Whispers And Clockwork Curiosities: Part 2

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Whispers And Clockwork Curiosities: Part 2

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Tairais

Tairais

@Amuulzhaan 2 years ago

((And here we continue, in some of the places Between, and in worlds of an unusual sort.

Edit: Forgot to clarify the fact this is part 2, woops.))

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Tairais • 2 years ago • edited

(( Jekyll1886:

"I...would greatly appreciate that, yes," he said with a smile.

"He seems to be on the upper story. Perhaps a bedroom?" he conjectured.

He took a moment to focus in on the energy.

"That side of the house," he concluded, pointing.

Tairais:

Charricthran noted the proper side of the house to aim for, then nonchalantly slipped onto a side street. While there were few people out and about, past experience taught him it was always better to be safer, rather than sorry when a potential consequence could be a witch hunt.

"Might feel a bit like ice water, just ta letcha know. Shouldn't actually getcha wet," He said with a soft snicker.

"If it starts feelin' all pins an' needles like, knock on the door an' let me know, cos that means something's buggered itself up tha' I couldn't fix the first time 'round."

He gently interlaced his fingers in front of his heart, drawing them apart gingerly. Tendrils of smoke-like shadows dripped from his fingers, curling on their way down out of the air. Drawing his outstretched fingers upwards in a gentle swooping motion, he closed his eyes and reached for the little bit of his Song he heard close by.

He brought his hands down with a sharp gesture, fingers straight and rigid as the hands of a clock as they met with a surprisingly soft clap, all things considered. Charricthran snapped his eyes open and watched to make sure all things went smoothly, refraining from changing himself until he witnessed the transformation in its completion.

The air tasted faintly of decaying leaves and the iron of approaching winter. ))

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

Lewis, for his part, did his damnedest to align his energy with Charricthran's, hoping it would enable whatever magic the latter was conjuring to affect him.

Luckily, Weir did have the feather his friend had given him in his waistcoat pocket, and indeed felt the energy of the spell concentrate there before spreading out to cover the rest of him.

It was cool and bracing, like the chill nip of late autumn under a starry sky.

It gathered like raindrops running along his skin, tracing its way toward his extremities.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, taking in the sensation.

The energy pooled, then pricked and sprouted, like water springing into ice crystals.

He opened his eyes.

The world seemed to have grown larger--or, rather, he had grown smaller. And sprouted feathers.

The raven-formed Lewis blinked, his vision...different. Colors were subdued, yet forms and shadows were somehow...sharper. This was extremely reminiscent of...he struggled to find the phrase he'd learned in another dimension.

Cell shading, came the realization.

Huh. How very odd.

He looked to Charricthran...and was nearly bowled over by the vibrancy of color swirling about and over and through him. Shifting shades of purple and blue and indigo, not simply some mere black.

"CAW!" he let out in surprise, wings half-raised.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Charricthran chuckled softly.

"Glad ta see that worked well, then. Can't fix ya so you're like me an' able ta talk, but ya should be able to reach through the open door here-" He tapped a single finger against his temple. "-easily enough."

His transformation was more subdued, but certainly no less strange. In between false breaths and the blink of an eye, Charricthran dripped and melted into his own shadow. He swam upwards and into solidity after a moment, tendrils from his own shadow clinging to him like so many vines before they snapped free or melted back into himself.

A droplet of darkened water, returning to the sky from which it fell, pulling itself free of a midnight pond.

The red sigil on his chest was all the more visible against a backdrop of ink. The redness of it shifted like a lazy amber as he spoke, shimmering with the rise and fall of breath.

"All's well, yeah? Cannae tell what you were cawin' about just a tick ago."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago • edited

"Just surprised, was all," replied Lewis. "You're quite a bit brighter than I was expecting. Especially considering how dull everything else looks."

Outwardly, he seemed simply a raven cawing.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

It took Charricthran several beats of quietly confused silence to realize what Lewis was talking about.

"Blimey, 's been so long since anyone's borrowed my eyes, I'd clean forgotten about tha'!" He too spoke in the voice of his guise, his chuckle something odd, halting, and vaguely choked in his feathers because of it.

"'S jus' because things from home tended ta shine brighter'n anythin' else. Shadows stick ta things more, color doesn't matter as much, an' so on. I'm the only thing I know tha' shimmer-shines so."

He half stretched his wings with a softly pleased chirp. It had been quite some time since he'd moved this way- typically speaking, it was rather hard to create things without thumbs, and most people didn't react favorably to a shady-looking raven that could speak.

He said most people because the Fae were technically some people, and they tended not to care about that sort of thing.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago • edited

"It's...it's really quite something," cawed Lewis, still glancing about, "just...taking it all in."

He stretched, trying to get a better feel for this temporary guise.

He extended a wing and studied the different shapes of its feathers, then folded it back against his body.

"So..." he asked after a moment, "how does one fly?"

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Charricthran's grin was as shark-toothed on a bird's face as it was his own.

"Carefully. You're gonna need some powerful downstrokes ta get off the ground, but the biggest challenge comes from not crashin' inta anythin'. Your tail'll be good for this- don' forget about it."

"If it goes as semi-smoothly as it did for me the first time, ya should be able ta figure much o' it out by instinct. Where ta lean, where not ta, which wind currents are a Bad Idea. The basics, see?"

He thought for a moment, then chuckled.

"An' worse comes ta worse, I can catch ya, so don' worry about that either."

With a powerful flutter of wings, he shot upwards to land on the roof. He looked down when he landed on the shingles above, bobbing his head to tell Lewis to give it a go.

The wind above sang a different, more mundane song that was no less enchanting than it was in the world they had left. In a way, it was both comforting and unnerving.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago • edited

Wonder if it's a bit like hang-gliding...presuming I can get high enough.

Lewis rocked back and forth, hopped forward a bit, then tried combining the hopping with flapping to get a "running start" of sorts.

He did get airborne, but not quite well enough to make it over the wrought-iron fence, which he narrowly avoided by veering left at the last second.

The tail would definitely take some getting used to, but even this first trial run had been productive. He felt he grasped the mechanics and kinesthetics a bit better, at least. He was certainly settling into the proper proprioception.

He decided to try flying along the length rather than width of the street, to give himself more room to maneuver.

This form was quite a bit lighter than he'd thought it would be, though it made sense, given birds' hollow bones.

He'd come to realize a running start wasn't necessary unless he were taking off headfirst into the wind.

Instead, he simply flapped as hard as he could, exhaling on each down-stroke, and adjusting his tail like a rudder with more than one axis.

It wasn't graceful, but it got the job done; he soon found himself catching a current like the helmsman of an oceangoing ship.

Higher and higher in a widening gyre, and, oh, it was exhilarating! Wracks of clouds above and creeping fog below, the houses rising out of it with their lights like carefully crafted stalagmites speckled with glowing amber.

Of course, the only thing that glowed more brightly yet was Charricthran--there, on the roof.

Lewis practiced diving and rising in preparation for landing next to him.

When he felt he could handle it well enough, he swooped down, banked into a rise that just cleared his friend's head, and landed a bit beyond him with an audible thud.

"Whoops."

Still, he had managed to land on his feet, and hadn't hit Charricthran nor fallen off the roof.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Charricthran watched his friend go through the basics of flying with bubbling joy, his grin almost painfully wide, threatening to split around the sides of his head. His thoughts wandered, as they so often did, and he found himself a great many things- namely, that he'd not lent someone this form since..

Ah, right. Whoops.

He schooled his smile back to something much more tame as Lewis banked around to land. Heaviness aside, it was a decent landing- he didn't fall off or skid sideways.

Lewis spoke, and he let out a caw of laughter.

"Considerin' ya didn't crash through a stained glass window when ya tried ta land, I daresay you've got this fair'n hand!"

He tilted his head towards the house across the way that Lewis'd indicated earlier.

"Fancy hoppin' over, or d'ya wanna try and figure flight out further first?"

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago • edited

"Let's go! Or I shall die of curiosity," Weir laughed as he hopped with a small flap to perch next to Charricthran.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Well, we definitely can't have that! C'mon, then!"

With another burst of laughter, Charricthran took wing to sky and glided toward the house, landing opposite of the window Weir had pointed out earlier. He subtly adopted more 'birdlike' behavior, willing the seams of his beak to behave as normal as he nonchalantly preened his feathers while waiting for his equally feathered friend to land beside him.

Hopefully a little more gracefully this time, he thought with a small amount of amusement.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago • edited

Lewis took off after him, coming to rest on the window ledge to the bedroom in question. We only just managed to avoid colliding with the glass, the tip of his beak merely giving it a soft tap.

He turned, shook off, settled himself...then gazed through the windowpane.

Upon the nightstand sat a hurricane-style lamp, its flame dim.

The meager light revealed a sleeping figure in the bed, the covers to his chin. One arm lay upon them, a book in hand.

The man had fallen asleep reading.

He slept fitfully, struggling against the grip of fever or possibly mild poisoning.

He chanced to turn his face toward the window, the lamplight falling across his features and form.

High cheekbones. Dark brown hair, medium-long. A mustache and stubble. He was tall, but of a lanky build, made slimmer still by sickness.

Lewis had no words, though his heart raced at the sight of his counterpart.

Meanings, implications, the letters he'd written oh-so-long ago, the events leading up to them--his youth, his strange experiments, his imperfectly divided nature, the reckoning with Hastie, the things John had told him later--all of this tumbled pell-mell through his mind in an instant, the memories white-hot in their intensity.

And, in that moment, as he stared at the man in shock...Lewis quite forgot to shield his thoughts.

His counterpart tossed and turned as if in the grip of some terrible nightmare.

So violent were the motions that their noise attracted the attention of a dark-haired woman who must have been nearby.

She rushed into the room, calling, "Louis. Louis!" She shook the man.

He awoke with a start.

He glanced about the room, disoriented. His eyes were nearly dark as Edward's, but the fire in them was the same as Henry's whenever insight and inspiration struck.

"Why did you wake me?" he chastised her. "I was dreaming a fine bogey tale!"

He immediately turned up the lamp and went to his writing desk, the book he'd been reading left abandoned on the bed.

He took up a pen, dipped it in ink, and began writing madly, striving to get it all down before the "dream" could fade.

He never noticed his avian visitors.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Silence was his companion as he watched with unease curling somewhere between his throat and chest.

Still, though this world was all but nonconductive to things of his kind, he tended to drag bits and his pieces of his world wherever he went. There were Secrets in the air, faint like some distant singing chimes. He could not hear them, and for once in his life, he was thankful.

Charricthran found his side of the story in watching Weirmrith-Lewis and Other-Lewis, and in keeping watch for danger while the former sat enraptured and the latter wrote in a frenzy.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago • edited

Due to the angle of the writing desk, once Weir's counterpart sat down, Lewis was unable to see what exactly he was furiously scribbling.

It was no matter. Weir didn't need to.

Of a sudden, Lewis took off, shakily flapping to the safety of a nearby tree.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Charricthran took off silently after Lewis, landing a little bit away from him on the same branch. He shuffled in place slightly before he spoke, catching his balance.

"Curiosity satisfied, no death ta worry about, yeah?" He chuckled, low and hoarse.

Birds didn't have much in the way of body language that he could read. He didn't know how Lewis felt, nor how to react properly. Though that sort of experience didn't happen often anymore, it was.. vexing when it did, reminding him of too many instances that inability had ended poorly.

He quickly brushed those thoughts aside, lest they become written in his mind or heart.

The mist and fog swirled ever onward, ever inward, curling over the sleepy eyes of houses below.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

Lewis was startled out of his reverie.

"I have...much to think about," he managed, turning his head to look at Charricthran.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Need a soundin' board, or would silence be better? I can bugger off too, if you'd like."

In this form, the quizzical tilt of his head wasn't so out of place.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago • edited

"I think," said Lewis, "I should like to get out of this form. And perhaps have a glass of brandy."

A pause.

"Maybe eight."

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Well, I can help with the former, at the very least." Charricthran said with a small smile.

He led them back toward a different side street and onto the ground, gliding gently in the quieting air. As with a great many things in life, he found, the journey back was simpler than the journey forward. He melted downward into his shadow then stepped up and out of the clinging darkness, a perfect reflection of how he'd transformed the first time.

That done, he turned to face Lewis. He brought his hands together in the same rushed, silent clap as he had before, then laced his fingers and pushed down, down, until feather had melted into flesh and folded in on itself. Like a potter drawing clay upward on his wheel, he twisted his hands toward himself and upward, the fingers breaking apart once more as darkness melted away, leaving Lewis as he'd been when they first arrived in this universe.

He let his hands fall to his sides, heedless of the ink-like drops trailing from his fingertips. They would cease with time.

Charricthran stood statuesque, waiting for the next choices and words to fall.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

As the shadows retreated, so did their chill, replaced by an upwelling of warmth, like a candle-flame close to the skin.

Lewis breathed a sigh of relief, glad to be back in a familiar form.

He looked a little pale, but otherwise none the worse for wear.

"That was...extraordinary," he said with a chortle half genuine, half forced. It had truly been a remarkable experience. It was just that his thoughts churned now in a way that wouldn't let him rest till he'd sorted through them.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Charricthran smiled wryly, relieved. Not only was Lewis mostly well, but there were cues he could follow now.

"Glad to've done my part, but extraordinary's lookin' a titch wrong in your skin, kid. Ya wanna get those eight brandies here or homeward?"

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"I daresay I've done enough damage here, though it may explain some things."

He shook his head to clear it.

No such luck.

"Home it is."

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

They walked back the way they came, the scent of salt and brine growing stronger the closer they got to the boardwalk, and subsequently, their doorway home.

It took Charricthran several moments to realize that the whole ocean whispered against the shore, calling for lost things to return home and for secrets to be swept under the embrace of the dully roaring waves.

He paused just shy of the waves and looked at Lewis out of the corner of his eye, the hint of a smile flickering back to life.

"You wanna grab my hand before or after we go through?"

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

A chuckle.

"Before," he decided, interlacing his fingers with Charricthran's as they set off into the sea.

* * *

They came through the other side completely dry to stand once more before the cheval-glass in the nave of the ruined temple.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Before they set off properly, Charricthran let out a low, almost mournful whistle. The tone echoed and bounced, back and forth off the walls and in the air. A minute passed before Svanixeu's return was heralded by the sound of his clicking claws against the floor. The little dragon skidded to a halt in front of Charricthran and Lewis, playfully bowing with the same wide grin he'd given Charricthran before they'd went their separate ways.

Charricthran started walking and talking in a low tone of voice, amused by the dragon's bouncy, almost skipping gait.

"Si clax coi wux tepohada vi bensvelk tairais, hak? Si ergriff charis wux tira ti itrewic kiri kiarf iejir shafaer batobot kethend di douta."

Svanixeu let out a trill of something like affirmative joy, causing Charricthran to sigh and shake his head with another chuckle.

"Silly wee thing, you are. C'mon, then- you know where the exit is just as well as I do, kiddo."

He led them toward their vine-encircled mirror, traipsing through the ruined town once more on the way. Svanixeu frequently darted off to look at another mirror or ruin, but always came back within a handful of steps, ever a dizzying blur of golden hues whipping past.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago • edited

Lewis walked along, glad for the distraction the little creature offered. He'd think more calmly once his nerves were settled and dampened by spirits.

He breathed a sigh of relief when they reached the proper mirror.

"Here we are," he said, taking Charricthran's hand.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Home again, home again," Charricthran agreed.

He cast a final glance over his shoulder with a lopsided smile.

He could come back. Knowing him, he probably would.

They stepped back into the shop, and Charricthran dropped Lewis's hand to face the mirror once more. His hands passed gently over the glass surface of the mirror, leaving stillness in their wake.

"Ashir." The word fell from his lips like a drifting feather, a gentle hiss against the quiet hum of the air they breathed. When the mirror fell into dark slumber, so too did some small part of Charricthran.

He turned gracefully on his heel to regard Lewis again.

"Daresay there's drink in the back if ya'd like- Richard prefers to keep it here, rather'n the Society. Otherwise, I can walk ya to the door, further if ya like."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

The dimensional nexus was an interesting place, with countless paths toward adventure and discovery. For now, though, Lewis was glad to be back to the shop. Their journey had given him much to think upon.

"I would welcome a drink, if Richard doesn't mind sharing his stock," he replied to Charricthran.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"I don' think the kid'll even notice- between him zonin' out past Jupiter as an' after he works an' the fact there's enough drink stashed 'round here ta sink an ocean, I daresay it'll be fine."

Charricthran led the way through the winding streets of shelves once more, stopping only when they reached an all but hidden door wedges between two bookcases.

He didn't remember where he got books with eyes on the spine, but they watched him as he pushed open the door into a dimly lit cellar.

As far as cellars went, it was simple and symmetrical, but fairly expensive. A row of wine casks hung above the wine racks on either side, all but full of bottles.

Along the back wall were three sets of four shelves that held a variety of glass and crystal bottles.

The walls were made of simple gray stones that caught the flickering light emanating from sconces on the wall. The floor and ceiling were a different, less mundane matter. Runes were scattered across both wooden surfaces, fractal things that resembled frost and snowflakes.

Their purpose was fairly obvious, as the air was faintly chilled.

He snickered softly, then turned to Lewis.

"I think ya can find a drink in here somewhere. Pick somethin' out- I'll see if I can't find a set of glasses..."

His voice trailed off as he meandered back into the maze of shelves that made up the main body of the store.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

Lewis chuckled.

"Might just, yes."

He looked at some of the wines out of curiosity on his way to the shelves in the back.

He took stock of the myriad liquors before him, at last selecting a brandy whose color and aroma boded particularly well.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

There was a faint crash in the distance, followed by less faint shouting in many different languages.

Charricthran popped back into the cellar after six minutes with chips of gemstone on his shoulders, a sheepish smile on his face, and a cut on his cheek.

He held up two crystalline glasses, though the material more closely resembled obsidian than it did glass.

"Found some. 'Ventually."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"Christ, did the glassware fight back?" asked Weir, not entirely joking.

Bottle in hand, he made his way over, concerned and trying to puzzle out what had happened.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

Charricthran burst into a fit of laughter, partly doubling over from the force of it. Though he smiled, his tone of voice was a happy sort of deathly serious.

"Yup! Not this set, but yup! We ain't gonna be able ta go 'round that way ta getcha homeward proper, by the by. Shouldn't be too much o' a problem considerin' the paths shift how they like, but y'know."

The cut was very stubbornly refusing to close properly, unspent energy scattering his focus every which way. He despised sudden loud noises with a vehement passion.

That particular encounter had been both sudden and loud.

He pushed the thought from his mind, shaking his head with another chuckle.

"Crikey. Still, least Svanixeu got some fun outta it. An' probably some new stuff for his lair, come ta think, so all's well."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"Damn," remarked Lewis with a laugh.

He shook his head.

"If I'd known this place would attack you, we could've just gone to a pub or my flat.

"Will you be alright?" he asked.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Oh, tain't the place itself actin' up- it was a set of china I don' remember gettin', 'cept the china was actually a shapeshiftin' spirit I don' have a name for in this tongue- Home had Xuut'ehaism, and that's as close as I can get."

The Name whispered of formless, scrabbling things lurking in the dark, peeling skin and faces from inattentive travelers. Desperate, sorrowful creatures that hungered for their forgotten identities, lost and discarded to make a deal with a creature far worse than they in exchange for eternal life.

He fixed Lewis with a wry grin and shrugged, the glasses catching and reflecting the candlelight a dozen different ways with the gesture.

"I'll be jus' fine- don'tcha worry your pretty lil' head about it."

'Specially when ya say ya have a fountain o' wonderin' on your mind already, Weirmrith.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"Don't worry yours over mine when you're not well yourself," he gently chided. "You've had a nasty surprise, by the look of you. And by the...feeling behind that word you said."

He swallowed.

"Is the spirit still loose up there?" he asked, indicating the top of the stairs with an upward nod.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

His lopsided grin turned dark, sharp, and hungry for a handful of long moments before he remembered (or before he could be bothered) to school it back to something a little more tame.

It was an expression of one of the darkest satisfactions.

"Not anymore."

It was gently smoothed over, darkness returning to where it slept under deceivingly quiet water.

It did little to ease the lingering taste of iron in the back of his throat, but then, that little was more than he'd gotten in times past.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

Lewis raised a brow and smiled, pleased.

For just a handful of moments, Charricthran and his counterpart had been in perfect agreement.

"Good."

He let out a breath as his mind returned to more mundane matters--such as where they'd sit to have brandy--and his own conundrum regarding the dimension they'd visited today.

"I think I'll have that drink, then. Should I just pour it here, or...?"

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Charricthran's thoughts slid to a halt as he considered the question.

Right. Chairs existed. Standing and drinking wasn't something that happened terribly often. In the aftermath of dealing with the Xuut'ehaism, he'd clean forgotten.

He resumed his pantomime of the small movements belonging to the living, breathing creatures of this word, looking for all the world as if he wished he could run a hand through his hair.

"Think if we double back ta where ya found me when ya first walked in, there's a set of armchairs tucked by a wall? Never found a formal sittin' room in here, though it wouldn't surprise me if there was one, if I'm quite frank-- seems right up Richard's alley, that. Otherwise, I'm open ta suggestions."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"That sounds amenable," replied Weir with a nod.

They did indeed eventually find the chairs in question.

They settled in and Lewis poured the brandy, his mind still swirling.

His first glass disappeared in no time.

The second followed suit.

He was able to better savor the third, as it finally took the edge off. His thoughts slowed from a breackneck millrace to a merely efficient, moderate churn.

With the fourth, he truly relaxed, slumping in his chair as he let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

He refilled his glass and took a sip.

Tapped his chin in thought.

And, at last, spoke what was on his mind.

"I saw Louis today."

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Charricthran'd only managed to knock back one of the glasses before his stomach started to churn something awful and the beginnings of a truly spectacular headache prowled at the edges of his vision.

Still, part of the swirling mess was the warmth of the drink itself, unfurling like the petals of a rose.

He let the questioning tilt of his head speak for him until he could make sure none of the wrong words would slip past him.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"Oh bugger, you're not faring well are you?" Lewis more stated than asked, interrupting himself.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Charricthran snorted softly, the edges of his voice curling with a lazy smile.

"In fairness, kid, that wine an' this brandy-" He said, holding up his now-empty glass. "-Were the first proper drinks I've had in... 'bout ten thousand years an' change. Equal parts odd an' painful in turn, but definitely more enjoyable. Jus' makin' sure the words I think an' the ones I say decide ta be the same."

He shook his head slightly.

"Told ya not ta worry 'bout me; I'm right as rain can be, yeah?"

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago • edited

A chuckle.

"Well that'd do it. Particularly on an empty stomach.

"If you can handle drinking some water it might help," he speculated, not entirely sure it would work, given Charricthran's unique physiology.

Lewis reflected his problems weren't Charricthran's. His friend had been nice enough to show him a fascinating realm of infinite possibilities, and here he was, troubled by a dimensional counterpart he'd seen in just one of them. He'd even cut their trip short.

He decided he was being altogether too easily rattled, as well as too needy.

No need to speak on it, no need to burden Charricthran with his own uncertainties. Weir would sort it out in time.

For now, it was good to simply sit and enjoy the brandy. His mind had calmed enough that he could.

He let a relaxed sigh out through his nose.

"Thank you, by the by. I needed this."

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

At Lewis's thanks, Charricthran's smile softened. For a second, he wondered if the rest of him might've started to blur at the edges too, but no, the edges of his illusion were as clear-cut as they always were.

Good ta see the runes stay solid, even when everythin' else don't.

"'Course, Weirmrith. 'Nythin' you need that I can give, I prob'ly will do- no reason not ta, at this point... 'S not like I have much else goin' on for me, 'sides."

He paused, then snickered again, covering his mouth as the sound grew just a bit too loud past what was probably polite.

"Well, guess I do, but I'll take a bad day with you over'a good'un with The Fae."

He trailed off in silence, staring at his glass thoughtfully.

"I think I'll refrain from drinkin' more o anythin'- 'm 'ntirely too... melty-mushy? As it is. Don' need a grand ol' headache makin' it moreso. 'Sides, it feels rather nice, all things considerin'. Warm, even. Hard to get warm, me."

His smile turned sharp and wry again, red eyes glittering with joy and contentedness at simple experiences, rediscovered.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago • edited

Lewis took another sip.

"Aye. Spirits are good for that," he agreed. "They provide a...'liquid jacket', as I've heard some Americans term it."

A chuckle.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

"These the same fellas that decide ta fight the cold in nothing but what they came inta the world with? Ricky-boy had'n American friend by the name o' Jack that did somethin' like."

His smile brightened for a second as a warm chuckle rumbled in his chest like a purr.

"If it's all the same ta them, I'll keep my not-liquid jacket too. Considering its part o' my skin an' all, it prob'ly shouldn't be liquid!.. though bugger if I know what it actually is."

He stretched languidly, still chuckling.

He decided then that this side of tipsy was a lovely feeling, and he should really try to feel it more often.

He'd forgotten something. The realization hit him belatedly, causing him to frown for a moment. Moments being moments, it passed, and he merely shrugged slightly.

Coi ui d'nag svadrav yth re lotoc.

Axun! Er. Yes. You c'n understand me anyway. Dunno why I slipped words.

Ashne doutan mrith jacion.

Tha's a dumb idea when'm sober, kid. Not gonna now, for certain.

Tir coi

Nup.

Axun!

His grin had the teeth of two beings laughing at and with themselves, low and soft like distant thunder now.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"I've never known Americans to fight in the nude, but I've little doubt some might if they were drunk enough," said Weir with a laugh.

Charricthran spoke of his "jacket".

Lewis listened.

He savored the brandy as his friend fell into thought--interesting thoughts, by the feel of the emotions behind them.

"Conversation?" Weir asked after a moment.

"Er, inner conversation, I mean."

Was he on his fifth glass of brandy now?

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Yup!"

Ava'yorn, Weirmrith! Jaci itovic wux shar geou ti yenta zyak!

Charricthran grinned and then broke into laughter, the sound slightly scraping at his throat on the way out. It took him a bit to stop and catch his breath, he did manage... eventually.

"Wer'Vemud says 'llo! An' a buncha other things that ain't fit for charmin' company, ta." He half-directed the chiding towards the ceiling, consonants catching and tripping and stumbling on their way out.

He didn't care. Couldn't, certainly. Too many lovely things to feel for being self conscious about something so trivial. Couldn't stop grinning, for that matter- a lovely problem that happened what could be considered far too often, now.

He didn't care!

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

Lewis looked on as Charricthran got caught in a laughing jag.

Damn, he's a lightweight, observed Weir. Granted, he did say it's been quite some time since he...

...

I could never go ten thousand years without a drink! God's blood! How the Hell did he survive it?

Charricthran spoke.

Lewis broke into a lopsided smile.

"Hello, Wer'Vemud. Like the brandy?"

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Jaci ui ukrisir ekess ve! Shilta si petranas ukris ekess jacion?

Only 'f ya lemme translate it. I don' trust ye ta speak on yer own.

... Winhal.

Charricthran quickly winked at Lewis before stretching again, several joints that didn't exist popping in the wake of the gesture.

From where he was half-sprawled over the arms of the chair, it was easy to watch Charricthran's eyes go from red and cat-like to the shimmering inky blackness of oil in midnight waters. Every so often, curls of smoke the color of flashes of lightning or drying blood would wind their way through the darkness as five eyes tried to see through two.

After a lengthy pause, Wer'Vemud spoke, guided around unfamiliar words by Charricthran's somewhat-faded presence.

"Very much so, yes! We do not have a word for it in our home-tongue - I am glad to know what it is Called in yours. Nald'su Welun was right when he said that it is a warmth known-not often, but often loved."

A grin full of more teeth than should have ever been physically possible curved up its face like a knife wound, bleeding smoky shadows, wisps falling down into the air.

"You have... what is the phrase?" A pause, a tilt of the head as it conferred with its other half. "Ah. 'Good taste'!

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"Thank you," returned Lewis. "To drink a fine brandy's a lovely experience. I'm glad Richard had it on hand, as well as pleased you can share in it."

He smiled easily, and took another sip.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Wer'Vemud glanced at the bottle, mostly empty save for perhaps two or three glasses more worth of liquid. It then glanced to the cup in their hands, and then back to the bottle.

With a devilish smirk, it poured itself another drink and took a sip, savoring the flavors on its tongue even as Charricthran quietly protested - it tasted amazing, sure, but it was a Bad Idea to-

The taste was different on its tongue, but still enjoyable in its entirety. Stardust, the smell of grass, quicksilver as water and molten iron for air. Abstract things- the stuff of dreams and Whispers.

Absolutely wonderful. And warm. It had missed being warm. They had missed being warm. Living as they did was cold, cold, cold. Surely they could have this for a bit?

Of course. There was absolutely no reason it couldn't have this.

"The taste is better when I do not see it from his tongue, I think!"

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago • edited

"Interesting," remarked Lewis. "I'll admit there's a slight difference in the perception of taste from one form to another--probably down to physiology, in my case. Intriguing to know it's the same with you."

As low as Charricthran's tolerance for alcohol was, Weir saw fit to finish his own glass and pour another, to keep Wer'Vemud from potentially drinking all the bottle's remaining contents given time.

The fact that it was very good brandy didn't hurt, either.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Its next sip of brandy burned on the way down, fingers of fire scraping at the two of them, pressing against the tips of their ears and the tops of their cheeks, flush with half-false half-warmth.

"When we think of the fact that I have a form that is here where his is lost, it makes much of that idea. Add the Song that I am to it, and it changes the Song of the drink much as well."

The subtly shifting glow of starlit currents filling the air curled in its mind's eye, scattering the lights of a thousand thoughts into a thousand far-aways- There were so many things to do and say, and yet It couldn't speak of a single one.

What a delightful problem to have.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"You know..." it occurred to Lewis after taking a sip, "while we're on the subject, that does beg the question: Why do you have a different Song than Nald'su Welun?

"And, for that matter, what's your first memory? I'd be lying if I claimed not to be curious," he said with a tilted smile.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

Wer'Vemud's eyes lit up for a moment, flashes of lightning against the dark sky. Presumably, it was excited.

"The first of your words have no definite answer I can give, but I should think that it is near to the different voices that make it, and the different..."

There was a lopsided smile as it tilted its head, locked in inner conversation.

The nature of Nald'su Welun was working against him: the longer Wer'Vemud talked, the more he relaxed into the lack of control their tentative trust offered. The poor child was quite weary, it was only natural that he should start to slumber ever so slightly.

Good. In what way, he would not voice, but Nald'su need not worry.

"Nald'su Welun calls it Intent. The right word it may be- I have no true word for it in the home-tongue. I consider it Thought, but the name falls... short. It is the.. twist and turn of emotion that turns the Song to shape. I am the Voice of the darkness that did sing me into life. Nald'su has the voice of himself, long before I ever had a whisper."

It chuckled with the sound of thunder and crystal shattering underwater. Its smile to mirror Lewis's, soft tissue warping in a way unfamiliar to a creature of bone and claw.

"To that extent, my first memory is his, if you speak of the first of all truth. I have been a part of him from the moment he first drew breath. However, my true first memory came from the scrape of his fangs against the throat of the half-dead creature that left him without a mother and father."

Its smile darkened to the expression that had crossed their face when Lewis had inquired after the shape-changing creature.

"Nald'su Welun calls it 'a birth of unified monstrosity'. I think there is no way to tell of a creation by blood and his fear, grief, and cold-burning rage."

"Either way, I took great joy in tearing the throat from that creature. That, perhaps, is the one part of my Song that has not changed over our long eternity."

Its expression turned to something alien, curiosity festering in the darkness.

"What is yours, Weirmrith Viofdioenel? He is curious, but will not ask for fear of upsetting you." A smirk. "I have no such trouble."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago • edited

"'The voice of the darkness that did sing you into life'," echoed Lewis, considering the matter intellectually. "Interesting turn of phrase. I find that different people mean different things when they say 'darkness'--literal darkness; metaphorical darkness; the void which existed and exists before and in opposition to being; the long, dark night of the soul; the mere absence of light...or simply of an accustomed state of consciousness, a break with the norm brought on by extreme emotion. Which do you mean, by the by? For surely you must understand all the cosmos is undergirded by the same hum, even in stillness, its permutations perceived as differences by the typical limitations of a finite frame of reference. Light and dark, being and nonbeing--all the same, when you get right down to it. So I suppose the question really is...what do you perceive yourself to be?"

For in truth, there was nothing alien to him.

He belatedly remembered Wer'Vemud's last question.

"Oh, and as to the first memory, it's nothing terribly significant," he brushed it off with a laugh and a wave of his hand. "Just being in bed ill as a child." An amused smile.

Damn, this was good brandy.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"I should think I am all and none of those; It would change by the day."

Its counterpart satisfied, Wer'Vemud answered Lewis's question.

There was a low hum, reminiscent of shifting earth, as it considered how best to describe itself.

In the end, the answer was simple.

"Si mi Wer'Vemud. I am The Opposite. I am the shadow-reflection of Nald'su Welun, in any form it takes, be it the simple words or the far ones."

A simple, complex truth, but a truth nonetheless. It smiled, pleased for Lewis's question and the answers it had provided.

And ever on, they shifted to intertwine. These were the first steps toward the dreams of the long-dead philosophers of their world.

They had sought to discover the world to master it. They should have sought to discover themselves. It would have been the same either way.

It took another sip of brandy from the glass, ignoring Nald'su Welun's worry and irritation.

They would be fine. It would finish his conversation, and then he could go back to his.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

Ah, concluded Lewis. The Shadow. That was familiar territory. Easy enough.

He smiled.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance," he replied, dipping his head in a nod before taking another sip of brandy.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Likewise. It is easy to see why-"

Its voice cut off with an audible click. Having expected this, it smiled wryly.

There was a very heated argument between it and Charricthran, and for a moment it seemed as if the latter might make his return.

Eventually, though, the brief battle settled, metaphorical feathers smoothed.

"My apologies to you. It is easy to see why he so enjoys your... company. The feeling is.. 'mutual', Weirmrith.

It lifted its glass in a half-cheer before taking another sip itself.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"Good to know," said Lewis with a gentle smile.

He drank with Wer'Vemud.

"Do you and Nald'su Welun find yourselves in conflict over many things?" he asked. "Or, well...perhaps 'disagreement' might be a better term," he corrected himself.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

"Not as much so anymore, but often enough. We had, as a matter of truth, been truly one for much of both of our lives. Certain events- of which he may have told of one or two in part- separated us out of necessity, or what was his view of necessity."

Its expression turned wry, tinged with the clarity of hindsight.

"I suppose I did not react well, in truth, but he had been hurt and bled in far too many ways. Shattered would be a word to use. I could not fix him, nor could he heal my wounds. The distance between us only made matters bitter and cold."

It sighed, then smiled again.

"The death of Torke Shochraos, and certain Whispers on the wind, told him of what we had already known, and made it a somewhat... easier process to walk back toward the idea of unity. We have agreed to let past hurts lay far by, in an attempt to mend each our own part.

A chuckle. Another sip of brandy. Another trail of warmth, burning down their throat and leaving pink in their cheeks.

"Now, our only disagreement stems from his hiding from himself. I can see him when he refuses to see himself. I do not need my other eyes for that."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"A stopgap measure, the perceived separation, then," Lewis understood. "And the path toward reunification a willing one..."

Excellent.

"What is it you think he won't admit to himself--which aspects or thoughts or feelings in particular?"

I could probably help with that, if I know more about what I'm dealing with.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Wer'Vemud nodded in response to Lewis's first observation, then huffed a windblown sigh at the question it was asked.

"He does not wish me to speak of them. As you do not understand my native tongue and I cannot speak yours, I rely on him to change the words for me in the way that is close to the true ones."

It cast a meaningful glance at the brandy in its hand, mischief twinkling like stars in the depths of its eyes.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

Due to the brandy, Lewis himself didn't repress a catlike smile at the meaningful look.

"Fair enough," he returned after a sip. "I suppose I shall simply have to ask him. You will be listening and able to tell him what the things in question are, I presume?"

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"I should think so, yes, if you intend to ask him soon as opposed to later. The matter of his answering in truth or not will depend the most on how much this delightful drink has truly affected him. However, as this is his body I am wearing..."

Its smile tilted further upward, amusement deepening as it took another sip of brandy, the glass near empty again.

"Without question, it is changing him more than it is changing me. Where I would read Thoughts to words, he now does so in my place. It is easy enough when we are as gray as we are now for me to borrow the words from his mind. He now has to contend with not understanding what is being spoken, but hearing Thought behind all things."

It paused to down the last little bit of brandy in its glass with another low chuckle.

"It helps that he believes my... amusement to be a product of drink, rather than of irony and... scheming."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"Even with you directly stating it so?" asked Lewis, raising an eyebrow. "I should think that 'Intent' would come through loud and clear."

And if you're scheming against your counterpart, that shows a distinct lack of trust...and the way forward won't be so easy.

He finished his brandy and poured himself another.

Ah well. Hell if I care.

...

Right now, anyway.

He continued to drink.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Wer'Vemud shrugged lazily.

"I should think so too, and yet, I am able to speak freely, as opposed to when I tried to speak a truth before."

Its brow furrowed as it fixed the now-empty glass with a glare and sighed rain against the rooftops.

"I am trying to heal what is not mine to do, but it hurts us both to let that fester like an open wound. He does nothing but stab and scratch to make it worse. I should not need to disguise my intent, nor take pleasure in twisting my Thoughts so. Perhaps he wishes for it to be so too, somewhere where there are no words.

It tapped against the glass with longer talons it didn't remember forming, shadows lazily writhing under their shared skin where it had become translucent.

"He is stubborn when it comes to those he trusts. Perhaps he should-might have listened to me. He will not lose you now for tooth or decay he finds, nor will he take a step further than what you give. It matters not if that truth will-rot-rots us both from the inside. He is selfless where I am selfish."

Its words gradually became less directed to Lewis and more to itself. Oddly, it wished it had its tail, that it might lash out some of the energy bouncing trapped beneath its skin.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago • edited

"I'm aware he's infatuated with me," said Lewis nonchalantly. "I just can't consider the possibility of...anything more than friendship until the two of you work things out," he said with a sigh. "Scheming is not going to help matters. Honesty is. Between the both of you, as well as with me."

He looked at his glass.

"Once you have your collective house in order," he said, meeting the other's gaze, "then invite me in, and I'll see if I like the place...and if you can stand me as a house-guest," he finished with a wry smile.

"Do pass all of that on, if you would."

He leaned back, rested his right ankle on his left knee, and sipped his drink.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Wer'Vemud flashed a smile that was decidedly closer to a grimace as all of Charricthran's panic hit him at once.

"If you would excuse me for a moment? I apologize in warning."

It closed its eyes without waiting for a response, sourness scraping at their stomach, warmth long since turned to acidity.

Arguments and counterpoints were brandished like fire and sword, clashing and ringing against each other in a fit of desperation. The ebb and flow of battle shimmered at the edges of their illusion, occasionally vanishing it entirely to reveal glimpses of the form of nothingness that lay beneath their skin.

Fury turned to fear, then to grief, then to irritation and calm logic. No sooner did the waters settle than they frothed again, the two of them violently disturbing a sea as they argued and warred.

This went on for several long minutes. At times, it seemed as if one part of the soul would overtake the other entirely, shortly before equilibrium was reached and then thrown against the rocks to shatter once more.

All storms ran their course in time.

Charricthran, having lost this particular battle against what they both knew to be true, fell quiet and still, but did not lock his doors behind him. The waves and thunderclouds receded, leaving behind nothing more than the bitter taste of leftover anxiousness in its stomach and mouth.

It tasted of copper and seawater. They both felt like being ill. It was the only one that felt the underlying sickly warmth of the first steps made without the intent to do so.

It cracked open one eye, their form smoothing visibly jagged edges where it had started to push feathers of glass from their skin.

"Your message was passed on. As was what came before." Their grin was sharp in the aftermath, built on the skeletons of broken ships.

"The will to try is there for us both. Understand it will be far easier for me than for him, and that he will use me as a shield should things threaten to overwhelm as they did just that previous moment."

He chuckled, then added, "With less.. fanfare as this before, I should think."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

The stormy internal battle between Nald'su Welun and Wer'Vemud was thankfully muted for Lewis due at least in part to all the brandy he'd imbibed.

By the time the two hashed things out, Weir had finished his sixth glass and poured himself the last of the bottle's contents.

I'm definitely going to need some water in a bit.

'Glad I ate before I left the Society.

Wer'Vemud spoke.

"Good," returned Lewis. "Let's do the proper thing and rip the bandage off, then. I'd like to speak with Nald'su Welun."

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Wer'Vemud nodded, partly solemn, partly resigned, partly relieved.

"Until we meet again, then."

They closed their eyes and stood at the precipice of change. Wer'Vemud ended up having to quite simply shove Charricthran back to the forefront of their mind.

Charricthran's eyes flew open- red, glittering- and first thought was that he was terribly drunk- this was a terrible idea. Everything was blurring at the edges like lovely watercolors, the sound of fingertips tapping out melodies on a piano at the wee hours of the morning.

His second thought was to remember everything all at once and to have nausea slam into his stomach at full force. Things sharpened in the wrong directions at that, trails of light bleeding from the seams.

He opened his mouth to speak, then flinched. He started to shrink in on himself before he froze, remembering that he shouldn't. He promptly forced himself to appear relaxed after that.

He wouldn't have been able to convince anyone if he'd tried.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

Lewis returned Wer'Vemud's nod.

Charricthran opened his eyes.

"Hello there," offered Lewis with a gentle smile. "Good to see you. How are you farin'?"

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"'Mnot sure I know m'self, 'ntirely."

He relaxed slightly at the smile after a moment taken to keep the expression from wobbling. The tight ball of nerves that had wound its way around his stomach reached for his throat next.

He resolutely ignored it, leaning into the fleeing warmth of the drink to dull his thoughts somewhat. It was like a particularly effective blanket, dampening things somewhat.

"Anxious, for one." A mumble, then, as if each word were a tooth pulled, "Grateful ya ain't yellin' or otherwise upset with me, for another, 'ven though that ain't.. right for your tickin'. Relieved, 'n part, think."

Wer'Vemud was silent, but he could feel its quiet approval. Honesty scraped at his stomach on the way out and left gaping wounds in the wake, but he'd promised to try.

After all these eternities, he remained a man of his word.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"'Tis better to talk these things out than suffer in silence," agreed Lewis. "Even if it may seem a rough go at first."

He took a sip of brandy.

"I'm grateful to you, too, you know. Grateful you've let me into your world, let me see what's inside, let me get to know...you. Grateful the trust runs both ways, so I could open up and show you a bit of mine," he said with a smile. "I fancy that's a luxury neither of us has had in some time."

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

A little less tension, a few more bricks off the walls he'd so quickly thrown up. A softer edge to a smile that had the normal amount of too-many-teeth.

"Right there, 's usual... 'M grateful too. An' about half'a seas over, which'm fair sure's the main.. reason this happened."

He looked down at his hands, scratching at the back of one absently. Eyes were too much, too bright. Gratitude more so- what could do with it? He couldn't measure up against himself, prone to cracking and rebuilding constantly.

"Thank'ee, in return. For the same n'for all o' it."

His soft smile turned wry for a handful of seconds before it smoothed.

What a day.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"The same," returned Lewis. "As well as for the brandy," he said with a laugh.

I'm goin' to need so much water...and a good night's sleep.

"I'm glad to've run across the shop today. So much has happened. I know it will take me a bit to sort through it--and to get sober--but I'm glad all the same. 'Tis a watershed moment, feels like."

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

Charricthran snickered, back to the half-purr thing of before.

"Thank Ricky-boy for that- ain't my cellar, ta. I jus' put the cold bits in!"

He finally managed to stop leaning back quite so far, though he still scratched gently at his hand. It kept him from floating too far, consequences be cursed.

Lewis continued and he huffed, too weary to laugh proper again, but amused and quietly... odd in turn.

"That it did, an' that it does. Still feel like I should be a'runnin', though."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

Lewis shrugged.

"'Tis only me, and 'tis only you, in your fullness. We're just people is all, end o' the day."

A chuckle.

"We still on for Friday evenin'?"

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Charricthran smiled, and it was a right helpless thing.

"I know, an's why I feel damn foolish on top o' it all. You're you, 'm me, nothings changed 'cept everythin' ta pers... perspective."

Words melted and slurred, the edges mixing like water and paint. He hurried on before the colors became indistinguishable from each other.

"An', course. Gave my word I'd see this through. Takes 'lot more ta run me off, guess. Little more, least."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"There is much to be said for perspective," Weir opined.

Charricthran spoke further.

Lewis nodded. An approving and inebriated smile graced his features.

"Friday it is then," he agreed, and took another sip.

"Say," he remarked, changing subjects, "do you know what Richard likes? I wantae pay him back in some way for the brandy," he chortled, with a look at the empty bottle.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Charricthran snorted, glad for the change of subject.

"Ya happen'ta know where some interestin' metal or gems are, tha's best. Failin' that, he'sa sucker for'a buncha odd things."

Charricthran set his glass down and began to count things off on his fingers.

"Fam'ly recipes, 'scure poetry, somethin' sweet, sheet music even'f can't play the instrument it's for, anythin' broken he can try ta fix, puzzles an' the like, anythin' with the likeness o' lavender an' roses. 'F ya feel like bein' clever, get him some irises. His mother's name, that. He finds them amusin' cos she wasn't all fond o' em."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"Wonderful," said Lewis with a grin.

"Oh say, by the way, the holidays are comin' up; are we doin' gifts? I'm not certain who does what about here. Is it Christmas or Yule or Hogmanay or somethin' else entire?"

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Charricthran shrugged, draping his legs back over one of the arms of his chair.

"Beats me. Wasn't 'round for the kid's first winter 'round here. Pretty sure gifts go 'round ta all, as Richard's got me helpin' on some o' his. Don' think's anythin' like what I tend ta do in the cold months, so cross tha' sideways an' off."

He glanced at the ceiling in contemplation before shrugging and smiling.

"Prob'ly Christmas, for the most o' em. Seems bout right."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"Oh?" asked Lewis. "What do you do, then?"

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

He lazily turned his head slightly to fix Lewis with amusement.

"'S more stuff from home. Think ya wanna listen ta me yammer on again? Can't promise I won't start trippin' o'er language, either."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"I wouldnae mind it," Weir mused.

"Though I might should get some water and take a piss first."

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Charricthran waved a hand an turned to face the ceiling again.

"Jus' start walkin'. Shop'll guide y'ta both, since I told it ta."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

Lewis nodded, finished the brandy, set down the glass, and got up languidly.

A very relaxed and easy walk took him first to the loo and then to a pitcher of water.

He passed several intriguing items on the way.

That's worth a look... he thought of several, making a mental note he hoped he'd remember.

Eventually, he returned and settled down across from Charricthran again, much relieved. Things were warm and fuzzy at the edges, and he relished the feeling.

"Ah'm back," he said with a wave of his wrist.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

Charricthran took a moment to gather his wandering thoughts and moor them somewhere safe before greeting Lewis with a wry smile.

"Good ta seeya 'gain. 'S storytime, now."

He propped himself up on his elbow in a matter that would've befitted a chaise lounge than an armchair. Still, it was what it was, and that was wonderfully comfortable.

"For this story ta make any sense, ya gotta understand tha' home'n'us came from The Well o' Stars, somewhere in called The Between. None o' us know wha' the real name o' the place is, tha's knowledge for Wer Irral. The First. I don' talk about Singin' ta be fanciful- everythin' was Sung 'cordin' to their Will, then woosh! Suddenly a bunch o' gods ta keep them company, all dragon-like an' shite- the Darastrixi, we call 'em. Big ol' end ta loneliness, that."

"'Nyway, the first o' the Darastrixi that Wer Irral decided ta chirp on' 'bout was Valignaramuul. Hers was'th Song o' shadows, Night, an' all the lovely sleepy-shiny things. 'Sposed ta be that I can trace my blood back ta the first o' my kind she gifted her blood ta, or somethin' equally odd an' pretentious.. creation-y."

"So each o' these gods o' ours- yth-we, the Darastriejir, spend their time Singin' an' doin' godly shite, an' they take turns lookin' inta the Well o' Stars, an' s'posed ta be what makes the world change colors. Valignaramuul bein' the one Sung at the birth-death of the world, she gets ta say hello 'round this time o' year, an' my kind start ta celebrate what we call Onkmet'Lilbhiahin."

The name of the holiday was a mouthful of snow and ice and glowing lights. He hated snow, but loved the time of year and the ritual comforts of home.

An annoying paradox, that.

The more he talked, the more Charricthran's voice became harsh and guttural around the edges. It curled like smoke against teeth and sparks of flame dripping and popping against burning trees.

"Startin' on th'first day it gets dark 'fore the vakilral- seventh, rather, candle, we start ta... summon-usher-bring? Change. Means bright lights against snow and rooftop, stars in the night.. svant, the big blue blanket overhead? Sky- 's it. The night sky. That sorta symbolical hokum-hooey-whathavya. Seein' as Valignaramuul is the night sky an'.. the night was less than kind due ta all sortsa things bein' like 'an' f*ck you in particular, ya screwy b*stard every time ya wanted ta go for a midnight walk, lotta it was about trying ta be like 'can ye not?'"

He chuckled, memories overlapping and shifting like a kaleidoscope of sensation and lessons learned, a voice not heard or seen but felt reaching into some core part of himself and leaving things just a little more the right side of fractured.

"So basically, 's a huge ol' celebratin' the night cos it ain't all buggered, bringin' change, celebratin' old an' new, death an' life, cleansin' the world's Miirik, an' my askin' Valignaramuul if she could chill on behalf o' most since I was the only thing close enough ta her ta cross Wer Rionib. Buncha drinkin' eatin', ritual ceremony stuff I'd need ta explain sober ta do it right, y'know?"

He paused, then shook his head and watched as the world tilted, shifted, then blurred with a smile.

"Wasn't 'sposed ta say the dead names. Mostly left an' gone from everythin' by the time I swung 'round. Couldn't barely speak, but 'twas enough."

He paused again, then frowned as he turned over the words he'd spoken in his mind.

"Didn't do that near enough right-left-of-center. Bugger."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"'Tis not far off from Yule nor Hogmanay, though the bein's you mentioned are different," said Lewis. "Long dark night o' the year and the rebirth o' newness, the old passed away."

A smile.

"Sounds like a right fine time."

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Anythin' where ya can bleed at the edges in public without givin' off the wrong sorta color ta the words ya speak later's right jolly. 'Mind me ta tell ya 'bout Wer'Thirku when I can actually remember it right!"

He grinned lazily and let his head fall from his hand, tucked into the crook of his elbow.

"What sortsa thing's ya do 'roundabouts now? Since we're sharin'."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"We didnae celebrate Christmas growin' up, but Hogmanay was a right fun time--New Year's. Bonfires an' feastin' an' drinkin' till dawn with loved ones. 'Firstfooting', they call it sometimes. First with his foot in the door of a friend's home is good luck in the comin' year. You only ever visit those you care for. To have an enemy visit you's an ill omen. And right annoyin', to be fair," he chortled.

"As for myself, I've traveled enough I just do what the people around me do so I willnae look out o' place. So I'll give gifts for Christmas and maybe go up to Scotland for Hogmanay. Or else spread that tradition to the Society; it certainly burns often enough," he laughed with a rakish grin.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Charricthran laughed and did not worry when his voice wandered closer to thunder than cawing.

"Someone sets the place on fire, I'm settin' 'em on fire instead. Happy Hogmanay, ye unnamed bonfire o' a nuisance!"

His amusement tapered off as he remembered the families he might have once celebrated this things with. Faces familiar and long since gone, hallowed and treasured in the hollow spaces in his mind.

He wasn't alone this time, though. While Richard tended to avoid the finery of holiday traditions, the kid knew a thing or two about ritual himself. The both of them had a small group of people they planned to give gifts to.

Somehow, he'd managed to start forming a new family again.

The thought made him chuckle again in earnest.

A spectacularly terrible idea, but one he'd already started to embrace with an open heart. Wasn't anything he could do for it now- he'd might as well enjoy it.

"Maybe puttin' tradition ta it'd be a good way ta keep the whole buildin' from goin'- jus' a wee bit o' somethin' flammable in one o' the big workshops, sate the urge for'a year! Rinse an' repeat, an' keep things from going ta the Nine Hells in a gift basket."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

Lewis guffawed at the idea of the punishment for setting a fire being set on fire.

"The traditional place for the bonfire's outdoors--maybe the brick apron in the greenhouse?"

He burst out laughing as a thought occurred to him.

"I'm usin' Hawley's things for fuel!"

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Charricthran's eyes glittered with dark amusement, baring his teeth in a savage grin.

"Could jus' use the man himself as fuel. Food for flame, ta. Him an' the rest o' the damn cockroaches o' the world!"

He sniffed, and the smile shifted to something a little more tame.

"'Course, takes a bit o' effort ta hunt down all o' 'em. Burning the things'd be better, then! Greenhouse bonfire added ta the list o' celebratin'. Use a bit more cheer 'roundabout, yeah?"

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

Lewis cackled at Charricthran's suggestion.

"No objection here."

His friend spoke of cheer.

"Aye," agreed Weir. "That we could."

A smile.

"Let's make plans, then. For whatever it may be. A Christmas party, your world's tradition, a Hogmanay bonfire--let's plan for it! Do it up right. Carpe noctem!"

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"If I'd drink left, I'd toast ta it! As is, plans are better made sober, yeah?"

Charricthran's smile curled at the edges as he laughed again.

"Last time I made plans drunk, I ended up startin' a revolution. Necessary one, mind, just ended up havin' a helluva lotta fire, which, as we've already said, ain't 'lowed anywhere outside the greenhouse! But yes- let's!"

He made half of a effort to get his legs underneath him, then quickly abandoned the idea when his limbs felt as if they might phase through the chair instead.

He was very drunk.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"Och, some o' the best plans are made drunk! Just so long as you look at them in the mornin' and tweak them accordin'ly." A laugh. "But not with a hangover."

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

His eyes widened almost comically as he let out a soft, somewhat childish groan.

"Xsiol, I'm gonna have one bleedin' Hell o' a headache whenever this wears off..."

He fixed Lewis with a glare, though it was obvious by the twinkling in his eyes that it was in jest.

"This's your fault, ya bleedin'... f*ck if I know- charmin'... somethin' insultin. I'm gon' have a hangover for the first time in.. howevermany years an' its your fault!"

He flung an arm over his eyes and cackled loudly.

"Day o' firsts! Stellar, absolutely shinin'!"

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"Nothin' good comes for free," shrugged Lewis with a smile. "And that was some damn fine brandy."

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Fair'n true! Starlight in the mouth. Not act'ly- starlight has more iron, but's just as smooth on the way down. I dunno what I'm sayin'."

He snickered again, the sound far and floating to his own ears.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"What, starlight tastes of blood?" asked Lewis with a good-natured giggle. "Blood o' the cosmos or somethin'?"

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"I- Now why'd'ya gotta go an' say somethin' like that? Now I'm gonna be thinkin' bout swimmin' in it next time I gotta go through it!"

He dropped his arm to roll his eyes, simple joy curling in the corners of his smile.

"But, yeah, 'spose so. Though I don' think' blood'd have the same feel o' swimmin' in starlight. Tha's like no-weight silk, an' blood's like.. bit more like soup, really. Warm soup."

An idea sparkled in his eyes.

"Ah! 'Mind me a time later- speakin' o starlight, think you'd find it fun ta swim in. Know a place or two. Quiet, too. 'S always needed."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"Sounds fantastic--if you've no need to breathe," chortled Lewis. "Thought there was no air in space. Or is this some other dimension, like?"

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"The latter- visited it while everythin' was still squishin' an' real, so all's well!"

He hummed thoughtfully, tapping his fingers against the chair.

"Wonder if anythin'll change now I don' have anythin'."

He paused again before snickering into laughter.

"It's decided. Gotta do the science! Curiosity is gonna kill me with a spoon otherwise."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"Pfaha!" laughed Lewis. "Aye, true enough. I 'do the science' often enough I should know."

A relaxed sigh tinged with merriment.

"Speakin' o' which--any chance you or Richard could use anythin' alchemical for the shop? Salts or potions or salves or whatnot? I do like to keep in practice when I can."

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Anythin' ya can do for cuts or burns'd be lovely, ta. Despite the fact the kid literally only has half o' an arm an' then like, his torso an' shite left, he manages ta burn himself somethin' fierce sometimes."

A fond, exasperated sigh.

"He thinks he's 'nough scars, what's a few more'n all, but I'd rather he not cheerfully waltz ta an early grave, yeah?"

He thought on the matter further, then shrugged.

"Ya feel like makin' somethin' flammable or some liquid death, that'd be more useful for me an' mine."

He snickered.

"Now tha's a bit ironic, act'ly. Couplea months past, I'd request it the other way 'round. Change comes fast in this world."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"I've just the thing for Richard, then. Shouldn't take two days to round up the proper substances, and maybe a day at most to prepare them.

"Flammable is child's play.

"Liquid death--do you mean on contact or when ingested? And have you any particular type o' creature in mind to use it on? I could tailor it accordingly, maybe even work in something metaphysical to attack the essence."

He thought on Charricthran's last statement.

"Why the other way round?" Weir asked.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Either-or-both for The Fae. Tend ta need whatever I can get for Masquerades, an' one's comin' up... boutta week from now? Xsiol ekess wer Amuul."

He chuckled softly, then took a moment to snag the floating words from his thoughts that best fit Lewis's question.

"Life an' healin' for him, death an' decay for me. So used ta him takin' it an' my tryin' save it. Now I'm the one chasin' for revenge, 'cept I s'pose we're each fixin' ours."

"Took the decay best I could so he could grow. 'S just funny ta see it fin'ly work. 'M glad o' it."

A goofy grin.

"Kid deserves.. a chance."

Something in the sigil on his chest curled and snagged like a snake. A cool trickle of fear slid down his spine, somewhere distant. He drew the borrowed warmth from the drink to chase it away, grin having never waned.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

Lewis nodded in understanding.

"The fae in question...this is the Summer Court, I take it? Terkirin?"

A pause as he thought on the name.

"I ran into a Qilin and Kirin both on Halloween. 'S he like either o' those?"

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Charricthran cackled.

"Only 'like' is by name an' form. Ain't serene, ain't prosperous for anyone but his damned self. But yeah. 'S for him, if he shows. Need all the help I can get, frankly. As turns out, light-slash-lightnin'-slash-sun an' warmth don't do too well with my bein' me."

He clenched his fingers as if he might grow claws from them, smile fading for a moment.

"Only good chance I'm gonna get this time round. I spook him an' don't kill him, it'll be centuries 'fore I can sink my teeth into him."

He sighed, then grinned again, Torke's storms and gently whispering darkness waving in his eyes.

"I don' intend ta let him slip past, though."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"Light. Lightning. Sun. Warmth," Lewis repeated, fixing the descriptors in his mind. "Those his essence, then?

"Also, has he a physical form? And if so, what forms can he shift to? What powers does he possess?"

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Rain, too, then yeah."

Charricthran thought back to a handful of encounters, battles fought and battles lost.

"He can switch inta one o' the deer-like Kirin sorts, 'cept its a grand sight bigger than a deer- try a bleedin' Shire or Percheron or sommat. Horns're sharp too. Somethin' grander lurks under his skin I've not had the displeasure o' dancin' with, so cannae tell ye o' that. Otherwise he's jus' one o' The Fae. Strength, grace, immortality. All that baloney, see?"

"I've not figured out the extent o' everythin' he can do. Green things an' plants listen ta him fair well, he can call lightnin' an change air pressure- all o' the things ya might 'spect o' a..."

He trailed off with a frown and mumbled to himself.

"Svanoa tir wux relgr 'Kepesk'levethix'?"

The words asked for the name of someone standing at a mountain in the eye of the storm, lightning reaching for sky and earth much in the same way that he had on that fateful night in Hyde park. This was different, though. Their Songs had always been of the storms, and thus they always listened.

There was a lengthy pause where he couldn't find his way back to speaking English. Eventually though, he hummed softly, coming as close as he would to a translation.

"Let's go with 'Torke but 'boutta thousand times more powerful'. Storm.. sage? I dunno the best way ta translate that Name. A conduit? All o' The Fae are- for their specific aspects an' Courts, conduits o' the same Songs I weave. Only difference is, 'M inclined ta greater variety cos I ain't stuck up on supremacy o' a specific thing. 'Nyway."

He huffed a sigh, tension playing across his shoulders.

"Look forward ta tearin' him 'part, wish I didn't needta-wanna."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

Lewis thought a moment.

"I'll need antimony and lead, for starters. Would it be fair to say his is the vibrant kind of energy--motion, yang, what-have-you?"

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Charricthran pulled himself up into a proper sitting position and chuckled slightly.

"Like lickin' a livewire, yeah. Lead'll be 'round here somewhere, ya've lost me on antimony- tend towards somethin' like runecraftin' myself, Richard's not used it for anythin' I know of. 'S in anything I might have 'round here ya can smash apart ta grab it?"

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"Funny you should mention live wires..."

He chuckled.

"I take it you may need to dress up for these occasions? I have it in mind to make you a pair of boots or gloves--or, Hell, even a whole suit--and coat them with a particular alloy which insulates against electricity. In my home dimension, it was used as sheathing for electrical wires when the great cities switched over from gas to electricity.

"I shall also need to find something...yin, I suppose is the best way to phrase it. Not sun but moon, not heat but cold, not wet but dry, not fury but icy calm."

He pondered a moment, then cracked a wicked grin.

"Ever hear of solid carbon dioxide?"

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Dry ice an' insulation! Forget we're a mess o' timelines and worldlines. Know how ta make some if I cannae find it!"

He couldn't help but mirror Lewis's grin even though he understood little of the ideas weaving their way through his mind. Nothing new, that.

"Paintcha pictures for me, Weirmrith. I'm all kindsa colorful right now."

Invitation and admiration swirled in one fell swoop, pulling him along in its currents.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

"Picture yourself in a suit or boots or whatever you like of the lead-antimony alloy to help dampen his powers of electricity should they strike you. Picture also some incendiary devices for distraction, but the real weapon is an unassuming-looking, sealed container of what purports to be wine or a gift or what-have-you but is really a mixture of dry ice and iron shrapnel. I know the rate of sublimation and can rig something up accordingly; just let me know when in the evening you want it to go off. I warn you it will produce a very loud bang as well as a concussive blast, so it's better if it's thrown at Terkirin or if it's punctured at a distance while he's holding it. The cold ought to sap his strength, and with any luck the force of the explosion will embed the iron and dry ice in his flesh. The carbon dioxide gas released will quell any nearby flames. It will also make it difficult to breathe, though I understand that's not a problem for you. Will it be for him?"

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Less o' a problem than it'd be for someone proper human, but definitely a problem."

He clapped his hands together with a decidedly wicked.. giggle. He wasn't sure how a giggle managed to be wicked, but that was the only adjective he could apply to it.

"You're a right treasure, Weirmrith. This is shapin' up ta be a very good winter."

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago • edited

Lewis shrugged and smiled.

"'Tis merely science. 'Glad to get to use it for something other than party favors for toffs."

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"'Taint 'merely' ta me, though, see? An' now it's party favors bein' used 'gainst buncha toffs, so even better!"

He lapsed into silence again, plans and strings dancing through the spaces between light.

Flexibility, always. The vestige of an oath long since taken and broken.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

This drew a chuckle from Lewis.

"As an added bonus, the lead in the lead-antimony alloy is associated with Saturn and the sign of Capricorn--solid and inert, it hearkens to earth and winter and the end-time of the year, its very essence the perfect counter to Terkirin's raging summer tempest," he said with a tilted smile. "That and the iron-ice bomb should do it, I hope. If you need more than one, do let me know at least a few days ahead of time."

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Tairais • 2 years ago • edited

((Catt Hatter:

"Ah, okay?" She walked in, still a bit dazed by the high-speed run of wonders they had passed on the way. She followed the melody on its course inside.

Tairais:

Charricthran stepped in after Catt and made a slashing movement with his arms, outwards from his chest. There was a soft whine as whatever spells that had been deactivated sparked into existence again, symbols and lines connecting in the blink of an eye.

They vanished as quickly as they'd come.

The room was bathed in an amber sort of glow, equal parts the result of the massive windows taking up much of the back wall, and the massive furnace to the left fashioned in the likeness of a dragon breathing fire, bellows for wings and a tail-like chimney.

Oddly enough, the windows didn't show any part of London that was recognizable. Instead, they overlooked a lake surrounded by pine trees, a castle on a hill in the faint distance.

There were four large workbenches pushed against the right wall, covered in all manner of crystal, gem, metal, and tool. Each item was placed in a deliberate fashion, tools within easy reach of what they were to be used on, hammer and tongs on boards above them.

In the center of the room lay a round table perhaps ten feet in diameter, and it was here that the true clutter and tinkering lay.

Charricthran had very little idea of what was what in that pile of junk, and he didn't care to try and decipher it any time soon. Something vaguely resembling a teakettle-- a quick check revealed that it was not, in fact Gerard, as he'd started to believe, at least two or three weapons and their respective scabbards scattered in opposite directions, easily three or four clocks, and... a whale?

Richard himself slipped out from a room whose door lay in between two of the four workbenches, wiping at his face with a towel.

He was, perhaps, as close to undressed as Catt would ever see him, missing his gloves, hat, scarf, eyepatch, and jacket. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up and out of the way, exposing both of his metal hands for all the world to see. His hair was plastered to his face with sweat, curly to an almost violent degree with the extra moisture.

Upon noticing Catt and Charricthran, he froze, faint song freezing in his throat. After a moment, he smiled and straightened up, folding the towel over his arm.

"Greetings, Catt! Wonderful to see you." He flashed a wry grin before adding, "Charricthran, as I just saw you but a moment ago, I do not expect that you need me to say the same to you."

Charricthran pouted playfully, mischief dancing in his eyes.

"Aw, but kid! Here I was, pinin' after your gods-damned snark. Woe is me ta know tha' my brotherly affection is bleedin' wasted!"

Charricthran snickered, while Richard chuckled, far too polite to stoop further in childishness.))

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Catt Hatter  Tairais • 2 years ago

The light glinting off of his metalic limbs left streaks across Catt's vision. As much as she might have tried to avoid staring, she hadn't ever seen him like this before.

Had his hands always been like that? His eye? He was speaking well too. For an awful moment, Catt thought she didn't recognise him. As if someone had taken over his body and was trying to trick her, but the feeling dissipated with his and Char's banter.

She swallowed before speaking.

"H-hi, Richard!" Upon realising what her voice had just done and to whom, Catt became quite fidgety as her cheeks tinted themselves pink.

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Tairais  Catt Hatter • 2 years ago

Richard paused when Catt stuttered, trying to figure out where and how he'd misstepped so quickly. The answer followed not soon after, making him blink once in surprise.

Ah.

He decided the best course of action was to pretend like nothing was amiss until or unless Catt brought it up. Sometimes, after all, it was safer for people to draw their own conclusions.

He put on a charming smile that wasn't in the least bit faked- he was genuinely glad to see her.

"I trust you are enjoying the shop, yes? Unless this one has been scaring you away?" He elbowed Charricthran and cheerfully smirked when the man squawked quietly in playful indignation.

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Catt Hatter  Tairais • 2 years ago

"Oh, no! It's beautiful! Everything is so pretty, and detailed!" Catt exclaimed, taking the first chance to skip over her social linguistic blunder, glad it haddn't offended him. "I, I love it..." she grinned. "What are you working on now?"

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Tairais  Catt Hatter • 2 years ago

"Ah... a sword, a rifle of sorts powered by an electrical current... Something else I cannot remember. Oh! And a clockwork model of a creature Charricthran described to me. Among other things, that is. I like to keep my hands and mind occupied."

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Catt Hatter  Tairais • 2 years ago

"Yeah, this workshop sure looks like it!" She turned her gaze around the room, trying to take in as much detail as she could. It was like one of those hidden object books, way too many things in the picture for an outsider to find easily, but it was still nice to look at.

"A clockwork model? As in, one that moves?" She asked, suddenly curious about that specific thing.

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Tairais  Catt Hatter • 2 years ago

"Yes! The device is powered in part by its continued movement, as well as a crystal with certain energetic properties Charricthran was kind enough to get me. I have made several such creatures with his help- ah, where is..?"

Richard turned on his heel and began to search for something.

Charricthran, meanwhile, smirked, because the creature he was looking for just so happened to be hiding under the workbench he was standing next to.

A blur of silver, brass and gold streaked out along the floor and darted into the air, colliding with Richard at a great speed.

The air left him in a rush, but still he laughed, holding the clockwork dragon for Catt to see.

"Svanixeu, Catt. Catt, Svanixeu! He is the first of such creations, and his sister the second. She is much more timid, however, and would likely not take kindness to saying a greeting."

Svanixeu chirped with the sound of stones skipping across ice and blinked at her with wide eyes. Richard gave him a fond, wry smile.

"Yes. Quite."

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Catt Hatter  Tairais • 2 years ago

Catt's expression looked like a kid's who had just come downstairs on Christmas morning.

"S-Svanexeu? Good graceous, he's beautiful!" The grin that split her face made it difficult for her to talk, she hoped the little beauty didn't mind too much. She waved eagerly at the shiny creature. "Nice to meet you! What did he say?"

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Tairais  Catt Hatter • 2 years ago

"He said much the same, and a hello. Or, at least, I assume so. Charricthran is the only one that can converse with most of the creatures in their natural tongues- I am limited to the worldly voices."

Svanixeu jumped out of his arms with all the grace of a cat and landed on the floor with a quiet series of clicks as his claws made contact. Making an odd sort of coughing rumbling sound, it twined itself around Catt's legs.

Charricthran and Richard alike chuckled, the former louder than the other.

"Fancy that, kid! Wee little thing's taken a shine t'ya!"

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Catt Hatter  Tairais • 2 years ago

Somewhat startled by the intrusion into her personal space, she made a concentrated effort to not move her feet. She didn't want to step on him after all.

"Aw, thanks! I like him too!" Catt tentatively reached her hand down within reach of the little dragon, ready to draw back should he not like being touched.

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MillieGriffin • 2 years ago • edited

This was the first day Millie actually starting to feel somewhat well enough to go through the city on her own. She had taken this opportunity to do some shopping for the holidays when she heard whispers of a strange shop that changes location, so she fallowed them until she finally found the red doors.

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Tairais  MillieGriffin • 2 years ago

As Millie approached the red doors, the whispering emenating from them seemed to intensify almost to the point where, had she truly strained close to listen, she might have heard what they spoke of.

The many glyphs and runes dancing and sparking near the door brightened, then turned like the tumblers of a lock.

The door swung open with a barely-there creaking, the sound of hollow windchimes following as the shop beckoned her inside in its quiet, insentient way.

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MillieGriffin  Tairais • 2 years ago

The whispers were starting to make her nervous, so many voices all audible almost coherent but too many, one voice drowning out another being drowned out by another and so on, all at once. She covered her ears trying to block them out, she had stood hesitant in front of the now opened door wondering if it was too soon to be out here after all, her hearts started to beat louder in her chest, the noise reverberating up into her skull, a part of her just wanted to run away and not look back, but instead she lunged forward. With a hop and a skip she was inside, her hands still over her ears as she waited for her hearts to settle down.

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Tairais  MillieGriffin • 2 years ago

A very tall man glanced up from where he was shelving books and a very intricately carved box covered in several chains and locks at the sound of the door.

Said box was odd, but definitely not the strangest thing in the shop, which stretched far beyond the reach of any and all eyes. Bookshelves and cases and stands and shelves made twisting, winding pathways, each reaching for a goal only it know.

It took him a moment to realize that Millie had walked in, what with the fact she was elbow height to him.

He wore a dark gray coat that brushed the floor when he walked and was currently buttoned shut, the brass buttons themselves gleaming in the low light that seemed to come from many sources unseen. His hands were covered with black leather gloves as he worked, and the majority of his face was covered with a heavy green scarf that seemed odd and out of place, given the sleepy, warm atmosphere of the shop's interior. The right side of his face was mostly covered by a large eye patch that seemed as if it were carved from a particularly large crystal, and chestnut-red hair hung to his shoulders in wild curls.

"Good day! I will be with you in just a moment- please, feel free to look around, but I must ask that you do not touch anything."

That said, he turned his focus back to the task at hand.

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MillieGriffin  Tairais • 2 years ago

Millie was still shaking from the whispers but finally uncovered her ears and was relieved that the whispers were gone. As she looked around she found it very peaceful, with many wonders to look at. A sudden thought occurred to her that the shop interior seemed like it could be a background for one of those studio Ghibli fantasy films. It was fascinating of all the strange curious that the shop had to offer, even if the store employee hadn't said anything she would have felt hesitant to touch anything before knowing what it was. She then started looking at the books, a commodity she was all too familiar with, they seemed the safest to look at as she read the writing on their spines, some were in languages she never seen before. The curiosity of what was inside them started to take over as she started to carefully unshelve one to at least read the cover.

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Tairais  MillieGriffin • 2 years ago

The book, curiously enough was blank, but oddly cold to the touch. The pages seemed to be layered over thin sheets of hoarfrost, their patterns arcing across like winter on a windowpane.

The store employee, having yet to introduce himself, all but melted out of the shadows with near-silent footsteps.

"Ah- do be careful with that, yes? I do not particularly feel like cleaning up a blizzard... again."

He chuckled softly, rubbing the back of his neck in sheepishness.

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MillieGriffin  Tairais • 2 years ago

She did in fact hear his foot steps as he approached her, she didn't turn to him immediately still trying to read the title through the frost but then looked up to him with a quizzical expiration on her face. "Are you saying, that if I open this book a blizzard would literally come out of the pages?" She asked.

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Tairais  MillieGriffin • 2 years ago

"No, but if you turn the pages in a specific order, then yes. As neither you nor I happen to know that order, perhaps 'tis best if you do not."

He chuckled softly, then blinked as he remembered something.

"My apologies- I completely forgot to introduce myself. I am Doctor Prince. Are you looking for something in particular, or just taking a look around?"

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MillieGriffin  Tairais • 2 years ago

"Millie Griffin." She off handedly introduced as she put the frosty book back not wanting to cause an indoor blizzard.

"I was looking for some good gifts for the holidays. I heard about this place and thought...this might be a good place..?"

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Tairais  MillieGriffin • 2 years ago

"Certainly, if your intended recipients are those fond of gifts that are... less than conventional. If you would like, you can give me an idea of what they might like, and I can guide you to something that fits as close to that idea as I know?"

Richard tugged his scarf so that it would more easily stay in place as he moved about. It wouldn't do to scare anyone off- particularly a customer.

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MillieGriffin  Tairais • 2 years ago

"Well my Uncle is a very fickle person to get gifts for..." She noticed him tug up on his scarf and a bit of recollection occurred, "D-don't mean to sound rude but I think I remember walking past you a few times at the society, right? The society of arcane science?" She hesitantly asked as she tilted her head for a better look at him.

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Tairais  MillieGriffin • 2 years ago

He blinked slowly, processing this new bit of information.

"Er, yes! I do not believe I have had the fortune of seeing you in any manner that stuck, however. My apologies. Still, we have met now, no? In any matter, how do you mean, 'fickle'? Perhaps I can help."

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Wizardblizzard • 2 years ago

There was a new bit of gossip wandering around.

"Dora says Nelly says her brother saw it," one little girl told another in the street outside St. John's Hospital.

"And it'd moved?" said one out-patient dubiously to another as they waited. "You sure you hadn't just misremembered it the first time?"

"...like those Egyptian hieroglyphics," one nurse told another, leaning on their mops when the ward sister was safely out of sight. "D'you know anything about that, Izzy?"

"Cross my heart, I don't know any more about it than you do," Nurse Walker replied. But it was thus that one damp evening after work she didn't head for the Society or for her lodgings, but instead turned off down another street, and then another...

Not hieroglyphics, she didn't think. There was a mummy case in the Society's collection, and these didn't look quite like that. Not zodiac or planetary symbols either, or any of the few old-fashioned alchemical symbols she could remember. Rather like them, but as if it was magic written in a foreign alphabet, like Greek against English. Delightful mystery. Not Greek, either... If you looked long enough at the way the symbols connected together, it was almost possible to guess at the intention, even thought none of the individual signs were familiar... Almost...

Isabella shook her head hard. Oops. Not a very good start, Bell. She knocked at the door, before she could get herself into any more trouble.

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Tairais  Wizardblizzard • 2 years ago

The door's whispers intensified, but didn't grow louder. Rather, they seemed to be consulting with one another.

After a handful of moments, the glyphs swirled and reconfigured themselves.

The door swung open, a windchimes sang their mournful greeting, and the shop beckoned in its silent way.

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Wizardblizzard  Tairais • 2 years ago

Isabella stepped through the doors, and for a minute just stood staring at what was inside. She resisted the temptation to pick anything up right away. If the doors were "live", who could tell what else might be. Finally she called out, "Hello?"

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Tairais  Wizardblizzard • 2 years ago

A familiar voice called "Be with ya ina moment! Feel free ta look 'round- shouldn't be anythin' live or deadly near ya. Had ta reorganize after the last fella who wandered through here."

There was a series of thuds and the sound of something crashing to the floor. The words that followed weren't in any language known in this word, but it didn't take a genius to know that it was the sound of swearing.

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Wizardblizzard  Tairais • 2 years ago

Well. I should have known! If she hadn't recognised the voice, she'd have recognised its owner's alarming brand of reassurance. She wondered if she should go and help with whatever that was, but reason told her that this was probably a bad idea.

This place is like something out of a fairy tale. She began to wander along the shelves. A shelf of books caught her eye. You can never, if you are that kind of person, see too many old books. then a delicate clockwork... thing; she couldn't make it out at first, and carefully picked it up for a better look.

((Of course, your shop and don't know what's here! don't even know what languages the books are liable to be in.))

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Tairais  Wizardblizzard • 2 years ago

In the crowd of books were a handful of titles in Spanish, German, and Italian, plus something that vaguely resembled how Russian sounded. Those, however, were the only recognizable languages- the majority of the tomes had strange sigils or curving, jagged letters covering their spines. A handful of them had locks on them. Some of them whispered, one of them smoked faintly.

The clockwork device ended up being an almost uncannily realistic metal fox kit. Its pale green eyes were made of some sort of gemstone, and they blinked lazily as it was picked up and held in her hands.

It yawned, folding its ears back, and then went to sleep, clearly not bothered by the intrusion upon its nap.

Charricthran slipped out of the shadows pressed between two bookshelves, then paused with a small smile on his face.

"Well, didn't expect ta see you here! How can I help ya, kid?"

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