"C'mon Dair, you need to get outside today!" Nell called up from the living room, her hands on her hips as she stared up at her charge who was draped limply across the floor in his room, one arm dangling over the edge of the loft. A muffled grumble was the only response she received, so with a sigh and a roll of her eyes she stomped her way up the steps and scooped up the wilted-looking Raevan despite his feeble protests.
"It's too hot, Nell," he whined, irritably batting her arms away so he could float behind her like a partly deflated balloon. "Can't I go out when it's cooler?"
Nell snorted and shook her head, grabbing him by the hand and towing him towards the porch door. "Honey, it's going to be a few months before it gets cooler, and no," she added, holding up her free hand to halt any further protests. "You can't go out at night either. You need sun, remember? Your leaves are getting all droopy and sad looking." Photosynthesis was not something that she ever thought she would have to deal with raising a kid, but she supposed it was on the easier side of problems to figure out all things considered. One final tug on his arm got him out of the apartment and onto the porch, earning her a long suffering sigh.
"And you know, there is a perfect place to go cool off!" She gestured widely in front of her towards the beach that the porch backed up to, and to the great wide ocean beyond that.
"I...I don't..." Up until now he hadn't been in any body of water larger than the shower, and he occasionally caught sight of...something in the water the few times he had been close enough to it. But Nell didn't seem to share his concerns and once again he found himself being tugged along down the steps that ran from porch to beach. Experience had taught him by now that trying to stop Nell when she was doing something was pointless, so he begrudgingly allowed himself to be towed across the expanse of sand until the end of his ribbon was dangling in the water.
"I'm gonna hold in you you, okay? I won't let you get swept out to sea." She gave him an encouraging smile as she began to walk backwards further and further out into the ocean until the water was at her knees, at her thighs, until it was just touching the bottom of his torso, at her waist, still just at the bottom of his torso...She frowned slightly, watching him bob in the water as a small wave washed by them. Dair looked down at the water as if he were expecting it to swallow him up at any second.
"I'm...going to let you go for a second, don't worry, I'll be right here if something goes wrong." He sighed again, but nodded in assent, hunching his shoulders slightly as she let go of his hands.
Nothing happened.
He bobbed along the surface of the water with only his ribbon and the bottom few inches of his torso submerged. Nell let out a peal of laughter and shook her head at the sight.
"I should have known," At a confused look from Dair she gestured at him. "You...you're made of wood. You float.
With a dramatic sigh he flopped on his back and threw an arm across his face to block out the sun, glad the sound of the waves in his ears blocked out the sound of Nell's laughter as the waves pushed him slowly back to shore like a piece of driftwood.
Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2017 8:49 pm
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PART ONE
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By the time he stumbled upon the world of the Fae again enough time passed that he had nearly written off his first visit as a fluke, Larkspur’s parting words the only thing keeping him from entirely writing it off. But as the long days of summer passed and the first hints of fall drew Dair back out to the forest, he found himself once more wandering through trees that were decidedly not the ones that he was used to. The light that filtered down through the canopy was warm and golden and seemed to be thick enough to be an almost physical presence. The wind sighed around the tree trunks, picking up a scatter of fallen leaves and petals that plucked at his hair and clothes, urging him forward, forward, forward.
No grand hall awaited him this time, no crowd of fantastically dressed dancers whirled across an open clearing, no otherworldly music drowned out the wounds of the forest this time. Instead the trees slowly thinned into what appeared to be a natural clearing caused by several huge fallen trees, and while the crowd that was milling around was clearly the same group he had seen the last time, there were no fanciful ballgowns or costumes in sight. Rather the dress was (relatively) casual and seemed to lean more towards practicality than ornamentation. Leather and fur seemed to be a common element, and hair that was pulled back from faces was decorated with natural objects rather than any made jewelry. The effect was still stunning, and though the fae weren’t dancing with each other,there was still a rhythm and flow to how they moved through the clearing that was as eye-catching as the ball. An equal number of horses stood placidly as what he assumed was their rider checked over their tack and braided manes and tales. Their voices rose and fell in conversation, nearly drowning out the sounds of the forest, punctuated occasionally by a sharp bark of laughter or a stomp of a hoof.
”It is a wonder, is it not?”
A low voice cut through the ambient sounds, close enough to make Dair startle and whirl in place. The Queen was standing next to him, though he hadn’t noticed her arrival. She, too, had forgone the fanciful gown she had been wearing for a close cut outfit of leather that was so dark a blue that it was almost black and had pulled her hair back into a simple braid. She (politely) made no mention of startling him as she stared across the clearing with a pleasantly neutral smile on her face and her hands clasped behind her back.
”It, um. Yes? Your…” He trailed off, his mind still trying to process how close she was and how calculating distant her gaze was and how she smiled, showing her red-stained lips pulled back from perfectly white teeth that were pointed too sharply to be comforting when she saw a massive figure cut through the crowd like a knife through butter , a hulking, twisted antlered form that stalked like a wolf and stared with glowing yellow eyes at those in his path. Something in his head ached sharply as his vision seemed to double, giving the scene a more sinister edge than what he had seen beforehand. But the Queen turned to look at him with a small frown and the ache (and the double-vision) vanished.
”Please, you may call me Mab, there is no need for formality here.” Her attention turned once more to the crowd of Fae, who now seemed to be putting the final touches on their horses tack before mounting. ”The Hunt draws near, and I am afraid my husband, the Erlking, grows restless. Come, walk with me.” She strode forward without waiting to see if he would follow, nodding slightly to those who stepped out of her path with a respectful bow. And, surprisingly, he found himself floating after her without quite intending to.
”You have enjoyed your time with us so far, I hope?” They were walking towards a small group in the center of the clearing that was being given a respectful berth by the rest of the crowd. The large antlered figure he had seen (the Erlking, he assumed) was already mounted on a huge horse, and now that he was closer he could see that the horns were simply part of a helmet he was wearing, Larkspur gave him a wink and a wave before mounting her own horse and saying something to an armored man who patiently held the horse’s bridle.
”Yes, yes I have, it’s been…” Words failed him once again as he stared at the clearing and those that were around them.
”Overwhelming? It is for most,” she said with a laugh. ”I know it has been only a short time that you’ve been with us, but I have a question to ask of you.” She spun to face him, reaching out to gently grasp his hands in her own with a soft smile. ”It is so rare to have a new soul visit us, the last was, oh, hundreds of years ago,” an absent wave of her hand dismissed this last statement as Dair’s eyebrows raised in surprise. ”And while each member of my court is dear to me, a new face is never unwelcome.” She gave his hand a gentle squeeze as she smiled at him, her gaze unwavering.
”Dair, I would very much like for you to become a member of my court.”
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Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2017 8:50 pm
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PART TWO
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Silence fell in the clearing.
To say that it was simply silence was a bit of an understatement. It felt like the pause after an indrawn breath, the muffled feeling in the air before a storm strikes. It was the weighty sensation of hundreds of unblinking eyes focusing on you all at once and the judgement that lay behind those impassive gazes, watching but giving no clue as to what was the right decision. It was the sensation of being too small, of trees ancient beyond words looming overhead, of beings taller than they have any right to be looking down on you and finding you to not quite be enough.
All of that and more weighed on him as the Queen’s question filled his mind. Her court? The people around them, he knew, were part of her court, but what did that entail exactly? Would he be beholden to her? (Yes, obviously, the emphasis on her court was one he must remember) Would he have duties he’d have to attend to? Would he? Would he? Would he?
Her smile sharpened minutely as she watched him think, as if she were able to follow his thoughts while he was thinking them.
”Simply being named as part of my court would allow you to travel freely from our realm to yours, rather than having to wait for the times when it is easy to cross our borders.” Her smile softened into something that could be considered fond. ”I would put no undue burdens on one so young and unaccustomed to our ways. Perhaps when you are older, but…” She trailed off meaningfully, a single shoulder raised slightly in a shrug.
His eyes scanned the clearing, though he couldn’t say for sure what he was looking for. Some sort of sign that would appear out of nowhere? Someone running from between the trees shouting for him to stop, don’t, think it over? But there was none of that, merely one beautiful, alien face after another watching him with the same intensity that a cat might watch a mouse. His attention snagged on the group he was standing near when there was an unexpected stir of movement. Larkspur gave him a wide grin, waggling her fingers in an encouraging wave. The Erlking seemed to be lounging in his saddle, his eerily luminous eyes focused elsewhere. And the man that was holding the reins of several horses still had his back to them, though his posture seemed to radiate surprise.
A slight pressure from the Queen’s hand drew his attention back to her.
”I…”
The Queen’s grin grew.
The rest of the court leaned in closer with an almost audible intake of breath.
The man’s shoulders tensed, his head turning slightly but not quite enough to see his face. ”I would be honored to be welcomed into your court.”
475 words =2 points
Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2017 8:50 pm
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PART THREE
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Sound rushed back into the clearing, nearly deafening after the nearly unnatural silence moments before. The Queen’s face broke out into a beaming smile, and even though it sounded like something out of a fairy tale (which...was more accurate than not, he supposed) a beam of golden light pierced through the canopy of leaves overhead and gilded every surface in the clearing. A babble of voices arose, overlapping too much to pick out any one reaction from the crowd. But they sounded excited at the very least.
The Queen gently grasped his face in both hands and drew him closer, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead before releasing him with a laugh.
”Enough business! Let us show our youngest child what wonders our lands have to offer!”
He soon found himself swept up onto the back of a horse, Larkspur’s familiar laugh in his ear as the crowd left the clearing in a flurry of hooves and voices, racing away towards wonders that he couldn’t yet begin to imagine.
----
Dair drifted out towards the bus stop with a dazed look on his face, an uncharacteristic smile on his face that he couldn’t quite get rid of. His mind swam with images of fantastic creatures and places that he would never have even thought to imagine. As he boarded the bus, he gave one last look towards the forest over his shoulder, comforted by the sight of a mostly-hidden figure that raised a hand in farewell.
He didn’t notice the new small weight that dangled from one earlobe that remained mostly hidden by his hair.
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Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2017 8:51 pm
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August, 2017
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"I just don't get it," Nell's voice floated up from the entryway to the door after she closed it with a bit too much force than absolutely necessary. The thuds of two shoes being kicked off punctuated her words. "It's like I'm purposefully looking for....for..." Dair cautiously poked his head out from behind the curtain that acted as a door to his room, eyes casting around the apartment until he looked directly below him to where Nell had gone.
Date not go well, then?" Obviously it hadn't, as her usual cheery demeanor was nowhere to be found. Her hands which were balled into fists rested on her hips as she stood in the kitchen, her eyebrows furrowed and a frown on her face as she tapped her foot on the floor. She looked up at Dair as he spoke, though she only wrinkled her nose and sighed.
"Can't win 'em all I guess." The door to the freezer was opened and she rummaged around for a few moments before pulling out a small container and grabbing a spoon from the drying rack near the sink. "Up for a movie?" She didn't even wait for him to answer before she walked to the living room and collapsed on the couch, prying the lid off of the ice cream and digging into it as she kicked her feet up on the table. All things that were pretty out of character for Nell, and even more concerning when the movie that she queued up proved to be a depressing one.
Dair cautiously floated down the stairs, hovering over the back of the sofa so he could settle down next to her, pointedly watching the movie and not the decidedly unhappy expression on her face.
She sighed again, stifling it with another spoonful of ice cream.
The movie took a turn for the worse. There was a sniff from Nell.
"They don't know what they're missing out on." He did his best to keep his tone casual, and was at least rewarded with a slightly wobbly laugh.
”Thank you so much, everyone,” his hands curled around the camera he had just unwrapped as he beamed at the faces that all jockeyed for position on the screen in front of him. Nell’s father had rounded up as many family members as he could when he heard their package had finally made it to Gaia so they could all wish him a happy birthday as he opened it. It had been an honest surprise when he saw the camera nestled among the countless cards and letters from Nell’s extended family, along with a handful of well-intentioned but unfortunately useless smaller things like bags of candy and a hat that he would never be able to maneuver around his branches.
“When are you gonna come and visit?” “Yeah! Maybe if you come here you’ll get some legs!” “AntonIA what the hell that was RUDE!” “Language!” “Hey Auntie Nell can we come visit?” “Yeah! Vacation! Vacation!” “Va-ca-tion!” “VA! CA! TION!””
“Did you get the thing from me Dair?”
The top half of a face covered most of the screen, blocking the group of nieces and nephews who were chanting in unison, the voice of an adult in the background trying to yell over them to get them to calm down.
“Aw, heck, Daniel, no one wants to play that nerdy sh….tuff with you!” “I bet Dair wants to! He’s cool!”
The face disappeared offscreen, having been shoved to the side by who he recognized as his sister who rolled her eyes at the camera, before being likewise pulled off screen. The rest of the call devolved into a cacophany of yelling (at each other) and cajoling (towards Nell and Dair and presumably their parents) in which Dair could hardly get a word in edgewise, and it ended in a similarly loud fashion.
The living room seemed impossibly quiet when they hung up, though he wouldn’t have traded the ringing in his ears or warm, happy feeling he had for anything in the world.
----
The picture he had taken on his phone was the same as the others he had taken. There was something...missing about them, something that he didn’t think could be written off as low quality cameras or low-res images. Sometimes the missing thing was obvious, a person or creature or object that clearly was there but wouldn’t show up on his screen no matter what he did, but sometimes the photos just looked flat and empty, and no filter or lighting could make it look….right.
But this...maybe an actual camera would get to the bottom of this.
----
His ribbon dangled over the edge of the loft, and he gave Nell a wan smile as she tugged on it gently as she walked past with a glass of juice. He still gently cradled the camera in his hands, the strap wound around his wrist in case he accidentally dropped it. Next to him was his phone, a picture of his bookshelf and the various bits of the forest he had arranged on it. A couple of weathered skulls, a wilted looking flower crown, a pinecone, a dried piece of shelf fungus, a scattering of dull stones.
The display screen showed a similar scene, albeit one that looked to be of a better resolution.
He turned his head slowly to look at the bookcase, the flower crown that looked like it had just been picked, the skulls that each held a ghostly mouse inside of them, the tiny specks of green that floated out from the pinecone, the intricate structure carved out of the interior of the fungus, the stones that glittered brightly in the dim light.
He remained seated like that for some time longer, long after the screen on his phone and camera shut off from disuse.
632 words=3 points
Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 10:06 am
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Time To Learn Fall, 2017
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The cursor blinked accusingly on the screen, only emphasising the blank fields that seemed to outnumber the filled in ones. The endless questions ranged from simple things that he could answer without even thinking to ones that he couldn’t even begin to understand. But that, apparently, was the point of this. Nell had told him earlier the week that she had been looking at schooling options for him and this aptitude test was the first step.
At the moment, though, he wasn’t feeling particularly apt.
While Dair was tapping slowly away at the tablet, Nell was curled up on the far side of the couch pretending to be engrossed in something on her phone while actually keeping a nervous eye on him. She had been looking at schools for some time now, but most of them didn’t seem like they would be a good fit. Some were a bit too structured, and considering the difference in his mental age and his level of education, she didn’t think he would do well in larger schools. The private schools in town, while they did have smaller class sizes and a good know-how on how to deal with less conventional students, also had incredibly high tuition. But, thanks to the advice from one of her clients, she checked out a few of the online schools that were locally offered. While she had been a bit put off by the lack of socialization that Dair would get from it it did seem like the curriculum would be more flexible and allow for him to do things at his own slower pace.
Dair’s usually neutral expression had slowly been overtaken by a large frown by the time he floated over and handed the tablet back to him, the screen happily proclaiming that the results had been submitted and they’d be hearing from the administration within the next few days. Nell looked pleased, giving Dair a high-five as she started to look over a few more things. She gave him an encouraging smile when she got a less than enthusiastic high-five back.
”I know it’s not super exciting, but getting a good education is about the most important thing you can do, okay? Plus you don’t have to deal with riding a school bus so you’re already one step ahead of me…”
---
The pile of workbooks that was sitting on the table was given the same dubious look that the aptitude test received, each book color coded according to subject and difficulty. His aptitude test was all over the place, fairly high in reading and comprehension, a bit behind on math and science, and understandably in the dark about history. He, even more begrudgingly, rearranged his bookshelf to make space for all of his school supplies, the saturated colors standing out against the overall dark and desaturated colors that had taken over his room.
He waited for Nell to go to bed before he started the first lesson, hesitantly cracking open the first book and awkwardly picking up a pencil as he read through the first page.
The cafe was crowded and bustling, more so than usual if one only looked in the front window. It was only when you were inside that it was clear that there were only the usual amount of customers, only they were occupying only a portion of the seating that was available. The handful of tables and chairs that were tucked in the back of the cafe were conspicuously empty, though there were no signs to signify that they weren't to be used. Every so often a brave soul would sit down at one, though they only remained for a fee minutes before scurrying off, looking over their shoulder with a frightened expression. The section wasn't completely empty, however. A lone person sat at the table in the farthest corner, a mug of coffee long gone cold and a plate with a pastry that had been picked to pieces but otherwise untouched were all that was on the table in front of them, save for a large leather bound book. It was old, any traces of embossing or inlay having long since been worn away by years of handling. Thick claps held the covers together, though they had been unfastened. Despite that, and despite how long the person had been sitting there staring at it, it remained closed. But finally, finally, a hand reached out with a long sigh and flipped the cover open.
Herein lies the recollections and musings of one (here, the ink was blurred into illegibility), a Just and Loyal Knight of the Realm and His Majesty, the King.
Dair took in a shuddering breath and blinked his suddenly blurring eyes as he turned the page to begin to read the words of his friend, the final gift he had been given before he died.
297 words= 1 point
Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 5:05 pm
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Dair,
By now version events have already come to pass. Do not overburden yourself with them, for they were destined to happen sooner if not later and I preferred to have a choice in how it would take place. I do regret that I will be leaving you alone in that foul place, but I pray what little guidance I have been able to impart on you may be of some aid. Perhaps a record of my follows will be of some use, to steer you away from the bad decisions I have made.
Be strong.
Do not trust them.
-Maulkin
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Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2018 7:38 am
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... though the clearing and the hill had appeared seemingly from nothing, we were too intent on the hunt and its rewards to pay it any heed. The sound of music was lost amongst the baying of the hounds and the horns, but the wind, the wind. It was too cold, carrying with it scents that came from no moral realm, and it seemed to not touch the trees, though it blew mine own hair around as if it were a tempest…
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It seemed like a curtain had been drawn away from the world for Dair. Colors seemed brighter, sounds richer, and everything natural around him just seemed… more. And underneath it all he swore he could hear music just on the edge of hearing, a haunting melody that compelled him to come, come. He grew restless at home, barely able to keep his mind on his schoolwork and causing Nell to throw her hands in the air in frustration as his attention wandered yet again in the middle of a task. The bus driver began to know him by name, making sure to wait a few extra minutes at his stop if he has running late (which he rarely ever was, unless some chore kept him).
His world was now filled with revels that only lasted a scant few hours, though he could have sworn he had been there at least all day long, each one more fantastical than the last. The names of those he met bore names that none would recognize, Hellbore, Yarrow, Kudu, and if asked to describe them he would only be able to give vague details. Tall, beautiful, sharp. He took pictures, enough to fill up several memory cards, but they all showed a group of teenagers in the woods if they showed anything at all. Most were overexposed or only blurs of bright colors. A stack of notebooks slowly grew in the corner of his room, the pages filed with nearly incomprehensible scrawls and pressed plantlife which no biologist would be able to identify.
The music changed as the seasons turned, becoming slow and mournful as the nights grew longer, beckoning him to come, to wait out the empty and hungry nights of winter with company. And so he went as the first snow of the season fell on Gaia, the music growing louder and louder as it drew him through the tangled woods. The clearing was ahead, and on it he could see a circle of figures dancing, one holding a beckoning hand out towards him.
So he went.
427 words=2 points
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2018 5:25 am
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... though the clearing and the hill had appeared seemingly from nothing, we were too intent on the hunt and its rewards to pay it any heed. The sound of music was lost amongst the baying of the hounds and the horns, but the wind, the wind. It was too cold, carrying with it scents that came from no moral realm, and it seemed to not touch the trees, though it blew mine own hair around as if it were a tempest…
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It seemed like a curtain had been drawn away from the world for Dair. Colors seemed brighter, sounds richer, and everything natural around him just seemed… more. And underneath it all he swore he could hear music just on the edge of hearing, a haunting melody that compelled him to come, come. He grew restless at home, barely able to keep his mind on his schoolwork and causing Nell to throw her hands in the air in frustration as his attention wandered yet again in the middle of a task. The bus driver began to know him by name, making sure to wait a few extra minutes at his stop if he has running late (which he rarely ever was, unless some chore kept him).
His world was now filled with revels that only lasted a scant few hours, though he could have sworn he had been there at least all day long, each one more fantastical than the last. The names of those he met bore names that none would recognize, Hellbore, Yarrow, Kudu, and if asked to describe them he would only be able to give vague details. Tall, beautiful, sharp. He took pictures, enough to fill up several memory cards, but they all showed a group of teenagers in the woods if they showed anything at all. Most were overexposed or only blurs of bright colors. A stack of notebooks slowly grew in the corner of his room, the pages filed with nearly incomprehensible scrawls and pressed plantlife which no biologist would be able to identify.
The music changed as the seasons turned, becoming slow and mournful as the nights grew longer, beckoning him to come, to wait out the empty and hungry nights of winter with company. And so he went as the first snow of the season fell on Gaia, the music growing louder and louder as it drew him through the tangled woods. The clearing was ahead, and on it he could see a circle of figures dancing, one holding a beckoning hand out towards him.
So he went.
... had already lost track of the beast we pursued, but we no longer cared. The music, it erased any other thought I could have had. I dimly remember Sir Lawrence falling, caught by the grasping limbs of a tree, and the rest, I presume, followed suit. I do not remember them falling. In time I would regret not having joined them.
A hand like a steel vice grabbed his arm right as he was about to cross the threshold of the clearing, pulling him roughly back through the screen of bushes and saplings until the clearing and hill could no longer be seen. His breath left him in one explosive gasp as his back was slammed against the trunk of a tree, and he found himself face to face with someone he only had a passing familiarity with. He didn't recognize the man's face necessarily, but his clothes were enough of an identifying feature.
A tabard, deep, dark blue, hung on the man's frame, concealing what looked to be a breastplate and a scattering of other light armor. A design of a leaf was skillfully embroidered on the front in silver, one half perfectly formed as if it had just unfurled from a bud, the other half an impossibly delicate tracery of the leaf's veins as if it had been caught halfway in the decaying process.
The sigil of the Queen.
His face was gaunt and haggard, dark circles emphasizing his watery, nearly white blue eyes. Wispy white hair floated around his head in a cloud and was stirred by the faintest breeze, and on the whole he looked like a man who had has his very vitality drained from him.
The expression of rage on his face spoke to there being some amount of life left, though.
”Are you so eager to throw your life away, then? “ he snarled, giving Dair's shoulders a bit of a shake. ”They are fair to behold, yes, but at what price? At what price?” He seemed to finally notice the look of shock on the Raevan's face, for he reluctantly took a step back and released Dair's shoulders, only to rub at his face with his hands as he shook his head.
”You are so young, and you do not yet know the depths of trouble you have brought upon yourself”
Dair blinked a few times, trying to work through the various stages of emotions he had felt in the past few seconds. Surprise, of course, but now that he saw who had grabbed him it turned quickly into fear. He had seen this man before, though he had never spoken to him. Always a step behind the Queen, her mortal knight stood ready to act on her wishes, especially when she would be unable to act herself. Namely, anything outside of the faerie realm. Which he had just been pulled back from.
You do not yet know the depths of trouble…
”W-what do you mean?” he couldn't quite keep the stammer from his voice as goosebumps raced across his skin, his body seeming to have grasped an unpleasant conclusion from the man's words before his mind had.
Hands raised up, palms outwards in a gesture of concession as he took another step backwards before running his hands through his hair, making it look even more disheveled. There was a long moment of silence in which Dair tried to look for a means of escape, only to find his attention drawing back to the man as he let out a sigh.
”There is….some danger to visiting the court too much, too often,” he said slowly, the pause at the beginning of his sentence long enough to make Dair think that he had been planning to say something else originally. ”If you continue on as you are, you will soon be lost, another mortal fool fed to their whims.” A line appeared between Dair's eyebrows as he frowned, the man's words holding the uncomfortable ring of truth, but also carrying a nauseating meaning behind them.
”What do you mean?” he asked again, his voice steadier this time, though it had dropped to a bare whisper.
”They are like children, “ he said dully, forcing his hands to be still by clasping them behind his back, though he began to pace in small, jerky circles as his the motion had to go somewhere. ”They find something new and exciting, and use it until it is broken and no longer provides them with amusement. “ At this he stopped his pacing to give him any arch look. ”You have lasted longer than most, but are you willing to let that be the last thing you experience? “
Dair looked over his shoulder to the clearing and the now still figures that stood on top of the hill, their impatience clear to him even from where he was.
There was a disgusted snort from behind him.
”Go, then, but do try and actually pay attention to what is being done around you this time.” When Dair turned back around the man had stepped into the shadows of the trees, becoming nearly invisible in a few scant seconds. Another moment later and he was gone entirely.
”But do not blame me if you do not like what it is you will see. “
Subobo
Spooky Codger
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Subobo
Spooky Codger
Offline
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2018 4:27 pm
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Things have changed. Though the court remains courteous as they were upon my arrival, I am beginning to detect a change in their demeanor. Perhaps it is I, not they, who have changed.
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The night progressed as it had done for weeks, a whirlwind of color and motion supported by the haunting refrain of a lone flute. The words spoken to him were kind and polite, their eyes seemed to hold a sort of interest when he answered their questions, but something didn't seem quite…. right. Their questions seemed to pointed, their stares too intent, their smiles holding little if any kindness to them.
A look towards the Queen showed a figure with a cloud of wispy hair behind her that tilted their head in a gesture that seemed to say ‘I told you so.’
Dair frowned as he was escorted back to the boundary of the forest, Larkspur's fingers digging into his arm for a moment before she let go with a wave. He could have sworn that he felt the p***k of sharp claws through his sleeve, though he didn't want to roll them up to see if there were any marks left. No, thete wouldn't be, right? The fae were beautiful, they had been nothing but courteous and kind to him, had shown him wonderful things that were far and beyond anything he had ever encountered before, there was nothing about them that should make him question their motives. The words of a single man shouldn't make him question these things.
So why was he?
He pulled out all of his pictures, all of his notebooks, and flipped through them all frantically, looking for any traces of...well, of anything that would point him towards one conclusion or the other. They were all as he remembered them being and didn't help him much other than making him feel even more confused.
The stack of notes and images was given a long stare before he sighed and pulled over his tablet, doing what he probably should have done ages ago.
