#HOPEFULLY I DIDNT OVERWHELM U | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dndfuckhouse · 1 year

Text

Whistling away the time, floating through the sky...

FEATURING

DAY TWO > Cimmorro and Vinny in the morning, Cutting his Hair - TBC

DAY FOUR > Cimmorro cuts Han’s hair - 27/4 > Cimmorro and Finn on the Deck Ft. Vinny - 5/4

DAY FIVE > Keva’s Writing Lesson with Cimmorro -10/4

DAY SIX > Keva’s Follow Up Lesson - 25/4 > Finn and Psalm in the Hallway - 25/4 > Finn’s Speaks to Cimmorro and Vinny - 10/4

—————————————————————————

The Helpful Timeline Diagram

—————————————————————————

Cimmorro and Vinny in the morning, Cutting his Hair - TBC

Cimmorro cuts Han’s hair - 27/4

After Vinny deemed his practice and studies complete yesterday, Cimmorro finds himself, once again, bored on the ship. it feels a little empty now that his studies are over. He's gone over his spellbook numerous times the entire morning, having a chat with Vinny about them. Eventually, the conversation came to a lull and Vinny decided he wanted to have a snack. having already had his, Cimmorro figures it's time to get some fresh air for him and Jasper in the meantime. He gives a notice to Vinny that he'll walk around the ship by ruffling his hair as he prepares to leave to grab a snack for himself, the act of it reminding him that, right, he still has to take care of Han's hair too. Now there's something to do for today.

Cimmorro: he makes his way out and walks to the direction of han and rokka's room, jasper following suit. the two give their door a friendly knock, only to find a motion sick rokka to answer it, the poor thing. he blubbers something about han being at the deck, and cimm gives his thanks by easing the nausea with a spell. hopefully he'll be able to sleep better now. they make their way to where rokka's wisdom guides them, and cimm looks around for any sign of Han Han: rokka's wisdom says han is on the deck usually, and lo and behold, she is, sitting on one of the rope protected edges, shockingly undisturbed by the crewmen despite it, but u can see all of them giving her dirty looks. shes just looking down at the sea, contemplating whatever she contemplates, one leg swinging off the edge Cimmorro: cimm sighs through a smile, at this point he's used to her attracting attention like this on the ship. he approaches her enough but is careful to not surprise her lest she falls off now. he greets her a cheerful but soft "yoohoooooo, hanny! whatcha doing?" Han: han jumps a bit anyway 😔 and comes out of her mindless staring, turning to face cimm slightly "nothing really. trying to see something in the sea. i didnt think it would get so boring here" =_= "and you?" Cimmorro: he groans in agreement. "goddess, i knooooooooooow. ugh. i already counted all the strands of fur on jasper at this point." an exaggeration, but he's certain he could do it if he actually tried. "ah, oh, i went out here to look for you actually! do you still wanna hairdress? :3" Han: she laughs and smirks "so bored despite your lessons? vinny must not be teaching you hard enough" she makes an :o face at that "yeah, sure! how- where...?" she starts asking before actually thinking about where to go and how its gonna happen Cimmorro: "vinny said i'm done for now! even though i asked him to give me more, he said my head might give up on itself and i should take it easy for a bit. blech. i feel like my brain's going to die faster out of the lack of shit i can do up here," is what he says, but truthfully it did start to get almost overwhelming on the last topic of formulas they had. so maybe taking a break is best... but that doesn't mean he'll stop pouting about it! he scrunches his face and tilts his head. "actually... good question. i visited rokka and he looked like shit. i had to help him out a bit but he could also be sleeping now, so not your room... and it's too windy out here, too... ah but, vinny's out for a snack right now and i'm sure he wouldn't mind your visit if he decides to come back before we're done."

The two walk on back to Cimmorro and Vinny’s room for the moment, Cimmorro readies himself to go through his second haircut of the trip as Han stares around the room.

Cimmorro: "i think we oughta have you sit on the floor otherwise i won't be able to reach you..." he says, looking a little 😅 he procures an extra blanket and clips to wrap around her, same way he did for vinny. Han: han has a vague idea of what goes into a haircut, and these all seems kind of excessive.... "all this rly needed?" she snorts a bit and plays with the blanket but lets cimm do his thang Cimmorro: she hears him respond behind her while he prepares his tools. "absolutely! or else all the cut strands will itch you all over cause they stick! you're gonna have to soak in the bath after this too." when he moves in front of her he gives her a good look now that they're more or less eye-level, trying to decide what direction to go for her. "hmmm... let's see... i got a couple ideas, but i'm curious if you've ever seen anything you fancied in shorewater yourself. lots of people come and go the inn after all" Han: han is like okay.... whatever u say baws... but she looks like she mostly finds it silly. she watches cimm look over her hair, before thinking over the dreaded hairstyle question "i .. i dont really know....." >_< she gets a bit shyer "i thought, maybe- i saw people have shaving on one side, and it looked cool, but ah..." she seems to still be struggling with the fact that she cut it at all Cimmorro: "oh, i think it's a new style recently too! you'd look so hip and fresh" he goes a little starry eyed at the image in his head. "if we keep it a longer on the other side, you'd be able to braid it whenever you want, since you seem to like that too" he begins brushing her hair gently, untangling anything he comes across. Han: 👉 👈 she twiddles her thumbs n looks down "..you think?" at the starry eyed-ness, at the braid comment she looks up, smiling "i could? that would be good" ^_^ Cimmorro: "i know so!" he huffs with pride. "and yup, even as short as it is, there's still a good handful of choices to style it with." he suddenly gasps at the idea of something. "we could braid it with some ribbons intertwined, too! oh, that would look so pretty on you!" the look on his face seems like he's getting excited and putting a mental note for it to try later Han: han struggles to imagine cimms vision but seems happy to go along with, nodding excitedly

Cimmorro: jasper has found herself a comfortable loafing spot on his bed watching it all unfold as cimm works on han's hair. he continues to ramble about all the possible styles for her hair and how to take care of it in this length. "you know, i find myself pretty amused at how your, and vinny's, and even keva's hairs are so easy to work with... i mentioned my sisters before, no? and how i do their hair? their's are suuuuuper curly and thick. it takes the entire day to get done!" he shares with a little laugh. Han: han listens attentively, trying to comprehend the vast hair knowledge cimm is putting on her. "hmm, are they? because they are flatter?" looks up to study cimms "your hair seems pretty not curly too" she listen to him talk about his sisters and looks worried "woah, really? that sounds like pain in the butt.... although, lot of people come into inn with curly hair, its always very pretty.." 🤔 Cimmorro: "yup, straight and silky. though vinny's a little similar to mine but that also means it makes it easier for me to work with too," he hums before continuing. "yeah, at first i was practically in combat with those things! but now it's not that hard anymore. i mean, i'm no expert but at least they look less like a lion's mane after it got hit by lightning, yknow?" he snorts while separating locks of her hair into parts. "they eventually learned how to do it themselves too... it is very pretty though i agree. i think it's more fun to stick jewelry in them too." Han: imagining said lion being struck by lightening, han goes "that sounds cool though..?" han slyly looks at cimm, not to interrupt his work, thinking about him struggling with getting his own jewelry out after a long day "hmm.. at least its pretty..." han sits in silence for a bit (IF CIMM PERMITS) before asking "are your sisters in krenic now, you think?" Cimmorro: cimm barks a laugh at han's opinion on his absurd example, not one that's meant to insult her but one that's more fond. along the lines of 'yep that's why han's the best.' at her question, he nods. "yup, they're at my temple. i spoke to one of em a little bit and they're actually anticipating me to arrive soon!" he says happily, his tail mirroring his mood. Han: han smiles, good mood being contagious "thats good to hear." she adds on, more teasingly, "would be nice to see them myself, if you permit" Cimmorro: she can hear him snicker as he moves towards the back of her hair, collecting another group of locks and fingers lightly brushing against her neck as he does so. "hmmm, i'll think about it~" he says, playing along. "i am curious of what they'd think of you... i have a feeling they'd be somewhat awestruck." Han: han shivers from the combo of having her hair being treated so gently, and the new length, and straightens out a bit as a way to get away from the touch. she snickers "huuuh? why? never seen someone way cooler than you before?" 😎 Cimmorro: he cackles good naturedly. "you know, normally i would refute you... but there's actually a good chance of you stealing my thunder when we get there!" Han: han actually sounds surprised "really?" she fist pumps a little bit, always happy to come out on top for any stupid reason, but then gets a little solemner "you said you were gone two years... im sure i couldnt steal any of their attention from you. you sound happy when you talk about them, so im sure they would be just excited as you to see each other." she sighs dramatically "i guess ill live" Cimmorro: she can't get a good look at him right now but he's smiling with a soft chuckle, appreciative of her trying to reassure him. "they just get excited seeing travelers. we live in a, well, not completely secluded, but it is a mostly quiet place. especially when you compare it to our capital" he sighs "so anything new to the eyes is quite exciting." Han: han sounds surprised "really? i didnt realize.. i thought its religious, so it is popular, or big town... is it like, kind of town where biggest, most important building is church? almost like everyone else flocked to it" Cimmorro: "oh, don't get me wrong, it is religious. everywhere you go, clergy abound! some people like to call krenic the surplus of clerics." he laughs. "but, i don't live in the capital, but in a town at the outskirts of it. it's more peaceful there. i can't really get into all the rambunctious behavior in bakaldor. it's a bit much, especially with the common brawling." Han: han listens to him talk bakaldor and goes "honestly, just sounds like shorewater..." she sounds a little disappointed, like she was hoping it would be vastly different, but shes heartened by the idea of krenic, hmming curiously. suddenly reminded of something, she goes to look at cimm to address him before remembering she should stay still "hey, cimm, i have question" Cimmorro: he snickers a bit at the sound of her disappointment. "sorry to say that i live by the coastline too, though more rocks than sandy beach, but there's still a beach at least." he's just begun trimming her hair when she pipes up about a question. "hm? go ahead, shoot."

Han: hans heart breaking in front of u....... she kinda misses figstups fucked up forest now...... "so..." she thinks harder about how to phrase this "when finn said he is vampire, everyone seemed kind of shocked, and like they knew what he was talking about, and he gets upset easily about it when you ask him, so i dont want to ask him, and a lot of it i got by talking anyway and guessing, but, like... whats the big deal? and like, is there stuff im missing other than cant go in sun, eats living things, sleeps in little box?" she wants to scratch her head in confusion but goes to scratch her forehead instead Cimmorro: his movement halts for a brief moment when he realizes what she's asking, simply just because he wasn't expecting it. she hears a quiet snip as he speaks up "hm... well for starters, commonly, vampires food preference are people. they can feed off animals like the rest of us, albeit in a slightly different manner, but they get the most nutrition from people, so that easily gives them a bad rep." snip, snip. "there's also the fact that they can turn people into one of them too, and i'm not a hundred percent sure of how the process goes, but it can definitely be done to an unwilling target. and historically, this power has been abused by some of their kind. bad rep 2." another snip, before a brief silence. "... but, i think, in finn's case, it's not something i worry about him doing anymore. well, at the very least it's the last worry i have compared to my other issues with him, like how he picks a fight with me every time i'm in his peripheral vision." he snorts humorlessly. Han: han stays quiet for a while, weighing her thoughts. sounding a little tight, she murmurs "so what? people eat other people too, when desperate. sometimes not even desperate." she gives a small shrug. "i guess the turning into vampire bit is scary.. but that doesnt turn you into bad person." she starts playing with some string on her boots, feeling awkward "people turn bad for less." this time, she does pull away from cimm to face him, ignoring his attempt to lighten the mood. she looks... forlorn "do you think finn was forced to be vampire? is that why hes so sad about it?" Cimmorro: he seems shocked at her first response, why is she talking about that so lightly? almost like it comes from experience? witnessed or conditioned? his thoughts leaves him a little speechless so he lets her talk the rest of the way through. when she faces him, he pulls his tools away and stares at her. "i do," he responds, without needing to think about it, and looks away to the side as if in thought. "i don't know how or why it happened, but i think there's no denying that he seems to hate living under his own skin." he faces her again with a concerned look. "i don't believe that every vampire operates how their reputation perceives them, but people have a reason to be scared... and i'm not surprised if it turns out that finn is scared of himself under the guise of loathing." Han: han watches cimm intently as he talks, before looking down and away herself, her expression a turmoil of sadness, understanding, frustration. she turns away silently, sitting back down facing away from cimm, more stiff then she was before. she grips and loosens and then grips again her booted leg, almost absent mindedly, seemingly lost in thought.

Cimmorro: he finds himself a bit unsure on how to proceed but he tries to get back to his earlier pace with her hair anyways, if she lets him, and keeps working quietly. after a couple of minutes, he decides he kind of hates the silence. "...did something happen between you two?" he asks, a little hesitantly. "you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, though" Han: she lets him, and she seems to ease up after those couple of minutes. she shrugs in response "not really. i went to say thanks for getting me out of fire during that fight, he was weird about it, but it was fine. then i asked him about vampire stuff and he got all quiet and WEIRDER. so i stopped asking pretty fast." she plays with the string on her shoes again "i dont think im capable of like, helping him- you know, like doctor or something- but i wanted to know more... understand better." she sounds pouty towards the end of that spiral Cimmorro: cimm rolls his eyes at her retelling of finn's behavior. as expected of him. he's proud of han though, for actually taking the steps to learn more, sympathizing him too. maybe he could start following her footsteps more... but not today! also, he did kinda try before, and finn only met him with hostility. ugh. he feels the bitterness bubbling again. "unfortunately, i have no knowledge of how to turn a vampire back to how they once were..." he hates feeling clueless so he tries to give her more information about vampires instead, to compensate. "another thing about vampires though, they are immortal, but there are very specific ways that they can die or be killed." Han: han makes a small hmm sound at cimms apparent lack of knowledge. then, he doesnt see it but can probably intue from her anyway, she rolls her eyes, remembering that stupid convo with finn "yea, i know. as if stabbing me enough times wont kill me.... is there something else beside being in sun?" Cimmorro: "running water, is one. stake to the heart is another. i believe they're vulnerable to silver as well? but at this point i'm not sure if that last one is just a myth. i do know holy symbols can burn and repel them, if used with intention," he hmms again. "ah, holy water also burns" Han: han mentally categorizes all the info, humming in response to each listing. she thinks for a moment before going "like your holy symbol?" Cimmorro: he nods "yes, even mine" Han: hans like damn thats awkward for yall huh... Celebrity Guest Aqua:

Cimmorro: ADFHJKAJKSFAJKF

Han: han makes a face of like YIKES.. kinda hoping cimm doesnt see it. she waits for more info to come, and when it doesnt, she asks "is there someone i can ask more about it? or about undead? preferably not finn" 😒 Cimmorro: cimm kinda just laughs at the face she made. "it's not gonna do anything to him as long as i don't use it for that purpose. and i don't plan to, so don't worry," he makes a blank expression "unless he really tries to cross the line." he goes back to working on her hair again. "honestly, willow was your best and easy access candidate for that. though, since we're going to krenic, plenty of temples to seek wisdom from" Han: han stiffens for a moment at cimms hidden aggression towards finn, face twitching into a frown for a second. its not like she doesnt realize hes a dick, but... han withers a bit at the willow comment "ahhhh.. i shouldve known... of course, they are so smart and wise..." ue ue ue.. "i guess i will have to..." she sighs, sounding jokingly dejected Cimmorro: he makes half a smile at her. "is it just vampires you want to ask about or undead in general? you could also do some reading in our tower's archives. you'll at least find something worthwhile." Han: "both.... we seem to be running into them often..." at the archive comment, you can feel her sulk "i guess" Cimmorro: little did han know we're about to go into war with some wraiths Han: TRULY

Cimmorro:"unless you have radiant magic then undead will always be a problem, i'm sorry to say. though, hmmm" he puts a chin on his hand in thought. "you could dip your arrows in holy water" he seems to laugh at her sulking. "not a fan of tomes and scrolls?" Han: :O she did not think of that, making a mental note to get some holy water sometime..... actually-- "can you make holy water..?" it comes out more like a random thought she let out than an intended question. at his laughter she sulks more "i am. huge fan. of tomes. and scrolls." Cimmorro: he nods. "i can. but it's a process that also requires a bit of time and money" he simply pats her head the more she sulks, still amused. "you gotta get into some reading if you wanna be at your best hunting prowess! learn your enemy!" Han: [insert making note gif here] she gets embarrassed at his patting "i do learn about my enemy! im very good at that! reading ... is just.. slow" >:( Cimmorro: he laughs, she really does not look like one who enjoys spending time with scriptures. "well, i don't see what else you lot could be doing while we make a pit stop at my tower. might as well get to some reading, hm?" he seems to get a mischievous glint in his eye, remembering something he could tease her with. "have you ever heard of succubi? i think you'd be really interested in learning about those... try to find a tome about fiends." evil way of motivating her to read Han: she doesnt want to agree, but he does make a point..... and reading IS interesting, she likes the poetry psalm got, its just so frustrating... she perks up at the mention of succubi "i havent heard. whats that?" Cimmorro: "they're fiends whose entire deal is to seduce people and they're oftentimes very voluptuous, but they can also shapeshift according to one's desires. they're a bit dangerous though!" Han: han sits up straighter and turns to cimm with a blank face "what" he must be joking Cimmorro: "get to reading~" Han: narrows her eyes and scrunchies her face in suspicion, turns back grumbling about annoying clerics, but on god she gonna find some book on fiends Cimmorro: cimm continues to laugh and focuses on finishing her hair Han: 😤 HMPH PERHAPS I WILL aura radiating from han rn

Following that somewhat tense conversation, and easing into dick jokes, Han and Cimmorro continue their hairdressing event for a while longer. Cimmorro working diligently, until the time comes to decide to shave one side, wherein Han spends approximately half an hour on/off squealing, crying, begging, accepting, dry heaving, and screaming at Cimmorro to JUST DOOO ITT, before she finally works up the courage to get that side shave she wanted. Cimmorro patiently fulfills her wish.

Cimmorro and Finn on the Deck Ft. Vinny - 5/4

Later on that day in the oh so fateful evening, an invitation from Finn finds its way under the crack of Cimmorro and Vinny’s door, reading the following:

cimmorro, surely you expect to be summoned for another sending as you read these words... know that thou art wrong! i desire your company for matters entirely unrelated to my lord uncle. you may find me in my chambers until 8 o'clock (and i may mention that you have explicit permission to enter them tonight) or on the deck anytime after signed finnian o. a. barvotte

you will note that it is currently 19:55, so there is a very low probability you can actually go to finns room (no doubt by his own design)

Unbeknownst to him, working away on the floor is Vinny. He finds himself cleaning up after one of him and Cimmorro's final study sessions, the latter having excused himself to the washroom for a moment. He picks up a few tomes and notes before clumsily spilling a half empty inkwell over the floor. He flounders for a moment before going to clean it up with a cloth, as he does he spies a note laying on the floor by the door, now partially stained.

Opening it up curiously he finds himself utterly confused by its contents.... which of them is this even addressed to...? he cant quite tell... if it were the man himself why didn't he just knock actually, the light was on inside. As soon as Cimmorro returns he presents the letter to him with a confused tilt of his head and partially ink stained hands

Vinny: ”er... do you have any inkling as to what this could be about?" Cimmorro: cimm comes back with evidence of him detouring for a little snack break at the bar. a cup of ice cream and a spoon still hanging from his mouth as he tilts his head up at vinny curiously before taking the note to read it himself. (conveniently for our sakes the sending part is also stained so that cimm cant have any context of it being for him) "DESIRE, he said?" he snorts "and 8 oclock? how long has this been here...? why didn't he just knock-- 🙄" he shakes his head and holds his cup of ice cream like its a wine glass. "it's finn, it could be about anything really. only way to find out is to meet him" Vinny: he scratches the back of his head staring down at the note again "thats what i was thinking, though er maybe he didn't want to bother us?" he looks around the room as he says that "do we ...both go?" he eyes the ice cream for a brief second to ascertain the flavour in the cup Cimmorro: "fair, I'll remember to put a sock on the knob next time then" he notices him eyeing the ice cream and takes a scoop to put inn vinny's mouth without warning. "even if he just wanted you to go I'm not leaving you alone with him when I'm not even sure what his motives are. come on" he turns around and starts walking to the deck 🚶 Vinny: he makes a face at the first comment though before he can reply he lets out a surprised sound at the ice cream thrust towards him, he moves to catch the spoon as cimmorro waltz off, quickly running and grabbing his jacket "a-ah! wait it might be cold!" and scuttles after him

As they make their way up to the deck Finn stands, leaning across the railing. One might think he is observing the sky or trying to block out everything else around him, but he was actually focusing intently.

Finn: as soon as he hears cimmorro approaching he turns around dramatically, wine glass in hand that has very little liquid in it. he was pouring it out little by little out of boredom while he waited. not like he can drink it anyway. "so, youve come!" his enthusiasm wanes immediately as he realizes vinny is accompanying his target and he openly grimaces. "...what did you bring him for?" it should be noted that finn is wearing some sort of nightgown, it is a little see-through at the top and the sleeves. also it would seem hes brought a cup of tea for cimmorro thats seated on the railing, but hes holding onto it so it shant fall. Cimmorro: cimm was like. walking with purpose but as soon he actually processes finn and this whole set up he just IMMEDIATELY freezes in his spot and is just fucking dumbfounded like ????????? Vinny: he makes a strained smile behind cimmorro, glancing between the two of them "er... should i not have been brought..?" Cimmorro: "sorry vinny, i guess im the one getting sloppy styles not you" a deadpan joke comes out of him after another moment. "finn. what the fuck? i left jasper in the room for this" Finn: finn glares at you and replies with a curt "no" Vinny: "🙂" Finn: its finns turn to make a strained face and he shakes his head "this is a social call cimmorro... i believe i made that quite clear in my invitation..." Vinny: vinny stares at the ground Cimmorro: "well, your invitation wasn't chemical proof. why didn't you just knock?" cimm just goes over to show finn the note to show fucked it is Finn: finn pauses, gaze calculating, before he states as if it was very obvious "i do not have that kind of time" but as hes being shown the note he cringes "just how... did that happen" internally hes fuming, he didnt spend 10 minutes rendering his adversary's name in cursive only for it to be ruined "how did that happen?" he repeats, this time with a hint of bitterness thats not a hint at all, but he'd like to think hes being merciful Vinny: he continues looking towards the floor as he responds "we have alot of study equipment laying around the room at the moment..." Cimmorro: "knocking would've taken less time than writing in typeface Aphrodite Slim Pro" he shakes his head. "really if it wasn't the mixtures it would've been the sole of my shoe messing it up." Finn: finn is a little surprised that the wizard is still here and he raises an eyebrow "i believe ive told you your presence is unwanted. i suggest you make yourself scarce now." he squints at the pathetic figure before him, wishing itd physically hurt the man to be in his presence right now at cimmorro hes back to raising an eyebrow but hes clearly acting more favorably towards cimm, not as mad as he is at vinny, almost playful.... god forbid, forgiving, even. "tragic as it is, im not interested in arguing semantics with you tonight... youve found me" he nods, as if to affirm it to himself that hes this close to having a successful outing with another vengaboy "that should not stop us from enjoying the night i dare say!" he puts on a smile now. it is the tiniest bit fake. he does this to forecfully lighten the mood, at least thats the idea. although he is a little miffed cimmorro didnt appreciate the effort he put into the font. Cimmorro: "what are you so fucking rude for? i told you it was a misunderstanding" he folds his arms, displeased. "you think I'm gonna enjoy my time up here with you when you're being an asshole to my guest?" Vinny: he looks as if he was going to say something but as cimmorro speaks up for him he just glances between the two of them anxiously again Finn: finn huffs and pouts. internally, hes fearful this will turn out like the latest interaction hes had with psalm. it will cost him everything to sacrifice his pride, but if he doesnt, he and cimmorro can never be like naruto and sasuke he thinks to himself. hes visibly going through an inner monologue, some inner battle... before he sighs and glares slightly less at vinny. "as youve said cimmorro, it was a misunderstanding and i was simply very upset about my planned time with you being interrupted..."

Finn: he then goes "will you still accept the tea ive brought you?" and holds it out to cimmorro

Cimmorro: CIMM IS VISIBLY UNNERVED AND CONFUSED HAKWKWKWKKSLEKDJKWMDMEMF Vinny: i like that hes still ignoring vinny Han: TARGET LOCK ON ) Special Guest Aqua: IM GONNA KILL YOU I THINK)

Cimmorro: "?????????" he turns to vinny with a 'are you seeing this' look then turns back to finn again like "????????? are you fucking alright?????" the sight of finn doing.... that. makes him feel genuine concern and disgust at the same time if both werent possible to simultaneously express before, well, they are now. does he actually want to spend time with him so badly? this would've easily inflated his ego if he also just wasn't utterly confused. he shifts his attention vinny again and grimacing as he suggests "i think you should go while you still have the chance... if something happens to me just make sure jasper gets home safely" he hands him he remnants of his ice cream to go. Vinny: he looks back at cimmorro equally confused, leaning towards him to speak "i didn't know you were that close...?" as he's handed the icecream his eyes widen, he tries to not seem too excited by it as he focuses back on cimmorro, being serious "well, if you're sure you want me to go..." he looks back at finn "have a good... evening?" he glances at finn's outfit then thinks for a moment "er, not much in the way of apology but..." he shucks off his overcoat and places it over the man's shoulders without a thought "try not to get too cold, it's pretty windy..!" at peace with having seemingly smoothed this social blemish over, vinny turns without waiting for a reaction. waving to cimmorro he immediately walks off, eyeing the icecream in his hand as he heads below deck again Cimmorro: cimm gags at the suggestion of him and finn having something going on "don't even joke!" but laughs a bit at vinny's flash of desire towards the dessert. he quietly watches vinny bumble about and waves back when he does Finn: finn is a bit stunned at the action, so much so that he cant get a single word out... he merely watches the wizard leave, a tinge of regret washing over him as he absentmindedly tugs at the overcoat now placed on his shoulders. one could see finn was on the cusp of self awareness at this moment. he looks at cimmorro with an absent look in his eyes before turning around, leaning over the railing again "... its not like our date. i wont force you this time." Cimmorro: cimm seems to study finn's every word and body language, trying to understand what this fuss is all about, before making any sudden and/or misleading movements. eventually, he puts his hands up and walks up beside him. "right. i give up. what's all this? is this team bonding time?" he takes the cup of tea off of finn's hands, bringing it up to his face, catching its scent. if there's anything he sees eye to eye with finn, it's his taste for fine things in life. and surely the choice of beverage was a testament of that. "impressive," he says after a sip. Finn: finn doesnt really react to that, he thinks about what to say now that cimmorro has decided to stay for whatever reason. but as that compliment unexpectedly leaves his adversary's lips he looks up at the man "truly? you think so?" its been so long for him that the taste of things like tea has begun leaving his memory. he cant recall anymore. only that he deemed some kinds good at a point in his life. "im most pleased to have made the right choice in that regard" his mood is a little boosted by this, he nods to himself but quickly finds himself stuck "...i was so sure about what i wanted to talk to you about, but the wizard threw me off.. what should i do about this now?" he gestures at the overcoat, he seems to be genuinely conflicted about the way that interaction went......almost regretful. but only almost. Cimmorro: cimm nods. "not gonna lie, i thought it'd be laced with something though," he says as merely a jest, snorting as if to reassure finn he meant no insult in the comment, however surprising it may be. as finn shares his current woes, his lip twists to the one side. "perhaps take it as a lesson of humility? i really don't understand why you reacted the way you did. the man didn't do anything." another sip of tea. he sort of just trails his gaze into the distance and just thinking of how tf he got into this situation and why he's giving finn therapy now Finn: finn playfully rolls his eyes at the laced comment. oh this? its laced with shounen rivalry. he thinks cimms words over, quite literally turns them upside down and all sorts of directions in his head. he didnt like it. he didnt like where itd lead either if this continued "he showed up uninv-" he hears uncle vordes voice faintly in his mind...he cant make out the words, he just knows its wrong. he DOES know himself he cant say 'vinny has the soul of an old man and i think hes stupid' though. "i didnt feel like dealing with change" it comes out more honest than he intends and he quickly makes sure to keep on talking lest cimmorro might catch on "ill think carefully about... making my amends" finn cards a hand through his own hair and goes back to observing cimmorro "unfortunate start aside, the reason i wanted to be with you is.." he gestures vaguely with a limp wrist "we both hated what ended up happening in figstup, and i felt some sort of solidarity between us... i thought we could" a pause "build on that" Cimmorro: cimm lets out a small laugh at finn's honest admittance to the refusal of change. "well, I can't say I'm surprised to hear that from you. and by all means, if you need me to not be in the room when you decide to return his coat and apologize then I'd be glad to step aside." taking another drink, he eyes finn as he finally lays out his intentions. so, he does want to just bond after all? was he just lonely? cimm assumes that perhaps plum, finn's current roommate, wasn't really the person to share the disdain with when they seemed rather into it themselves. makes sense enough. "ah, i see. well, I don't see why not... though i have a feeling we had different reasons. so, sorry to crush your expectations, if ever" he says with a laidback shrug Finn: finn makes some kind of undignified noise in his throat and pretends to clear it "i will be sure to alarm you in advance should i require privacy of that extent" he finishes clearing his throat and swirls the little bit of wine thats left in his glass around "it doesnt necessarily have to be about that incident" he cringes "id be more than happy to forget. i was just thinking... its rare for us to have a common ground or... speak to each other without difficulty- by the way, do you drink?" he tilts his head and then looks between cimm and his wine "i know barely anything about you. only what i want to know." he looks at cimm with some kind of intensity. only what i think will justify my hatred, he doesnt say. "i will say that ive meant what ive told you.. during our date. i thought that the enjoyment of our rivalry was mutual but with the way youve been treating me i may have misjudged the situation." Cimmorro: he tries to hold a laugh at the reaction but says nothing more. "i do drink, and I'm fascinated you even have that." he gestures at the wine glass "i thought you can't consume anything but blood?" he asks, but finn's fierce gaze strikes him amused for some reason... kind of reminds him of a child. it's hard to take it seriously. "date... date... ah, that date. yeah i remember now," he nods as he brings his cup to his mouth again. whatever promises they've made that night, he thought was just a one time thing. though, in hindsight, he shouldn't be surprised that finn derives in that kind of... bond. and he won't lie, he found it rather funny messing around like that. he decides to press finn a little more on the matter, curious. "and how exactly have i been treating you? i wasn't aware there was a certain criteria i needed to be operating under" Finn: finn thinks to answer cimmorros inquiry about the wine, but decides he'll find a way to get it down cimmorros throat later. theres more pressing matters at hand. he huffs and gestures vaguely "w-well! its not that you need to operate under certain criteria its rather that- that you dont at all" he mumbles the last part. unsure himself if he should be revealing so much of himself... but he did call cimm here for a reason and he could only fuck their relationship up so many times before it was the silent treatment for good "youre... tired of my antics... you dont react or fight with me" hes pouting now, almost like a jealous girlfriend. "so clearly we arent on the same page about it... thats what this is all about" he quickly adds and swirls his glass out of nervousness Cimmorro: cimm blinks owlishly at him and thinks 'i literally just told him he's an asshole a few minutes ago what does he want from me....' "hmm," he stares at the faded horizon, leaning his elbow on the railing. "so, let me get this straight. all this... is because you miss my attention?" Finn: finn looks at cimm with a somewhat horrified expression. he feels haggard. he must look it too. he doesnt know what to say. he takes a long moment to process whats happening, stares at whats below them and opens his mouth to say something but nothing comes tumbling out, to his surprise. what a humiliating thing to make him admit. there has to be a way to phrase this differently. there has to be. "maybe" (<- in a very quiet voice) Cimmorro: cimm tries not to laugh, he really does, but it eventually does spill out. he makes a poor a attempt to hide it behind a hand. "sorry i just came to understand why you lashed out the way you did when i brought vinny." Finn: finn feels mortified. how did this happen? why did he ever listen to uncle vorde? why did he ever try to be more sociable? his reputation with cimm was in shambles. permanently. he feels his eye twitch and he stares at the man in disbelief. hes not sure if he wants to hear it. hes not sure if itll look bad if he tries to deny whatever uncouth lies cimm is making up in his mind right now. "foolish as always" he settles for this, accompanied by a glare "i dont know what youre thinking but the truth is that youre still an eyesore to me, youre arrogant and lax in situations you shouldnt be in, you respect barely anyone. you stole my look for the ball, one of your most unforgivable offences, but worst of all is this dull ache your absence introduced... its boring without all that. how dare you indulge me and then take yourself away?" finn hopes this doesnt immediately ruin the good will hes seemingly built up now. just maybe, just once this could play out like in one of his mangas. he feels the urge to call cimmorro an..."...idiot" (the idiot is very soft. very very soft. almost.... affectionate)

Cimmorro: cimm watches and listens to finn go about his little tirade with a smile. unaffected by most of finn's accusations (except the ball outfit one, he took insult from that), he nods pensively as if encouraging finn to let it all out. he seems to be so sure of himself now, feeling the high from being on the upper ground. there's a small part of his conscience that tells him to just put finn out of his misery right here and now, but he's been looking down on them for so long cimm can't help but toy with him a little more. when finn is all spent, cimm gifts him a wicked little smile. "are you sure that's all you want to get off your chest?" Finn: finn is briefly staggered by that smile. how wicked. how cruel. perhaps cimmorro had never stopped playing their game after all. who would torture him like this if not cimmorro? he wants to reach out and strangle the man right here, as if they were alone. confess thoughts he himself avoids dwelling on, whisper everything into his ear. would cimmorro enjoy that? finn snaps out of his trance and blinks. not here. "what? cant get enough of my critique, can you? youll have to go back to how things were with me if youre dying to hear more" <- unearned confidence + smug smile Cimmorro: cimm seems entertained. he gets the idea to give a little treat for finn along with the intent to keep their conversation to themselves. so, he delivers his response in elvish. "yes, well, i was simply hoping you'd be more honest with yourself and your interest to fuck me is all" he says bluntly, smile never fading. he switches back to common in utmost ease. "i might've actually considered it this time around since you were being soooooo cute about it!" fingers find their way to tilt finn's chin up briefly before pulling away just as quick. "but, i suppose there's also no fun in it if i just gave it to you. you're right. so let's continue this little chase for however loooooooooong it may be. starting now in fact," he pulls away from the railing and dusts his clothes off. "have a good rest of your evening, finnian. i actually enjoyed this time." he turns around, stops and addresses finn again "oh and, thank you for the tea. I've always known you had fine taste, but for it to include me too? well, I'm flattered" one more flash of that same shit eating grin. ego has definitely been bloated. "good night." Finn: once again nothing has gone according to finns plans. he wanted to ask what cimmorro does in his time off aside from reading. if hes ever heard of manga. he had a request, even and yet hes failed to mention any of it. the scene plays out in his head over and over again. the sudden touch. where did this bastard learn how to speak elven? how? why? why now? maybe he shouldnt've reignited these flames. before finn knows it he feels his nails digging into the wood of the railing through his glove. cimmorros use of his full name leaves a particularly disgusting aftershock, one that he cant mask. finn stares at the mans back. theres no good rebuttal he can think of in the moment. he hates that he cant one up him. hates that he'll be up all night agonizing over this. finn absentmindedly touches over his mouth where his fangs are. he thinks of drinking and vomiting.

Keva’s Writing Lesson with Cimmorro - 10/4

The next day Keva finds herself standing outsider the door to Cimmorro and Vinny’s room, holding her new journal in her hands.

Keva: keva hates feeling stupid, so what the fuck is she doing? she looks down at the plain leather-bound journal in her hands, thumbs running across the cover. looks back up at the door in front of her, and then around her to see if anyone’s seeing her stand outside someone’s doorway like an idiot. she's repeated this cycle at least two times at this point. she hasn’t told cimmorro about the journal yet, even though she got it as his suggestion for her studies, if that’s still even happening. keva had every intention to tell him sooner, and almost did a few times in the past several days, but… but he was studying with vinny and she didn’t want to interrupt them. and well, he’s probably too busy practicing his new magic now anyway. he looked like he was having fun showing off in the dining hall the other day. in fact he’s probably forgotten all about teaching her so she should just go back to her room and forget she asked for anything. but the fucker had given keva hope, and she did still want to learn… one of her thumbs flicks against a paper frog she hooked on the cover while the other is getting chewed on as she thinks. ‘ah, fuck it’ she wipes her thumb against her clothes before reaching out to knock, but just then Cimmorro's door opens.

Cimmorro: as the door opens, keva hears a familiar voice in the middle of a conversation. "...and that, my sweet little jasper, is why cadavers are valuable-- oh?" cimm finds himself surprised to see someone on the other side of the door, and it's keva of all people. jasper soon makes herself seen, tilting her head at their surprise guest and greets her a happy meow. "kevster! what do i owe this pleasure...?" he trails off as his eyes wander to the item in her hands. once he clocks what it is, he gasps with a hand over his mouth accompanied with an excited glint in his eyes. Keva: his reaction makes her feel as embarrassed as she thought she'd be. her wide eyes quickly cast themselves to the side and she instinctively moves to hide the book, but she only gets halfway there before she stops herself because clearly he's seen it. "i-- um." gods. she makes a soft sound of frustration before she steels herself again and shoves it into cimmorro's hands. "i got the stupid book. what now?" Cimmorro: he makes a light 'oof' sound as she pushes the book to him, but his smile never wanes. "w-why are you giving it to me? it's yours!" as he tries to put it back in her hands, he finally notices the paper frog which earns another gasp from him, pulling the journal back to look at it closer clearly distracted by it. "oh, you kept it 🥺" Keva: "you left without them." she pulls the other one they had been playing with from a pocket, smoothing out crinkles from past rough treatment before holding it out for him. cimmorro can tell that she's tried to save the frog hanging off the journal cover, too. she actually still isn't sure why he left upset with her that day, but he hasn't seemed angry at her since...? she decides not to bring it up right now. Cimmorro: "they're made out of flyers. i could just make more," despite what he says, he seems amused and touched she even cared for them. he politely waves a hand when keva tries to give them back. "you can have them. i think they've found themselves a nice home... but, i have to ask... why are they so beat?" he asks as he laughs, handing her journal back to her. "taking out your frustrations on innocent frogs?" Keva: she takes her journal and paper frogs back a bit sheepishly. she doesn't know why she handed the journal to him either, but she puts that thought away for the moment. "if that was it, there wouldn't be anything left of them." she carefully tucks the other frog next to the one already on the cover. "someone almost stepped on them, so i had to grab them quickly is all." keva doesn't make eye contact with cimm for a bit, keeping them on her journal again. she could probably pick it out of a pile by touch alone, with how much she's fidgeted with it since she's purchased it. "...what should i do with this now?" Cimmorro: "right, right... i'm the one who left them on the floor." he puts a hand to the side of his face as he calls out to the frogs. "sorry for being a neglectful and absent father, boys!" he cackles and faces keva again properly when he says, "you'll let me know when they decide to forgive me, yeah?" cimm watches her silence for a bit but smiles again at her question. "well, for starters, we could officially stamp it as yours! have you written your name on it yet? we should also put a date on it" Keva: a smile touches her eyes the tiniest bit at his joke, though it falls away quickly in her uncharacteristic awkwardness. "i... don't know how to write my name." she looks up at cimm to watch him carefully for any judgement, before looking away again. as if to save face a little, she adds, "i can recognize it though... if i saw it." Cimmorro: "oh?" cimm hums for a second in thought, not minding keva's strange behavior much as he's focused on the task at hand. he quickly comes up with an idea. "no worries, we can start with that then. i'm thinking i could show you all the letters then you point out what you know is part of your name. although i have a few guesses you can look at too," he nods to himself, seemingly satisfied by his own genius. it doesn't take him too long to realize something else however. "ah but, do you know your name in common? or something else?" Keva: keva's silently relieved that he simply takes things in stride without so much as a blink. she nods. "and in halfling." Cimmorro: keva sees him snap a finger and click his tongue "tsk, shoot. i hardly touched on my halfling...! yet another humble reminder that i can't be the perfect dreamboy..." he clutches his chest dramatically with a mournful shake of his head. "that was the next thing on my list though... at least we could work off common," he adds. "i don't have plans right now, if you'd like to have a go at it" he smiles again and steps to the side of the door as if to invite her in. "i was merely going to go out for a smoke but that's unimportant" Keva: his dramatics make her snort and roll her eyes. she steps into his room at his invitation, sets her journal down, and crouches down to hold her hand out to jasper in greeting. "you could crack open your window, though hopefully you have some to share," she half-jokes. Cimmorro: "ah, i avoid smoking indoors. it clings onto things, yknow? and it's not healthy for jasper. i'm afraid if i open the window it would make everything fly about, too. not to mention my hair!" he steps farther inside and settles to sit on his bed. "we could always have a smoke break later. do you have a quill?" he asks while rummaging through his own bag Keva: "ah, hold on." keva heads back to her room to grab her quill and magic inkwell. she hadn't thought they'd start so soon so she didn't bring them, but she had left them conveniently by her bed. when she returns, she places them carefully by her journal, and if cimm looks carefully, he can see the nib's already been dipped in ink before.

[ glancing carefully he does]

Cimmorro: when she comes back, cimm seems to have prepared some parchments of his own and jasper curiously sniffing her journal. he eyes her belongings, pleased that she prepared well, and notices the used quill. "oho, what's this? you started writing without me?" Keva: she was hoping he wouldn't notice, so of course he did. "not really," and she doesn't seem like she's going to talk about it more than that at the moment, busying her hands with petting jasper. "what are your guesses for my name?" Cimmorro: "pfft, no need to be so shy about it. i'm just glad you came around." he sits on the floor, using his bed as a surface and invites her to come sit beside. "you'll see," he begins writing down some, ranging from whatever is the common equivalents of 'cheva, keyvu, kaevu' and so on (he will land on 'keva' eventually at some point. hopefully.) while writing, he speaks up "why don't ya tell me how you know your name? i'm quite curious of that. were you named after a brand of something, that's why you know what it looks like?" Keva: she shuffles over with her things and watches him write curiously, noting that none of them look right yet. she does turn to him in surprise though at his question, not expecting him to ask that. "no, it's..." keva debates if she really even wants to answer... but she figures he's doing her a favor. the least she could do is answer some of his questions. she'll just... leave some details out, if she can. "it's a best guess from someone i knew." Cimmorro: he snickers when he senses keva watching and noticing how she hasn't made a comment on any of them. "nothing so far, huh?" he continues listing down more as he listens to her but his writing stops as her response leaves him a little confused. he tilts his head at her curiously "... 'best guess?'" Keva: keva lets her head fall against the mattress while she thinks through how to explain this. "i don't actually know how it's supposed to be spelled. it's just..." a half-shrug "what i was called, and my friend guessed how to write it." Cimmorro: "i see," he turns to look at the wall in front of them, eyes not focusing on anything in particular and darts across the wood, lost in thought. a friend guessed it? not a parent? "...was it orin?" he finally asks "maybe i could ask him if so... although i am having fun guessing" Keva: she mostly keeps her eyes somewhere in the distance as a silence falls between them, though she does look to see what she can glean off his face just once. when he speaks, she smiles weakly and shakes her head lightly. "he might know how to write it though, now that you mention it." Cimmorro: cimm makes a surprised smile with his eyebrows raising. "goodness, what's this revelation you're opening up to me...?! our miss keva with more friends?" he jests with a light nudge of an elbow, continuing with a playful and sarcastic tone. "suddenly, i feel like i don't know you enough...!" he goes back to writing more of his guesses as he responds. "well if i give up or if you end up feeling fed up of waiting, we can call orin for help then 😌 " Keva: he gets a huff of a laugh as keva turns her face into the mattress as if to hide a bit. she notes the faint scent of lavender. keva lifts her head back up at the mention of calling orin, “no i don’t want to bother him. he’s probably busy.” she peeks over at the papers again and points at ‘kiva’ “this one’s pretty close” Cimmorro: cimm was about to say something but lets out a gasp when keva points out one of the names. "WHOAH, FOR REAL? oh that narrows down by so much... what do you think is off from it?" Keva: “the second letter should be different, i think?” Cimmorro: "oh easy, watch this," he gives her a wink and writes another name, finally landing on 'keva' then he looks at her with pride, along with his eyebrows going up and down. Keva: “that’s it!” she takes the paper to get a good look at her name. that’s right. she remembers the first letter the best, but it’s been a while since she’s seen the whole thing. she had tried writing it earlier in her journal but the first letter turned out so horribly and she couldn’t remember the rest, and in her own embarrassment she tore out the page. she starts to trace over the letters with her finger and pulls away when she finds the ink still wet, smudging the writing in the process. she can’t help but look disappointed as she mutters “shit” to herself Cimmorro: cimm blinks at her, surprised. he didn't expect to get such a strong reaction... but when he thinks about it, well, it makes sense. someone who doesn't know how to write their own name must mean they see it so rarely. it's... a lonely thought. he peeks at her from the side with a smile "yeah that's the problem with ink, takes a while to dry. ugh, all the stains i had to deal with all my years." he rolls his eyes. "don't worry though, now i know, it's time to teach you!" Keva: keva’s definitely going to worry. she hasn’t figured out how to hold a quill yet, which is part of the disaster of her first attempt. she didn’t think it’d give her so much trouble at first, being pretty deft with her hands, but holding something to write felt so foreign. nevertheless, she picks up her quill, running her fingers thru the feather. “…can i practice on those papers first before trying to write it in the book?” Cimmorro: cimm tilts his head at her, not judging but only curious. "well... I don't see a problem with it. but i was hoping we put all your practice in the book so you can look back and see your progress" he stares at the book and back at her and adds, "you're not gonna ruin it, i promise" Keva: she looks at cimm and then looks at her journal, still hesitating. in the end, it’s her pride that gets her to crack open her journal, not wanting look too scared to write in a fucking book (even though it is making her nervous). “you owe me a new one then if i do ruin it” holding her quill with her left hand, she covers some of the evidence of a first page that’s no longer there, intentionally or not. she stares for a second at the blank page before glancing back at cimmorro expectantly.

As he glances at Keva’s hands Cimmorro notes she’s got no idea what she’s doing, adjusting her grip on it constantly as she finds it too uncomfortable.

Cimmorro: cimm seems pleased at her relenting, even if it's accompanied with what he thinks is a glare. "sure. no problems with me," he flashes a smile that falters a little once he notices her grip, so he demonstrates how he holds it himself. "this can be a little tricky cause you're lefthanded and I'm right-- but not impossible!" after watching her struggle with it, he eventually takes her hand into his, adjusting her grip by aligning with his, making the gap between them practically nonexistent. "if you hold it this way, it would put less strain on your muscle here" he trails a tendon with his finger on a free hand. "it'll also be easier to write curves!" Keva: as he draws closer he'd be able to feel her tense up and even lean away from him a bit in surprise. she catches on quickly what he's doing, which is the only thing that stopped her elbow from pressing any further into his rib cage, but it still puts her on edge and he can definitely still feel her bone digging into his a bit. this makes it a bit difficult for cimm to adjust her grip at first, what with her fingers locked into place. as he talks her through it though, he notices her fingers relax enough for him to move them into place. she wonders for a moment why he's so warm despite his light layers--is it a tiefling thing?--but steers her focus back to her hand (and only her hand if she can help it) to try and remember how the quill should feel in her hands. she simply nods, hoping her untied hair hides her slightly pink ears. Cimmorro: cimm can't deny that he noticed her tense up, and he figured she would, but he has to do this otherwise she won't learn. when she finally gets the grip right, he still doesn't let go. "okay, nice. now, keep it steady and don't press too hard, you might tear the paper." he begins to guide her on the first stroke of the 'K' then the second, and so on until she completes it. when she does, he pulls away and brings his hands up and goes "tadaaa! easy! a little shaky but you got there!" Keva: her shoulders, raised a bit near her ears, remain on guard for a few seconds even after cimmorro pulls away. when she finally relaxes, she eyes her own grip on the quill for a moment, before she attempts another K on her own, just as slow as the first. "like that?" Cimmorro: he chimes as she watches her do it on her own. "yes! you pick up fast," he claps. "how about you try filling that page up with those so you can get a better hand at it? let it sink into your muscle memory and all" Keva: keva sets straight to work. she doesn't talk much as she writes, pressing her lips together in concentration and letting the sound of the scratching against paper take her place instead. she continues to draw each stroke slowly at first, each line a bit shaky in the lack of smooth handling and each K much larger than it needs to be. she occasionally glances at cimm's earlier guesswork, noting that his writing isn't so exaggeratedly big or squiggly. as she gets more comfortable, she strives to straighten lines and write a bit smaller. Cimmorro: "oh, i-- okay!" he finds himself stunned at her diligence, but not any less satisfied. he meant to suggest that she could leave her to do that when she gets back to her room, like a homework of sorts, and focus on her finishing her name first right now, but he's not complaining. it's nice to see her get into it, so he merely smiles. he keeps the initial writing of her name he wrote near her for her to reference and starts to work on writing the entire alphabet on a separate parchment for her perusal later. he writes exceptionally slower than usual, making sure it's legible for her. at this point jasper has made herself comfortable on the same mattress where the two silently get to work. Keva: as keva looks again to the paper, her gaze skates over to it and lands on jasper lounging just a little ways away. she gently taps the feathered end of her quill on jasper's nose, smiling at how relaxed she looks before she goes back to fill in the last few letters she can on the page. keva looks over to cimmorro working and watches him curiously for a moment before tapping on his arm to show him she's done. Cimmorro: jasper blinks a couple of times at the feather and paws at it, with her tongue still sticking out from being distracted from her bath time. when keva's had her fill, she simply goes back to cleaning herself again. cimm perks up at the tap and looks over at her penmanship. "oh you got the hang of that one quick," he looks at her with a little glint in his eyes. "it's already less wobbly on these ones here at the bottom... how's your hand? still feel weird holding a pen?" Keva: the tiniest smile pulls at the edge of her mouth for a moment at the praise before keva reels it back in. at his question, she puts the quill down and flexes her hand a bit, not used to holding something so small in such a particular way and a bit tired from holding the quill tightly to maintain the proper grip. "sort of. i'm fine though" she juts her chin at the parchment he's working on "what's that?" Cimmorro: cimm finds her reluctance to fully smile kind of funny but he tries to hold in a laugh. he'll have her break at some point, he thinks. "just make sure you're not holding it too tight, you don't need to fight it," he snorts. "and these," he holds up the parchment for her "are all the letters you need to write common. we'll go through them one by one!" Keva: she takes the parchment and scans it over. there's a look of nostalgia that comes over her for a moment, looking at all the letters together. she remembers the letters scrawled into the dry dirt with a stick, lessons she wishes she had paid attention to back then, if only to cause a little less grief. before she can sink too deep in her thoughts, she snaps herself out of it and looks back towards her fully written name. letter by letter, she identifies the other letters she still needs to learn, tapping on each and tracing them with a finger. "what do you call the letters in my name?" Cimmorro: cimm watches her quietly, a little curious at the expression she was holding, it looked... forlorn? but before he could ask if she's alright, she began to study the letters in her own way. he decides to observe her and give her space to take it all in, at the same time trying to understand how she prefers to work. when she poses a question to him, he readily responds, "k, e, v, a - in that order" he taps each letter on the parchment as he vocalizes them. "it's a nice name! quick to learn too. does it mean something, do you think?" he tilts his head slightly in wonder Keva: keva looks at cimmorro like he just said smth strange. "i don't know. it's just what i've been called." she never considered that maybe her name was chosen on purpose. a shame she'll probably never get to find out. "...does your name mean something?" Cimmorro: "hmm," he clears up a bit of the parchment on the bed as he talks. "well, to me, keva is this very mean and stubborn girl who likes to physically hurt me," he snorts and continues. "she's also quite funny, and recently I've learned that she's apparently a diligent, fast learner. i look forward to teaching her" he gives keva a good natured smile. he continues to smile even as keva asks the question. "i'm named after the infernal word for cemetery" Keva: the best keva knows how to process cimmorro's words in the moment is with a sound of disdain and an eyeroll, trying not to let her face warm up visibly. thankfully she doesn't have to try too hard as the shock from his reply does the job. she always heard jasidians were strange but... she doesn't hide her confusion or surprise "why? i mean i know you're jasidian, but, bit dark even for you lot to name your child like that, isn't it?" Cimmorro: cimm's smile pulls on one side, fully expecting her reaction. "I don't see it that way, neither did my parents. for us, a cemetery is a safe haven for the departed..." his gaze drifts off to the wooden bed frame. "people who have passed on still deserve to be taken care of, and the ones they've left behind need a place to visit and mourn in peace... I don't think there's anything dark about that," he shares with a softspoken tone Keva: keva simply stares at cimm for a moment, considering what he has to say. after a bit of silence she turns to rest her chin on the mattress, saying a quiet “sorry” on her way to look at the wall. she starts to chew on her thumb again in thought, though she quickly pulls it away when she tastes ink. she asks just as quietly, “what happens if… if the people left behind can’t take care of the departed anymore?” Cimmorro: cimm appreciates her seeming like she understood his perspective. her question catches him a little surprised though, wasn't expecting her to make a conversation about it. but he answers her in his best interest. "well, everyone has their own reasons, don't we? unfortunate circumstances might lead to less than pleasant results, things like that happen all the time," he says a little woefully. his brows furrows a bit as he thinks. "...sometimes there are things that are simply not in our control. in the end, i trust the goddess to make fair judgement of it and care for these souls as they pass on to their next life. she knows her work best." Keva: keva doesn't reply for a while. she's not sure if she feels better hearing that, but she supposes it could be worse. things can always be worse. after some silence she asks another question, "back home, they say that the godless go to wee jas. do you think that's true?" Cimmorro: "yes," he replies almost too quickly, a testament to his belief. "it only makes sense, no? she is the goddess of death. where else would the lost dead go?" he turns to reach for jasper on the bed, straightening out the ribbon thats askew around her neck. "can i ask where these questions are coming from?" Keva: keva finally turns to look at him, almost in a way like he should know the answer, and replies with a casual "no." she lifts her chin off the bed and goes back to studying the alphabet chart he made her. "thanks for answering tho," she adds softly. Cimmorro: he lets out a defeated sigh, but not one that's annoyed. more like he expected as much. worth the shot though. "if you ever change your miiiiiind... I'm interested." Keva: "don't hold your breath" she says with a small smile, a little amused that he keeps trying, before picking up her quill to try writing 'e', though it takes her a bit to get her fingers situated once again. Cimmorro: "i can keep a secret you know! just ask and it'll be shut tight like a lock!" he protests with a pout. he keeps pouting as keva attempts to write again. soon enough he tries to guide her through it the same way with the first one.

Keva: she lets him without (much) resistance. the e's take a while to work through, and by the end they still don't look quite right, but she gets through v and a quickly enough. when she gets around to putting the letters to make her name, the letters are all different sizes and are all spaced apart differently, but... keva looks at her work with some satisfaction all the same. it really is short, and thankfully so... and as she has that thought, she turns to cimmorro out of curiosity "how do you write your name?" Cimmorro: cimm gives her praise wherever it's due ('you got it!' 'well done' 'epic win 'poggers'' etc) and claps enthusiastically seeing her name completed for the first time by her hands. "now you can properly sign your journal as yours!" when she turns to him with the question though he stares at her for a bit and goes, "oh, it's a lot longer than that... but i don't think it'd be too hard. it has a lot of repeating letters." he demonstrates how to write it in his own paper. at first he writes it as a illegible signature by habit and then he facepalms, and mutters a small 'fuck, that's right' remembering he needs to write it in a clearer way, and so he does again. Keva: at some point the encouragement feels embarrassing, and keva pushes down his clapping hands and says, "stop" with a laugh in her voice. she curiously watches cimmorro write out his name, and she laughs a bit again. "you had to learn to write all that as a kid?" Cimmorro: "yeah... i got away with just writing 'cimm' when i was starting out but eventually i had to! but it's not all that hard, see" he points at the o's, m's and r's. "these are all the same. so honestly? it was also twice as much practice in one name" Keva: "you ever put them in the wrong place?" Cimmorro: he leans on the side of the bed. "hmm, yknow, i think i did. the m's and the r's being together made me confused that i often put the o's together too" he points at them and explains. "so sometimes i would've written my name in a way that when you read it, it sounds like 'cimmrroo'" Keva: keva smiles in amusement imagining a young cimmorro having proudly written his long ass name without realizing he had done it wrong. though, after hearing him explain his name, she think he'd be proud of it no matter how he wrote it. looking back at his name, she points out, "you have almost the same letters as orin's name. just twice as many of them." Cimmorro: he looks up at her. "oh? you know how to spell his name then?" Keva: she nods. "yeah. just in case." Cimmorro: he stares at her trying to understand what she means, he has a wild guess but it seemed a bit much so he tries to think of more, eyes darting to the back of the room and back to her a couple of times before finally giving up. "of... what?" Keva: keva's quiet for a couple breaths, debating whether she should answer him. "...life's tough out on the streets. we didn't really grow up having much. there's only one thing we would need our names written for." she offers a humorless smile. "wouldn't be right to leave a grave unmarked, after all. you know that." Cimmorro: "oh," is all he could really say and simply just stares at her in silence for a moment. he probably looks sadder than he means to. he could try to guess what she might've experienced before that would result to her figuring out she needs to prepare for such a thing, but it's not something he'd like to pry in at this time. so he shuts his eyes nods at her, and quietly goes, "yeah, of course. i understand." a small sigh escapes through his nose before he looks up at her again with a small smile. "well, maybe after you get the hang of all of this, you two can find more to enjoy about your names, like being able to write letters to each other... sounds nice, no?" Keva: keva shifts herself around, partially to rest her back against the bedside and lean her head back, and partially so she doesn't see the pitying look cimmorro's bound to give her. she braces herself for the questions, but to her relief, they don't come. she peeks over at him briefly before looking back up at the ceiling with a soft smile. "yeah... it does sound nice. if orin has the time to write me anyway." Cimmorro: he smiles back at her. "it doesn't take a long time to write something! it could even just be a silly drawing." he laughs at the thought of something. "i can just imagine you writing something like, 'hi' and that's it. but I'm sure he'd be happy with that too" Keva: keva snorts and adds, "do you think the mail people would send a letter folded into a frog?" Cimmorro: "they could. I'd still put it in an envelope though. otherwise that frog will end up looking indistinguishable by the time it gets to orin" he cackles. "give it some extra protection" Keva: keva hmms as she stretches her arms and back out, letting her hands fall back onto cimmorro's mattress for a moment. she... honestly wasn't planning for any of this to happen, the lesson or the conversation. she just was going to show him the book and... well, she hadn't thought much past that. feeling a bit exposed, she decides it's time to leave. her hands blindly find her journal above her head somewhere before she pushes herself forward to sit up. "i think, i'm going to go now." she gets up from her spot and starts to collect her things. Cimmorro: after he'd just started to get comfortable in the company, he blinks as she attempts to leave. "wait- huh? did i say something wrong?" he looks up at her in concern Keva: "no, i just, should probably leave before vinny pisses his pants seeing me in here," she says only half-jokingly as she secures her inkwell's cap. piling the ink and her quill onto her journal to hold onto and she makes her way to the door and pauses just shy of leaving. she turns to look at him and says gently, "thank you for today... really. i, don't know how i'll pay you back for helping me, but i will." she turns to go but then doubles back and adds, not raising her voice at all but definitely doesn't mean it gently, "and if you tell anyone anything i said, i'll know it was you and throw you off this boat" and then she's gone

Cimmorro: cimm tries to say something but fails to find an opening to, ultimately leaving him a little dumbfounded and awkwardly standing in the middle of the room as keva jets off. when he finally comes to, he turns to jasper and blinks at her. "I didn't know it was possible to have 3 mood swings in under a minute..." to which she merely slowly closes her eyes to and yawns. he makes his way back on to the bed, setting aside the parchments but pauses to stare at the one with all his guesses of her names. he finds it all amusing, perhaps even endearing? he figures the flash of sincerity followed by a threat is something keva just does because she's shy. the intimidation didn't even feel like one to him... it was entertaining though. he hopes she'll come to study and hang out again... the sooner the better 🐱

Keva: when keva returns to her room, she's relieved to find herself alone. she closes the door behind her and leans back against it for a second, taking in the room before she sets her writing tools down on the floor. she quickly unfolds the alphabet chart i'm going to right now retcon that she took on her way out. she opens up her journal next to it, flipping to the back before she starts to write, checking her letters as she goes. the process would look laborious to someone who is literate, but soon enough she has a list of four names. just in case she ever doesn't remember when she needs to. as she rips out the page and looks over her list, thumb gently brushing over the dried ink, she decides to scrawl her own at the bottom before folding it away into a small, uneven wad and placing it deep within one of her bags.

Keva’s Follow Up Lesson - 25/4

The next day, lunch has passed and Cimmorro still hasn't caught a glimpse of Keva since yesterday after she left so abruptly. He decides he might as well try to find her himself. she needs to build a routine of her studies after all, so he grabs for his bag and makes his way across the hall to her and Psalm's room, taking a pause before knocking to hope that Psalm isn't there to answer. When he finally does, he patiently waits with his hands behind his back, fidgeting slightly.

Keva: keva's been looking over her shoulder since she heard heeled shoes clacking against the wood toward her room. there's only a couple of people that could possibly be... "are you expecting a visitor?" at psalm Psalm: Psalm is, as usual, sitting on his bed with a book in hand. He doesn't look up from it at Keva's question. "No," he answers simply. He prays somewhat that whoever it is isn't here for him. Keva: she makes a face in response because she's not expecting anyone either. from the floor, she scoops up amos and the piece of bread she's brought for his lunch and places them on her bed. she dusts of her hands before turning the doorknob, and, well... of the two people it could have been it's better it's cimm instead of the other. "hi," is all she says, still feeling a bit sheepish from the day before. Cimmorro: "yoohoo," he beams. he brings up a hand from behind his back, with a paper finger puppet of what looks like a frog with drawn glasses. "you haven't shown up since and we still have a lot to work on, you know!" he snickers as he speaks through it. "are you alone? is now's a good time?" Psalm: Psalm, curious, is surprised to hear Cimmorro's voice from the door. He was unaware the two were close(?) Keva: keva jerks her head back a bit in surprise and can't help but laugh a bit at the silly puppet show. the little frog is cute in its oversized glasses. "i, um," she hesitates and glances over her shoulder at her roommate behind her, "psalm's here" she hopes cimmorro doesn't mention what he's here for. Cimmorro: "ah..." he cranes his head to have a look at psalm lounging inside their room, making an exasperated expression and half-hearted nod as a poor greeting to him Psalm: Psalm looks at Cimmorro and nods in return, before his gaze returns to his book. He knows he shouldn't, but how disappointed Cimmorro sounds at this news is amusing in a way, and he can't resist. "You sound happy to see me." Keva: keva steps away from the door a bit so as to not block the two from each other, though from the sounds of it maybe they would prefer it that way. what happened over drinks the other day?

Cimmorro: "yes, delighted" he forces a smile. "decided to no more drinking policies now? i hardly see you in the dining anymore" he decides to strike a small conversation as he tries to figure out how to make this work if psalm is here. Psalm: "Hm? No, not at all 🤨" Psalm says, genuinely a bit confused at that statement. Last time had been fun, albeit he had gone a bit overboard. Not his fault there were so many questions he didn't want to answer, but in any case, fun. "Maybe we just missed each other? If you're ever up for it I'd join you and the others again." Cimmorro: "maaaybe... it was fun though, i have to admit" which he mostly means finding it hilarious that psalm can't hold his liquor. "perhaps keva would like to join us, if ever?" he suggests as he turns to her Keva: “not really a drinker” she says as she shakes her head and adds “come in if you want” as she steps back towards her bed Psalm: Psalm shrugs, "Fun's fun whether you're sober or not. But no pressure." That aside, he can't help but be curious about the situation right now. Cimmorro is obviously not here for him, but why is he here? Cimmorro: "ehh? how come?" he pouts at keva but seems a little taken aback by the invitation. not really sure what's the point of this now that they can't do their studies. but he's also bored, so why not. he enters their room with jasper peeking out of his robe's hood to which she gives psalm a few blinking greetings. Psalm: Psalm blinks back.. Keva: she looks back at him before sitting down “you’re a doctor, aren’t you? can’t you think of reasons someone could lose a taste for that sort of thing?” Cimmorro: "well, y'know. you also smoke so I didn't really think you're avoiding it for health reasons," he shrugs "a bad experience is a fair reason anyhow, i'm just curious what yours is" Keva: keva snorts a bit humorlessly "it's not really a light topic of conversation, so let's just leave it at 'bad experience'" she says vaguely as she gives amos an affectionate scratch on his head as he munches away. "besides, this room has enough drunkards" added with a small smirk Cimmorro: cimm's mental list of keva's mysteries grows. at her follow up comment, he plays offended. "hey, it's not my fault there's nothing to do in this ship." Psalm: "But you entered a drinking competition for Mint's sake?" Psalm asks. "No need to explain yourself, but I'm surprised you'd go out of your way." Keva: "that was different. did you see her? you wouldn't be able to say no to helping either." Psalm: "True. I'd have done the same in your position." Cimmorro: cimm seems amused at the exchange. "spending the night doing heroic deeds during the ball thrown for your previous heroic deeds... quite gallant." Keva: keva sighs "i drank a bunch of champagne i didn't want and spilled a bunch more on a noble--not much heroic about it" actually, now that she thinks about it, didn't the musician she helped promise her something? what was his name again...? ganon? ganipede? gary? hm... Cimmorro: "as unbecoming as you think it might've looked like, you did it for someone else's sake all the same." Psalm: "Not much more unbecoming than walking around in the fountain barefoot." Psalm jokes. Keva: she waves off cimmorro's comment, starting to feel embarrassed, and turns to psalm, "i guess you can't relate because you don't have feet, but it's actually rather nice walking around barefoot."

Psalm: "I can still wear shoes..." he mumbles, not bothering to escalate this “But that's besides the point. Is my being here interrupting something?" Cimmorro: cimm doesn't really flinch at the sudden question and says "yeah, i was hoping to gossip with her about you" Psalm: "That would be rather difficult to accomplish with me in the room, yes." Keva: keva's gone silent but is watching them both carefully from her spot on the bed. Cimmorro: "only if i cared to keep it secret! but the gossiping would lose its charm that way too... ahh, what to do..." he makes a fake pensive face Psalm: "Can't have that can we?" Psalm agrees, mirroring his expression. "I can go read somewhere else if you'd like..?" Keva: keva starts to pick at something not actually on her blanket as she stares down at it "...if you don't mind" she says almost meekly "sorry" Cimmorro: "we can set up a gossiping session together afterwards if you want me all to yourself too psalmy 😗" Psalm: to keva "Not at all." He gets off his bed and stretches, while addressing Cimmorro. Amused, he says, "Just give me a shout then whenever you're free." Cimmorro: cimm gives him a somewhat empty smile "look forward to it" Psalm: With that he heads out the door, waving kind of nonchalantly behind him without looking back. It shuts quietly.

Keva: once psalm has left, keva looks up at cimmorro from her designated spot on her bed before looking back down "...thanks. for not saying anything." Cimmorro: he watches psalm leave, then turning to keva a bit surprised. "i think it's pretty clear it's not something one goes parading about, no? it's not my information to throw around" <- hypocrite bc he told jasper about psalm's secrets Keva: she shrugs. "you tend to run your mouth about most things" she says with some humor "m'just glad you didn't about this" Cimmorro: "only if i think it's funny or if i want someone off my back. which is the opposite of what i want here, you know." he puts a hand on his hip "i don't want to start losing your trust after i spent all this time trying to get you to even take up my offer. although..." he puts another hand to his chin in thought. "this puts us in a bit of a bind. how can i keep teaching you when we have no privacy..." Keva: keva twists behind her to reach under her pillow and pulls out her journal from underneath. at his question, she bites at her thumbnail for a bit before suggesting, "maybe... we could share a room again next time?" Cimmorro: he looks at her, not expecting her to suggest the idea at all but that also means it saves him from trying to appeal it to her. "that would be the easiest, isn't it? i certainly don't mind. I didn't have any problems rooming with you or han, saves me the trouble of adjusting to another person too..." he sighs a small laugh. "that'd ward finn off trying to share with me as well" Keva: keva fights the embarrassment of the suggestion off her face by thinking about the embarrassment she'd feel every time they have to make an excuse for why they have to be alone. she can hear the whispers now. even so, she finds it hard to look at cimm until he brings up finn. she makes a face in confusion, "i thought he hated you." Cimmorro: "that's what i think too. but... I don't know if you heard him try to share rooms with me as soon as we got on the ship. luckily i was able to use vinny as my excuse," his face clearly unamused as he goes on. "not that he can do anything if i simply said no. but i'm tired of arguing so often, as funny as it can be sometimes" Keva: keva snorts a bit before lowering her top half towards the floor and grabbing her inkwell. as she comes back up she says "trust me, the rest of us are tired of it, too. i'd suggest ignoring him, but i guess that only works if he's ignoring you, too" Cimmorro: he rolls his eyes. "he's been way too quiet recently. i have a feeling he's going to pull something on me soon..." he shakes his head from the thought. "anyways, since we can't have lessons as often as we'd like, and to avoid psalm getting some weird ideas why you want me here alone with you, i could just leave you some things to do on your own if you can sneak it while he's not around or something. i'm sure you can manage" Keva: keva blinks as she considers the idea, and then nods in agreement “i can do that” Cimmorro: "nice. I'll get to working on some after this, but for now... did you sign your journal yet?" Keva: “sign… oh” she looks down at her journal in her lap as she remembers that she fled their last lesson before she could write her name in her book properly “no, not yet” Cimmorro: "show me what you remember from yesterday, then!" he says encouragingly. "pick any place you want, though i suggest somewhere on the front or back pages. the covers are also good." he points at each spot in her journal. "just write your name, and the date. we started yesterday so that would be [insert date here beep noise]" Keva: keva pushes her notebook further in front of her before leaning forward to write, and opens her notebook to the back. she picks at a few remnants of a page in the binding before settling her hand in place, turning the quill over in her fingers a few times before she figures out her grip. she hesitates for a moment, just as she sets the nib down on the page and leaving a splotch of ink. "does it... does a name go in a particular place on a page?" Cimmorro: "for this purpose, you can place it anywhere you like really. it's just to brand your journal as yours" he sits down at the side of the bed again to get a closer look of how she works, noting there's a page that's been ripped too... maybe she had been practicing. "personally, i like putting mine at the center for stuff like this"

Keva: she moves her hand to the center of the page and starts on her name. K is easy enough, but e is still giving her trouble--she hasn't quite figured out how to get it the way she wants it. she has to write another e over it, but it only makes it more illegible. clicking her tongue, she opts to move onto the rest. v is alright, and the a is wobbly part way through but she figures it out. when she arrives at the end, she checks back in the front of her journal to look at her earlier practice. "i think that right...? how do i write the date?" Cimmorro: he smiles the entire time as he watches her, happy to see her work it out her own ways. this way, he sees what needs to be focused on for her worksheet as well. "yeah you got it!" he grins. "for the date, we can just use the numerical form so it isn't too hard. hmm, do you know your numbers?" Keva: she shakes her head. "not really" she remembers finding numbers even less interesting during her first lessons so many years ago. the only numbers she'd ever really need were prices, and even then, she stole almost everything. Cimmorro: at first cimm looks unbothered by it, and even expected it, but as the thought lingers more in his head, he realizes how extra tricky that must've been for her. "wait— so... you can't read calendars? what about money, how do you pay for things...? do you know how the exchange rate works?" he blinks up at her. a little horrified she might have been getting scammed this entire time. Keva: keva turns away from him as the shock takes over his expression. she just shrugs. “what day it was never really mattered. if it was important then everyone would already be talking about it.” she starts to mindlessly scratch at the page with her quill, repeating the same lines over and over. “and as for money, well… you don’t really need to know how much it costs when you already know you can’t afford it.” she looks up it him for a moment “i’m good at stealing for a reason” after a pause she adds “i can count just fine though, if that’s what you’re wondering” Cimmorro: he stares at her in silence for a moment, not really knowing what to say at first. but it checks out, he supposes, with the little things he knows about her so far. "well... what about birthdays? do you know yours? and orin's?" Keva: now there's a complicated question she doesn't feel like explaining the answer to. best to keep it simple. "yeah, but they're close to big holidays so--why are we talking about this?" Cimmorro: he gives her a vague shrug. "why not...? it's just birthdays.... I'll even tell you mine!" he really doesn't understand why it's an issue, if it is... this party is secretive of the strangest things, he thinks. Keva: for a moment the only sound that comes from keva is the scritch of her quill nib against paper. at some point, she says, "orin's birthday is in aestas. and..." she seems to consider something for a moment before saying finally, "i don't want to tell you mine." Cimmorro: "what the.... WHY NOOOOOOOOT" he whines almost like a child, draping his arms over her bed like a flopping vegetable and everything. he retaliates with a pout the next second. "I won't tell you mine then!" Keva: she looks at him like =_= "then don't" she knew he'd react like this, just like she knows he'll make a big ruckus if she does tell him her birthday. "i'll probably find out even if i wanted to know because you're definitely the type to be noisy about it" Cimmorro: "tch..." he keeps pouting and turns away from her. it's not like she's wrong but... tch... how dare she read him like that. he keeps brooding for another second before he recovers and sits back up again, suddenly looking smug. "...don't worry, i get it. you're playing hard to get... you're trying not to get attached to me! but know that it's futile! I'm irresistible!"

The next thing Cimmorro sees is Keva's pillow coming very quickly towards his face. The man finds he was too absorbed in his theatrics when he saw the pillow coming at him a split second too late, she hears him yelp on the impact, staggering him for a second or two.

Cimmorro: he shakes his head as if to recover from it and glares at her after "I'm gonna remember that you didn't deny it!" Keva: after the fact, keva knows she probably shouldn't have thrown something at someone volunteering their time to help her. she was simply overcome with violence. an eyebrow twitches on her face as she glares back. "are you going to help me or what?" Cimmorro: he hmphs, but honestly he's not really all that mad. "you ruined my hair...!" he says while trying to adjust it. "if psalm came back in here and i look like this he'd probably think you jumped my bones," he says rather bluntly while grabbing his bag for his own papers, she can assume it's to demonstrate how to write the date she needs Keva: "do you want this inkwell to ruin your clothes too? it'll never run out" she threatens, but as she turns back to looking at her journal she really does hope psalm doesn't come back yet. they probably already look suspicious as it is. Cimmorro: he procures his own quill and responds "ha, you don't scare me! i know how to clean that now...!" he huffs with pride. "okay enough, watch how i write the date" tapping his quill on his parchment and looking at her expectantly. his hair is definitely still messy on a side, making him look a little dopey. Keva: fucking wizards and mages thinking they're hot shit with their fucking tricks. she simply rolls her eyes, but begrudgingly turns her attention to the parchment. or well, she tries. her eyes get caught on how his hair still doesn't sit right on his head. what, can't he prestigifigijfuck (yes she thinks this) his hair, too? she shakes her a head a bit and trains her eyes on what he's about to write. Cimmorro: he carefully writes each number and says how to read it, slow and clear for her to understand. after finishing a set, he says "now I'll write it again, but after each number I'll wait for you to try to write it yourself on the journal, below your name" he points at her designated starting point. "and we'll keep going from there, kay?" completely focused it's as if they weren't rough housing a minute ago Keva: keva looks up from the parchment at him, looking at him carefully. to be honest, she's surprised he hasn't flinched yet. she nods and positions her quill in place, waiting for him. Cimmorro: he starts again, then watches her turn to write and patiently guides her if she needs it, then moves on to the next number and so on until they finally have a written date. once they get there, he clasps his hands together all pleased. "voila!!! happy birthday, keva journal #1!!!" he cheers and jokingly adds, "at least there was one birthday that was learned today"

Cimmorro makes a small shower of sparks appear with prestigitation too add to his sudden celebrations.

Keva: keva jerks back a bit in surprise at the flourish. there he goes, being noisy about something stupid. snorting, she comments "you're so weird" before turning to stare back at this back page of her journal. it's a mess of false starts and retries and mindless scratches of ink, but... something about it makes her feel... a little excited? hopeful? a small smile twitches on the corners of her mouth, but she quickly puts it away to turn to cimm, "so, what do you want? for doing this?" Cimmorro: "you just never met anyone like me before," he says with confidence. her little smile, even with all the restraint that she's apparently exercising, doesn't fly past him and makes him glad she's coming around to their studies. her question leaves him a bit stunned, however. "huh?" after blinking at her, he wears a slightly tired expression... this again. "didn't i already make this clear to you?" Keva: "don't people normally get paid to do this sort of thing? why would you do it free?" she grabs her bag and starts rummaging around for something "i hardly know you. i don't want to owe you anything" Cimmorro: "and you don't," he pinches the bridge of his nose while sighing "i've already told you, again and again. this isn't something new or anything i do on a whim. if it makes you feel any better we often let people in our temple for free readings and such. it's not all that different. this also beats me drinking to entertain myself on this damned ship." Keva: keva doesn't seem to acknowledge anything he's saying as she finds what she's looking for and dumps out her haul from the elfonsent ball a couple of weeks ago. "you like..." she gestures at his entire self "shiny things, don't you? take your pick" Cimmorro: he narrows his eyes at the loot, recognizing it as the stuff she swiped at the ball that night. he would be lying if he said he didn't feel partially offended by the gesture, but he also understands why she's doing this so he tries to not let it show. when looks back up at her, he flatly says, "no." he lets a moment pass, realizing how cold that might've come across when she only means to return the favor... he sighs again. "if i wanted to get paid i would have said so from the start, as I've said before. all i want is for you to keep your studies going while I'm still here" Keva: she slumps when he refuses again and says a bit sharply, "i won't be your charity project." a pause, but one she holds his gaze for. "i don't need pity, do you understand?" Cimmorro: he scoffs the tiniest bit in disbelief. "if you just listen to what I'm saying then you'd know this isn't what you think it is at all." he chews on the inside of his lip before continuing. "you really think I'm the kind of person who throws pity everywhere? i may as well be best friends with finnian by now if that were the case! think for once." Keva: at his last sentence, keva stares wide-eyed at him, clearly getting angry. her jaw twists a bit as she makes an effort to control her breathing, and eventually she simply turns away and starts to gather back her stolen goods a bit aggressively. she'd say something--i think you should leave, i think i barely know you and you certainly don't know me, fuck off--but she fully aware what might come out could sabotage her chances of learning any more. Cimmorro: he watches her do that for a bit before turning his head away in frustration. he gets it, he might not know every single detail but the gist of it is enough! she's lived a hard life up to this point so she puts up barbs around herself. he gets it! it's still hard to not be annoyed by it when she seems to push his buttons so well. he closes his eyes and starts channelling the inner willow in him… (mikey should i get the fries etc) (mikey says youre a piece of shit for making an unnecessary comment. not everything is about you son) (okay sorry mikey ill try to fix it)

Cimmorro: after a while of strained silence, she hears him blow his hair off his face exaggeratedly and see him turn to her slowly, glancing at her once before looking away again. "my bad," he says quickly and quietly. "it's just, I'm really not trying to get anything from you nor is it out of pity, so when you keep pushing it like that..." he cringes a shrug Keva: keva finishes collecting her things and shoves her bag underneath her bed with unnecessary force, needing some outlet. she still refuses to look at him, but after a moment replies with still a bit of a hardened tone, "whatever, suit yourself. but you don't get to come back saying that i owe you. i offered, these two as my witnesses" jutting her chin out a bit at amos and jasper Cimmorro: his lip twists at the tension looming between them. while it's great she's not ignoring him, it's also not the most ideal situation to be in right now... it's awkward, which is tricky to deal with when he's supposed to be teaching her. still, he steels himself and replies. "yeah, that's fine by me. we can have it even written on paper if that fancies you," his suggestion sincere. "also here," he takes out another folded frog from his bag. "i seem to be giving you these when we're kinda ehh..." he snorts humorlessly. "but it was supposed to be a congratulatory thing. also because you already had 2, i figured having another would remind you of those grungs you had the other day" Keva: the mention of the grungs breaks her very focused stare at a scratch she found on the wall just minutes ago. she looks at the paper frog, and at him (briefly), and back at the frog. he's lucky she needs his help, she thinks, or she'd have throttled him by now. after a moment, she takes the peace offering, gingerly holding it and turning it over wtih the fingers of both her hands, and then finally pushing her journal over to cimmorro. "write it." Cimmorro: he stares at the journal before him, glancing at keva a couple of times before he starts writing in it, announcing what he wrote out loud for her. "i, cimmorro, wholeheartedly promise that I don't harbor any lingering debt that keva needs to repay for my one-of-a-kind teaching and lessons. i expect nothing from her but her excellency in her studies" then he signs it at the bottom, writing a spot for the witnesses and tells jasper to print her paw on it too which she does Keva: it occurs to keva that she has no way of confirming that he actually wrote what he says he wrote but... for right now, she'll take him at his word. she gently lifts amos up from his spot on the bed, carefully dips a paw into the inkwell, and stamps it on the page as well before wiping off the ink with her own hand. she still isn't making much eye contact with cimm, but she's come down from wanting to explode. with the awkward tension still hanging in the air, she eventually pipes up, "anything else?" Cimmorro: cimm tries not to smile watching amos be handled like that. he straightens up when keva asks though and goes, "ah, hmm, not really... i was going to tell you that you could keep working on your name more, especially your e's, while i get your worksheets ready... and I should probably go before psalm starts to be more suspicious..." he looks down for a bit before adding "are we good...?" Keva: at his question, she looks over to him. she doesn’t feel bad for trying to cover her ass, but she didn’t mean for things to get tense over it either. she of course remembers how he reacted how the idea of payment last time, but she thought the jewelry might be enticing enough. she sighs and she supposes she’ll have to be satisfied with whatever he wrote for now… “i guess” is all she says Cimmorro: "okay..." he says a little uneasy. hands clenching and feeling unsatisfied leaving it like that, he sheepishly adds, "i... didn't mean what i said earlier... ah, not about the stuff you owe me! but i mean the uh- you know..." he cringes again, realizing the weight of his words earlier once more. "keva... i was rude and I'm sorry. I'll leave it at that..." he puts his things away and perches jasper back on his shoulder as he gets up "I'll let you know when i have the sheets ready for you" Keva: keva just nods as she plays with the paper frog in her hands. her anger hasn’t completely gone yet, so she opts not to speak. or, that was her intention anyway. as cimmorro turns and makes his way to the door, keva lets her head drop down to the mattress with a soft rustle of cloth. several thoughts cross her mind at once—why would he say that, at least he apologized, maybe i shouldn’t have pushed him, i was only trying to be fair, i almost messed up—and then she shoots up straight again and calls after him, “wait!” Cimmorro: cimm was pretty much halfway to getting the door open when she calls for him. not expecting it, he freezes there for a second until he looks over his shoulder with jasper also turning along with him to look at her. Keva: by the time he turns around, she’s already closed in on him with an arm stretched out. her fingers run through the tousled part of his hair, jostling his head just a bit as she quickly tries to get it back to its normal form. can’t have anyone getting any stupid ideas. she leans back a bit to check her work, and then gently brushes one wisp out of his eyes. in the same moment, just as her swipe reaches the end of its path, keva seems to realize herself and pulls and turns away, grumbling “fix your fucking hair” and settling back in front of her journal Cimmorro: the suddenness of it all causes him to flinch, eyes going wide staring right at her as she does her thing. at first he makes half a move to swerve his head away, thinking she was gonna hit him as she seems to taken a liking of doing so. but he doesn't really get far at all and freezes in place after realizing what she's doing. a faint blush makes it way to his face as she goes, confused and not really knowing what to do in this situation or why she's bothering to do it herself. she could've just told him to...? she seemed to like ignoring him anyway! it's her words that make him come back to himself and put his guard down. he quickly brings a hand to his hair, idly fumbling with it and brows furrowing the slightest at her before looking away. "you're the one who messed it up. why are you so pissed about it," he mumbles and hurriedly turns for the door again, adding, "agh— whatever! see you around," before finally leaving Keva: when the sound of his footsteps finally fade away, keva lets her head fall back where it was before, going face first into her blankets. she stays there long enough for her body to think, hm, maybe it's time for more air again, and she obliges by turning her face to the side and glancing at the door. with a big sigh, she picks up her quill again to replace to phantom feeling of soft, well-conditioned hair and starts on her practice. she might as well before psalm gets back.

Finn and Psalm in the Hallway - 25/4

As soon as Psalm leaves his room to give Cimmorro and Keva some pricacy, he finds himself quickly caught up in an interaction with his dear friend Finnian.

Finn: finn had no good reason to be out at this hour... it was a little too early in the day for him and he didnt have a destination in mind. he'd have to prepare his invitation for cimmorro soon, but he still had a lot of time until it became urgent. honestly... he was feeling a little parched and although its the last thing he wanted to be actively doing, if he happened upon a stray rat right now... perhaps he could also utilize this pacing to calculate how long exactly it took to get to the deck from cimms quarters... with these trivial thoughts in mind he doesnt feel himself slip and stumble over nothing, instinctively reaching out for the first person around the corner with a very anime esque "KYA!!!" Psalm: Having more or less been kicked out of his room (not that he minded in the least) Psalm had been on his way up to the deck to just laze about and read up there. He'd been cooped up in his room the past few days anyways, falling back into bad habit somewhat whenever he found something interesting to read. He hadn't been expecting to see Finn around the corner, but before he can greet him Finn trips forward. Without thinking, Psalm reaches out to try catching him.

dex save total: 0

There is a clear reason Psalm leaves feats of strength to just about everyone else in the Vengaboys. Not that he's embarrassed or anything by his lack of strength, usually. He's embarrassed right now though, as the pair go crashing to the ground. It doesn't hurt much, thankfully, but as a final fuck you, he supposes, from whatever god up there likes to fuck with him specifically, the book he'd been holding goes flying into the air briefly before clocking him in the head and landing face down over his face. Well, at least his patron might find this funny.

Finn: finn isnt sure how to feel. on one hand, hes sitting on psalms lap. on the other hand, hes sitting on psalms lap. if he wasnt so mad at the guy, this would be great. well, actually, hes meant to apologize a while ago but never got the chance so... law dictates he should be mad. not that he minds, hes still pretty pissed about psalm rejecting him. in any case, he wouldnt usually blame anyone for getting startled by someone crushing into them spontaneously but psalm was...........really unexpectedly super weak. he has to laugh a bit as the book clocks psalms face. it is a pure, heartfelt giggle. again anime esque. it brings him so much joy...so so much joy that psalm is in pain. maybe his weakness wasnt a bad quality at all. he wishes he could see it all over again. with less anger in his heart, finn reaches out to gently remove the book from psalms face and inspect what the guy was about to read. he briefly imagines himself dropping it on psalms face again. "that looks like it hurt you more than me..." he muses absent mindedly and smiles down on him with a lack of concern for psalms health Psalm: Psalm refuses to look at Finn as the book is lifted, instead staring upwards at the ceiling of the hallway instead "Probably, so if you could maybe get off of me and let me just die here slowly in peace that'd be great." Finn: finn rolls his eyes at the dramatics and instead of getting off of psalm, he crawls over him to block his view of the ceiling "youll cushion my fall but wont spare me a single glance? i think ill have to seriously think the rather favorable impression i got of you recently over" hes still in a playful mood though "besides, if you die, id like to see it" (<- channeling the mirai nikki smile again for that one) Psalm: Psalm looks to the side, stubborn now that he knows Finn is making fun of him. "Not intentionally, I was hoping more for catching you in a way that involved less bodily harm." He wishes the earth would just swallow him up right now actually rather than have to deal with this. "I'm surprised you haven't already rethought it... but if that's what you want fine. Whatever. I'll make sure you're around when it happens. Now can you please... we're in a public hallway." And itll be a pain in the ass to explain if cimm or keva catch them right now he thinks. Finn: finn giggles at this, hes highly amused and enjoying psalms company immensely right now. a light blush dusts his cheeks (what a fanfiction sentence) "how romantic! in exchange ill catch you next time and show you how its done" his smile could be described as fond, even. "but ill only get off of you if you look at me! i am magnanimous though.. ill protect your reputation and pretend im checking up on you until you oblige me~" he puts his free hand to psalms forehead as if checking for a fever, not caring that that makes no sense Psalm: "Sure I can trip over nothing next time youre around" he says. Embarrassment at having fallen on his ass now fading though, he decides to just relent so he can get a move on with his day. He's not sure why Finn is in such a good mood but he'd rather not ruin it. He bats Finn's hand away and just frowns at him. "Should I be concerned about what it is you find romantic?" he sighs. He just wanted to read his book. Maybe he should've just told Cimm and Keva to go somewhere else instead... Finn: finn smiles and takes the sight of psalms frown in for a moment. he thinks about dropping the book on his face again, but it would seem that hes already testing psalms limits with something as simple as asking for him to look... not that he doesnt deserve it. finn opts to gently put it back on psalms face and sits up on his heels "i think you should be concerned about your apparent lack of romantic ideals..." seriously... here they were, with an excuse to be physically close and psalm could only show utter disinterest... maybe he just let finn down gently back then. maybe he wasnt even attracted to finn. his stomach turns at the thought and makes him stand up. he looks down on the tiefling and sighs, holding a hand out to help him up, good mood seemingly evaporated. Psalm: "I have plenty of romantic ideals," Psalm says, muffled. "None of which involve someone dying infront of me, but to each their own I suppose." He sits up, book falling into his lap with a soft thud. Thankfully, nowhere hurts! He takes Finn's offered hand and continues,"Where are you headed anyways? Your room?" Finn: finn isnt really interested in debating romance with psalm right now, not after their encounter turned out the way it did so he just gives a dismissive exhale and rolls his eyes as he pulls psalm up from the floor "nowhere in particular. this entire trip ive mostly been holed up in my room and got a little sick of it. thats all." he immediately lets go of psalms hand when hes back on his hooves "youre off to read i assume?" Psalm: "Thank you," Psalm says. He stretches a bit. "I was on my way to the deck. I'm feeling the same, tired of being in my room. But that explains somewhat why I feel I've barely seen you around since Figstup." Psalm is aware Finn's playful attitude from earlier is now gone, but oh well. He refuses to go back on what he said the last time they were in a similar position..which begs the question how this even happened again...

Finn: finn gives psalm a brief look over as he stretches but quickly slaps himself mentally. thats the enemy! psalm doesnt even like him! the days of his disrespect are numbered! right here! finn crosses his arms, perpetual frown in place "is that so? it was only today but i daresay ive seen quite enough of you to last me another week. unfortunately, i do have something ive been meaning to talk to you about, if youve got one more moment to spare" Psalm: "I suppose that makes sense, considering what just happened," Psalm says, unfazed. He crosses his arms. "I'm not in any rush either so...sure! Is something the matter?" Finn: finn really wished psalm had some kind of real attitude that was easier to direct his anger towards. why did he have to take beatings like this so nonchalantly and stay so neutral? he almost wants to tell psalm to not mirror his pose at the very least, but doesnt, and uncrosses his arms out of spite and gestures needlessly with his hand "its about figstup. the battle. you..." he grits his teeth "even if it was unnecessary, i would not go so far as to be mad about being looked out for... it would seem expressing my gratitude for that is long overdue. consider this as such." finns still frowning and clearly unhappy about saying what hes saying, but he does seem to mean it. Psalm: Psalm just blinks. He honestly had just been tired that day given everything theyd been through, leading to his patience running somewhat thin. He wasn't mad anymore though. Still. "You're welcome. Uh, if anything I'm sorry for getting on your case about it. I was... just tired I guess." He fingers through the pages of his book, feeling awkward. "Maybe you have a point even, considering I just fell on my ass moments ago trying to help you out." He jokes. Finn: what a confusing man psalm was... one minute he pisses him off effortlessly, the next he tugs at his... not heartstrings, but he somehow makes himself look so... forgivable. finns eyebrows rise up as he processes the unexpected apology "youre not the only one who's been getting on my case about it, actually.." he starts and huffs, pondering how to continue now that his anger has evaporated "not that that makes me agree with you now, but, ... i took notice of the groups wishes" another pause. yes psalm was awful at this. yes he fell on his ass. yes his first instinct was to catch finn despite everything. "youve amused me so with your display of incompetence..." a light smirk comes over his features, but his tone isnt as obnoxious as earlier "...i appreciate you trying, if nothing else. and i appreciated ... being close to you" he quickly looks away "i-i know our 'discussion' is on hold, so dont get the wrong idea please! .. i just cant deny it feeling nice" finn covers his mouth with a hand after, still making an effort to avoid looking at psalm at all Psalm: "That's all I ask really. I've no desire to change your mind." For now he doesn't add. He figures that the conversation is over with and he can be on his merry way, maybe get something to eat while he's at it, but then Finn continues speaking. He feels his face heat up slightly, but thankfully now that Finn is no longer looking at him it'll go unnoticed. "I swear-" he starts exasperated, " It's hard not to get the wrong idea with you." Finn: "really?" the pout in his voice is evident "i fail to see how! i couldnt make myself any more clear, i believe... r-regardless... you have to take advantage of the chances you can get, right?" he dares himself to look psalms way, carefully scanning for signs of rejection or disgust "since we dont have thelibertytodoanythingtogether..." his voice keeps getting smaller and quieter

Ghester: you hear ghester's voice in your heads pipe up "my apologies for that sir" Psalm: "What do you mean how??" Psalm starts. Hes about to explain, trying to think of any response really when Ghester interrupts. Psalm pauses, and goes "I'm going to lie back on the floor now... and let the earth reclaim me." He looks like he actually might do it Finn: "well i suppose it is less your fault and more psalms..." he mutters to ghester, finn feels his own shame ebb away at psalm seemingly being embarassed and he removes the hand from his own face, staring psalm down confidently once more "are you really so flustered by his interjecting? youve got to learn to take it... the sight of you right now is rather pitiful..." it almost looks like it pains him to say so Psalm: "What's wrong if I am?" He drags a hand down his face. "And how is it my fault? Actually, fine, call me pitiful or whatever if you wish, I'm escaping this conversation." He turns in the direction of the deck. Finn: finn is rather shocked to see psalm straight up leave... he really must have misjudged his character. hes not sure if he should be mad, upset or anything else...if one could feel anything else about this... "not only are you pitiful, you are a COWARD!" is all finn says before he turns his back on psalm, finding it too painful to lay his eyes upon him.... Psalm: Psalm doesn't turn around but in his head he's thinking, "I just wanted to read my book...and now things are WORSE SOMEHOW."

Finn’s Speaks to Cimmorro and Vinny - 10/4

Later that same evening, a day or so after his conversation with Cimmorro and Vinny, Finn finds himself reflecting over and over on the events of that night dramatically in his own head.

Finn: he kept wondering why he didnt deny that, why he didnt make the extent of his desire clear to cimmorro at least... its not like he desired cimmorro because he was charming, the way he wanted him was dark, twisted and born of hatred. could he understand such a thing? he didnt want the other to think that he had actually fallen for him as a person or anything ridiculous like that. it was concerning nevertheless how the cleric had figured that out. finn felt like he didnt do anything particularly telling, aside from the time he said he'd derive sick, twisted pleasure from their date in shorewater. and then theres the.... coat of the wizard. ugh. a day in the baths later made him feel like there was no much more avoiding this though. itd be better to deal with this quickly and put it past him already. finn stared at the item in his arms, then at the door. then at the item, then at the door, then at the hallway and thought about leaving. if he couldnt outplay cimmorro tonight he'd spend another day miserable in the waters. he sighs, as he tends to, and knocks politely. he does his best to collect himself, hopes he appears cold and detached, put together, ideally.

Cimmorro: cimm was in the middle of putting jasper in her jammies when he hears the knock. he gives vinny a look with a raised brow as if to ask if he's expecting anybody this late Vinny: he looks up as well at the sound, in the midst of changing into more comfortable sleeping clothes. in the middle of buttoning up a shirt he gives cimmorro a curious glance, shaking his head and shrugging Cimmorro: seeing as they both have a mystery visitor cimm supposes it's time to answer it. when he does open the door to a familiar face, he smirks and goes "oh. learned to knock now, have we?" Finn: finn raises an eyebrow at that, actually taking offense to the comment although he cannot recall if hes actually bothered to knock in the past. cimmorro is so beneath him and so insignificant he can see himself not doing it. that doesnt mean he wont take offense to the assumption that his manners are lacking though "hmph" he rolls his eyes "and it would appear youre quite pleased with my appearing here, what a rarity." he carefully reaches out to tug at cimms collar. the movement is slow, gently, asking "how fortunate, youre just the man i wanted to see, if you wouldnt mind coming out here for just a moment" he gestures with his eyes at the hallway Cimmorro: "i'm simply just proud of you! you actually listened to my advice last time! not something i knew you were capable of," he smiles then looks up in thought. "they do say love moves mountains." he watches finn's hand breach his personal space, though surprisingly he lets him. but cimm still does not move from where he stands. "whatever you have to say, can't you just say it here? i'm already in my nightwear and i don't want to freeze outside." he seems unwilling to argue about it Finn: finns gaze remains cold, he huffs through his nose and tilts his head, studying the man, taking note of these subtle jabs at his dignity "hmm... i didnt think youd let me down so soon cimmorro. i believe you were quite understanding of my want for privacy, especially regarding such delicate matters" he removes his hand from cimmorros personal space, not wanting to cross a line there and holds the coat up "do you suppose this would do for the moment?" he then thinks to... no, he ceases thought "ah, perhaps not... it is your friends after all" he then undoes his own cape and holds it up like hes waiting to wrap cimm up in it, he looks at him expectantly "come now, wont you?" Cimmorro: he looks down at the coat, back up at finn, then to the cape making its way around his shoulders, then back up at finn. he stares at him in a way that he's calculating the risks in his head. he would be vulnerable if finn decides to throw him out of the ship... but he also just wants to get this over with so he can put jasper to sleep. he at least thinks to bring his holy symbol with him. "you're not gonna let this go are you?" he sighs. "give me a second 😒... you might as well return that to him now too" gesturing to vinny's coat before he moves further back into the room to grab his things. Vinny: vinny looks over at cimm curiously walking back into the room but continues about his business Finn: finn spares vinny a glance and leans against the door frame while cimmorro gathers his bearings "wizard, ive come to return your coat...but i must steal cimmorro away for just a moment. wait for me, will you?" Vinny: he glances back over surprised to see finn and raises a brow and glances at cimm, he pauses on his shirt and walks over to finn "oh? that's alright you can hand it over now" he gives finn a friendly smile as he raises his arm Finn: "hm... if you insist, i shant keep you waiting. it is yours after all... however i still much desire to speak to you after" he steps closer and puts the coat on his arm, making sure it doesnt fall. he looks at vinny almost.....softly. softer than he looks at cimmorro at least Vinny: he tilts his head and glances back at the window where the darkness of the night is making itself most evident then back at finn "er...sure i suppose? don't take too long or i might have already gone to bed" he's unsure why finn is looking at him so nicely considering they haven't talked since he gave him murder eyes but maybe he's come around or something. he takes the coat and turns walking away past cimmorro "don't catch a night chill" he says cautiously, leaning in slightly like a parent Finn: finn nods affirmatively "we wont be long" he says and watches the man turn away, thinking if itll all go over well when he gets to speak to vinny........ he then stares at cimm “ready?" Cimmorro: cimm was settling jasper into bed, telling her finn's full name in her ear. "if papa doesn't come back, tell rokka so he can tell the others who did it" he quietly says with a kiss on the top of her head. he proceeds to peel off finn's cape off of his shoulder and puts on his own cloak, bag neatly underneath it. when vinny shares his concern, cimm looks up at him with a smile and a light pat on vinny's cheek, leaning in closer as well and ominously whispers, "be a dear for me and call the guards if i'm not back in an hour okay? thank you~" he heads toward the door to meet finn again. "here," he says flatly, returning his cape to him or rather he just leaves it over one of his shoulders not bothering to wait for a response as he walks out the door, expecting finn to eventually lead finn

Finn: finn is surprised at the sudden cold treatment, openls rolls his eyes with cimmorros back turned to him and quickly catches up, halting him in his step with a touch to the shoulder. theyre only a couple meters away from cimms room, really "here will do. i didnt intend to take you far from your room at such an hour..." he raises an eyebrow at the shorter man "or did you think me that demanding?" Cimmorro: "yes, i do actually" blunt as a rock Finn: finn blinks, thinking that this is kind of fair to think so he'll let it slide. he clears his throat and returns to his original plan, more of his anger seeping out now with a sharper gaze "who taught you that?" he grits out in elven Cimmorro: cimm raises a brow at him but remains deadpan for most part. "am i not allowed to learn a language?" Finn: finn is still displeased but he eases off a little "tch. i suppose you are. mh.." he makes a little sound at the back of his throat and sighs, shaking his head "i.. sought you out with a proposal in mind. i will admit you caught me off guard that night, ill have to hand it to you" he smirks now. as much as it irritated him he does enjoy their game after all "what say you to another date? i would like for you to show me your home, your temple... despite all these twisted feelings" he grabs at his chest where his heart be "i am very much interested in you" his smile is more down to earth now, eyes clear of anger. theres something earnest and eager about him "i, of course, anticipate that you may be wary after last time, especially with our promise in mind and i am not the type to break promises but... i cannot help myself" he confides in content defeat, there is something hopeful in his tone Cimmorro: cimm tries his best to hide how much that caught him off guard but he still can't help but stare at finn incredulously. perhaps he made the right choice after all to humor his request of, what was it? fighting? as ridiculous and as finn may be, cimm can't deny that his antics leave him... amused? always a new thing with him. here he thought finn would be dying to skin him alive after what he did to him the other night. don't get him wrong though, he's still wary of his intentions. it's jarring to be on his good side, if that's what this is. but a date around the temple doesn't seem to be too bad, he thinks. this way he can keep an eye on him too. after all, this is what willow wanted too, right? they are "getting along." eventually he realizes he's been silent for too long, lost in the puzzle before him. he sighs through his nose. "just a tour around the temple? and you promise to behave instead?" he's doing the dwayne raised eyebrow meme at him rn Finn: finn is beginning to frown when cimmorro is taking a while to respond, wondering if he'll ever be able to get along with anyone aside from orin and vorde... his good mood is outwardly renewed when cimmorro does finally speak. he chuckles at the way hes raising his eyebrow at him, not being able to fault the man for doing so "just the temple?" he says and twirls a strand of his hair "i do want a tour of that the most but" he pauses for a moment and puts a finger to his chin like an anime girl "i was hoping you might show me a little of the city too... but its fine if you want to think on that. just for you i promise ill behave!" he has gone full anime mode, hands behind his back now and hes smiling very sweetly at cimmorro "ill be allowed to hang off your arm though, right? its not a proper date if not..." he trails off, pouting a little, avoiding looking at cimm directly Cimmorro: he finds himself in the threshold between feeling relieved that finn is being amiable and wanting to break out into hives because it's becoming too much to find comfortable. why is he acting this way? he seemed too cold and condescending when they met at the door a few minutes ago. now he doesn't know what to think. he wishes that finn would just come out with it and say what it is he really wants. "if... we have time for the city, sure... i suppose..." he refuses to let his guard down completely and tries to convey it by folding his arms, it is not completely unwilling though. "as for arm holding, if we tour the city, sure... in the temple, however, no. you must understand, no matter how much of a fool you perceive me to be, i don't display that sort of thing in our tower," his voice stern, perhaps even slightly commanding, with a rectitude that's slightly similar to his mentor's. Finn: finn is a little disappointed but doesnt show it. he merely nods and studies cimmorro "and no matter how much of a fool you perceive me to be, i understand needing to keep up appearances. i wasnt aware thats not the kind of thing you can do in a temple... but i suppose you being a big shot there adds to it. i shouldve assumed so." he dusts his clothes off idly "understood. no affection in the temple" he then smiles at cimm sincerely, hoping it expresses that he'll do as he promised. "well, thats about everything i wanted to discuss with you. i did say i wont keep you long. may i?" he reaches out to cimmorros hand but doesnt actually take it, waiting for his permission Cimmorro: he seems a little disappointed by finn's assumption, but not at all surprised. "it's much less appearance to me than it is as simple as i do an important job, as do everyone else in my temple, and i want it respected and honored." he shifts his weight from one foot to the other, debating to himself if it's even worth explaining to finn in detail. he decides that it's late and this would be a topic that can be shared another day. they have a date after all, he could simply talk finn's ears off then. when finn shows compliance, cimm looks up at him with regard. "thanks," he quietly says. "i'll hold onto you on that." he eyes finn's hand as it reaches out then looks back up at him before rolling his eyes amused. "you'll have to earn it," he sticks out a tongue and swerves past finn, walking back to his room. Finn: finn stares at cimms back with wide eyes, for a moment completely staggered. how dare cimmorro be such a tease? holding the one sided right of touching is one thing, but being playful like this is... ugh. he shudders, his mind briefly conjuring an image of what itd be like if he and cimmorro shared a room tonight. what would ideally happen by the end of their date. he forcibly brings himself back. he couldnt allow cimmorro to have so much power over him in his own mind.

Finn: he quickly jogs to catch up with cimm, staying right behind him as he reaches for the door. while invading his space somewhat, he makes sure to not actually make physical contact with cimm "look forward to it" he purrs near the clerics ear, breath just shy of ghosting the shell, before he lets himself into the room, this time swerving past cimmorro. Special Guest Aqua: Thats Scary Cimmorro: cimm rn

Vinny: QERTGL;KQERTHKLW4TJKL;H Cimmorro: UIJGHAIKLDGHNAUJIKLOHEG CIMM IS PRACTICALLY RUSHING INTO THE SAFETY OF THEIR ROOM NOW AND JUST FOCUSES ON SETTING HIS THINGS BACK KJHDHFSKJDHF Vinny: HJKLSDFHJKLSDGLHJKERGH

Finn: “as promised ive returned with haste, wizard" finn immediately looks to vinny, cimmorro as good as forgotten now Cimmorro: vinny might see him going like 😖 but more disdained Vinny: vinny sits on his bed idly reading something so he doesn't nod off, he watches cimm barrel back into the room and makes a concerned face (are we in battle agai-) until finn steps in swerving around him. he looks between the two briefly, confusion evident on his face but all he says is "uh...hello?" Finn: "i shant take up too much of your time either" he seems relaxed, smile somewhat sincere but guarded. he wonders if he should kneel to vinny like he had planned or if thatd be too much "i apologize for not returning your coat sooner... and for having naught to offer in return for your kind gesture. i do wish to express my gratitude, and no matter how dramatic it may seem to you, i greatly appreciated it" he seems to become more soft as he goes on "should you require aid, be it financial or otherwise, do not hesitate to call upon me. i will come to you" he seems rather serious about this Cimmorro: cimm behind finn slowly shaking his head like he's warning vinny Vinny: as finn starts vinny has a confused smile and his as he goes on his face becomes more rigid and strained trying to hold the expression, he doesn't obviously glance at cimmorro but sees him shaking his head in the background. he stands up from where he's seated and takes a few steps forward waving an arm in the air as he speaks "i-uh i appreciate the sentiment but it wasn't anything so serious w-was it?" he tilts his head perplexed but trying to come off friendly "even when i healed you it was a bit less dramatic than all this?" Finn: finn frowns a little, but not due to vinnys strain "you do not understand... youve shown me something very important that only couldve been done at that time. i wont forget it" his tone turns somber and he briefly looks away, quiet "it matters not if you understand, as long as you know that i will draw my blade for your sake henceforth" he bows and turns to leave Vinny: vinny doesn't understand what relevance his coat could have possibly had to this man's life, nor that it deserved such fevered dedication henceforth, he racks his brain as finn talks and as he bows, vinny shakes both his hands through the air this time to stop him before he leaves "ah-! hey, maybe i don't er, really understand but...!" he pauses for a second as he thinks "look- i don't quite like people feeling as if they owe me great debts, it's a bit uh... monumental. we can look out for one another's backs equally as comrades instead, that's a much more preferable situation for me." he takes a breath to think and calm himself down from the strange declaration before he goes on, becoming less flustered as he remembers something "we haven't even ever properly introduced ourselves to one another have we?" Finn: finn stops and looks as vinny flails and thinks to himself that the wizard isnt unlike the characters in his shoujo manga. its kind of endearing. he listens to vinnys explanation and tilts his head throughout, taking the time to consider everything truly. at the mention of their lack of introductions he gives a faint exhale in place of a laugh, still somewhat in his knight mindset "our lack of formalities has not shaken my conviction. but i do admit itd be awfully rude of me to continue traveling with you under these conditions" finn clears his throat unnecessarily and poses lamely (imagine any lelouch pose) "count finnian oswald atticus barvotte, champion swordsman of antessa amongst your closest allies from this day forth!" he appears less stiff now, very into his own performance. radiating with confidence he reaches his hand out to vinny "and now declare yourself to me, wizard!" Keva: keva happens to open her door just in time to see finn strike his pose and announce himself and all his titles, and decides that actually she doesn't need water and closes her door again Finn: finn remains unshaken by this event and expectantly focuses on vinny, hand still outstretched

Vinny: vinny blinks, his eyes widening at the display before him. he thought maybe he would have calmed down the dramatics with his words or blown the wind out of his sails but it seems the opposite has occurred. he tries very hard to reconcile this image of finn with the one he's seen over the past week and wonders which one of these is the act, though maybe he was just in a terrible mood until now...? he thinks it'd be rude if he didn't return the enthusiasm however, as finn sticks out his hand vinny reaches forward to grab it and give it a hearty shake laughing a little as if it were startled out of him, he gives him a smile as he speaks "Vildristin of Shorewater, you can call me vinny, and not just er wizard preferably, pleased to have gained your friendship...?" he laughs again awkwardly as he considers again how on earth this happened Finn: finn feels one of those anime arrows hitting him when vinny says he does not want to be called wizard... he thought it sounded very cool... he would certainly appreciate being addressed as swordsman... whatever...shyly kicks a pebble around in his mind "im most pleased to have forged this bond with you vinny! and please do call me finn!" he says with the same amount of enthusiasm though, he understands the want for a nickname at the very least. his strong grip on vinnys hand eventually ceases and he retracts his hand "i respect that you do not wish for me to settle this debt in a traditional sense so i shant treat it as such.. but my words ring true regardless! i will come to your aid always. do not forget" he smiles triumphantly but then staggers "i-i do believe ive ended up taking up quite a bit of your time after all... i shalt leave you to retire now" he pauses, inwardly pained "vinny!" he turns to leave again, again you have the choice to stop this if you wish Vinny: still confused he finds himself getting swept up in.. all the strange presentation finn is giving the exchange, though he feels a bit out of his depth. as finn releases his hand and starts making awkward pauses here and there he continues thinking, suddenly feeling a pang of nostalgia. it's almost like he's playing with a kid now, pretend with knights and dragons, he almost lets out a genuine laugh as the seriousness fades away, he puts a hand to his face to cover his mouth as he smirks and nods along "yeah of course, and as long as were walking about together i'll keep an eye on yours...?" he removes his hand still smiling, putting his hands on his hips instead "have a good night finn" Finn: finns not sure why vinnys fighting to keep it together but hes happy about him finally not being so awkward anymore. when he turns at the doorway one last time and sees vinny putting his hands on his hips a genuine smile overcomes his face, like that of a child on their birthday and his eyes squeeze shut for a second from how happy he is "rest well!!!! the days wont stay as peaceful as they are now!! and cimmorro i do wish you a most pleasant night as well of course!!!" he almost shouts from excitement but closes the door in a normal way. outside though, he sprints down the hallway. destination: deck. hes gonna stare at the stars and just maybe give his thanks to the world itself. then, he'll return to his room and write a letter to his uncle....

Vinny: as finn leaves and shuts the door vinny turns to cimmorro with a wide eyed expression still amused, he points with his thumb gesturing at the door "what the hell did you say to him?" Cimmorro: the entire time cimm has just been holding his head while sitting on his bed. giving finn a defeated wave as he goes. when vinny speaks up after finn leaves, he sputters with his arms flailing as he struggles to even comprehend what just happened. "wha- i- ME?? i didn't do nothing! HE asked me out on a date whereas he's been VERY vocal about his contempt for me up until now!" he says defensively. after a moment he just groans and falls onto the mattress, one hand pinching the bridge of his nose. "i'm just as confused as you are...! i've never seen him make that kind of display towards anyone else in this party" Vinny: he blinks as his face grows a little red "d-date?" he rubs his face with his hand embarrassed and looks away "...that was the farthest thing from m-my mind to have guessed... did your chat just put him in such a good mood..?" he waddles back to his bed to sit down with a confused face as he crosses his arms still looking away "i just assumed he started acting dramatics to you as well or something... i didn't know someone so vitriolic could act so cheery?" Cimmorro: "yes, date. take a moment to picture being in my shoes, kay?" he sits up and faces vinny as he explains "i opened that door and he looked at me like i was a piece of shit. then he drags me out there to ask me out on a date, saying things like he's interested in me? what the fuck is that!" he growls as he shuffles under a blanket. "he's always pulling something theatric, but the one just now with you was probably the most unnervingly friendly one yet. it's almost like he has a catalogue of personalities he'll play for the day. the scary part is, i don't know which one is genuine anymore!" Vinny: he pauses a moment as if to actually picture himself in the situation "...i really don't understand your relationship i'll be honest..." he shakes his head as he runs a hand through his hair "he...really seems to like getting carried away, as if he picks a mood and runs away with it" he starts leaning backwards, putting a pillow between him and the wall as he's silent for an elongated period of time "...a....aaare you going on a date with him...?" he tilts his head curiously, still glancing at the ceiling Cimmorro: "i also don't know, so don't ask. one thing is for sure is that we're ways off to being friends..." he rubs at his face again and tiredly sighs. "at this point i'm just trying to coexist with him until this is over." cimm turns his head to look at vinny when he asks that. "yeah, well, sorta?" he makes vague hand gestures as he speaks "he asked if i could show him around the city and the temple as a date, but i told him i don't do that sorta shit at my tower, yknow? so we met halfway and just agreed to showing him around if i have the time." another long sigh comes out of him. "i'm starting to wonder if it was a bad idea, but i thought i could keep an eye on him in case he decides to do anything funny... i don't want him pulling some shit where my sisters could see" Vinny: he lets out a puff of air he seemed to have been holding in "i see..." he scratches his chin as he rolls his head about "so you're trying to placate him pretty much?" he gives a small awkward chuckle as he slackens his arms as well "he's almost like a kid is what i thought, kind of immature. you have a... t-tendency to tease people too much, i'm sure it'll end up fine if you don't give him the wrong idea..." he glances over at cimmorro briefly then looks away as if embarrassed. he makes to grab the pillow again to put back at the head of the bed and starts shuffling around to lay down proper. he takes off his glasses before he speaks again "if i'm not too occupied trying to cure your friend in an act of great herosim, feel free to let out a cry for help" he says it while smiling, like he's teasing now Cimmorro: this type of conversation seems to roll casually with cimm. "you know, it's funny cause i have been actively trying to get under his skin with full intention to deter him from me but.... i think it actually turns him on?" he looks up at the ceiling and shakes his head. "it's the only way i can make sense of.... all that...buh" there's a bit of silence before cimm turns to vinny with an amused smile. "you might be on to something... if it turns out horribly then, i could just tell him i have plans with you instead. maybe he won't put up too much of a fight about it, he knows i put you on priority right now... maybe if i take you on a date he'd leave me alone even..." the small jest turns out to be something actually plausible. he continues to ponder on the idea as he shuffles more comfortably in his bed Vinny: though he cant really see cimm he turns his head to look away as if to save face anyway, with a cough and a mutter under his breath he flicks his wrist to snuff out the lantern hanging on the ceiling, cloaking the room in a warm darkness "...c-certainly a unique individual isn't he" after a brief pause wherein he makes himself comfortable within the blanket he replies, quieter"..do as you like" he shuts his eyes and begins to attempt to will himself to sleep and not think on that sentiment for the new few hours. Cimmorro: "night, vinny," he yawns. despite being able to see through it, the dark does invite a comforting lull, making him realize how sleepy he actually is. placing a sleeping jasper on top of his chest, her soft purrs gift him a comfort that only she can provide.

Cimmorro quietly hopes he doesn't have any nightmares that involve Finn as he puts his eye mask on...

#recaps #YAAAAY #this one to be updated also lol

0 notes