. “Beau, what the fuck did you get me into?”

The door opened and Mollymauk smirked at him from the threshold, leaning against the door frame. “Mr. Caleb. You look adorably sleep ruffled. Are those cats on your pants?”

“Yes. I like cats. I have a cat. Where is Beau?”

Molly looked over his shoulder. “Hiding from you.”

“I’m not hiding!” called a voice from inside.

Caleb perched on his tiptoes to look over Molly’s shoulder. “Beauregard! Why am I hanging out with your mother all day? Why did she say I encouraged you to work with your father? Beauregard!”

“Ah,” Molly interjected. “That was my fault perhaps. She sacrificed you for me and Yasha, so that we could get jobs here.”

Beau slipped under Molly’s arm. “You think I’m happy about this? My dad got me an office. An office! I’m supposed to put on nice clothes and go sit at a desk all day.”

“I feel no sympathy for you. You got yourself into that.”

“Well, I needed to get close to the business so I can send info to you know who for you know what.”

“Who? What?”

Beau rolled her eyes. “The entleman-Gay for aughter’s-Day inery-Way.”

Caleb sighed and pushed his frizzy morning curls out of his face. “We need like, a code word. If I send a maid or someone up to your office with a code word I need you to come save me. You can do the same if- I don’t know, if your legs atrophy or whatever it is that you’re worried about desks for.”

“Hey, don’t patronize me. Just go change or whatever. If my mother sees you out of your room wearing PJs she will kick you out of this house so fast your head will spin.” He started to walk away but she called out to him. “Hey, what safeword do you want to use?”

One of the servants happened to be walking by and gave them a weird look but Caleb just gave her an awkward smile and waited for her to pass by. “Something we can work into a sentence so it’s not obvious.”

“So, I assume that ‘Save me from your demon-spawn mother’ is not it?”

“No, I think not.”

“Coat,” Molly suggested. “If you need saving send a servant with the message that you want Beau to bring you your coat.”

Caleb waved. “That will work. I’ll see you all later, I suppose? There’s no way I’m getting through this entire day without using the code word.” He started to walk away and Beau turned to Molly with a raised eyebrow.

“Coat?”

“What’s wrong with it? You need something you won’t scream during sex accidentally.”

“Ew.” She pushed him out of the doorway and back into her room, shutting the door and then walking back towards her bed where she had several outfits laid out.

“Oh, don’t act like you aren’t intrigued by the idea.”

“With you? Fuck no.”

“Not with me, egh,” he visibly shivered in disgust. “I can tell by looking at you that whatever team you’re playing on won’t include me.”

“Just tell me which outfit looks less stupid.”

“They all look equally stupid. Look at what I wear, why did you come to me for this? The best I can do for you is to tell you to wear whatever the fuck you want and act like you have every right to be there.”

“Even for a meeting with important people?” She asked. She bit her lip and looked over the stuffy gray dresses her mother had bought for her.

“Especially for a meeting with important people.”

Beau looked down at what she’s wearing now, a simple blue tank top with loose, baggy pants and no shoes. She smirks and starts for the door. “Let’s go tear this motherfucker down.”

“Atta girl.”

She marched through the halls with Molly sauntering along behind her. She usually only went to the South Wing when she was in trouble, so the simple act of marching up the stairs made her heart start beating faster. She cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes and pushed herself forward. There was a man in a gray suit standing outside her father’s office. He looked up when she got near and frowned at her, looking her up and down.

“Beauregard? I’m Franklin Kastoc, I’m your father’s personal assistant.”

Beau stopped in front of him and crossed her arms over her chest. “This is Mollymauk. He’s my personal assistant.”

Franklin cleared his throat and nodded. “I was asked to show you to your new office space. There is a closet there, if you’d like to hang up your garments after you change.”

“I’m not changing. These are my clothes.”

He blinked and laughed in shock. “You can’t wear that.”

She grinned and moved passed him. “You gonna stop me? Show me my office.”

Franklin scrambled to catch up, pointing to a door two rooms down from her father’s office. “It-It’s right there. But you can’t go into the meeting wearing-”

Mollymauk grinned and put a hand on his shoulder. “She’s got it from here, gorgeous. Bye bye.”

Beau paused outside the door as Franklin walked away and raised an eyebrow. “Do you just flirt with everyone?” she asked, jiggling the door of her office when it got stuck.

Molly leaned against the wall and grinned. “I only flirt with beautiful people. So yes, I flirt with everyone.”

She sneered. “God, that was cheesy. I thought you had a crush on Caleb.”

He didn’t reveal anything on his face. “What makes you say that?”

“The look on your face when you saw him outside my door in his goddamn cat PJs. I don’t know much about romance, but I know an ‘oh shit’ look when I see it.” The door gave way and she cheered. “Woo! Alright, we’re in business.” Beau opened the door and frowned at room. “Well, this place sucks,” she said, looking over the bare walls and the wooden desk across from her.

“It’s only temporary,” Molly assured her, frowning as he ran a finger over one of the empty bookshelf shelves. His finger came away covered in dust and he sneered. “Ick. No you’re right, this sucks.”

Beau threw open the window behind the desk and took a deep breath of the fresh air. “This is for Caleb and Jester,” she said. “And it’s only temporary.” She turned to Molly. “Personal Assistant! What’s on my schedule for today?”

He cleared his throat and pulled out a notepad from a pocket of his coat with a flourish. “You have a meeting with your father and the board of the company in an hour. You’re going on a tour of the winery after lunch. Wait, how are you doing that if you can’t leave, I thought there was a boundary whats-it.”

“The main winery is inside the boundary, on the other side of the lot as the springs.”

Molly nodded and continued. “Well, after lunch you’re doing that. Then at eight you, Caleb, Nott, and I are gonna get soused to high heaven.”

“Can’t we do that part right now?”

He pulled a silver flask out of another pocket and tossed it to her. “I’m getting good at this assistant thing.”

Beau caught it out of the air and sighed as she flicked it open. “You certainly are.” She took a swig. She tossed it back to him and he took a drink as well, just as there was a knock on the door. “Come in already,” she called, leaning back against the desk.

The door opened and Franklin was standing on the other side with his arms full of papers. “These are from your father. He wants you to be familiar with these in time for the meeting.”

Beau grimaced but took the papers from him. It would take her days to actually read all of these. “Great. Thanks, now leave.” Franklin left as Beau sat the papers down on her desk and took a deep breath. “Well,” she mumbled, taking a seat in the stiff wooden chair. “I better get started.”

“You’re actually gonna do what your father wants you to do? Beauregard, I’m disappointed.”

“Don’t be stupid. I’m looking for info I can give to… we really need to come up with a code name for him, I can’t be running around here just saying his name out loud.”

“I’ll work on it. Am I just supposed to stand around and wait for you to give me orders?”

“I don’t think you’re capable of something like that. Go… do whatever you want. Just be back in time for the meeting.”

“I’m sure I can find something to keep myself busy.” And he left the room with a grin.

Beau read through papers for the next hour and then stood up and stepped out of the office with several papers held carelessly in her fist, locking door behind her. “Molly!” she called, looking up and down the hall. “Molly? Hey, Fucker!”

A door across the hallway swung open and Molly stepped out into the hall with his coat draped off his arm. His shirt was lopsided and the top three buttons were undone. He was flushed and grinning, running his fingers through his hair to fix it. “Time for the meeting?”

Beau raised an eyebrow and tried to subtly lean over to see into the room. She couldn’t see who else was in there. “Were you with someone?”

“Oh absolutely. Shall we?” He waved his hand ahead of them and put his other hand on the small of her back to try and push her forward. She looked over her shoulder just in time to see Franklin’s head peek out from the open threshold before the door slammed shut.

“Franklin? Really?” she asked, smirking.

“Yes, Franklin. He was… surprisingly open minded.”

“Fix your shit, if you look happy in any way my father will fire you.”

Molly chuckled and started fixing his shirt, then pulled his coat over his shoulders. “You worried about little ol’ me?”

“I went through a lot to get you here. If you get fired on your first day, I screwed Caleb over for no reason. Not that I need a reason to screw with Caleb, but no one deserves to spend time with my mother, not even him.”

“Oh, just admit it, you like me.”

She rolled her eyes. “Just take note of anything you find interesting,” she said. “Even if you think it doesn’t mean anything, if it catches your attention write it down,” she said and then pushed open the door to the boardroom.

The room was longer than it was wide with a giant ass window at the end that looked out on the vineyard in the distance. The vineyard wasn’t on the estate so she had never been but she always liked looking at it. The room was mostly full of men in robes already, only her father was missing. Every eye turned to her and she grinned waving her fingers at them teasingly as she made her way over to an empty seat next to the one that was obviously reserved for her father. The other men were all standing beside their chairs, waiting for the boss to arrive, but she threw herself into her chair and leaned her elbows on the table. Molly followed along behind her and took a seat in a chair against the wall behind her. One of the other assistants looked at him out of the corner of her eye and he winked. She frowned and looked away snootily.

The men started speaking quietly in the room once more, trying to keep them from hearing. They failed and Beau was able to pick up most of the conversations but they were mostly about her clothes so she really didn’t care. It was a few minutes before her father entered the room. He looked different in a boardroom than he did in the residence. The times that she had seen him in the dining room or the library or in the yard he had looked stoic, even a little angry at times. In his well pressed blue robes with his salt & pepper hair slicked back… he looked almost dangerous. His eyes instantly snapped to her and it took every ounce of rebellion in her blood not to look away when their eyes met. He didn’t speak and just walked around her side of the table. He paused behind her and reached up to squeeze her shoulder.

“We’ll speak later,” he said quietly.

She looked over her shoulder to meet his eyes once more. “I know.”

He let her go and continued to his chair, shifting his robes and then taking a seat in his chair. The others moved to sit as well after he was seated. He cleared his throat and spread out several sheets of paper in front of him. “Let’s begin.”

She looked back at Molly and he had a confused and concerned look on his face. ‘What?’ she mouthed. He opened his mouth but then quickly closed it and looked away, flicking his eyes over to her father and frowning.

#critical role fic #critical role #beauregard #mollymauk tealeaf #eventual widomauk #caleb widogast #a marriage of convenience #chapter fourteen

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poesparakeet-fics · 3 years

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AKA “Yasha The Protector” fic from the prompt poll!

Note: This is basically a SFW fic with a lil NSFW ending. The whole SFW bit is here, so enjoy, and click to AO3 for the sexy bit!

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: The Poly Nein - Relationship, Beauregard Lionette/Caleb Widogast/Yasha, Beauregard Lionett/Yasha, Poly Nein Characters: Beauregard Lionett, Caleb Widogast, Yasha (Critical Role) Additional Tags: Tickling, Bedtime, gang tickle, Sub Caleb Widogast, Stress Relief, dope monk shit, Nipple Play, Cunnilingus, Polyamory, Group Sex, Threesome - F/F/M Series: Part 1 of The Poly Nein Summary:

Trent Ikithon has been brought back into the Mighty Nein’s orbit, and Yasha’s real mad about it. After Jester take Caleb to her bed to take care of his feelings, Yasha does the same to keep him safe. Beau… helps?

FICThe Empire and the Dynasty needed to figure their stuff out. They needed to take all their stuff, and just... lay it out on the table, measure it, and figure it out. That’s what Yasha thought, anyway. She supposed that these talks might be their way of doing it, but it sure was a bad way. At the very least she wished the Mighty Nein could stop getting mixed up in it.

When Yasha first saw that Trent Ikithon had manipulated his way onto the king’s party, she’d been tempted to bamf out her wings and scream in his face, right then and there. He was old, she suspected she could maybe stop his heart that way. But she’d felt Beau go still next to her, hard and poised like a switch, and paused to match instead.

The last night before their departure they’d set up the mansion in a rented room far from the castle.

Fjord was sure Ikithon had done it to force Caleb to interact with him. Caleb agreed, in that quiet way he did when he was thinking very hard, his eyes cast down.

“We should kill him while we have the chance.” Veth said. She didn’t shriek it like she might have done a year ago, but says it matter-of-factly, in the calm, sweet voice that always meant she was talking to Caleb. They were all talking, but what she said was meant for Caleb.

“No.” He says. “Peace is worth the wait.”

Nobody was willing to argue with him on it, but she could tell Beau and Veth both wanted to. When they all bundled off to bed, Jester intercepted Caleb and pulled him into her and Fjord’s room. Caleb went along numbly, only smiling a little when she insisted that he wouldn’t have nightmares if he slept with them.

Yasha was tense all night, sleeping with Beau weaved around her rigid form like willow reeds.

The talks the next day were very boring. Lots of people she didn’t care about talked. Trent talked occasionally, but only when called upon. Otherwise he would just whisper behind his hand. Fjord talked. Caleb talked. Jester even talked a little, defusing a heated exchange with spun-sugar grace.

Yasha didn’t talk. She stood directly behind Caleb, though, staring down Trent and his molefuckers. Throughout the day she tried to convey three things to them with just her eyes:

She wanted to rip their limbs off.

She was fully capable of ripping their limbs off.

The only reason she was not ripping their limbs off was because Caleb asked her not to.

Beau, on the other hand, roved around the room like a shadow, but her head was always turned in Trent’s direction.

The others seemed happy with how the talks had gone. The fortress they were in had rooms for them, but they all agreed to set up the mansion in one of them as an extra layer of protection. Yasha trotted to catch up with Beau, one hand reaching out to brush her arm.

“Hmm. What? Sorry.”

“That’s OK.” Yasha soothed “It’s been a long day. Um… so... I want Caleb to come sleep with us tonight?”

Beau looked a little surprised. “Uh, sure, but why? I’m not as good at feelings as Jester or Fjord.”

Yasha patted her arm. “You’re getting better. But it’s not about feelings! I want to make sure if some vole-fucker wants to show up next to his bed they get a big raging surprise.”

Beau snickered and Yasha beamed, pleased with the success of her joke.

“God, you’re so cute. Also, uh... very correct. I was worried about that too,” said Beau with a frown, "If they wanna try and take him out, we'll beat them right out of the pocket dimension."

They were all quiet and tired when they stepped into the mansion, Caleb most of all. Yasha wasn’t as persuasive or cajoling as Jester, so she settled for just grabbing Caleb out of the air as they floated up through the tower’s floors and carrying him to their room over her shoulder.

“Oof! Ah, Yasha…?”

“You’re not sleeping alone with him so near. You’re coming with us.”

“Oooh, good idea Yasha!” Jester’s voice carried down to them as she floated past. “Byyye Caleb!”

“Well, ja, alright then.” Caleb sounded too tired to argue.

“We’ll keep you safe.” Yasha assured him quietly as she gave him a pat on the butt. She didn’t put him down until they were in their room and she could dump him directly on the bed. Then she slipped the Magician's Judge underneath the frame.

“I need a bath before bed because I smell! Get comfy though, I’ll join you soon.”

Once she’d stripped down next to the always-steaming copper tub she turned around, surprised to see Caleb sitting on the ground pulling books out of his bag.

“Do you want a bath too Caleb? You can come in with me, you’re just little. Beau fits.”

Caleb gave her a quirk of a smile.

“No, thank-you. I’m just restless. I’ll work for a while before bed, I think.”

“Caleb!” Yasha’s brow furrowed. This was not good. Jester would never allow this, if she was the one taking care of him.

He shrugged. “I’ll stay here, if they attack I’ll be safe. You'll wake.”

“That’s not what she’s worried about, dumbass.” Beau joined them, a wine bottle under her arm and three glasses in her hand. “It’s late, this thing starts early tomorrow, and you’re the Bright Queen’s favorite human. You need to be sharp. You’re drinking this wine with us and you’re going to bed.”

“Verdammt noch mal , I’m manipulating countries by day and being put to bed like a child every night. Would you all let me be?!” Caleb snapped.

Yasha’s hands moved to her hips.

“You don't get put to bed like a child, you get taken care of by people who love you because we can't trust you to take care of yourself! And we’re here to protect you, even if it’s from the stupid part of your brain that’s too smart!” Oh, no, that hadn’t come out the way she wanted.

Caleb’s posture turned surly, but Beau stepped between them.

“Babe, relax, I’ve got this. Take your bath.”

She had him down in a matter of about six seconds.

First she reached out and seemed to only touch him in the centre of his chest. Yasha barely had time to notice that she’d undone the buckle of his holsters before he was being spun around by a steely hand on the back of his coat-collar.

Beau yanked his coat off in on swift movement, her other hand immediately grabbing the back of Caleb’s holsters and yanking them down to his elbows. She tugged the books out and set them aside while twisting the leather straps into a makeshift binding for his arms. She shoved him face-first onto the bed, straddling his thighs.

Yasha clapped when it was finished, having crawled into the hot bath to enjoy the show.

“Beauregard! Let me go. Now.” Caleb snapped

“Nope.” Beau tugged at his holsters until she could roll him onto his side, one clawed hand starting to scrub at his belly without so much as a glance. Caleb’s body spasmed, his breath pitching as he tried to resist laughing and keep a glare on his face. “There’s only three ways this ends for you. One, you give up, have a nice glass of wine and go to bed in the strong goth’s arms with me. Two, you use your safeword so I have to let you go and you can run off into a corner with your books like a pissy little bitch. Three, I personally tickle you until you pass out, which solves my problem anyway. So what’s it gonna be?”

Her hand squeezed his side and started to climb his ribcage, finally breaking the dams of his resistance. His torso was stretched, his ribcage extended by the angle at which the holsters were pinning his arms behind his back, and with Beau’s strong thighs around his center of gravity he couldn’t do much more than squirm. First a smile broke out, then helpless, rumbling laughter.

“FUHUHUCK YOU LIONEHETTE!” He ground out, earning an audience gasp from Yasha.

There was a stubborn, defiant and mouthy side of Caleb that only Beau seemed to be able to bring out. Often shocking, when Caleb was always so deferent to his lovers. But then, Beau’s relationship with the men in their group tended to be more ‘beloved best friends I share lovers with and also occasionally make out with’ than 'lover.'

“Ooh, mouthy! So, that’s how you wanna do it, huh? Huh?”

Beau’s hands started to fly, lightning-fast pinches tweaked Caleb’s ribs, sides, hips, armpits and neck faster than he could react.

“Ah- haha, nein! ” for the first time a little desperation entered Caleb’s voice, his defiance wavering just a little under Beau’s onslaught.

“No? Why? Is the little wizard ready for bed yet? Huh?”

Caleb’s face twisted into a furrowed glare over a helpless smile, and he shook his head from where he was currently muffling his laughter against the bedspread. Beau’s hands jumped to his uppermost ribs on each side, a precision attack that made him start thrashing and shouting in Zemnian. Yasha didn’t know what he was saying, but it didn’t sound complementary.

“How bout now, huh? What if I just do this forever? All ribs, all time! You like that, you smart-ass little shit?”

“No! Nohoho! I will gehehehet you!”

“Pfft. How you gonna do that, huh? You can’t cast your little spells while you’re squealing like a lil bitch…”

Yasha finished towelling herself off and flopped onto the bed next to them, putting her face near where Caleb’s was turned and pressed against the sheets before starting to dance her fingers around his neck and ears.

“Y-Yasha! I- Ah! Hahaha- I don’t- don’t feheeheeheel safe!”

“Oh so now Yasha’s here and you think she’s gonna save you? Nuh-uh. Hey babe, wanna see something cool that Dairon taught me?”

“No!” Caleb yelped, but it was muffled because Beau was already turning him onto his stomach.

“Ooh yes!” Yasha answered, leaning in with her chin on her other hand and continuing to tease the back of Caleb’s neck. Beau’s fingers started to follow the ley-lines of Caleb’s body, applying a poke, a twist or a ground knuckle at the intersections.

Caleb’s laughter petered into giddy giggles as his body trembled under the ministrations. He could clearly feel the effects of Beau’s work, because the steady whine of “nononononononono” became just a little more frantic with each applied touch, his neck and shoulders squirming and scrunching further to avoid Yasha’s teasing.

“We usually use this to make people’s nervous system more sensitive for interrogation,” Beau explained, “so… well, I guess it might work pretty well, huh? Let’s see!”

She didn’t bother to roll Caleb over this time, instead jamming her hands under his arms from behind to get his armpits and ribs. Every part of Caleb’s body started to shake, and his laughter turned into muffled shrieks.

“Nahahahat there!”

“Um, we already talked about this. It’s ALL ribs, ALL the time.” Beau teased, stepping up the rhythm of her fingers and making Caleb’s hysteria kick up with each word . “Yup, that works. How’s that, tough guy? Still wanna fight?”

She turned him on his side so he could talk, one hand still jammed under his arm. Caleb was red in the face, but he still spit out “Fuck you fuHAHAHAck you fuHAHAck youhooHAHAHA!”

“Caleb! That’s so rude!” Yasha admonished. “And you know what? I’m getting a little hungry.”

Caleb’s eyes widened and his thrashing sped up. Beau looked a little confused, but watched the one-sided exchange with an amused smile on her face.

“Remember in Aeor when you were a big spider? Do you think you’re as tasty now?” She pounced face-down on one of his thighs. “Omnomnomnom!”

Caleb’s squeal started before Yasha’s face got anywhere near him. She placed one hand on his knee and the other on his stomach to keep his body from folding up to block her, worrying both places with gently wiggling fingers. Then she nipped up and down the thigh muscle from hip to knee like it was corn on the cob, and Caleb nearly levitated off the bed.

“AAaaiiiiii! YAHAHASHA! AAAH! YAHAHASHAHA PLEAAHEEHEEHESE AAAH! UNCLE! UHAHAHANCLE!"

Yasha paused, peering up at him along the length of his body. Beau's fingers stilled too.

"Are you gonna come to bed?"

"Yehehes,” he wheezed, “yes!"

Yasha backed off. Beau started to, before mischief overcame her and she tweaked Caleb's ribs, making him convulse and scream.

"Hey!" Yasha warned, pointing at Beau. "He gave. My meal of wizard legs was interrupted, but I'll fill up on monk ribs if I have to."

Caleb made a raspberry sound at Beau from his position in a heap on the mattress. Beau held her hands up in surrender. "Alright! I was just teasing him, no need to get aggressive... Hey, you! You still want some wine?"

She untwisted Caleb’s holsters, setting him free.

“Yes pl- *hic* please.” Caleb croaked, still catching his breath.

Beau moved to pour the wine-- white, Caleb didn’t like red-- and they all sipped it as they got ready for bed. Once Caleb had stripped and tucked himself under Yasha’s arm with his head on her shoulder, Beau sat behind him. His spine went rigid.

“Relax.” The monk soothed. “I’m done. It only lasts an hour, but we can get rid of it faster.”

She started to rub Caleb’s back his firm, flat palms, working out muscles, nerves and energy where she had disrupted it to make him more ticklish. Caleb did relax, eyes rolling as his eyes started to flutter closed.

Beau moved to her other side, settling into a position that mirrored Caleb’s. Yasha fell asleep to the sound of their quiet breathing.

#yahsa protects Caleb from the dangers of being a sad wizard.#but also from deadly wizards #she does it all #yasha nydoorin #caleb widogast #tickling #tickle fic #tk fic #critickle role #mine #poes prose

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