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 Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2023 8:26 pm
Lunch had been nice. They’d stuck around on the other side of Arista for a while, but Devyn was struck not soon after with a desire to move. The wind was too good to pass up the opportunity to see how far Virgil’s old ship could go, and Devyn had suggested taking it up river–just to see.
Michael hadn’t protested–and why would he? It was a gorgeous day. The water was nice, almost clear enough to see through. The breeze was on their side, and the weather was perfect.
The day was young, anyway; they might as well make the most out of it.
Devyn had regaled Michael with several more stories about one thing or another, but when the river first forked he’d insisted Michael take one route over the other.
It was an artificial waterway, he’d explained–one Marius had specifically installed to reduce the distance between Villefort and Arista. What was once nearly half a day’s trip could be made in an hour, so by the time they were nearing the ancient forest that surrounded Villefort, they still had nearly all afternoon to get back to Arista.
Except, now they were here, and Devyn couldn’t help himself. He’d only meant to do a quick trip, but as they neared the old town–once a village, and once so much less than that–he’d gotten a bit quieter.
Though there was plenty of distance between Arista and Villefort, much of the terrain was the same. It was the same tall green grass, though some areas were more waterlogged than others. Wildflowers grew rampant, and the trees each bore the mark of bad storms. They were healing, but it had hardly been two full seasons since the Chaos was purged. These trees were somewhat taller than those in Arista, and looked stubbornly resilient. Some of them looked sickly, like withered hands clawing for the sky. Devyn had explained a while back that that’s just how they were.
Except, Devyn was looking at them with mild contemplation.
There was something on the wind. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant, but the aroma was an earthy, musky smell. It came and went on the wind, but now that they were nearing Villefort it was particularly resilient.
There were mountains in the distance, pale and far away. Devyn had thought the goats should be here, but he was quite pleased to have them tending to the grass around the Hall.
He hadn’t looked at the mountains since they’d turned the most recent bend, which was interesting because he’d been telling stories about the island floating in the sky–completely visible–as it slowly moved above them.
The water had darkened, and the grass looked inky–not quite black, but like there was some sort of dark condensation over it.
They weren’t even in Villefort yet; they had to make it through the forest once known as Blackrot. Infamous for the sickening fumes and bog-like conditions, the trees bled black poison.
The sickness it carried was fatal.
Once.
Villefort’s legacy, and Blackrot’s, were ancient history, and Devyn was proud to talk about all they had overcome in the process. Even if he had old gripes about his participation and the role he’d been forced into, he couldn’t deny that the impact had, overall, been worth celebrating.
He’d been excited to show Michael. Hoped, even, that they might find some life in such a resilient place.
Instead, they turned a bend and he sighed heavily. Sticky, inky black sludge was bleeding into the river. There was a canal they were supposed to take into Villefort, but Devyn shook his head as soon as he spotted it. “We shouldn’t go that way, it’ll stick to the ship and be a pain to clean with how things are.”
The water they were in was murky but the ship cut through it as it had the clearer waters near Arista. A large tree had fallen some time ago and its exposed roots had grown into the river. It wasn’t a perfect place to dock the ship, but it seemed their best bet given the circumstances. He nodded to it. “Do you think we can tie her off here? I have to go into town. It gets like this sometimes.”
He already supposed that Michael would worry after hearing the stories of Villefort and seeing the ooze coagulating in the river ahead, so he was quick to explain, “That’s just byproduct of some of the natural minerals mixing together, it’s not Black Rot. I suppose it looks a bit similar, so if Percy gives you any of those memories, don’t let him worry you. I used to help take care of this, it just needs a bit of dirty work. When it rains too much, it draws it out of the soil. On its own, it’s not a problem, but when the water mixes it all up it’s got a bad reaction. There’s an cave system that runs under the place. Part of it’s natural, part of it’s manmade. Villefort’s got its fair share of mushrooms and weird things under there. The water’s supposed to flow through some of those chambers and it comes out purified, but I’m guessing it’s gotten clogged up again. Too much water’ll do it, especially if it’s too dangerous for anyone to clear it out.”
He looked down at his boots and powered up, and looked at his boots again before he sighed heavily. “These aren’t the right shoes for the job.” He hadn’t brought a spare pair, and he shifted in place on the deck like he was admiring his boots now before he got them dirty. Able to clean them magically or not, it was such a waste. He looked at his sleeves next and sighed, but shook his head so he could stay focused, and smiled at Michael.
He was ready to help do whatever he needed to in order to get the ship handled, but knowing him he was also probably ready to jump off and swim to shore.
…Which might have been safer for Michael.
“It’s not very romantic,” he said apologetically. “It’s actually quite a bit gross. But I really wanted to show you and the boys Villefort. Will you mind if I go clean this up? You can take a nap on the ship if you’d like, you won’t even have to get dirty with me.”
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2023 8:32 pm
Michael had no problem maneuvering the ship to where Devyn suggested, just as he had no problem powering up and giving Alastor a look when he suggested that he take a nap on the ship instead of getting dirty with him.
“You know I’d rather be with you, no matter how gross,” he pointed out and made sure to get the ship close enough so that Alastor didn’t jump off and swim to shore.
Sessrumnir sighed and mumbled how Alastor was unbelievable under his breath as he collected what they would need and tucked everything into his subspace.
In reality, he was trying to understand the heaviness in his heart, while hopefully not giving Alastor any reason to be concerned.
He couldn’t quite explain it, but there was a pressure that he felt once they’d started getting closer to the forest. Maybe it was just because he worried, but there was something about the way Devyn warned him not to worry about any memories he received that made him wonder how deeply connected Percy had been to this place.
“You’ll get things done twice as fast if I help. Then maybe we can take a nap together,” he suggested, because that was better than describing the phantom pain on his chest. It wasn’t his heart, but something just skin deep. Almost like a burn.
“What exactly was the Black Rot?” he asked, because he’d heard Devyn tell him about it before, but never in full detail. Since they were dealing with it now, or something that mimicked it, he figured he might as well know.
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2023 8:38 pm
Michael’s insistence in helping wasn’t necessarily something Devyn dreaded but it was something he might have been hoping to avoid having to explain until after he was back. But, his husband was too clever. Devyn wasn’t surprised. He wasn’t going to insist that Michael stayed, that was too suspicious.
He was already asking about Black Rot, anyway.
There were probably a dozen ways he could have answered honestly while still skirting the truth, but it didn’t seem fair to be vague when Michael was preparing to go into Villefort.
He knew Michael would rather be with him. He just worried that he might get sick.
“Black Rot’s a blood poison, I suppose. It used to carry in the air. This won’t be like that,” he was quick to assume, although a part of him was just hopeful that this was the much less dangerous issue.
“You couldn’t pass through the forest without special equipment–and who would want to, anyway? There used to be spots in the bog that were so acidic it could dissolve a body completely. Sulfuric bubbles would come up from underground and explode, too. There were a lot of patches of bad air. It wasn’t a very friendly place. I might have chosen a different path the first time I passed through, but I thought I was a few miles south when I came by. In hindsight, I suppose the black trees and foul smell should have been a clue, but.” He shrugged, it was in the distant past. He was good at getting lost in bad places.
“The Rot would wither anything it came in contact with. You used to be able to tell how bad it was, it started in the extremities. Fingers, toes. The blood would darken, you could see it. The worse it was, the closer it stretched to your heart. Most people didn’t make it long enough for that. It weakens you. Makes it hard to move, hard to think, hard to breathe. And it was highly contagious. The people who lived in Villefort were a bit more resistant, it took years for most of them to get sick. The town was a bit more fortified, they had some resources to purify the air. But they weren’t immune to it. Outsiders, though, it was hard on them. And it was much harder on foreigners. Percy had a bad case of it, and he was only here for a few weeks. But you have nothing to be afraid of,” he insisted.
For as flippant as he could be, for as often as he would say such things just to reassure Michael, this time he took the effort to put his hand on Michael’s arm, just above his wrist. He squeezed gently and made great effort to catch his gaze before he continued. “I want you to be careful. If you start to feel too dizzy or lightheaded, I want you to head back, okay? The air’s clean out here. I don’t think this is Black Rot. I do think it’s toxic. I’m more resilient to things like this. Black Rot didn’t affect me like it did the others. But I had strong blood. They used that when they were trying to find a cure. I don’t really understand the science behind it. But it worked, there’s a remedy now. So if anyone got sick, we could make medicine. But I don’t think that’s what we have to deal with now.”
He wanted to warn him, just in case.
The forest looked like there was a shadow over it even without any clouds in the sky to cover it. It was no cooler but it seemed that darkness was trying to swallow the whole forest. It wasn’t like the Chaos Devyn had faced; there was no dark energy in the area.
It was just a sick forest.
“It might tint your skin a bit, like spilling ink and washing it off before it stains too badly. So be careful what you touch. I have gloves though. You’ll have to let me dig them out before we touch anything. I don’t want you to get sick, but it shouldn’t be more than a cold if you do. It’s fatigue, aches, chills. The fumes can agitate your lungs and nose and mouth. I didn’t bring a mask,” he said, this time a bit more apologetically. “I haven’t needed one so I didn’t think to pack it.”
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2023 8:53 pm
Michael was used to Devyn waving off potential concern for safety, as though his confidence was enough to divert any misfortune that may have otherwise fallen on them. But he paused when Devyn took hold of his arm to get his attention.
He frowned. Not because he wasn’t planning on listening to Devyn, but because there was so much that they didn’t know. Alastor had been covered in Chos until recently. There was no telling what had been unearthed in the years -- decades since Devyn had last visited.
Then Michael sighed, and placed his hand on Devyn’s on his arm.
“I’ll be careful. You know me.” Which was probably why Devyn wanted to make sure he told him if he was feeling out of sorts. “I’m pretty durable, but I’ll let you know if I think I need to go back,” he promised. He didn’t think he needed to make that promise, because he would be fine, but if Devyn felt better about it then he would.
“Don’t worry, I have gloves too. And if you don’t mind me cutting up your sash, I can make us both masks,” he nodded to the sash Devyn wore as a Senshi. It would probably filter out anything better than anything Michael was wearing or had packed away.
“People actually lived here?” he frowned up at the dark trees around them. They were obviously only on the outside of the forest, but knowing there was a town somewhere inside was a little perplexing.
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:01 pm
“It’ll clear up before you know it,” he insisted, and though he knew Michael meant well it seemed to be natural to defend Villefort. He’d drawn his hand away and was tugging at the sash he wore around his waist. For a moment he’d looked at the soft fabric like he thought it would have been a shame to cut it up, but his uniform was magic and would repair itself.
They’d be fashionable masks, at least.
He handed the fabric over and continued, “Villefort has had a hard run, I won’t deny that. But it wasn’t always in the middle of a toxic bog. Things just sort of fell apart. When people got sick, it was impossible to maintain. But it’s a rich, deep rooted culture. Very superstitious. You’ll have to tell me if you see any large birds while we’re there.”
He almost sounded smug.
“An ancient god haunts these forests, according to their lore. Marius was a bit insistent they take precautions and honor old traditions. Mostly because I think, for all his talk, he was afraid he’d earned his ire. But that’s what you get, impersonating a god. Maybe we can find his old costume, too. But it was already a relic when I last saw it.”
He could have explained more, it was easy to get lost in memories that were known to him. He’d told Michael bits of everything, and sometimes he didn’t always remember what he’d said and what he hadn’t gotten to yet.
But Marius, the young man who had tapped into ancient power to save the city of Villefort, was a leading character in his stories. His adopted son–not quite by choice–who tethered his lifeline to Alastor’s and used him to commit a carefully planned quest of revenge and salvation.
For all the trouble it was, Villefort had been saved. Marius had lived through the Black Rot. Gone on to be mayor of the town Arista, and cemented his legacy as a good leader.
That part had never surprised Devyn. He’d taken care of the people of this village while he himself was dying, of course he would have done everything for the others around him while he had the strength to do it.
…Even if he had, occasionally, disguised himself as their ancient, vengeful god.
Lucinius.
He didn’t think Sessrumnir was superstitious so he wasn’t too worried about it. He did know that he’d try to keep any sickness to himself, but Devyn very much wanted to stay ahead of that, just in case. In any case, he knew he’d be careful. He trusted him.
“Villefort had a lot going for it before the decline. And then it slowly rotted away as the rest of Alastor tried to erase it from all existence. Well, not all of us. Most of us didn’t know. But it was a whole conspiracy. I’m glad Marius was tenacious enough to interrupt that plan. Although his methods were,” he gestured vaguely. “Debatable. They got the job done. You know all about that, sorry. The short answer is, yes. People lived here for a very long time. I’m supposing something must have happened to make them move.” He tried not to sound a little worried, or disappointed, and glanced back up at the forest before he shook his head.
Even as he handed the sash over, he seemed ready to go investigate now.
“The people of Villefort are very loyal to it, they wouldn’t leave unless they had to. The storms might have gotten too bad over here. If they had as much water as we got at the Hall, I can imagine the canal system failed. I’ve got books back at the Hall of Villefort, things Marius had commissioned, so you can see it in all its glory. We’ll get it back there, too. I’m not sure Marius’ ghost won’t be back to haunt me if I didn’t. I thought you’d like Villefort,” he mused. “It’s peaceful, away from the big cities. Surrounded by nature. I mean, obviously this is not the best first impression, but give it a little time. I think you’ll love it when it’s a bit healthier.”
Technically, Devyn should have been aware that right now everything felt like it was away from the ‘big cities’. There was no hustle and bustle. So far the only people he’d seen here were the ones he brought with him.
He wasn’t going to stop looking. Or helping, wherever he could.
Even if it meant trudging into the mucky sludge somewhere in the forest to help drain it out.
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:07 pm
When Devyn handed over his sash, Michael pulled out a small utility knife from his subspace, and worked on getting the sash cut into two pieces. The first one was easy enough to tie over his own nose and mouth, but took time to carefully move Devyn’s hair out of the way, and making sure it wouldn’t get tied in the fabric, before carefully tying it on for him. Followed by a kiss to the back of his head. Oh… but through the mask, so it wasn’t even a good kiss.
“Got it. Watch out for acidic pitfalls and deity birds,” he hummed, and took a moment to play with Devyn’s hair by smoothing it back out over his back.
Michael was taking this all very seriously, though. He didn’t want to give Devyn any reason to worry.
“I’m not going to lie… I do feel something here,” he admitted, because if Devyn was going to be honest with him, then he was going to return the favor. “I’m not sure what it is. It’s heavy. Like remembering feelings.”
At least he was going to assume it was feelings. He didn’t know what else it could be.
But they would be okay. If they had to figure out the damage and come back later, better prepared, then that was what they’d have to do. There was no doubt in his mind that he would love any place on Alastor that Devyn loved. Especially when it was healthy.
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:18 pm
As always, Michael was so sweet to him. The mask might have covered his face, but the smile reached Devyn’s eyes anyway.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that,” he admitted. “Percy had a lot of feelings about this place. He cared a lot for the people here. He had a big heart, he hurt for them and their suffering. He was angry at the way they’d been treated. Oh, he put Marius on a pedestal,” he sighed, as if such a thing still exhausted him.
“Praised that boy like he was some sort of idol. He wanted to adopt him, wanted to take him out of here and give him a better life.”
The mask didn’t hide the smile in his voice. “So, he did. But I was so mad at Marius, for so long. Do you know how hard I worked to make everyone see me as more than some bloodthirsty murderer? Some demon, hell bent on death and destruction? Gone, thrown away, because of some teenager with a vendetta.”
He sighed heavily, performatively.
“He was a clever boy. I resented him for a very long time. In the end, and looking back now–when I’m older and have seen all that came from it–I’m very proud of him. I wish he’d known he could trust me, I would have helped him without all of these dramatics.
“There was a lot of death in this place. Not fast death, not like on the battlefield. Slow death. With the knowledge that there was nothing to do but wait, and rot, and die. I think, sometimes, that still lingers in the air. When it’s quiet, it’s a bit eerie. But I feel that way about most of Alastor these days. I was used to the storm for so long that now it feels…”
Well, he wasn’t going to complain. “Sometimes it still feels a bit lonely. But there’s bird song now, and I think that helped. Once we get the muck out of here, I’m sure we’ll get birds again. The forest won’t feel so desolate once they’re back.”
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:58 pm
“That must have been difficult for you to all figure out,” Michael observed with a frown, which his brows gave away despite his mouth being behind a mask. “Percy didn’t take your side with everything?”
That didn’t sound right, but then again, Michael didn’t know the full story. But if Devyn had resented Marius while Percy praised him, Michael couldn’t imagine it being very easy for the three of them to deal with. A part of him wondered if it was even fair for him to ask about it. He didn’t want to seem like he was questioning their relationship, because he wasn’t. He knew Devyn practically worshiped everything about Percy, even in death. But if Marius was the cause of so much trouble for Devyn, it seemed strange for Percy to gravitate towards someone like that.
Off the ship, Michael was careful about where he was walking. He made sure the ship was secured, and then turned to follow Devyn into the forest on what he assumed was a path, whether by human or by animal. Hopefully that meant Devyn was right and there would be birds soon to fill the air with song.
“No offense, but it’s hard to look at you and think you’re some kind of bloodthirsty murderer. Much less a demon, hell bent on death and destruction,” Michael said with a bit of exasperation in his voice. He’d only known Devyn for so long, but he felt like he knew him beyond any doubt in his mind.
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2023 10:09 pm
Devyn laughed. “Right? I thought I was rather charming. I used to spend so much energy trying to give people reasons to like me. I learned that it didn’t matter, though. People saw what they wanted to see. So I learned to just do the right thing regardless of what they thought of me. If they were scared of me every time I came into town,” he shrugged. “It didn’t matter. They still left better off than they were before I arrived most of the time.”
It was difficult to tell if he was glad to be on land or just in a hurry to investigate Villefort. He walked with slightly longer, slightly faster strides than usual. It wasn’t anything difficult to keep up with, but when Michael spent as much time with Devyn it was probably something that wasn’t too hard to pick up.
The necklace around his neck seemed like it was bursting with more energy than usual but there wasn’t anything particularly alarming about that. Sometimes it swirled as much when Devyn caught a whiff of some new restaurant they passed.
“Most of the time because Percy was there, and anyone who met him couldn’t help but trust him. He and I agreed on most things, but Marius is–well, it’s complicated. Back then, Marius said that I was tethered to Lucinius. He’d get all put together in his costume any time Lucinius needed to make an appearance. Percy had no idea they were one in the same, but Marius wanted it that way. Perce wasn’t supposed to be in Villefort, Marius hadn’t accounted for anyone else to show up. He didn’t want Percy to be afraid but he didn’t want to mess up his plans. Marius had a good heart,” he sighed.
He knew Michael had questions he wasn’t asking, and while Devyn loved and respected him for that, he also didn’t mind telling the story.
“He was a kid, what was I going to do, hate him forever? I’d have done the same thing. Sort of. A little bit differently. At the heart of it all, he just wanted to save his people. He was between a rock and a hard place and was doing all he could with the time he had left. He saved Percy’s life, though.”
Devyn clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and shrugged. “We didn’t tell him, we knew he’d be upset about it. It’s hard to hate someone who gave me a few more years with Perce. Selflessly, I might add, at risk to his own life. After we found the cure for Black Rot, he was the test subject. He lived through it, so we started giving it to the others, but Perce was too bad off. He couldn’t have the same dose. So even though Marius was still sitting on death’s doorstep, he volunteered to do a blood swap, half his for half of Percy’s. They stayed hooked up until Percy’s body got purified of it all.”
He was simplifying things, but he wasn’t a doctor. Even now he couldn’t explain the whole procedure. He just knew that Marius could have died, and Percy certainly would have if it weren’t for him.
Devyn shrugged. “Marius said his life was forfeit if he could save his people. He was willing to go to jail, willing to be executed. He didn’t matter if he could save Villefort. And he was young when he decided that. I resented him because I worked so hard to keep a clean record, and I got roped into his whole mess and took the fall for all of it. I guess it worked out in the end. In hindsight, it wasn’t so bad. But in the moment,” he shrugged. “It was hard. I didn’t know how long I’d have to live and it felt like everything I’d worked for got erased overnight. I had blood on my hands I’d never get to wipe off and I couldn’t tell anyone the true story. But. If people wanted to see me in a bad light, they always would have. Bad people died. I think they should have had a proper trial but people like that, with as much money and influence as they had? They’d have gotten out of it. So, it was justice, in its own way. I loved Percy and I trusted him with my whole heart. I knew Marius wasn’t bad. And I owed him for helping me save Perce.”
He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth again. “Even though it was his fault we were even in Villefort to begin with. But.” He shrugged; there didn’t seem to be any tension when he told the story. “If I’d told Percy I didn’t want Marius around, he would have been broken hearted but he would have agreed. We didn’t fight about it. It was difficult for a while, but we worked things out. I told him it was okay. The Council thought it would look good if we took Marius in, anyway. It was better than a jail sentence. And look at all the good he did afterwards! Oh, I’ll have to show you later. This isn’t the best scene for it right now.”
The grass around the forest had wilted somewhat but it didn’t seem unsalvageable. There were overgrown weeds by the water and lining the would-be path that Devyn led them down. Most of the grass was a faded green, but some patches were darker, or browning. Most of it looked like water damage, or poor soil quality.
Devyn took stock of this; as he walked past some of the weeds he curled his fingers around them and tugged at them while they walked.
The soil had no grip; he uprooted an entire plant, paused, looked at it apologetically, and then tried to settle it back into the ground. The muddy dirt accepted it and he nudged it with his foot until it was somewhat back in place.
He continued walking like he hadn’t done anything. The path they walked on seemed to have been lined with gravel and cement at some point; while dirt and grass and weeds had reclaimed parts of the path, when they followed it they were at least walking on solid ground. Off the path, the ground was a bit more unstable but Devyn wasn't planning on straying from the path.
He wasn’t planning on getting lost in Villefort today.
“It’ll be a bit of a walk through the forest. It might get a bit deep in some parts. But you can ride on my back if you don’t want to walk through the mud.”
Michael could walk. Devyn knew this. He just didn’t seem to take the time to have as much fun with life when it wasn’t just the two of them. Besides, Devyn liked to carry Michael. Especially on Alastor, where his strength was at its best.
The old path led into the forest, where there was a clear opening in the trees. It just wasn’t particularly welcoming, and the closer they were to it, the darker it seemed to get. The trees were massive and bent somewhat, probably from the storm and probably from the wet soil. Some of them looked like they were closer to tipping over than others, and some of them had already fallen.
Though there were some saplings in various stages of growth, most of the trees looked like they'd been there for a long time. They had thick trunks and deep roots, some of which were visible because they were overturned or because they’d grown so warped that they were visible above ground.
Many of the trees seemed to be dead, and Devyn pressed his lips together tightly before he exhaled. He could smell the foulness of stale water, and there were pools of murky water. The air was still in a way that Devyn really didn’t like, and he sighed heavily already.
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2023 10:19 pm
Michael snorted quietly in amusement when Devyn offered to carry him. “I was wondering when you’d offer,” he admitted, but didn’t shy away from getting dirty. “I thought you could save your strength for later, but if you really wanted to, I won’t deny you.”
He’d promised him as much, after all.
Knowing more of the story seemed to help settle his heart. He knew of Devyn and Percy’s loyalty to each other, so throwing in an unknown must have been something they had to overcome together. He imagined neither were happy about how things turned out, but from everything Devyn said about Percy, Michael knew he had too big of a heart to deny someone just trying to survive. Someone who was trying to help others survive as well.
“Could there be a clog somewhere?” Michael asked, and then made a face as he stepped into some soil that was so damp it had just turned into mud. The smell certainly wasn’t appealing, but Michael had smelled worse before. Especially during rescue missions overseas.
“Just tell me what I need to do to help. You know this place better than I do,” he reminded Devyn, even as he continued along the path towards Villefort without much thought to where his feet were taking him.
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2023 10:27 pm
Devyn should have offered earlier, before Michael had a chance to get his boots so dirty.
“It’s almost certainly a clog, so let’s hope it’s one of the ones on our way into town. That would make this much easier than having to visit each one individually. I’ve got and idea of where it might be, but it’s just a guess. We used to have problems with this one.” He nodded ahead of them, though the path was becoming a bit more difficult now. The gravel path they’d been able to follow was steadily becoming more waterlogged, and up ahead of them it looked like it wasn’t long before they’d be ankle deep in the sludge.
Gross, but a good sign that maybe things needed to be fixed nearby.
“What I’m worried about is that it’s not just one.”
He sighed heavily. “Probably not just one after all this time. We’ll see. Do you want some fragrance for your mask? I’ve got some rose water that’ll freshen that right up.”
He stopped, partly because he intended to get it out if Michael wanted any, and partly because he did want to carry him on his back, and he seemed to be waiting for Michael to take the opportunity to jump on his back so he could get a good grip. If he was serious.
“We’ll take a walk around. I’m rusty with the layout. My feet think they know where they’re going but they’re not always the best navigators. There used to be markers on the trail but I think the storms might have taken them down.” That, or the age and lack of upkeep.
“Could be a couple miles worth of walking though, so if I’m going to carry you, let me get it out of my system now while I’ve got the energy. And if we get lost, you’ll be high up enough you might be able to see where we should go next. There are six drain points, in almost a circle around Villefort. Less than a quarter mile out from the village so it’s nearby enough to check easily, but not so close that a buildup could reach the city. It’ll be a mess of twigs and grass and muck blocking it up, it’s like any drain that’s taking on too much. So if we get them cleared, the canals will start moving again, all this gunk will drain out, and we’ll be good as new. I guess the only good thing about all of this is that the fumes are so bad there’s no mosquitoes to worry about.”
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Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 5:44 am
Michael stopped when Devyn slowed down, because smelling roses sounded much better than smelling… whatever acidic decay that was around them.
“Thanks,” Michael said first about the rose water that was dabbed onto the fabric. And then after a wary moment, concerned that he might make Devyn lose his balance, Michael reached up to put his arms around his husband’s shoulders and hopped up onto his back.
He would just ignore the way he still felt a bit embarrassed by it, but there was no one around to be embarrassed for, so he knew it was just all in his head.
“Six drain points, got it. If we can’t figure it out this time, I’ve got tools back in the garage that can help. Long poles that can cut up any debris that got in the way. Ropes with hooks to pull things out. Things like that,” he explained, although he was sure that Devyn had already inspected his garage and all the tools he had.
He would admit that it was exciting to be able to share a workspace with someone. And Atticus used a lot of the smaller tools as well, although he was pretty sure he caught him eyeing some of the larger power tools as well. Likely in order to help with a project or two he had in mind.
“Mosquitoes must be universal,” Michael grimaced, although he was grateful that there were a lot of recognizable things on Alastor that were similar to Earth. He was glad he didn’t have to learn a new word for goat yet. Even if he was serious about learning how to speak in Devyn’s native tongue.
“Don’t worry, if there were any, I would swat them away for you,” he teased, with a gentle squeeze around his shoulders.
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Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 6:37 am
Devyn was more than ready for Michael’s weight on his back, so as soon as he was up he hooked his arms under Michael’s knees so he could adjust him a bit. Overall, Devyn was incredibly comfortable with the weight, not just because he liked the closeness but because he liked showing off whenever he could.
Michael was sweet to indulge him like he did, and to offer usage of all his nice tools. He’d spent enough time in there asking what something was, or what it did, and Michael had very courteously, as always, answered all of his questions.
A little smile twitched on his face, and even if Michael couldn't see it, Devyn was sure he could tell anyway. “Oh, my hero. A lot of things have other names out here but if it’s just you and me I know you won’t nitpick. Most of the time we’d call them leech gnats. Or blood flies, depending on where you are. But I think they’re most like mosquitos on Earth. I never had much of a problem with them either way, my blood must be too bitter. But you, you’re so sweet. They’d be all over you.”
The water was at his ankles by now but it didn’t slow him down. He moved quickly, but not recklessly. The last thing he wanted to do was step in some deep hole and take both of them down into this muck.
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Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 7:13 am
“Those names make them sound even worse!” Michael couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped. He absolutely could hear the smile in Devyn’s voice, and thought he was cute and silly all in one. Which was why he snorted in amusement at the suggestion of him being so sweet.
“Careful, with all your flirting I might fall for you again,” he teased in response, but was being vigilant at the same time. He didn’t want to be the reason why they ended up getting lost, or stuck. Especially with Devyn carrying him.
“In case you don’t see it, there’s a log or something under the water,” he warned, because from his vantage he had a better angle to see anything lurking below them. Devyn likely already saw it, but just in case.
“So the Black Rot was cured and people decided to keep living here? I understand wanting to live somewhere important but…”
Sure, Devyn had great hopes for this place, but it seemed pretty inhabitable at the moment. But he was expecting to be proven wrong at some point. His starseed seemed to protest any doubt he might have about the place.
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Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 8:05 am
Devyn laughed again,and some of the weight of this burden seemed to lift again. “What good eyes you have, my love. Thank you for looking out for me. If I make you fall again, it won’t be in the water, I promise. Why would we give such a horrible creature a good name? They’re awful. We’ll call them mosquitoes in front of Atticus or he will, no doubt, feel bad for them.” Maybe even try to give them a cuter name.
He stepped over the log confidently, without Michael having to point it out further. It didn’t matter if he’d seen it or not, Michael having his back was a great reassurance.
He didn’t like to be here alone. With Michael around, he never had to be.
Naturally, Devyn was always ready to give a history lesson, or to talk about his world.
There were few places here he wouldn’t talk about fondly. Villefort, for all the hardship he’d had here, was often spoken of with praise and admiration.
“Villefort became very popular after Black Rot was cured. Atrius really put his back into pushing it back on the map. He was a good man,” Devyn hummed, and took a moment to actually consider it. In the span of his life, his whole life, he could think of few men who did as much with their time. “It’s why there’s still statues of him in Arista. Not because I kept putting them back after someone took them down. Just in case you were wondering. But, Villefort was home to those people. It was their legacy. I can’t say I completely understand, but then–I don’t have an ancestral home to go back to. My village, where I was born, is under a mile of mud or more. We weren’t a big place, either. You won’t find us in history books beyond a message here or there. Nobody wrote books on our culture, our people, our lifestyle. I was too young to do anything at the time. If I’d had the forethought, I’d have written a book. Taught other people the songs, the recipes. I was a child, I didn’t know much of anything though. I remember a lullaby my mother sang to me, sometimes. Not all the time. I remember some bird calls. I remember the smells of flowers in Spring. Things I’ve never found anywhere else on Alastor–and, trust me, I’ve looked. But it’s like that part of my world is gone. So much of Alastor has been taken or lost, by war or weather. One lifetime isn’t enough for anyone, so we plant our roots, and we grow. And keep growing. Villefort had deep roots.”
He shrugged, even with Michael on his back.
“The people here thought it was the best way to honor those that came before them. They wanted to lay the foundation for those that came afterwards, too. Not all of them stayed. Some moved. But home is home, you know? And sometimes, even when it seems like everything’s a mess, all you can see is how good things can be, so you work towards that. And then, you make the world a better place.”
There was something tender in his voice, something prideful.
“Villefort wasn’t a war-faring town. They just wanted to survive. I’ve always admired that. And, when other villages nearby fell on hard times, Villefort helped them. So, I will always help Villefort. Even if it doesn’t seem like anyone else is around right now.”
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