#Pallegina really said get 'em

[ampleappleamble]

—

The Kitten of Caed Nua. That's what people were calling her now.

Or so Axa had gleaned upon walking into Admeth's Den Expedition House and immediately coming face to face with six of the ugliest, rudest, meanest-looking adventurers in the place. They had been on their way out when she and her crew had entered, and the tension hung palpably in the air as the two groups sized each other up.

"Well, well, lookee here. A new litter of pups, come to try their hand at adventurin'." The leader of the merc band grinned, his knife-picked teeth notched and browning.

"Not just any pups, Byne," one of his cohorts sneered. "That's none other 'n the Kitten of Caed Nua and her kits, that new buncha foreigners been makin' a ruckus in our neighborhood." The lone woman in the group lifted her chin to look down her nose at Axa, an open challenge on her rough-hewn face.

Axa had not been expecting to be recognized as the Lady of Caed Nua quite so quickly, and the puerile nickname was a nasty twist to the surprise. She bristled visibly in response, no doubt to the delight of the thugs before her. "Well. My reputation precedes me, it seems. And who exactly are you lot?" She kept her voice as low and as calm as she could.

"I'm Byne," the first man drawled, pride suffusing his raspy voice, "and me and my crew're known around here as the Giantslayers. Best godsdamned adventurers in the city, and don't you forget it."

Axa allowed herself the tiniest smirk. "That so? Never heard of you."

The whole group seemed to deflate all at once, their demeanor immediately souring. "Well you fuckin' have now," Byne spat, stepping forward and leaning in close to hiss at the little woman, barely keeping a lid on his smoldering anger. "You better watch your step, Kitten. Word is you been seen hangin' around Crucible Keep, rubbin' elbows with them little fancy lads. Might be we even heard you been runnin' errands for 'em, helpin' 'em run some sort of sick animancy shit–"

"Byne." A harsh, gravelly voice boomed at them from across the room, and all eyes quickly darted to the source: a well-built folk man who stood with his arms folded loosely over his chest and a no-nonsense glare etched into his features. "I gave you a job to do. You gonna do it? Or you gonna stand around runnin' your fuckin' mouth all day?"

The Giantslayers' leader winced, straightening up and scowling in the man's direction. "Yeah, yeah, keep your shirt on, Wenan. I'm goin'." He cast one last glance at Axa, unconcealed hatred further twisting his features. "You'd do well to stay out of our way. There's only so many bounties to lay claim to in this city, and we get the lion's share. Understand, Kitten? Now then, Giantslayers– let's get this coin." Byne jerked his thumb toward the door, and he and his crew brushed past Axa and hers, glaring all the while.

So, she thought. It's gonna be like that, is it.

"Well, that was thoroughly unpleasant," Aloth grumbled. One of them had very purposefully shoulder checked him on their way out, and he ruefully rubbed at the tender spot.

"Told you this was a bad idea," Edér sighed. "Say, was that big fella wearin' a diaper? Or did his loincloth just really look like one?"

Kana pushed his hat back to scratch at his forehead, grinning bemusedly. "At least they weren't quite as bigoted as the Knights were. Although I don't know whether they invented that 'Kitten' epithet or if they were just repeating it."

"To be fair, I have not heard of them, either," Pallegina added, "and I have been in Defiance Bay for some time now." She smiled wryly down at Axa. "You held your ground well, Watcher."

"Was there a reason we decided to come here?" Sagani glanced around furtively, looking like a deer that was ready to bolt, Itumaak panting nervously beside her. "Other than the delightful company, I mean."

Axa steeled herself, squaring her shoulders and standing tall. She couldn't afford to look weak, not if this was to go the way she wanted it to. "We came here to work, of course," she stated clearly and boldly as she strolled purposefully toward the man Byne had called Wenan. "And to get familiar with the local citizen militia. After all, the Dozens are the ones the people of Defiance Bay actually see out and about solving problems, taking care of business." She stopped at Wenan's feet, flashed that feisty smirk up at him. "Isn't that right?"

"We ain't got any work for the likes of you," Wenan growled, unimpressed. "So you can march your little ass back to your pals at Crucible Keep and tell 'em to step up their spy game."

Quickly, now. Don't let him get on top of you–

"Oh, shut your face!" She puffed out her chest, thrust her chin at him, narrowed her eyes. And drew looks. Lots of looks. Just as she'd hoped she might. "Those stuck-up little lordlings are no friends of mine. The only reason I poked my head into their clubhouse was to see why they were dragging their feet on dealing with the situation in Heritage Hill. And when they couldn't give me a satisfactory answer, I offered to handle it for them. I figured somebody had better."

For a split second, Wenan had let his gruff facade slip and his eyes had bulged in surprise. But he'd quickly returned to his standard squint, his mustache twitching. "That so? Well, what the Hel are you doing here, then, if you're so busy saving the fuckin' city?"

"Just what I said before," Axa snapped back. "Looking for work. You don't think I plan on dying in there, do you? I'll need something to do once I'm finished cleaning up after the Knights, and I'm already fed up playing nursemaid to a bunch of rich brats. Figured you lot might have need of me, seeing as you actually seem to do shit." And here, she let herself soften just a bit, let the act drop just enough for the sincerity in her voice to shine through. "Plus, I meant what I said about wanting to get to know the people of Defiance Bay. The real, honest, hard-working people. You–"

Wenan scoffed and waved a broad, scarred hand at the little woman. "Alright, alright, stow the flattery. Maybe you are on the level. But I meant what I said, too: Unless Byne and his crew fuck theirs up, I ain't got any jobs for you." He scanned the room, glancing behind him at a line of novices awkwardly jabbing their hand-me-down swords at hay-stuffed practice dummies, and he continued at a significantly louder volume than before. "Although you're welcome to hang around, get to talkin' with some of the boys. Maybe you'll find someone with a... personal score they wouldn't mind you settlin' for them."

When he turned back to face her, Axa glanced over his shoulder at the man overseeing the novices, who now had her fixed in his sights. Wenan winked.

Winning hearts and minds, she grinned to herself as she strutted over to the line of dummies.

—

#pillars of eternity #poe anthem infinitum #fic wip #*holds my nose and sides with the dozens* #it gives defiance bay the ending i consider to be the best! #eder: they're valor thieves! #aloth: they're uncouth anti-intellectual thugs! #pallegina: they villify animancy! #axa: *rolls up sleeves* i can fix 'em.

[queen-scribbles]

Top of the List

@pillarspromptsweekly fill #85: Spring. Adi gets this one, along with her best buds, because it’s been too long since I wrote them together.

There were many things Adela loved about spring. Better weather, birds singing, baby animals. It was also the time of year a lot of academics emerged from fours months ensconced in their toasty warm studies with new papers and treatises on a plethora of topics(not that she’d had time to track any of them down this year). But more than anything, she loved the flowers.

And this year--like last--she was getting to see a whole array of new ones. The Deadfire Archipelago had an even greater variety than the Dyrwood, given the wildly different climates on the various islands. There were some on Tikawara almost as big as Adela herself, and then ones not much bigger than a fingernail. All of them were fascinating, and beautiful in their own way, and after a little trial and error, Adela and Xoti had mostly figured out how to determine which ones were safe to touch.

“Adi, look at these!” Xoti crowed as she returned from scouting with a handful of pale pink blossoms. They looked like peonies, except fewer petals. “Ain’t they pretty?”

“Very,” she agreed with an enthusiastic grin. “Where’d you find them?”

“Over that way.” Xoti waved her free hand toward a hill that sat to the west of their campsite. “There’s a whole... I guess you’d call it a glen, with all kinds’a flowers I ain’t seen before. It’s beautiful, and it looked pretty safe.”

“Maybe we can go back after dinner,” Adela said, at the same moment Aloth asked, “How certain are you it’s safe?”

“Adi, that’s what I was thinkin’--stew smells really good, by the way--an’ Aloth, whaddya mean?” Xoti planted her hands on her hips and cocked an eyebrow at the wizard.

“This is an uninhabited, uncharted island,” Aloth said, fiddling with the pages of his grimoire. “I’m simply concerned that a single, cursory scouting trip is insufficient to deem the entire place safe.”

“He’s got a point.” Adela gave the stew one last stirring to make sure none was sticking to the bottom and swung it away from the firepit. “I want to go enjoy flowers as much as you do, Xo, but we haven’t seen nearly enough of this island to be sure it’s completely safe.”

“We’re gonna be together, ain’t we?” Xoti countered. “We ain’t exactly helpless.” She nudged the hilt of her sickle, setting it rocking against her leg. “Hel, if you’re really worried, I bet Rekke would come with us.”

The redhead started at his name, looking up from the patterns he’d been tracing in the dirt. “I... go with you?”

“Only if you want to,” Adela assured him hastily. “We’re gonna explore after dinner, go see a place Xoti found with lots of plants and flowers.”

“Ta, I will come,” Rekke nodded, brushing his hair back from his face.

“Great! See, we’ll be fine,” Xoti grinned at Aloth. “You an’ Pallegina can hold down the camp, right? ‘Less you’d rather come with us, too.”

“Oh, no.” Aloth shook his head, smile tugging at his lips as he darted a look toward Adela. “I know what she’s like when you give her access to large quantities of flowers.”

And to Xoti’s immense frustration, neither he nor Adela would elaborate the entire time they were eating dinner. Pallegina pled ignorance when the priest tried to ask her. “I wasn’t present for this... incident, whatever it may be.”

Adela finally took pity on her as the two of them, plus Rekke, headed for the glen Xoti had found. “Flower crowns.”

“Huh?” Xoti looked at her, confused by the lack of context.

“On the way to Defiance Bay the first time, back in the Dyrwood. It was spring, and I was excited there were flowers, so I made flower crowns. First one for me, then Kana, then just decided to do one for everyone.” She shrugged.  “They’re fun to make, and we’d set camp early, so I had a lot of time to kill. To Aloth’s credit, he did wear the one I made him for a good hour before it ‘mysteriously’ disappeared. Kana and Sagani, on the other hand, loved theirs so much they were still wearing them when we reached the city the next day, even though they were starting to fall apart.”

“Yeah, I gotta say, Aloth don’t really strike me as the flower crown type,” Xoti commented, leading the way through a patch of trees.

“He’s not,” Adela confirmed. “But we didn’t know each other well yet, and he didn’t want to rock the boat, and I was too caught up having fun to notice he wasn’t terribly thrilled. If I made him one now he’d prob’ly wear it to humor me ‘cause we’re friends. But I won’t do that to him.” She grinned. “Not when I have you two.”

Xoti laughed. “We’ll definitely be more enthusiastic about ‘em, won’t we?” She elbowed Rekke playfully in the ribs.

“Hm? Oh, ta,” he nodded, attention seeming more drawn by their surroundings than the conversation. All the same, he offered a smile. “I would be happy to wear a crown of flowers for you.”

“Are you alright?” Adela checked. “You seem distracted.”

“Oh, y-yes.” Seeing she wasn’t convinced by the stuttered reassurance, Rekke raked one hand through his hair and tried again. “These trees, there are ones like them near Lipasalis, ta? I am just a little homesick.”

She glanced at the trees, short, scrubby things with gnarled and twisted branches and a peeling layer of bark. “That’s what your trees look like?”

“Some of them. Others are tall, and big around. But the ones closest to the city look like this.” He reached out and trailed his fingers along the bark as they passed. It flaked like parchment under his touch.

“Well, c’mon, we can swap stories and distract ya,” Xoti said with a wink, tugging on his arm. “We’re almost there.” And she promptly launched in to what Adela figured was a greatly embellished version of the Dawnstars’ first few days in the Deadfire. Embellished or no, the story had both her and Rekke laughing no more than three minutes in, and filled the rest of their walk to the glen Xoti had found.

Adela could see why her friend had been so excited; it looked like something out of a fairy tale. Edged in scraggly(if slightly taller) trees, the small glen held at least five different kinds of flowers that she could see. One even sprouted from a hanging vine, trailing from tree to tree in a brilliant yellow boundary line.

“Wow,” was all she could say at first, followed a few moments later by, “I sort of want to live here now.”

Xoti giggled. “Knew you’d like it. D’you recognize any of these flowers? “Cause I sure don’t.”

“A couple look almost familiar,” Adela said, locating the patch of pink blooms Xoti had brought back to camp. “Maybe they’re local offshoots?”

Xoti almost reverently trailed her fingers across small orange blossoms, similar to marigolds. The stems were different, and the middle tiers of petals darkened to red, but otherwise they matched the cheerful yellow flowers Adela knew from Ixamitl. “Think they’re safe to pick?”

“Probably,” Adela said slowly. The ones she almost-recognized all looked like harmless plants from either back home or in the Dyrwood. “Only one way to know for sure, though, which you’ve already tested.”

Xoti rolled her eyes at the teasing. “So we know the pink ones are safe. Should we find out about a couple more?”

Adela grinned. “I’m always ready to take a few risks when flowers are involved.” She studied the orange ones Xoti had touched. “Bet these would make a really pretty flower crown.” And there were certainly enough of them to pick a couple dozen without feeling bad. “This color would look good against your hair, Xo.”

Xoti smiled and pushed back her hood. “Aw, thanks, Adi. If you’re gonna do that, I’m makin’ you one, too.”

Adela giggled. “Deal. We should prob’ly find something to talk about that Rekke will like, too.” She flashed him a smile. “So you don’t get bored listening to us.”

He chuckled, idly gathering his hair to tie it back from his face. “I know this was a... risk, ta? I do not mind, it helps me practice my Aedyran.”

“Still...” she curled the tail of her braid around her thumb. “Being left out’s not a fun feeling.”

Rekke nodded. “True.”

“So, Adi,” Xoti began as she walked further into the flowery glen. “I guess it’s safe to assume your favorite part of spring’s the flowers?”

“You got me,” Adela conceded, kneeling to pick the orange marigolds. The sturdier stems must help with drawing more water in the dry months, she guessed. And maybe it got windy here? “Spring’s my favorite, and there’s a lot I like, but the flowers are definitely top of the list. How ‘bout you?”

For all their sturdy stalks, the flowers came up easily, and she’d picked half a dozen before Xoti answered. “Aw, that’s easy,” she laughed. “I grew up on a farm, Adi. Baby animals galore. Whaddya think my favorite part is?”

“Hmm, I’m going to guess planting vegetables?” Adela deadpanned, then laughed when Xoti chucked a pebble at her. “Oh, so it is the baby animals. See, I figured that was too obvious.”

“I’m not a master of skulduggery and secrecy like some people,” Xoti retorted sweetly. “How ‘bout you, Rekke? What do you like best about spring?”

He mulled it over for a minute while Xoti and Adela finished collecting flowers and got themselves comfortably seated to start braiding. “Here I would say the weather. There is rain, but not so much. And it is.... softer? than in winter, when it comes.”

“Mm, that’s a good one. Summer can be bad, too, to hear Tuliak tell it,” Adela commented, biting her lip in concentration as she wove the flower stems together.

Rekke wrinkled his nose and muttered something in Seki she didn’t catch. “Back home, there is a nut, very sweet, that can only be picked the first couple weeks of spring. It tastes very good, by itself or...” he frowned and rubbed his thumbs across his fingers as the word escaped him. “...broken small?”

“Crushed?” Adela supplied, and he nodded.

“Ta. Crushed on food. We cannot buy later in the year, because of the cost, so we only have it in spring in my house.”

“Do ya ever put it on chocolate things?” Xoti asked, looking at Rekke rather than the crown she was braiding.

“Oh yes. It is very good with chocolate,” he grinned.

“What isn’t?” Adela laughed.

Their conversation shifted to food from there, talking about favorite dishes, bemoaning less enjoyed ones. Xoti and Adela finished the crowns they were making each other. The orange and red blossoms looked as pretty against Xoti’s dark hair as Adela had predicted, and the crinkly blue cornflowers she’d chosen were equally complementary to Adela’s blonde waves. Once the two of them had gleefully exchanged their own circlet, they set to work together making Rekke one of small, deep purple flowers. They reminded Adela of yarrow, aside from being  the wrong color.

Rekke was very appreciative, smiling wide as he ducked his head so Xoti could put the crown on him. The three of them sat and talked for another hour or so, enjoying the scenery(and the break from being shipbound), before heading back to camp.

Aloth and Pallegina were both sitting out near the campfire as they approached. The wizard was engrossed in his book, but Pallegina looked up from sharpening her estoc at the sound of their footsteps. She raised an eyebrow at their new accessories, golden eyes flickering with amusement.

“I take it you enjoyed yourselves,” she commented.

“Immensely,” Adela said with a cheerful smile.

Aloth looked up at the sound of her voice and a wry grin pulled at his lips. “I knew it.”

“You do have experience with my foibles and passions,” she laughed as she plunked down next to him and peeked at his book. It was something about Deadfire wildlife, the more mundane varieties. “I was tempted to make you one, but refrained.”

“How shall I ever survive?” he deadpanned, still smirking slightly.

“I can share mine if you like,” Adela offered with a mock innocent smile.

“No, no, I’ll manage.” Aloth reached over and straightened the circlet as it slipped toward her eye. “It’s even cornflowers.”

“Hey, Xoti made it, that actually isn’t my choice.”

“I picked that ‘cause I know you like ‘em,” Xoti chipped in.

“So it was sort of my choice, then,” Adela corrected herself with a laugh. “They are my favorite.” For several reasons. She tugged one of the extras she’d picked from her pocket and tucked it in the tie holding back Aloth’s hair.

He shot her a flat look but left it. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she said sweetly. She reached for her pack and dug for a book of her own. The light was hanging around longer than before--another great thing about spring--and she wanted to take advantage of that.

The five of them settled in for the evening all absorbed in their own doings, but every so often Adela and Xoti would catch each other adjusting their flower crowns and they’d share a grin.

Yes, there were many things to like about spring.

#queens fic #pillars prompts weekly #adela tecali #rekke #xoti #pillars of eternity

[weakzen]

Edér took a pull from his pipe then smirked.

“Go on, ask her what her favorite color is.”

“Please don't,” Aloth muttered, shaking his head slightly before taking a drink.

“No way. I am not answering that again. You're just gonna make fun of me—again.”

“Captain, I could not,” Tekēhu said, his brow knitting as he placed his hand over his heart. “I may dream of you in many different ways, but making fun of you has never been amongst them.”

Aloth rolled his eyes and took another drink as Pallegina shifted forward.

“Cuè? I would like to know too,” she said, poking the fire with a stick. “I do not think I was there to hear this one back in the Dyrwood.”

“That's right. See? Now you gotta tell 'em both.”

Saucco sloshed inside the bottle she was holding as Seraphina jabbed her finger at Edér.

“Why don't you tell them your favorite color.”

“Green, easy. Aloth's is blue,” Edér continued, raising fingers as he counted them off. “Sagani's was orange. Kana's was green too. Hiravius liked pink.” The corner of his mouth turned up. “Like the color inside—”

“Yes, we remember,” Aloth interrupted, clearing his throat. “Thank you.”

Tekēhu stroked his chin. “Ekera, if I am forced to pick just one, I must say the rich color of a storm-churned wave has always stirred something joyous in this fickle artist's heart.”

“Well, that sounds great, buddy. What about you, Pallegina?”

She pointed to the magenta stripe on her shoulder and smiled.

“Alright, then. Now everybody knows everyone's favorite color, 'cept yours,” Edér said, glancing back to Seraphina. “You really gonna hold out on 'em?”

“Ugh, fine.” Seraphina folded her arms and sighed. Then she glanced downwards, toeing a patch of sand. “It's… brown. My favorite color is brown, okay?”

Pallegina raised an eyebrow and Tekēhu inhaled sharply, raising a hand in front of his mouth.

“Of all the plentiful colors available in Amira's beautiful rainbow, you would choose… brown?” Tekēhu whispered the word quickly, as though afraid to be caught saying it. “Captain—why?”

“You gonna tell 'em or do I gotta?”

Seraphina jolted to her feet and stared down at the group.

“What, exactly, is wrong with brown? You always know exactly what you're getting with brown!”

Pallegina pressed her lips together tightly, but she couldn't stop the loud snort that rumbled from her throat, or the silent quivering that seized her stomach. The corners of Tekēhu's eyes crinkled as he placed both hands over his mouth. Edér grinned openly and even Aloth bit back a smile as he stared at the ground, his fingers tightening around his cup.

Pallegina shook her head. “Brown… merla.”

Tekēhu's eyes glittered mischievously.

“Ekera, precisely that.”

Laughter burst past Pallegina's lips, loud, deep, and guttural. Everybody erupted with her. Tekēhu fell forward and slapped his knee while Edér clutched his pipe and wheezed. Aloth kept his gaze cast downward, slowly shaking his head, but the tremor of his sides and the liquid jostling against the rim of his cup betrayed his own amusement.

Seraphina herself struggled to maintain a stern expression, her mouth twitching as a grin pulled at the corner of it.

“Look,” she said sharply, spreading her arms as she whirled above them. “I don't know why I have to keep telling all of you jerks that bright colors are dangerous in the Living Lands, okay?! Brown is safe! Brown is reliable! Brown will save your sorry asses every time, even though none of you ingrates deserve it!”

“Captain,” Tekēhu gasped, holding out a hand as he glanced up to her. “Your favorite type of brown—would you say it's more of a firm, solid shade, or a liquid?”

Edér howled and doubled over, tears streaming from his eyes. Aloth sputtered and buried his face in his hand. And Pallegina's laughter pitched to a dry, choking wheeze, her chest straining against her breastplate with each convulsion that racked her torso.

#pillars of eternity #deadfire #eder teylecg #aloth corfiser #the watcher #watcher seraphina #pallegina mes rei #tekehu #wip

[ampleappleamble]

The more she saw, the more she remembered. And the more she remembered, the more she dreamed.

Axa was learning– and luckily for her coinpurse, she was learning fast– that while booze and whiteleaf still did the trick when it came to helping her fall asleep, they did nothing to prevent the dreams, vivid and ominous and unrelenting. They tended to start off vague, foreboding glimpses into a hauntingly familiar world: a lone woman wandering lost through shifting halls, throngs of kith raising their hands in supplication before a flash of light reduced them to crumbling ash, great dragons screaming with rage and struggling against their chains. But before long, the dream would inevitably gather itself and resolve into its recurring main features: the tree, and later, the temple.

It was the tree from her first dream as a Watcher, the tree from Gilded Vale, and yet it wasn't– although she quickly noticed that Edér was dangling from it still, just as she'd seen him do in that first dream, before she'd known him. Instead of smiling at her and puffing on his pipe, this time he seemed to be aware of his predicament, lifting himself with one hand on the branch from which he was hanging in an attempt to relieve the pressure on his neck. In his other hand he gripped a stubby little candle, very much like the ones they'd seen in the ruined Eothasian temple under Gilded Vale, and he trembled with exhaustion as he held the feeble, flickering flame to the rope that bound him.

He'll never burn through it with that in time, she realized with a jolt, his grip will give out and he'll hang! But as she sprang forward to help him she felt a tug on her ankle, and all of a sudden she lay sprawled in the dirt, the breath driven out of her by her landing. A glance at her feet revealed the culprit: a scroll, of all things, rolling loose and twisted around her boots, little stylized eyes winking out at her from cramped, illegible writing. The parchment trailed into the distance behind her, and when she turned to her fore again she could see its origin: the base of the gnarled, blackened tree, where two figures knelt bowed their heads together,  deep in conversation. And just as Axa thought she might recognize them–

She was hurrying down the temple hall again, no longer herself but a memory of herself, and he stood at the altar, turning sharply to receive her. "Is that you, Anthea? My child, what brings you–"

She opened her mouth to ask him–

–ask him ask him please i have to know we have to know we deserve to know if it was all–

–and woke up on the floor again, blankets tangled around her knees and hips.

A pair of golden eyes, shining like coins, peered back at her from beneath the bed.

"Vaargys–"

But as soon as his name was out of her mouth, reality rushed in to replace the confusion wrought by her dreaming mind, and she whipped her head around to blink stupidly at the blond man crouching at her side, concern plain on his sun-weathered face.

"Uh... name's Edér, actually," he drawled, his brow furrowing as the edge of his lip twitched into a grin. "...Kinda rude that y' forgot."

Axa stared blankly for a moment, then winced as the hangover washed over her. "Oh, shut up and give me a hand," she grunted, yanking at the twisted sheets.

"What are you doing in here, anyway? After all that fussing about 'chivalry' and 'propriety' last night, I'd have thought you gentlemen would consider intruding on our sacred womanly privacy a dishonor worthy of nothing less than death." They'd rented two rooms to accomodate the party of six, and for some reason, Edér and Aloth had insisted– and to Axa's surprise, Pallegina had agreed– on splitting the party between the two rooms on the basis of sex. Axa still couldn't quite wrap her head around Aedyre and Dyrwoodan ideas about segregating women and men in the name of some sort of nebulous "decency," but it was no hill she cared to die on, and if it made her companions happy then she was more than willing to acquiesce.

"Uh." Edér slipped his hands under the orlan's armpits and hoisted her into the air, allowing her to wiggle free of her linen bonds. "Guessin' y' don't remember what happened last night, then." He couldn't seem to bring himself to look at her, and when Axa cast her eyes around the room, she noticed it looked different than she remembered it...

Kana's head and shoulders popped out from behind the hulking wooden wardrobe, his face slathered in soap suds and his smile as broad as ever. "Axa! Our little sleepwalker, awake at last!" Edér gently set her on her feet as Kana rinsed himself off, and Axa felt her face burn as she realized what must have transpired while she was dreaming.

"I'd say y' owe me a beer for makin' me spend the rest of the night on the floor," the farmer sighed, "but somethin' tells me I really oughtta just let this one go."

"Oh gods, please tell me I didn't..." She cradled her throbbing head in her little hands, trying desperately to hide from the implication, but it was no use. "And you didn't even try to wake me?"

"Couldn't. You know what they say about waking a sleepwalker. Plus, you kinda tend t' sleep like shit. Figured y' could use the rest." The folk man yawned. "Even if it was my damn bed."

Axa planted her hands on her hips, regarding Edér with disbelief. "I can't believe it. Of all the people in this inn, I had to climb into bed with you?"

Edér huffed out a surprised little chuckle. "Wow. Okay. Who'd you rather've climbed into bed with?"

–oh, gods, if it had been Aloth's bed–

"I– I'd have rather not intruded on any of my traveling companions' personal space while they were trying to sleep, thanks," Axa snapped in reply, quickly turning away to better hide her blushing. It wasn't helping that Kana was in full view now, strutting about with a towel draped over his head, naked from the waist up. "How in Hel did I even get in here, anyway? Didn't you lads lock the door?"

"We were wondering that ourselves last night," Kana chirped merrily, scrubbing behind one ear. "The door was most definitely locked– Aloth was very insistent about that– so we supposed you either tapped into some obscure Watcher ability and phased through the wall somehow, or you picked the lock in your sleep." He laughed softly, taking a seat on his bed and rifling through his pack for a clean shirt. "Perhaps it'd be in our best interests to pay a visit to the Hall of Revealed Mysteries today, ask the Eyeless Face for answers– or mercy, if you'd rather."

"I could certainly do with some mercy. Maybe we should stop by," Axa muttered. "After we've delivered that research to the forgemaster in Crucible Keep, of course." She scowled, crossing her arms and rocking on her heels. "...Not looking forward to going back there, to be perfectly honest. For a few reasons."

Back on his own bed at last, Edér looked up from tucking his trousers into his boots. "Aw, c'mon, Axa, the Knights ain't as bad as all that. Don't get me wrong; they ain't very good, 'specially at actually doin' much for the people. But at least they ain't the Dozens, doin' whatever they please and sayin' it's for the people." He stood, lightly stamping his feet to get his trouser legs to fall evenly, and then got started donning his armor. "In any case, maybe while we're there we can convince 'em to open up Heritage Hill for us. It's not like whatever's been goin' on in there is solvin' itself, and they know it."

"Worth a shot," Axa agreed, massaging her temples. "Speaking of the Dozens, it might be worth it to have a little chat with them, too. As you said, the Knights may be the 'official' peacekeepers here in the city, but it's members of the Dozens who are actually out and about in the streets, winning hearts and minds. It'd probably be a good idea to see exactly what it is they think they're doing. And we'll have to make time to visit Brackenbury Sanitarium as well, get Aloth looked at..." The little woman sighed. "Gods, I'm already exhausted. Either that or I'm still exhausted from yesterday. It's getting harder to tell."

She glanced around the room again, briefly allowed her gaze to linger on Kana's bare chest, swept the room again, furrowed her brow. "Where is Aloth, anyway? Don't tell me he sleepwalked into my room last night."

"He left earlier this morning, to dress in the privy or somesuch," Kana grinned, finally finding a suitable undershirt and pulling it on over his head. "He thought it improper to change in front of you. I tried telling him you were sleeping and wouldn't see, but..." The aumaua shrugged, chuckling and shaking his head.

Edér cinched his belt and smiled nervously, looking at the floor. "Uh, speakin' of, Watcher, hadn't you oughtta... y'know. Get ready?" He gestured vaguely at his own torso, and Axa suddenly felt the urge to wrap her furry arms around herself. She hadn't really been thinking about it before, but now she couldn't help but feel uncomfortably exposed, standing there in her ratty old nightshirt that barely fell to mid-thigh, one shoulder poking out from the drooping neckline.

"Uh. Right. Big day ahead of us, after all." She hurried to the door, yanked it open– only to find Pallegina on the other side, midway through reaching for the knob herself, Sagani and Itumaak close behind her.

"Watcher!" The paladin's golden eyes flashed with surprise. "There you are! We woke and you were nowhere to be found. Per complancanet, do not worry us so." She peered into the room, lip curling in mild disgust. "What... what are you doing in–"

Her headache was getting worse. "Long story. Probably. I don't actually know, truth be told. Short version is I somehow managed to get in here last night while sleepwalking."

"I heard you get up and leave the room, but I fell asleep again before long," Sagani admitted, looking the little woman over bemusedly. "Wasn't expecting you to just wander off. Didn't these boys have their door locked?" Itumaak tried to sneak past his mistress and sniff around Edér's pack for more jerky, but she stopped him with a sharp snap of her tongue.

Kana opened his mouth excitedly to explain, but Pallegina cut him off. "No matter. The sun climbs the sky quickly, and we have idled here long enough. Watcher, you should return to our room and get dressed. There is much work to be done today." The Godlike gave her a sharp nod and turned to march down the hallway toward the stairs, Sagani and Itumaak following a moment later.

Axa laughed despite herself. "Well! You heard the woman. I'll see you downstairs in a bit, gentlemen." She gave the two men one last glance before stepping out into the hall herself–

–and colliding with Aloth, his face buried in his grimoire and strolling full-speed back into his room, clearly not expecting a fuzzy little missile to barrel directly into his midsection. Both kith tumbled backwards, falling flat on their asses, crying out more from surprise than from pain. And when the shock had abated, both groaned in embarrassment.

"You're up, then," he muttered, clambering to his feet. "However did you get into our room last night?"

"Can I please just go put some gods damned pants on," she wailed in response.

—

#pillars of eternity #poe anthem infinitum #fic wip #need some slide whistles and kazoos for all these wacky antics

[queen-scribbles]

Steady

For @pillarspromptsweekly fill 71: Celebrate. Only proofread once because I have several other projects on a very rapidly approaching deadline (*cough* Christmas presents *cough*), so hopefully I caught everything. This is set the day after Shallow, but I think you could manage without having read that. 

Emiri was dragged awake long before she was ready by a kaleidoscope of memories--voices, images, emotions--that she didn’t even want. She sat up, breathing hard, and buried her face in her hands while she waited for her heart to slow down.

You’re in Stalwart, she reminded herself. Not... wherever that was. One hand dropped to rub the furs for a tangible reminder. Her past life’s surroundings had been far more austere and dour than the woodsy comfort of the Gréf’s Rest.

Once she had settled, Emiri looked toward the window and scowled. After yesterday, she had been dearly hoping to sleep in. No such luck--the view outside was just starting to lighten, a pale pink glow creeping in one corner of the window. From the look of things, all her friends were still asleep as well.

So, grumbling to herself, Emiri slid out of bed. The Awakened part of her hovered too close to the surface for her to hope she’d actually stay asleep if she tried again. A pity; their adventure in Cayron’s Scar had wrung her out both emotionally and otherwise. More sleep would have been nice. But she had plenty of experience running on less than she needed. Rather then dwell on it, Emiri steadied herself against the wall to pull on her boots and then headed out to talk to Haeferic.

The tavern part of the establishment was far busier than she would have expected, given the early hour. Emiri wove her way between kith until she reached the counter and caught Haeferic’s attention.

“Ah, Watcher, you’re up early!” the dwarf greeted her with a smile.

“Not by choice,” Emiri replied, shrugging gamely. She gestured to the bustling workers. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, Winter’s End,” Haeferic said, pausing briefly to direct a man carrying a cask toward the inn’s cellar. “We weren’t figurin’ on havin’ much cause to celebrate this year, what with those Iron Flail bastards practically on our doorstep.” He winked at her. “Impending doom has a way of dampening people’s spirits. But since you chased ‘em off and they ain’t a threat no more, Mayor Tarfos decided it would be good to hold the celebrations like normal. Give folks a chance to blow off steam.”

“Smart man,” Emiri said with a laugh. “So...” She hesitated. “I haven’t been in the Dyrwood long. What all’s involved in Winter’s End?”

“Drinkin’ and eatin’ and rememberin’ those we lost that year mostly.” Haeferic scratched behind his ear. “You should stick around, see for yourself. ‘Course, out here it’s more symbolic than anything. The snow don’t melt here like in other parts, and it sure as shit ain’t gonna warm up any time soon.” He smirked. “Still, any excuse for a three day party party is a good one.”

She smiled at his enthusiasm and shrugged. “We might just do that. Things were more... exciting yesterday than we bargained for, so more time to recover is probably a good idea. And it sounds fun.” It would also give more time for Hiravias’ knee to heal, and for Aloth to warm up before they went traveling through waist-deep snow to get home.

“Oh, it is that, Watcher,” Haeferic laughed. “It is most definitely that. But I imagine y’had another purpose in mind, comin’ out this early in the mornin’?” What can I do for ya?”

“Breakfast.” Emiri said, slightly scattered. “Please. For the six of us, something warm and filling.” She looked him dead in the eye. “The best you’ve got.”

He nodded, clearly getting the message. “When d’you need it?”

“In a couple hours, I guess,” she said, biting her lip. Hopefully her friends wouldn’t be rudely awakened by nightmares and could get a decent bit of sleep.  “Yes, two hours should be good. More or less.”

Haeferic chuckled. “That’ll run you... three hundred fifty pands.”

“Sounds fair,” Emiri nodded. “Add it to my tab?”

“Of course.” He gave a sharp nod. “Need anything else? If not, I need t’ get back to supervisin’ preparations.”

“Nope, go right ahead. I’m sure things are a bit crazy, with it being a last minute decision and all.”

Bobbing his head in both confirmation and gratitude, Haeferic swiveled back to barking directions into the milling crowd of workers. Emiri watched for a minute or two before heading back to her room. She didn’t hear anyone moving around as she approached, and so was very careful to be quiet as she slipped back in. The room was still dark, the fire banked to low embers. A quick glance towards the beds confirmed most of her friends were sleeping.

The one exception was Kana. He sat at the table, positioned so his body blocked the rest of the room from the light of his candle as he rapidly filled the pages of a spare blank book.

“Surprised to see you up,” Emiri commented.

Kana turned and flashed her a toothy smile. “There’s too much to write down. I was afraid I’d forget parts if I waited much longer. We learned so much; about Ondra, Abydon, the Engwithans. Such knowledge is worthy of preservation.”

Emiri nodded as she walked over to sit across from him. “That it is.”

A moment passed, her picking at her bracelets, Kana rolling his pen between thumb and index finger, heedless of the ink it flicked along his sleeve.

He spoke finally, softly, as he set down the pen. “Why do I feel what has you up at this hour is far less benign?”

She sighed, looked at the table instead of him as she answered. “...It’s the dreams again.”

Kana wordlessly reached over and covered her hand with his. His fingers smudged ink against her skin as he gave a gentle squeeze. Emiri’s face warmed and her halo flickered brighter at his silent support.

“I feel I owe you an apology,” Kana said softly. He rolled on before she could protest. “The other day, when I asked about you being a Watcher, I fear I may have been... rather tactless.  I didn’t really understand what was involved. Is it hard on you, hearing the spirits all the time?”

Yes. But she didn’t want to burden him, and definitely didn’t want to ruin a moment that involved Kana holding her hand, so Emiri hunched her shoulders in a not-quite shrug and mumbled, “It can get a little overwhelming.”

Kana cocked his head, eyes narrowing, and squeezed her hand again. “You needn’t soften your words on my account, Emiri, if it ever gets to be too much. We’ll find the means to cure you. You’ve my word on that.”

Alright, the past three minutes alone are worth the lost hours of sleep. Emiri ducked her head. It was a futile gesture, with how her halo glowed. She wasn’t hiding anything. “I... thank you, Kana.” She shifted her hand so she could squeeze back. “I appreciate it, truly. And you weren’t being tactless, you were being curious.” You were being you. “I didn’t mind.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Kana said, giving her another smile, more serious but somehow more honest than the one a few minutes ago. “If I ever do overstep, please tell me.”

Emiri nodded, fully aware there wasn’t much he could do she would consider overstepping. “You, um, you should finish writing. Before everyone wakes up and there are distractions.”

“A sound plan,” Kana agreed. He withdrew his hand, picked up the pen, and returned to his writing, filling page after page with rapid but mostly-legible script.

Emiri dug in her pocket until she came up with enough thread--white, pale blue, dark grey--to start a new bracelet, then settled in to pass the time until the others awoke in companionable silence.

>>><<<

Hiravias was the next one awake, nearly an hour and a half hour later, popping up with a growled curse as he rubbed out a cramp in his leg.” Hound’s teeth, that’s a lousy good morning,” he grumbled. “’Specially since that’s the same one got fucked up yesterday.”

Emiri winced in sympathy. “Sorry.”

“Not your fault.” He shrugged and winked at her. “In fact, you’re the reason more of me didn’t get hit by falling rocks, so you really don’t need to apologize.” He limped over and boosted himself into the very much not orlan-sized chair. “So do we have a plan for food or anything, Watcher?”

Emiri laughed. “I talked to Haeferic when I got up. Food should only be another half hour or so. And I paid for the good stuff, but we’ve seen how that can vary by location, so... we’ll see.”

Hiravias grinned and ruffled one hand through his hair, somehow leaving it a worse mess than it had been previously. “Sounds good. I guess I can hold out that long. And you know I’ll eat anything, but ‘good stuff’ does sound appealing today.”

The food did indeed arrive as predicted, and smelled so good it dragged the other three out of bad, though Aloth and Pallegina didn’t look truly awake until halfway through their first cup of tea.

Haeferic hadn’t been kidding when he promised her the best he had. Emiri wondered if anyone else in Stalwart--including the mayor--was eating this well. But it was good to have a meal that was actually satisfying and filling and made her feel warm inside after so long trekking all over the White March eating jerky. It was even better sharing it with her friends(who were all still here, despite Ondra’s best efforts).

“So, what’s the plan? Miri?” Edér asked once they’d all eaten their fil.

“I know stopping Thaos is important,” she began, playing with the bracelet she’d made. “But I feel like another day or two to rest would be good. For some of us” --she nudged Aloth’s knee under the table and shot Hiravias a meaningful look--”more than others.”

“I like this plan,” Hiravias chipped in. “But what’re we supposed to do while we’re here?”

“I did mention rest,” Emiri emphasized, looking him dead in the eye. “Which is probably an especially good idea with that knee of yours, before we go tromping down a mountain through waist-deep snow.”

“I see your point,” he said, idly snapping the strap to his eyepatch. “Anything to avoid more piggyback rides. But what if the thought of being stuck in here makes me itchy and I want to take it easy somewhere else? Does this... charming place have anything interesting to offer?”

“Funny you should ask that,” she said, laughing. “They are getting ready to start some festival...”

“Winter’s End!” Edér interrupted with a grin. “I’ll be damned, how’d I forget about that?”

“We have been roaming all over the frigid mountainside for the last several days, ac?” Pallegina pointed out. “I believe you can be forgiven for losing track of the date.”

“Right kind of you,” Edér shot back, slouching more comfortably in his chair. “But really, there ain’t no party in the Dyrwood like Winter’s End. It’ll be fun, even if they are throwin’ it together all last-minute.”

With that ringing endorsement from a local(or local-adjacent), the plan was all but settled. Emiri did notice, however, that Aloth seemed less enthused than the others. That was hardly surprising.

She leaned close and murmured, “I know how you are about big, loud parties. Feel free to stay here with a book or something if you’d rather.”

He half-smiled and twisted one of his rings, something like relief glimmering in his eyes. “That was my plan, yes. I may join you later, though.”

Emiri laughed. “I was about to say the same thing. You know how I am about big, loud parties.”

Aloth nodded. “I do indeed.”

Still, she was curious. And if the Dyrwood was to be her home, as she planned, it would be smart to familiarize herself with the customs. So she’d go for a while, have fun and relax, but there was a safe have she could retreat to if it became too much.

>>><<<

Even with the early start to the preparations, it took a few hours for word to spread and the people of Stalwart to turn out for the festivities. Once they did, however, the atmosphere picked up quickly. There was a lot for them to celebrate, after all. And the amount of alcohol present helped. Edér hadn’t been exaggerating when he said there wasn’t any party like it in the Dyrwood.

Emiri enjoyed herself quite a bit, even if she only sampled most of the food and nursed a single drink--wyrthoneg, Edér had called it, saying it was perfect for someone who didn’t drink much. She appreciated his looking out for her, but even the watered down mead had enough alcohol in it to make her go slow. She was just finishing her first round as Hiravias and Edér plunked down with their third.

“Enjoying yourselves?” Emiri teased.

“Absolutely,” they chorused.

“Anything like the ones you’re used to?” she asked Edér, reaching for another piece of the savory pie Keydy had plunked down in front of them with a wink.

Edér considered for a moment. “Not quite as loud as the ones we use’ta have in Gilded Vale, but maybe that’s just ‘cause me an’ Woden use’ta see which of us could whoop louder, which usually spread to everybody our age.”

She rolled her eyes and bumped his shoulder. “Why am I not surprised?” He just laughed and shrugged, so she turned to Hiravias. “Do you have any celebrations like this in your tribe?”

He snorted and downed half his drink in one go. “Course. We usually wait until the first sign of thaw to do the real celebrating, but there is a pretty big feast to mark the beginning of winter.” His gave drifted to something over her shoulder and he grinned. “’Bout time. You get bored?”

Emiri twisted around just in time to see Aloth half-shrug in answer. She broke into an ear to ear grin and scooted closer to Pallegina to make room on the bench. “Ignore him. Though I am glad you decided to join us.”

Aloth nodded, playing with the sleeve of his sweater. “I figured a little while wouldn’t hurt.”

“I’m glad,” Emiri said. She narrowed her eyes when she saw him shiver. “Are you still cold?”

“Perhaps a little,” he admitted, “though I’m sure that has more to do with being outside in a village halfway up a snow covered mountain than it does-”

“Almost drowning in an icy lake?” Emiri finished for him.

“I’m fine, Emiri,” Aloth said, smiling as he accepted the mug Pallegina nudged in his direction. “I appreciate your concern, but it’s unnecessary. There are no lingering ill effects from yesterday, I promise.”

“Alright, if you’re sure,” she murmured, lightly bumping her shoulder against his.

His smile widened, and he leaned in to the brief touch. “I’m sure.” His gaze flicked between the members of their group as he took a drink. “I see we’ve lost Kana.”

Emiri giggled. “No, he wanted to talk to people, learn more about their local traditions and how they maybe differ from say, Gilded Vale.” She winked at Edér. “You know, being Kana. He’s right over-” She turned to point toward where she’d last seen him, but he was gone. “Well, he was there,” she muttered, raising her voice instinctively to be heard over the swelling music. “Maybe I have lost him.”

As if summoned by her sheepish admission, Kana swept toward them out of the milling crowd of locals. “How goes it, my friends?” he greeted them, grinning ear to ear. “I trust you’re enjoying yourselves as much as I am?”

“Absolutely,” Emiri confirmed, her heart skipping a beat. He looked so happy it made her grin even wider. “Hearing good stories?”

He nodded. “The kith up here have certainly found ways to make this celebration their own. They fully embrace all the important parts, but put their own twist on the traditions and even added a couple. It’s fascinating to learn about.”

“I’ll bet it is,” she said with a laugh. “I’d ask you to stay and regale me, but Aloth got the last seat, and it doesn’t seem fair to make you stand.”

“Oh, no worries,” Kana laughed, eyes dancing with mirth. “I’ve no need of a seat. I just wanted to see how all of you were faring, and rid myself of this” --he set his empty tankard on the table with a thump-- “before asking you a question.”

“Me?” Emiri raised an eyebrow and her halo pulsed brighter.

He nodded and held out one hand. “Dance with me?”

Her mouth was suddenly very dry. “I...”

Kana smiled encouragingly. “I think it would be fun, in the spirit of things. And I know the songs are unfamiliar, but this one at least sounds close enough to a sarabande I’m sure you’ll manage with no trouble.”

“B’sides, ev’ryone’s drunk an’ won’t care if you fuck up,” Hiravias chipped in helpfully.

Maybe it was his encouragement, or the festive atmosphere, or even the small amount of alcohol she’d consumed. Or maybe something else, deep inside her, didn’t see a problem with throwing caution to the wind just this once. Whatever the reason, it did sound fun.

“Alright,” Emiri nodded, grinning as she took Kana’s hand and let him help her up. She heard Edér and Hiravias whoop as she and Kana skirted the table to join the other dancing couples.

“Just have fun,” Kana whispered as they set palm to palm and fell in step with the dance. “There’s no call to impress anyone this time, and no one who will care if you miss a step.”

Hearing the reassurance helped, as did Kana’s steady and exuberant presence, and Emiri relaxed enough to lose herself in the flow of the music. Kana had been right; there were a few extra steps, and the tempo was much faster--not to mention the different instruments--but this song was just a variation on the sarabande. She may have flubbed the new steps, but it was exceedingly fun. And gods knew she needed fun after yesterday.

The dance finished far sooner than she expected or wanted, and Emiri huffed out a sigh.

Kana chuckled at the reaction and didn’t let go of her hand. “Want to dance another?”

Emiri nodded, grinning wide around her breathless, “Yes, please.”

The next dance was unfamiliar to them both, and they messed up every few steps, but she didn’t care. Neither did anyone else. They offered encouragement and pointers, but the holiday was for fun, so enjoying yourself was the only requirement. And Emiri certainly met that. All told, she and Kana danced to five songs--with varying degrees of skill, but steadily increasing enjoyment--before they dropped, breathless and laughing, into seats near the rest of their friends.

Edér pushed drinks toward them with a grin. “Looks like you two could use this.”

Emiri nodded as she took a hard swallow and shot him a grateful smile. More wyrthoneg. She wasn’t much for alcohol, but this was sweet enough--mild enough--she enjoyed it.

The warm glow from dancing held steady in her chest through the next couple hours of conversation with both her friends and Stalwart’s people, overwhelming enough Emiri wondered if it was visible to everyone.

The answer proved a resounding yes when Edér grinned and pointed out, “You look like you’re tryin’ to outshine the stars, Miri.”

She grinned back and shrugged, gesturing toward her halo. “It gets brighter when I’m happy.”

“Good,” Aloth chipped in with a smile of his own. “You deserve it.”

Emiri shot him another smile. “We all do.”

“Well, this is the place for it,” Hiravias said, holding up his fourth--fifth?--drink in a toast of sorts. “They sure know how to throw a party, I’ll give ‘em that.”

“Right generous of you,” Edér laughed. 

“I’m in a charitable mood,” Hiravias shot back, grinning and bobbling the drink in wordless explanation. “Don’t expect it to last.”

The evening rolled on amid similar banter, punctuated by various locals seeking out the Watcher to thank her for keeping them from having more people to remember this Winter’s End. She chatted with Thyrsc and Suldrun, gave Mylla the bracelet she’d made before breakfast, and waved off Mayor Tarfos when he tried to offer her a reward for chasing away the Iron Flail. By the time they all turned in for the night, Emiri was almost as tired as she’d been the previous day, just for a much better reason.

She smiled into her pillow as she settled in to bed. It had to be her imagination, but she’d swear her hand still felt warm from holding Kana’s. I definitely like Winter’s End, she thought drowsily, before drifting off to significantly more pleasant dreams.

#queens fic #pillars prompts weekly #emiri #kana rua #hiravias #eder teylecg #my poor poor smitten kitten #she's got it so bad for kana guys #SO BAD

[queen-scribbles]

I'd be very curious to see what you come up with for T. An obscure AU - for Tavi/Aloth!

I’m v dangerous with AUs because I start dreaming up ideas and I can’t stop. xD But most of them aren’t technically obscure(Mass Effect, AtLA, etc) soooo

Stargate: Atlantis it is. :DDD (close second: Pushing Daisies)

(disclaimer: it’s been a couple years since I last watched SG:A, so i may be fuzzy on lore). Also, this is not minific. it’s 1700 words, this sucker’s a full on fic. Might cross post it to AO3.

This was shit, it was all shit.

Tavi dove behind a boulder, her back slamming into the hard comfort of stone as a blast winged off the top of her hiding place. She tried to catch her breath and took a moment to check the power pack in her pistol. 53% Straining her ears for any sound of her Hunters, she contemplated the risks of swapping out now versus later, possibly under much more dire circumstances. The Wraith had apparently gotten tired of her eluding them and had herded her to a planet with next to no decent cover and far too many open spaces. Ideal for the hunters, not the prey. Especially when the prey had started hunting back.

“Shit,” she muttered under her breath, and swapped out the power packs. After the new one clicked into place, she slid the old one into a slot on her belt to recharge. It wasn’t worth the risk to wait. Especially since gods only knew when she’d next find cover, and she could hear the soft crunching footsteps of several big someones trying to walk quietly on gravelly terrain. Tavi took a deep breath, settled her grip on the pistol’s hilt, and waited, counting steps until the trio of Hunters were mere feet from her hiding place. With one final deep breath, she pushed herself to her feet, pivoting to rain hellfire on the Wraith hunting her.

Apparently no one had warned this particular trio just how dangerous their quarry was. She took them completely by surprise, the first blast of her pistol taking off the whole side of the first Wraith’s head. He fell with a shrieking groan and twitched for a second or two before going still, black blood soaking the dusty ground.

His partners recovered quickly, one of them getting off a lucky–or skilled–shot that hit the heel of her hand and threw her pistol out of her grasp and out of reach. Tavi hissed an obscenity and let out a wordless scream of rage as she reached for her salvage blade. Even as her fingers curled around the hilt, one of the Wraith lurched forward, howling in pain as the echo of something unfamiliar but unmistakably weaponry hung in the air.

Tavi took advantage of the distraction–and unexpected help–and dove for her pistol instead. A pair of energy blasts pocked the ground inches from her outstretched arm, but she ignored them. Her fingers closed around the pistol grip and she swung around and fired. She didn’t have time to aim, but then, this gun you didn’t really need to aim. She blew a hole in the second Wraith’s chest as the third was riddled with shots from her unexpected back-up.

Finally feeling the pain in her wrist, Tavi switched the gun to her other hand as she scrabbled back to her feet and turned her attention to the newcomers. They weren’t Wraith, that much was obvious–though the shortest of the three was pale enough he could probably pass with hair dye and a helmet to hide those piercing blue eyes–but not all kith could be trusted. Some worshiped the Wraith, some were too worried about their own skins, and she hadn’t survived this long by being naive.

“Who’re you?” she demanded of the apparent leader, a scruffy blond holding a rifle. He was aiming it at the ground, but his finger still lightly rested on the trigger. They weren’t idiots, whoever they were.

“Teylecg,” he said, dipping his head in a nod of greeting. “But you can call me Edér. This is Corfiser-” a nod toward the shorter man, who she couldn’t help but notice hadn’t even drawn a weapon- “and Pallegina.” A nod toward the woman who stood on his other side, feathers interspersed in her short dark hair and trailing around her eyes, loosely holding a long-barreled pistol. “And you?”

“Tavi.” She shook hair back out of her eyes. “What’re you doin’ here?”

“They are part of an expedition inhabiting the city of Atlantis,” Pallegina spoke up, holstering her weapon. “And I am an ally of theirs. We are exploring, looking for resources and more allies. What about you?”

“Runnin’,” Tavi replied with a dark grin, letting her gun hang loosely at her side. “Just runnin’. S’all I got left.”

“Wanna join us?”  Edér drawled. He slung his rifle to rest across his back and gave her a warm, slightly crooked, smile. “Can’t promise how good the pay’ll be, but you could stop runnin’, we could help each other.”

She felt an extra edge creep into her smile as she shook her head. “ ‘Preciate the offer, but that’s prob’ly not a good idea.”

Edér didn’t push, didn’t even ask her reasons, which was a bit of a surprise. “Suit yourself. Can we at least help ya with your hand?”

Tavi glanced down at the raw energy burn across her wrist and the heel of her hand. it stung pretty bad, and on a dustball planet that was pretty much all dirt and rocks with no real civilization to speak of, it would be wise to avoid infection or the Wraith wouldn’t have to kill her. “Sure. Go right ahead.” She slipped her pistol into its holster but left the strap undone.

“Alright, then,”  Edér said, stepping to the side. “Corfiser, you’re up. We’ll make sure no one crashes the party ‘til you’re done.” He and Pallegina pulled out their weapons and took up guard positions.

“Greatly appreciated,” Corfiser said dryly. “You realize I’m hardly the best at this, yes?”

“Yeah, but since Doc decided not to come this trip, you’re the best we’ve got,” Edér rejoined, not taking his eyes off their surroundings. “Which means you’re up.”

Tavi instinctively flinched, fingers twitching toward her gun, as Corfiser unslung his knapsack and reached inside it. “Sorry,” she muttered when he gave her a Really? look as he pulled out a medical kit. “Old habits an’ all.”

“I understand,” he said, hint of a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. He motioned for her to sit on a nearby flat rock and she obliged. “Still, it must be tiring, never trusting anyone.”

“It is,” she admitted, folding her legs up crisscross and holding out her hand, resting her arm against her knee. He sat next to her and unzipped the kit. “Lonely sometimes, too.”

“Then why do it?” he asked, pulling out the necessary supplies.

Tavi laughed cynically, huffed a loose wisp of hair back toward her ragged ponytail. “Like I told your boss, Corfiser-”

“Aloth will do,” he cut her off. He unscrewed the lid of the small bottle he held and trickled a bit of the clear liquid inside over her wound. It stung. A lot.

Tavi yelped and almost jerked her hand free of his grasp. He was stronger than he looked and managed to hold her still, but just barely. “What in the Four Hells is that?!”

“It’s a disinfectant,” Aloth said calmly, watching the clear liquid dribble from her wound down over his fingers. “There’s a lot of dirt and dust on this planet; do you want this to get infected?”

“No,” she grumbled, forcing herself to relax in his loose grip.

“Then hold still.”

“It hurts.”

“That’s how you know it’s working,” he explained patiently, with just a little wry humor in his voice.

Tavi snorted a laugh. “Anyway. Like I told your boss, Aloth, us joining forces, prob’ly not a good idea.”

“Why not?” Aloth probed, gently pressing a soft white square of fabric over her wound and binding it in place with the long roll of gauze. “Seems ideal to me; you’re clearly skilled-” he nodded toward the knife tucked in her belt- “and we could protect you from… whatever you’re running from.”

She grinned sardonically and started ticking points off on the fingers of her good hand. “I can take care of myself, I get into plenty of trouble on my own, I don’t need t’ be worryin’ about other people, aaaand rather than bein’ protected I’d prob’ly get all of ya killed.”

He finished tying off the bandages and gave her a skeptical look. “I rather doubt that.”

Tavi raised an eyebrow. “Rather doubt that? You sound like an educated big-city type.”

Aloth shrugged, unperturbed by her friendly needling. “Perhaps I am.”

“Well, city slicker, doubt it all ya want. Won’t make it less true.” She flexed her fingers, then her wrist, to test the injury’s range of motion. “Good job.”

“Thank you.” He didn’t let go of her hand, instead looking at her intently. “We can take you somewhere the Wraith–or whoever’s hunting you–won’t find you.”

Tavi let out a cynical bark of laughter. “I rather doubt that.”

Aloth barely twitched an eyebrow at her reversal of his skepticism. “Why?”

In answer, she pulled aside the neckline of her tank top until he could see the knot of scar tissue perched along the top edge of her left shoulder blade. “They got a tracker in me. The Wraith use me as huntin’ practice. To keep their skills sharp.” She flashed a dark smile. “Less I kill ‘em first, of course.” She sighed. “I come with you, they’ll follow. Kill me, you, your friends, an’ everyone on your expedition, like as not.”

His brow knit together in a frown as he examined the scar. “Can’t you dig it out?”

“Yes, thanks, the thought never occurred to me,” she snarked, letting go of her shirt.  “It’s dug into my nervous system or somethin’. Every time I try, m’arm goes numb for a day or two.”

“Well, we can’t have that,” Aloth deadpanned as he packed up the medical kit. He paused, biting his lip in thought. “What if we could get it out?”

“If you could, city slicker, I’d likely come with ya,” Tavi acknowledged, grinning. “Feel like you’d be fun to have around. But how would we go about it?”

He smirked. “I’ve got a couple ideas….”

She raised an eyebrow and held up her bandaged wrist. “Gonna hurt as bad as this?”

“Oh, much worse,” Aloth said glibly, which made her laugh.

“Fantastic.” Eh, can’t see the harm… “So, what are these ideas?”

#queens fic #otp: third time's the charm #tavi illani #aloth corfiser #it's not v shippy #buuuut it's just the first meeting #that's not shippy even in canon