#Essek can have a cup of cocoa

[romeoandjulietyouwish]

A blizzard so intense there's no choice but to stay inside PolyNein?

Yasha sits at the windowsill, looking out at the snow, falling thick and fast. With a handmade blanket wrapped around her shoulders and mug of soup in her hands, she's warm. But as she looks at the snow, her mind is filled with memories.

A horrible creature inhabiting her best friend's body, using his voice to taunt them, threaten them.

Snow biting at her face, filling her boots, but they have to keep walking.

Her friends' blood on the snow.

"Yasha?" She jumps when someone touches her shoulder. Looking over she sees Fjord watching her in concern, pulling his hand back. "You alright?"

She blinks a few times, "No. Um, can we close the curtains, I...I don't like looking at the snow."

"Of course." Fjord quickly does as she requested, pulling all the curtains of the room closed before returning back to her side. "Eiselcross?

She nods, "Yeah. The blizzard, just made me think of everything. I'm worried about Jester and Beau, they're both not home, I don't want them to have to walk in the snow."

"I'll ask Essek to go get them," Fjord agrees. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I could really use a hug," she admits. Fjord smiles and wraps his arms around her broad shoulders, pulling her close. With her still sitting and him standing, he's taller than her and she's able to tuck herself into his arms, feeling safe.

Because of their mutual relationship with Jester, Fjord and Yasha have become very good friends. She's taken to sparring with him when Beau's busy and together the two of them have learned how to cook, both becoming quite good chefs. And they've been able to bond about growing up in places that didn't care about them.

So it's not uncomfortable for Yasha in the slightest to let him hold her and comfort her. Since he's been building more muscles, Fjord gives really good hugs. He rubs her back gently, silently reassuring her that Aeor is in the past, that she's safe and warm.

When Yasha pulls back she smiles at Fjord, "Thank you."

"Glad to help." He squeezes her shoulder, "I'll go talk to Essek. I think that Beau and Jess would really appreciate coming home to that spiced cocoa Cay told us about."

Yasha smiles, knowing exactly what he's going, that recipe is time consuming and a bit complicated, it takes patience. And it's exactly the thing to distract her. And there's no windows in the kitchen. "That's a good idea, I'll bring you and Essek a cup as well?"

"Please and thank you." Fjord squeezes her shoulder again. "I'll come down to help."

Yasha nods, taking a long sip of her soup, feeling it warm her deep inside.

#my fic #critical role #mighty nein #polynein

[myrling-art]

Campaign 2 episode 123/124

Just a smoll comic about my musings on one of the biggest questions in the Critical Role community:

"What was in The Bag of Holding??" 

#critical role #fanart #comic #myrling #my art #lucien #the tombtakers #essek #essek thelyss #shadowhand #eiselcross #critical role spoilers #i guess #fnart #the nonagon #Essek can have a cup of cocoa #as a treat

[saturdaysky]

may I interest you all in a selkie au? I was chatting with the very cool @catalists a while ago about one. Behold!

If you're unfamiliar with selkies, selkies are shapechangers who can shift between being seals and humans (or other creatures, here) when they put on their sealskin. If the sealskin is lost or taken, they cannot turn back into a seal until it is returned.

The cool thing about an Esselkie au is that a sealskin is something intimately tied to someone's being, and it is a physical object that can be lost, bartered, held hostage, donned and removed as a show of trust or power... It amplifies a lot of the interesting negotiations of trust, power, and identity Essek shows over the campaign. Also, it's just fun. :)

For instance, having the sealskin means he can offer it to the Nein as desperate collateral post-97: (written by @catalists)

"Essek," Caleb said, urgency in his voice.

"Yes?" Essek turned back, drawing his hands behind him so Caleb couldn't see how they shook.

"Your—" Caleb made an abortive gesture towards the chair, his hand stopping just short of Essek's sealskin.

"You do not trust me," Essek interlocked his fingers behind his back. Caleb started to open his mouth and Essek added, quickly, "For good reason, of course. Consider it your insurance that I do not intend to betray you."

"You cannot leave this with me," Caleb said.

"Why? Do you not intend to return it?"

"Of course I—"

"Will you not keep it safe?" Essek did not have any fondness for the gods of the Light, and certainly not the gods of the Deep, but he would have spared a thanks for whichever one prevented his voice from breaking in that moment.

"Of course," Caleb said.

"Then why can I not leave it with you?" Essek asked. "I know you cannot trust me. Trust in my self-interest, if nothing else."

And the Nein's bag of holding, where they keep the sealskin, gets stolen by the Tomb Takers right before they reunite with Essek in 124... (written by me, more under the cut)

"Well, it is done. I appreciate your forthrightness in letting me know," Essek says after a long moment. His voice is smooth, with layers of courteous obfuscation so thick it is impossible to discern any genuine emotion. But Caleb can guess; they are the same sort pearl, he and Essek, with the same sort of grit at their center.

Jester reaches across the desk to brush Essek's hand, which is clenched around his steaming cup. The sweetness of the cocoa is a little cloying in the brittle, chilly air. His fingers tighten at the touch.

"We're really sorry, Essek. We can get it back, you know, when we fight Lucien," she says, and in a determined voice she adds, "and then you'll be able to go home again. Or wherever you want to go." Essek's face remains smooth, his fingers taut, but he nods. His gaze falls to his cup.

"Yes," Caleb adds, because he owes Essek this, at least, and because they are not so flush with allies they can afford to lose a complicated one. "We will return it to you if there is any possibility of it. You are our friend, Essek. We will help you."

Essek's lips curve into what could be a smile were it not edged with faint bitterness. "Thank you. I knew the risk I was taking when I gave it. That is mine to bear." He lets out a sigh, short and sharp, and does not meet Caleb's eyes or Jester's. "I am sorry, it is not my intent to distract. There is more pressing business, surely. What of this 'Somnovem,' as it was called?"

The Nein speak more, and Essek listens. He is all business, sharp mind whirring as usual, but something is diminished about him, some near-indelible quality Caleb had not realized was there until it was gone. Perhaps Essek had truly hoped that if he put part of his soul into the hands of his friends, they would keep it safe.

Caleb is sorry to disabuse him of this notion. He had believed it, too. They were both fools.

--

Some lovely people on discord pointed out that if the sealskin is an inherent part of Essek even when it is separate, and Lucien came into possession of it, it probably wouldn't be hard to eyeball up the sealskin at will. This would, of course, make Essek a walking hazard to his friends during the Nein's Aeorventure, which is delicious for whump purposes. :)

Other tidbits:

Essek also has eyes during the dungeon crawl. He doesn't notice the powers at first, since he has superior darkvision and the Nein are weird enough that a weasel talking to Jester is probably normal, but he definitely notices when he accidentally telepathies Caleb someone

Lucien uses the sealskin in the final fight to possess Essek. Essek destroys it himself to weaken Lucien's hold on him.

Essek growing eyes means Essek is now added to the list of "people we need a plan to take out if they turn on us" that half the party has going

Essek probably pulling a Caleb and making a deal with someone in the party to take him out if Lucien starts to turn him. Yasha, Fjord, and Veth would all be interesting for him to ask, I think.

And here's the picture as I originally drew it, sans eyes or clothes. I realized it was accidentally getting slightly pin-up-y and added garments for modesty-on-social-media's sake.

#i have a million more thoughts on this that i cut for length purposes #but truly consider: selkie au #critical role #essek thelyss #my art #my writing #selkie essek au

[the-kaedageist]

I hope you’re not all getting sick of my snippets! This one was written for @esseks’s prompt, “Just Caleb and Essek having a nice lil picnic in the garden of their lovely cottage“. These are slowly getting longer and longer...

Essek is expecting another quiet night in - that’s how they usually spend their evenings, curled up together by the fire, both of their noses buried in books and several cats parked on top of them. To his surprise, when Caleb returns from work for the day, he’s wearing a bashful grin and carrying a wicker basket in one hand.

Essek was once the Bright Queen’s right-hand man, a cunning spymaster; he can sense when a plot is afoot. “Have you been up to something, Caleb Widogast?” he asks, arching one eyebrow.

Caleb doesn’t even try to pretend otherwise, taking Essek’s hand in his. “Come with me,” he says, and leads Essek out into the back garden. It is only a week past midsummer, and dusk is just cresting the sky as they step out into the warm, hazy evening.

When they reach the grassy portion of the garden, Caleb reaches into the basket and withdraws a soft blanket, handing it to Essek. Wordlessly, the way of two people who know one another well enough to read intent, Essek spreads the blanket across the grass.

As they seat themselves, knees brushing, Caleb unpacks a veritable smorgasbord from the basket - wrapped cheeses and fine smoked Zemnian meats, a loaf of bread from their favorite bakery, a bottle of wine. Essek is breathless as he watches the food appear, wondering what deity he’d conned into thinking he deserved a man like Caleb.

“This is wonderful,” he says, reaching out to take a small wedge of cheese. It is sharp like he prefers, tangy on his tongue. “But what is the occasion?”

Caleb regards him with a doting look, so fond that Essek feels warmed through to his core. “It is the 28th of Brussendar.”

Essek scans his memory, desperately trying to place the date in a catalogue of known Empire holidays. He comes up blank. “Ah,” he says. “And…the significance of that is…?”

Caleb smiles as though he expected the question. “Ah. It has been two years to the day since we landed on your doorstep in Eiselcross like something the cat dragged in.”

Essek remembers that day, all nerves and fear of rejection. He’d just been thankful that the Nein hadn’t been murdered. He tries to imagine what has made such a day special to Caleb - not the day they met, not even the day they saw Essek as he truly was, but an ordinary day like that?

“I don’t understand,” said Essek.

Caleb uncorks the wine and pours Essek a glass, a vibrant red. The final hints of dusk begins to shift into night as Essek raises the glass to his lips; it is a dry red, just as he prefers.

There’s something earnest in Caleb’s expression. “The 28th of Brussendar…that is the day that I realized something important.” Essek blinks at him, frozen in the act of lowering his glass, his heart pounding even though he can’t fathom what is coming next. “That was the day that I looked at a man who I cared for very much, and whose ambition I feared very much, and realized he was as anxious and determined to do good as I. I watched his hands shake around his mug of spiked cocoa, and I knew.”

Essek’s mouth is dry. He doesn’t know what to say. He’d been a disaster when they’d arrived at Vermas, all abandonment complex and nerves worn thin as paper. To think that had been the moment that Caleb had decided to trust him - or at least to give him the chance. Knowing Caleb, actual trust had come much later, after careful watching and waiting. But that one moment of vulnerability had started the chain reaction that had led to him being…here.

Essek’s eyes fill with tears before he can stop himself. He looks away from Caleb, trying to hide the feelings that overtook him.

Caleb reaches over and cups Essek’s face with one hand, tilting him back towards him. “Don’t look away,” he murmurs. “I just thought you should know.”

Essek brushes away his tears as Caleb continues. “Since my stubbornness caused us to miss many other…anniversaries, I thought we should celebrate this one.”

Essek’s heart is too big for his chest, the sheer amount of love he holds for the man in front of him almost too much to grasp. Caleb leans in to press a kiss to his mouth, his lips soft against Essek’s own.

They kiss for several minutes, the wine and cheese forgotten, until Caleb pulls away with a harsh laugh and rests his forehead against Essek’s own. “I did not bring you here to do this,” he says softly, “although I do not object. But look.” He tilts his head up, glancing towards the sky.

Essek follows his gaze and takes in the lovely midsummer sky, the river of stars in the east and the Luxon’s Bow bright on the northern horizon. It is breathtaking.

“Oh,” he breathes, and Caleb smiles.

#critical role #caleb widogast #essek thelyss #shadowgast #critical role fanfic #my fics #fic snippets #also a couple more days of this and I'll be at the end of my twitter prompts #I'll likely ask for prompts here next so start brainstorming what you want! #(unless I can suddenly concentrate on wips again) #(unlikely) #these little fics are honestly getting me through the week #ha I found you on tumblr and tagged you properly! thanks for letting me know 💖

[luckyjak]

ficlet: Hot Boy!!!

my friend suggested a good ol’ fashioned coffee shop AU, preferably with an embarrassing child, so I delivered. Shadowgast + Kiri, tw: for secondhand embarrassment

Caleb didn’t mind babysitting Kiri; while the unintentional, temporary ward of the Mighty Nein had found a permanent home in the Schuester family, there were still times when they needed someone to watch her. Luckily for them, they had a steady supply of six--sometimes seven, sometimes eight--constantly-willing babysitters at their disposal, of which Caleb was one of them. Jester usually volunteered to watch Kiri first, but she had class today, and Caleb did not, which was how the Kenku ended up in his care for the next few hours.

“What do you say, Kiri? Think we deserve a cup of coffee today?” He asks, picking the Kenku up and carrying her with him like he might a doll.

“Cup of coffee?” She repeats in her usual chirp, a tone of confusion in her voice.

“Well, maybe hot cocoa for you, liebling,” He assures her, and gets a gleeful chirp of “hot cocoa!!!” back in return. “And perhaps if we are really lucky, hot boy will also be working.”

“Hot boy?” Kiri repeats.

“It’s just a nickname,” he assures her. “It’s Jester’s fault. We don’t know what his name is, but he is very attractive, and makes good coffee.” He snuggles Kiri close to him, like he might Frumpkin. “I bet he’ll make good hot cocoa, too.”

And then he and Kiri walk to the coffee shop, and he didn’t think any more about it.

The thing about Caleb is: for a man so absolutely brilliant, he can be an absolute idiot sometimes. Like the fact that he tells a Kenku, known for their mimicry, and this particular Kenku, known for her mischief, about how attractive he finds a barista, is indeed a thing an idiot might do.

The Dynasty coffee shop isn’t far from where Caleb lives now, and while it’s terribly cold outside, he has Kiri snuggled in his arms to keep him warm, and he finds he does not mind the weather. Inside the shop is warm and smells of spices.

And of course, behind the counter is the titular Hot Boy, bored, looking at his phone, sitting in a stool but his crutches not far from him. He’s the only employee in today, but there are several other patrons who have already been helped who are sitting around the shop.

It’s unfair, really, that someone like him looks so very attractive, what with his perfectly coiffed white hair, sharp nose and charming smile.

“There he is,” he whispers to Kiri, her feathers brushing against his face as they walk in from the cold. “The hottest boy I know.”

“Makes good coffee?” Kiri repeats in Caleb’s own voice innocently. “And maybe hot cocoa for you, liebling?”

“We’ll see,” he says, walking up to the counter.

Immediately, the Hot Boy looks up and smiles at him. “Welcome back. I see you brought a friend this time,”

“This is Kiri,” Caleb says, in his best impression of a charming voice. “I’m watching her for a friend.”

“Yes, I am very sweet!” Kiri chirps in Jester’s voice, causing the Hot Boy to laugh.

“I can see that. What can I get for you guys?”

“A small black coffee for me, and a small hot cocoa for her.”

“Coming right up.” The young man turns his back to start making the drinks, and that’s when Kiri decides to ruin everything.

“Hot boy!!!” She says, loudly, so that the whole damn cafe can hear her. Caleb nearly drops her in shock.

“Kiri!!!”

“It’s just a nickname,” she parrots. At this point, the entire cafe is looking at them, including said Hot Boy. “We don’t know what his name is, but he is very attractive, and makes good coffee.”

Before said Hot Boy can respond, Caleb puts Kiri down on the ground, mostly so he can hide his very red face. “We’ll--we’ll wait over here, ja?”

He rushes to the other side of the counter and kneels before Kiri. “Kiri! Don’t do that!! I told you that in confidence!”

At least the little Kenku had the decency to look guilty. “Perhaps we’ll get lucky?” she says, her big eyes blinking softly.

“I doubt it. A man that attractive probably already has a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend,” He wraps his scarf around his face, trying to hide from everyone else in the shop.

Kiri waddles nearby, giving him a tight hug. “This means we are friends?” She questions, a nervous tick to her words as she repeats his own words from a long time ago back to him.

He sighs. “Of course I’m not angry. I’m just--embarrassed, that’s all.”

“You shouldn’t be,” he hears from behind him, and turns to see the Hot Boy looking at him, two warm cups in his hands. “I’ve got to go back to work but--you shouldn’t be embarrassed,” there’s a slight purple flush to his face as he hands over the drinks and rushes back to the counter.

There, in slightly smudged, quickly written handwriting, is both a name (Essik...or Essek? Hard to read) and a phone number, and a heart.

“Hot boy!!!” Kiri repeats again, cheering, and this time he looks up to see Essek laugh and flush in response.

#critical role #shadowgast #kiri the kenku #if you think jester did not secretly plan this then you are sadly mistaken