#sovo note

[sovonight]

i was going to scribble a comic for these but please just imagine them as i would've drawn them instead

fenced & found | xan/radri, bg2

—✧—

(a little while after Xan's return)

R: Wait, where are your robes?

X glances down, and looks up again

X: Right here, unless I have found myself back in one of my childhood nightmares.

R: No, no, the good one. The--what was it--the robe of the neutral archmagi.

X: …They were stolen, along with the rest of my belongings. Did I not tell you?

R: Oh, right.

R: …

R, shocked & outraged: They were stolen?!

--

X: Radri--slow down--what are you--

R: We've wasted so much time! Who knows where the thieves have moved the goods now? Who knows who they've sold them to?!

X, realizing: …No. No, do not ask--

R: I'm sure the shadow thieves can manage to do me this one favor! I'll be gracious enough to take the information over the honor of managing that little guild hall!

--

(at shadow thief hq)

R, annoyed: No, they aren't "just robes", they were worth 20,500 gp, plus 2,000 gp for custom alterations, plus another 5,000 gp to get them in the right shades of midnight blue and melancholic purple. And did I mention that they're the best robes on the market for neutral wizards? Yes, exactly. Now repeat all the details back to me--

--

R, musing: The only question is if they already found a buyer. With any luck, they will still be there when we arrive… (notices Xan) What is it?

X: I did not realize that you had invested so much in it. You told me you had just happened upon it as it was.

R, embarrassed, realizing she'd said everything with him present: …Oh. Well, I lied.

X: …I--

R, unable to let him speak: I just knew you would say that the cost was outrageous, but they were this horrible shade of acid green to start with, and I couldn't let you walk around in that! And you would say the robes weren't worth it, because you would be dying in them all the same, but they are worth it because they keep you safer, and I thought, these are an investment, you'll have them forever, and I won't ever have to think about robes again! And I'm sure you'll say you had better in Evereska but if nothing else consider us retrieving it as a recouping of--(X hugs her)--huh?

X: I am sorry that I lost it, Estel'amin.

R, sniffle: It wasn't lost. It was stolen.

X: I am sorry that it was stolen, then.

R: It's fine. It's not your fault you make such an easy mark. (Burying her face in his shoulder) Really, it's a miracle you don't get robbed all the time.

--

(at the shop)

R: (gasp) It's still here! I can't believe it!

Shopkeeper: A beauty, isn't it? Normally I price it at 30,000, but I'll let it go for 29,000 gp for such a discerning customer such as yourself.

R, empty, ready to cry: ……29,000 gp…….?

S: Well, just look at the craftsmanship. Why, this could become an heirloom, to be passed down to--

X: Zero.

S: Er, what?

X: We will be paying zero gold pieces. These are stolen goods, for they are my robes, which were unjustly removed from my possession a fortnight ago.

R looks at Xan like he's her hero; S looks at him in outrage

S: Well, isn't that an outlandish claim! (Disbelieving laugh) It may suit your taste in colors, sir, but I challenge you to prove it!

X, crossing his arms: Radri?

R: There's a name embroidered under the collar.

S, pleased: Oh, but it appears there's nothing embroidered there, dear custome--

R: I also had it embroidered in the lining of the pockets, in each sleeve, and in 7 inch intervals along the hem, in case it was ever fenced.

S, defensive: …Well, who's to say that you are this "Xan"? Anyone can go by any name these days, and--

X holds out his moonblade, showing his name on the hilt

X: If I were not Xan, I would not be able to draw this moonblade.

X draws it, holding the bared blade between them, the flames illuminating the shopkeeper's apprehensive face

X: Is this proof enough for you, shopkeeper? Seeing as you have wasted much of my friend's time already, I would suggest you make the answer "yes."

S: Y-Yes! Take it! Urgh, no one would buy the damn thing anyway--it's such a dreadful shade of purple!

--

X, self-conscious: What is it? Why do you keep smiling at me?

R: Nothing! I'm just glad we have the robes back.

X, evaluating her: …You're pleased that I threatened him for you, aren't you.

R, pink, avoiding his gaze: What? Noooo. …Well, maybe a little. I was surprised you would go so far for me, that's all. I mean, drawing the moonblade and everything…

X, turning his face away: The moonblade? (Sigh) Is that it, then? You love me more as a noble defender of Elvendom than as a man?

R, genuinely worried, clutching his arm: What?! Xan, no, of course not, I--(She catches a glimpse of the small, barely hidden smile on his face, and reprimands--) Xan!

X, kissing her cheek: Forgive me, Estel'amin, I know your love is true; I only wished for you to turn my way so that I could see your reddened face in full.

R, redder at being tricked, grousing: Noble? You're becoming just as underhanded as any thief I've met.

—✧—

quality footwear | bg2

—✧—

(at ye olde vending machine in spellhold)

X: Radri! Stop fooling around!

R, annoyed: I'm already here, and I have the tokens! What am I supposed to do, not spend them?

R: (counting quietly)

R, muttering: I have enough for two sets of quality footwear.

X, incredulous: You do not even realize how mad you sound!

--

R: Oh! Boots of speed! Now one person can match pace with me.

X, expectant: …

R: Keldorn! Here you go.

X: Radri?!

--

R: No, because think of how dangerous it would be for you to accidentally walk into a fight far ahead of anyone else!

X: What an excellent point. It is as though you read my mind. Indeed, I believe I recall myself saying something very similar to you, right before you encountered that exact scenario yourself--and then continued to encounter it as you refused to heed my concerns.

R, sheepish: …

X: Here is my proposal: either we obtain enough of these accursed boots for everyone, which is most definitely impossible, or you relinquish yours to--

R, speeding ahead to exit the conversation:

X: --Radri!

[codshopping]

SOVO SBT-920 Ultra Pro Plus True Wireless AirPods

SOVO SBT-920 Ultra Pro Plus True Wireless AirPods Pakistan SOVO SBT-920 Ultra Pro Plus True Wireless AirPods Pakistan. Advanced Sound Quality: The SBT-920 AirPods are engineered to provide a truly immersive audio experience. With high-fidelity sound reproduction and enhanced bass response, every note and beat come to life, allowing you to enjoy your favorite music, podcasts, and more with…

[eregyrn-falls]

Loot!  Very thematic loot.  Adorably eyebat-pursuing Ford hangs above my computer now.  (He’s really huge, too!)  Excellent products as always, sovo!

I’m still cracking up about the “sniff the ink” note. I’m having a hard time putting into words what his expression says to me, but it’s so very Ford.  (I totally sniffed the ink.) (It doesn’t really smell like much?)  Thank you!  Excellent product design, as always.

Separately, I got some of the Adagio tea blends that @sovonight created. I would be absolutely lying if I said I did not get them in large part for the reusable Ford tins.  (However, I *am* a tea-drinker, and by coincidence or not, the two Ford blends were the ones closest to what I actually like. I’m a big fan of lapsang souchong.)

[memurfevur-archive]

whispertrolls​:

memurfevur​:

“Yovou knovow hovow tovo ruin a surprise,” came a familiar voice, and before long Ptillo was sliding down the stairs. There was a smirk on her face, though it faded when she noted to exhaustion from the other.

“Yovou lovoovok like death.”

“thanks, i’m trying out a new look.”

She suppressed a sigh as she nodded Ptillo over. Honestly, she was restless. She had been, but she didn’t know why. Her work was keeping her busy enough to forget about it, or at least it had been until she had been unfortunate enough to step into an unseen hole. To no surprise but mild disappointment, she had been sent hive to recover.

Kamala clicked her tongue as she looked over Ptillo from head to toe. She had seen that smirk, but she looked even further. Ptillo seemed stiff, even tense. Something didn’t feel right, and it wasn’t just the lack of a cocky, predatory drive talking.

“i don’t have any patients and you don’t have any vibes popping off. you’re subdued. what’s bugging you?”

Ptillo slid next to Kamala and shrugged, "Aw, what I can't see my favovorite little bitch?" She reached up and pinched Kamala's cheek playfully. Then, she leaned in and kissed her forehead before retreating back.

"Sleep first, fuckpovop. I'm novot govoing tovo tell yovou shit if yovou're ovonly govoing tovo fall asleep ovon my ass." She gestured to her knives holstered on her thigh, "And that's an ovorder, dovoc. If I'm novot allovowed tovo kill yovou anymovore, I can at least pester yovou abovout yovour lifestyle sovo yovour slimy friend wovon't put the blame ovon me."

Hey Kamala I think someone's in your bedroom.

You look up to your loft with eyes that feel heavy from a lack of sleep. If you missed that, it's definitely not a good sign, but you swallow your apprehension.

"...someone should probably come down, then."

You're not as worried as you probably should be. If you die, you'll be fine, but even if you can't run, you think you're decently equipped to defend yourself.

[isaiahrippinus]

How Craft Brands Can Succeed in the Covid-19 Era

Craft brands have been in the spotlight across wine, beer, and spirits in recent years, with products from small producers becoming increasingly sought after over mass-marketed products. Consumers are seeking out fresh discoveries, and are increasingly prioritizing the production methods, ingredients, and stories behind craft beverages.

But the onset of Covid-19 has presented a new challenge: While consumers are increasing their home consumption and retail alcohol sales are up, most craft wine and spirits brands have not benefited. As much of the on-premise sector remains shuttered and many consumers turn to e-commerce to limit in-store purchasing, there is no salesperson or sommelier to champion small brands or encourage the consumer to try something new.

“People can’t go into retail stores and have that tactile, visual experience,” says Erik Segelbaum, the Washington, D.C.-based founder of consulting firm SOMLYAY. “The brands that are the super-industrial, commercial, well-marketed brands are selling like gangbusters.” And just as people turn to their favorite comfort foods to cope with the stress of the pandemic, they turn to familiar wine and spirits brands, too.

Though it might seem like the persistent effects of Covid-19 will decimate the craft beverage movement, craft brands can indeed set themselves up for success by targeting the right retail partners and finding creative ways to sell directly to consumers.

Acquiring New Retail Placements

While stay-home mandates and on-premise closures have resulted in retail sales spikes — as of June 13, off-premise sales were up 26 percent year-over-year for the entire Covid-affected time period — retailers are still working to manage this unexpected business shift.

“They’re still in survival mode,” says Nicolas Palazzi, the owner of PM Spirits in New York, an importer and distributor specializing in artisanal spirits brands. “They have no energy or time to do any outreach or take sales calls. They’re reacting to demand, and that demand is for mainstream brands because that’s what people know.” In the first six to eight weeks of the pandemic, most of Palazzi’s sales through existing retail accounts were for inexpensive items.

Brian Larky, the founder of Dalla Terra Winery Direct, has experienced similar difficulties when attempting to secure new placements for his portfolio of family-owned Italian wineries. For example, although off-premise Prosecco sales remain strong overall, it’s difficult to find new accounts for Larky’s craft Prosecco producer, Adami. “The big guys that are in [large retail shops and retail chains] have been in there for a long time,” he says. “We’ve got to go shoulder our way in as an independent producer.”

“Retail stores aren’t taking on new products, and they’re just buying what sells,” says Segelbaum. “It’s a cyclical supply and demand cycle.” Therefore, it’s more important than ever to maintain existing relationships with off-premise clients; Jen Collins, the New York market manager for El Silencio Mezcal, notes that personal touches like one-on-one outreach and thank-you notes can go far.

Despite the challenges, it’s critical to seek out new retail placements in order to compensate for lost on-premise business, particularly because the restaurant industry is likely facing a slow recovery. “It’s pretty unlikely that on-premise is going to amount to much, sales-wise, this year,” says Palazzi. “It would be a mistake to wait it out [without adapting right now].” PM Spirits’ business was split about evenly, dollar-wise, before the pandemic hit.

Depending on state laws, it may be advantageous to pursue new or increased placements in grocery stores. “Understandably, people are looking for one-stop shopping during the pandemic,” says Colby Frey, the CEO and co-founder for Frey Ranch in Fallon, Nev. “They have to pick up groceries, so they’re grabbing whiskey at the grocery stores, too.” While it can be difficult to obtain these competitive placements, local brands may have a leg up; Frey notes that because distribution is limited to their home market of Nevada, consumers know the brand and seek it out.

Other craft brands are getting creative with their sales strategies. The Tennessee distributor for Pinhook Bourbon in Midway, Ky., which releases new vintages of bourbons and ryes each year, pre-sold the producer’s 2020 high-proof bourbon to retailers via email before bringing in the inventory. This motivated retailers to commit based on limited availability — particularly because the distributor oversold their allocation. Pinhook has since rolled this strategy out for special releases across other markets.

New brands launching during the pandemic are faced with a unique situation: Though they are entering into an unusual and competitive market, starting from zero means that any new placements represent big growth. “I’m happy when I sell a couple of cases because I’m brand new,” says John Livanos, the CEO of Stray Dog Wild Gin, which was initially focused on restaurant and bar placements when it launched in February. The brand quickly redirected its sales efforts to retail stores.

Word of mouth has helped Jake Sherry, a co-founder of Catskills-based Isolation Proof Gin, connect with small retail shops in the Catskills and in New York City. The product, which was rebranded pre-launch in light of the pandemic, has resonated with local shops because it is produced locally and made with New York State ingredients.

However, Sherry admits that there is a limited ceiling for growth, so he’s also been cold-calling local liquor stores, rather than big outlets. “I think we’re too small to really have any success in a place where the bottom line is how much they can move,” says Sherry. “Where we’re going to do well is where owners are passionate and want to share stories behind products.” Many shops are too busy to meet with him, though, so Sherry has sometimes found success dropping off sample bottles for buyers to taste at their convenience.

Connecting with Consumers

But consumer interest in craft beverages hasn’t simply disappeared due to the pandemic. Rather, consumers don’t know how to find, or feel confident purchasing, new items without a trusted expert’s guidance. Craft brands that can find ways to market and sell directly to consumers will therefore find success in this market.

“For me, DTC business is everything,” says Katy Wilson, the founder and winemaker for Sonoma Coast producer LaRue Wines. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales have become increasingly important for American wineries, increasing 7.4 percent in value to reach $3.2 billion in sales in 2019, according to Sovos ShipCompliant.

“For those of us that had those pieces of the puzzle already in place,” adds Wilson, “we have been able to be a bit more nimble in our marketing strategies and how we respond to the changing landscape of the situation.” Since March, the winery has been exclusively focused on DTC sales.

The DTC market is easier to navigate for American wineries than it is for international wineries, or any kind of spirits producer. While American wineries are able to ship wine directly to consumers in 46 states (plus the District of Columbia), fewer than a dozen states allow for spirits to be shipped directly to consumers. Even when DTC spirits shipping is legal, costs can be prohibitive unless brands are shipping high volumes. Sherry is legally allowed to ship Isolation Proof Gin to consumers in New York State, but shipping often costs half again what the bottle does.

Some brands, including El Silencio and Stray Dog, have found it worthwhile to work with third-party services like Thirstie and Reserve Bar, which enable them to sell directly to consumers through partner retailers in different states. “We’re extremely excited to launch the newest portion of our website in a few weeks that enables consumers to buy Silencio directly from the site,” says Collins, who notes that pre-Covid, El Silencio’s business was 90 percent on-premise.

Others have developed in-house solutions, like Pinhook Bourbon, which recently launched a text-to-buy service called Breeze. Consumers can text the number 926-848 with a screenshot or description of the Pinhook bottle they would like, and the service will find a bottle at a retailer that will ship to them and complete the transaction via text.

It isn’t enough to have craft products available to consumers, though; communicating and marketing to consumers is just as important. “Any type of visibility right now is key,” says Collins. “Since the shelter-in-place mandates, being active and engaging on social media is efficient and beneficial.” El Silencio’s marketing team also geo-targets consumers on social media platforms to target the product’s optimal audience.

Livanos agrees. “Social media outreach has been more successful than I thought,” he says. “We’ve gotten some organic outreach through social media that I never thought existed.” Livanos has also been conducting media outreach, finding success with small local papers and Greek publications with audiences that Stray Dog’s Greek origins resonate well with.

Enacting Strategic Partnerships

Seeking out partnership opportunities with industry members, online retailers, or influential figures can also help bring increased awareness to craft brands at low or no cost.

“We’re quickly learning that online retailers are beginning to serve as digital advertising agencies and are eager for partnership,” says Alice Peterson, the CEO of Pinhook Bourbon. Many of these large online retailers already work to target and acquire new customers, and they will allow brands to use that data for brand-specific campaigns to drive traffic to their sites. Peterson also recommends that brands offer online retail partners good photo assets for all of the SKUs they carry, which can help capture the consumer’s interest by sight alone.

Listing retailers on a brand’s website can also provide a mutually beneficial partnership opportunity. In exchange for placement on its location-specific retailer list, Pinhook will often ask for priority placement in search results on the retailer’s site or a robust description to educate consumers about the product.

Without the ability to travel to different markets due to Covid-19, Palazzi has redirected some of that time to alternative promotional avenues, participating in interviews, podcasts, and Facebook groups. He’s also been conducting personal outreach to individuals in his network to explore opportunities for virtual tastings, Instagram Live discussions, or educational sessions with tasting groups.

Livanos has been doing the same. “Get with the right people who want to promote your product,” he says. “There are people who are still seeking out new things.”

In addition to hosting virtual tastings, Wilson has found success in partnering with restaurants like Anton’s in New York to promote sales while giving back. For one day in May, she pledged 30 percent of LaRue’s online wine sales to the restaurant’s employee fund, which both businesses promoted via email and on social media. “Nurture your current customers,” says Wilson, “but also look for and pursue partnership or collaboration opportunities that honor your values as a brand and drive visibility within the communities that align with those values.”

As craft brands work to weather this new beverage sales landscape, owners and team members try to look at the upside. “Maybe if it wasn’t for Covid,” says Livanos, “I would have much less off-premise business than I do now.”

The article How Craft Brands Can Succeed in the Covid-19 Era appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/how-craft-brands-can-succeed-in-the-covid-19-era/ source https://vinology1.tumblr.com/post/622355920380461056

[johnboothus]

How Craft Brands Can Succeed in the Covid-19 Era

Craft brands have been in the spotlight across wine, beer, and spirits in recent years, with products from small producers becoming increasingly sought after over mass-marketed products. Consumers are seeking out fresh discoveries, and are increasingly prioritizing the production methods, ingredients, and stories behind craft beverages.

But the onset of Covid-19 has presented a new challenge: While consumers are increasing their home consumption and retail alcohol sales are up, most craft wine and spirits brands have not benefited. As much of the on-premise sector remains shuttered and many consumers turn to e-commerce to limit in-store purchasing, there is no salesperson or sommelier to champion small brands or encourage the consumer to try something new.

“People can’t go into retail stores and have that tactile, visual experience,” says Erik Segelbaum, the Washington, D.C.-based founder of consulting firm SOMLYAY. “The brands that are the super-industrial, commercial, well-marketed brands are selling like gangbusters.” And just as people turn to their favorite comfort foods to cope with the stress of the pandemic, they turn to familiar wine and spirits brands, too.

Though it might seem like the persistent effects of Covid-19 will decimate the craft beverage movement, craft brands can indeed set themselves up for success by targeting the right retail partners and finding creative ways to sell directly to consumers.

Acquiring New Retail Placements

While stay-home mandates and on-premise closures have resulted in retail sales spikes — as of June 13, off-premise sales were up 26 percent year-over-year for the entire Covid-affected time period — retailers are still working to manage this unexpected business shift.

“They’re still in survival mode,” says Nicolas Palazzi, the owner of PM Spirits in New York, an importer and distributor specializing in artisanal spirits brands. “They have no energy or time to do any outreach or take sales calls. They’re reacting to demand, and that demand is for mainstream brands because that’s what people know.” In the first six to eight weeks of the pandemic, most of Palazzi’s sales through existing retail accounts were for inexpensive items.

Brian Larky, the founder of Dalla Terra Winery Direct, has experienced similar difficulties when attempting to secure new placements for his portfolio of family-owned Italian wineries. For example, although off-premise Prosecco sales remain strong overall, it’s difficult to find new accounts for Larky’s craft Prosecco producer, Adami. “The big guys that are in [large retail shops and retail chains] have been in there for a long time,” he says. “We’ve got to go shoulder our way in as an independent producer.”

“Retail stores aren’t taking on new products, and they’re just buying what sells,” says Segelbaum. “It’s a cyclical supply and demand cycle.” Therefore, it’s more important than ever to maintain existing relationships with off-premise clients; Jen Collins, the New York market manager for El Silencio Mezcal, notes that personal touches like one-on-one outreach and thank-you notes can go far.

Despite the challenges, it’s critical to seek out new retail placements in order to compensate for lost on-premise business, particularly because the restaurant industry is likely facing a slow recovery. “It’s pretty unlikely that on-premise is going to amount to much, sales-wise, this year,” says Palazzi. “It would be a mistake to wait it out [without adapting right now].” PM Spirits’ business was split about evenly, dollar-wise, before the pandemic hit.

Depending on state laws, it may be advantageous to pursue new or increased placements in grocery stores. “Understandably, people are looking for one-stop shopping during the pandemic,” says Colby Frey, the CEO and co-founder for Frey Ranch in Fallon, Nev. “They have to pick up groceries, so they’re grabbing whiskey at the grocery stores, too.” While it can be difficult to obtain these competitive placements, local brands may have a leg up; Frey notes that because distribution is limited to their home market of Nevada, consumers know the brand and seek it out.

Other craft brands are getting creative with their sales strategies. The Tennessee distributor for Pinhook Bourbon in Midway, Ky., which releases new vintages of bourbons and ryes each year, pre-sold the producer’s 2020 high-proof bourbon to retailers via email before bringing in the inventory. This motivated retailers to commit based on limited availability — particularly because the distributor oversold their allocation. Pinhook has since rolled this strategy out for special releases across other markets.

New brands launching during the pandemic are faced with a unique situation: Though they are entering into an unusual and competitive market, starting from zero means that any new placements represent big growth. “I’m happy when I sell a couple of cases because I’m brand new,” says John Livanos, the CEO of Stray Dog Wild Gin, which was initially focused on restaurant and bar placements when it launched in February. The brand quickly redirected its sales efforts to retail stores.

Word of mouth has helped Jake Sherry, a co-founder of Catskills-based Isolation Proof Gin, connect with small retail shops in the Catskills and in New York City. The product, which was rebranded pre-launch in light of the pandemic, has resonated with local shops because it is produced locally and made with New York State ingredients.

However, Sherry admits that there is a limited ceiling for growth, so he’s also been cold-calling local liquor stores, rather than big outlets. “I think we’re too small to really have any success in a place where the bottom line is how much they can move,” says Sherry. “Where we’re going to do well is where owners are passionate and want to share stories behind products.” Many shops are too busy to meet with him, though, so Sherry has sometimes found success dropping off sample bottles for buyers to taste at their convenience.

Connecting with Consumers

But consumer interest in craft beverages hasn’t simply disappeared due to the pandemic. Rather, consumers don’t know how to find, or feel confident purchasing, new items without a trusted expert’s guidance. Craft brands that can find ways to market and sell directly to consumers will therefore find success in this market.

“For me, DTC business is everything,” says Katy Wilson, the founder and winemaker for Sonoma Coast producer LaRue Wines. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales have become increasingly important for American wineries, increasing 7.4 percent in value to reach $3.2 billion in sales in 2019, according to Sovos ShipCompliant.

“For those of us that had those pieces of the puzzle already in place,” adds Wilson, “we have been able to be a bit more nimble in our marketing strategies and how we respond to the changing landscape of the situation.” Since March, the winery has been exclusively focused on DTC sales.

The DTC market is easier to navigate for American wineries than it is for international wineries, or any kind of spirits producer. While American wineries are able to ship wine directly to consumers in 46 states (plus the District of Columbia), fewer than a dozen states allow for spirits to be shipped directly to consumers. Even when DTC spirits shipping is legal, costs can be prohibitive unless brands are shipping high volumes. Sherry is legally allowed to ship Isolation Proof Gin to consumers in New York State, but shipping often costs half again what the bottle does.

Some brands, including El Silencio and Stray Dog, have found it worthwhile to work with third-party services like Thirstie and Reserve Bar, which enable them to sell directly to consumers through partner retailers in different states. “We’re extremely excited to launch the newest portion of our website in a few weeks that enables consumers to buy Silencio directly from the site,” says Collins, who notes that pre-Covid, El Silencio’s business was 90 percent on-premise.

Others have developed in-house solutions, like Pinhook Bourbon, which recently launched a text-to-buy service called Breeze. Consumers can text the number 926-848 with a screenshot or description of the Pinhook bottle they would like, and the service will find a bottle at a retailer that will ship to them and complete the transaction via text.

It isn’t enough to have craft products available to consumers, though; communicating and marketing to consumers is just as important. “Any type of visibility right now is key,” says Collins. “Since the shelter-in-place mandates, being active and engaging on social media is efficient and beneficial.” El Silencio’s marketing team also geo-targets consumers on social media platforms to target the product’s optimal audience.

Livanos agrees. “Social media outreach has been more successful than I thought,” he says. “We’ve gotten some organic outreach through social media that I never thought existed.” Livanos has also been conducting media outreach, finding success with small local papers and Greek publications with audiences that Stray Dog’s Greek origins resonate well with.

Enacting Strategic Partnerships

Seeking out partnership opportunities with industry members, online retailers, or influential figures can also help bring increased awareness to craft brands at low or no cost.

“We’re quickly learning that online retailers are beginning to serve as digital advertising agencies and are eager for partnership,” says Alice Peterson, the CEO of Pinhook Bourbon. Many of these large online retailers already work to target and acquire new customers, and they will allow brands to use that data for brand-specific campaigns to drive traffic to their sites. Peterson also recommends that brands offer online retail partners good photo assets for all of the SKUs they carry, which can help capture the consumer’s interest by sight alone.

Listing retailers on a brand’s website can also provide a mutually beneficial partnership opportunity. In exchange for placement on its location-specific retailer list, Pinhook will often ask for priority placement in search results on the retailer’s site or a robust description to educate consumers about the product.

Without the ability to travel to different markets due to Covid-19, Palazzi has redirected some of that time to alternative promotional avenues, participating in interviews, podcasts, and Facebook groups. He’s also been conducting personal outreach to individuals in his network to explore opportunities for virtual tastings, Instagram Live discussions, or educational sessions with tasting groups.

Livanos has been doing the same. “Get with the right people who want to promote your product,” he says. “There are people who are still seeking out new things.”

In addition to hosting virtual tastings, Wilson has found success in partnering with restaurants like Anton’s in New York to promote sales while giving back. For one day in May, she pledged 30 percent of LaRue’s online wine sales to the restaurant’s employee fund, which both businesses promoted via email and on social media. “Nurture your current customers,” says Wilson, “but also look for and pursue partnership or collaboration opportunities that honor your values as a brand and drive visibility within the communities that align with those values.”

As craft brands work to weather this new beverage sales landscape, owners and team members try to look at the upside. “Maybe if it wasn’t for Covid,” says Livanos, “I would have much less off-premise business than I do now.”

The article How Craft Brands Can Succeed in the Covid-19 Era appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/how-craft-brands-can-succeed-in-the-covid-19-era/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/how-craft-brands-can-succeed-in-the-covid-19-era

[charlesccastill]

Colliers Boston represents Sovos in 50,000-SF renewal

Boston – Colliers International Boston, exclusive global real estate services advisor to Sovos, a global provider of software that safeguards businesses from the burden and risk of modern tax, recently negotiated a restructure and 8-year extension on Sovos’ behalf at its existing 200 Ballardvale Street headquarters in Wilmington, Massachusetts.

The Colliers Boston team of senior vice presidents Stephen Woelfel, Jr. and Tim Brodigan, and president James Elcock led Sovos through a comprehensive exploration of the market, ultimately finding that an in-place restructure best accommodated Sovos’ needs moving forward. With the help of CBT Architects, Sovos will completely redesign its 50,000-square-foot space.

200 Ballardvale Street

“Sovos is a dynamic software company that is expanding rapidly around the globe,” noted Woelfel. “We were thrilled to help them restructure and revamp their headquarter location and are excited to witness the transformation of the space into a state-of-the-art facility supporting its evolving culture.”

“As a company and culture, Sovos has evolved,” said Todd Hanna, Sovos Vice President & General Counsel.  “We wanted to create workspace in Wilmington that better complements both our brand as a global software provider as well as our challenging and rewarding work environment.  We are delighted to be able to accomplish these objectives without the disruption of a relocation.”

from boston condos ford realtor http://bostonrealestatetimes.com/colliers-boston-represents-sovos-in-50000-sf-renewal/

[david-cheong]

New Post has been published on EC-Realty

New Post has been published on http://www.thesundaily.my/node/422631

Property market outlook - Part 2

WHILE last week we published views on the global outlook, this week we explore the market in various regions as well as the local scene.

It's a new year and looking at how the property market and our local currency fared in 2016, many are sceptical. With that, we have compiled views and comments from various industry specialists and market professionals for a better idea of what can be expected in the Year of the Rooster.

Regional overview

According to JLL's forecast for 2017 delivered by its global capital markets research director, David Green-Morgan, the amount of capital targeting real estate across the world will remain constant, with volumes expected to exceed slightly. However, political and market uncertainty will likely perpetuate into the year.

Green-Morgan shares that performance in two of the region's biggest markets, Australia and Japan, was down by 17% and 1% respectively, with China recording a 19% increase.

Over in the UK, it was a rollercoaster with Brexit, which saw a decline in currency terms and overall volume, yet the English managed to battle it out and end the year with just a 11% drop. Outperformers for the year were Germany (up by 11%) and Central and Eastern Europe (up by 70%) – notably Poland and the Czech Republic.

In the Americas, the market ended 9% lower than the previous year with Canada slightly outperforming the rest of the region by ending the year just 3% below its figures for 2015.

Local landscape

According to property experts at a forum conducted by PropertyGuru, as rising living costs and smaller income growth are still concerns that are being carried into the new year, these will likely cause affordability issues and high loan application rejection rates to persist, which will, if not already, lead to falling property prices. Moreover, with oversupply in some segments of high-rise residences – this will likely cause a drop in the selling price of property, especially for those who do not have holding power and may need to liquidate their properties.

With many in the oil and gas and banking industries who have been given the pink slip (especially foreigners/expats), renters will be spoiled for choice, even more, as the number of vacant leased homes/properties increase, causing landlords to drop rates. Then again, depending on which “side of the fence you're on”, there will be losers and gainers unless one has had the foresight and considered a long-term investment plan beforehand.

Hotspots and mantle plumes

The effect from rejected bank loans and those needing to cash out on their properties will most likely see a rise in the number of rentals, especially those situated in strategic locations, facilitated with good public transportation or located in easily connected/accessible areas.

Areas to take note of are the Transit Oriented Developments (TODs) – property development projects that are connected or located in close proximity to MRT, LRT or monorail stations. And with Prasarana's seven additional TOD projects (in Selangor alone) expected to be completed within the next four years, plus construction of the High Speed Rail scheduled in 2018, not forgetting the MRT line that will soon connect the north and south sectors of Greater Kuala Lumpur – the property scene here is expected to be bustling.

Bane for some, boon for others Ultimately, the general consensus on the property outlook for 2017 is interesting. Apart from all the excitement that will come about from the above mentioned, as prices slump, more so with the Selangor Housing and Property Board (LPHS) implementing a price cap on Sohos, Sofos and Sovos, plus serviced apartments –the local market will become even more attractive to foreigners (considering the fate of our currency).

Our neighbours in Singapore are expected to have a field day buying their second/third homes, weekend getaway haunts or properties for investment. As it is, word has it that the Chinese and Indonesians, apart from other foreign nationals have already secured their property purchases and looking to invest in more. Bottomline – tenants and landlords will have “their days” and cash-rich investors are expected to be the biggest beneficiaries, bargain hunting and negotiating for the best rock-bottom deals in the most advantageous locations.

Follow our column next week on a more in-depth outlook of our local property market.

Comments and views from the public

>> With the amendment to the Stamp and Strata Title Act, there will be fundamental changes to the way property dealings are done.

>> It is a good time for developers with strong and stable standing, as well as foreigners looking to purchase/invest in Malaysian properties.

>> Optimistic view on 2017 especially with a few known deals signed between China and Malaysia, which will influence and set off a chain of events.

>> A lot of good deals are expected with the fine-tuning of primary markets and competitive sub-sales.

>> Make use of the many government and public/private house-owning schemes made available like PR1MA for example.

>> A good time to hone your negotiation skills to get the best property deals.

>> For the local buyer with cash, it's your market; for the local seller, best lease/rent to the foreigner.

>> The market is expected to be soft and challenging, looking at the slow economic growth and high cost of living.

>> Expect a subdued market on the whole but anticipate more sales activity from mid-year on, especially in commercial and investment properties.

>> Looking at the global economic uncertainty and the weak ringgit, it's going to be a challenging year for property developers. A renters market with the increase in vacated leases/rentals and a buyers' market for those who are able to negotiate good deals.

[sovonight]

invaluable | xan/radri, bg2

—✧—

[A while after this exchange:

Xan: I wanted to enchant a ring for you, but this one overshadows everything I will ever be able to give you. How ironic that it comes from the Shadowmaster of Athkatla.

Radri: And how unfortunate that none of us can even wear it, our equipment being what it is. I would rather have your ring, instead.

Xan: A mere bauble will not protect your life, and I have no time to enchant it properly. Perhaps in the future... but no, I have distracted myself from what I wanted to say.]

Radri: I've been thinking about your ring.

Xan: My ring...? Ah, the one that has yet to be made.

Radri: But it already has, hasn’t it? You’ve carried a ring with you ever since you returned from Evereska.

Xan: You noticed? I can slip nothing past you, I see. But it is not complete, Estel'amin—as I alluded to before, it is unenchanted, and as such, it is yet nothing.

Radri: It is not nothing. Its current form is to its advantage: enchanted, it would have to compete with the other enchanted equipment I carry, but unenchanted, I can wear it always.

Radri: Even now, it would bring me courage—or, would you rather that it raise my sense of self-preservation, although as I keep trying to convince you, it is already appropriately high?

Radri: I... I suppose we speak so much of the future now, and of dreams of a quiet life, and when we’re so far from all of it, I’d feel one step closer to…. Oh, never mind. I feel like I’ve stolen a secret from you; I'm sorry, I won't mention it again.

(She looks away, out across the cityscape; in the sunset, even the slums district appears awash in glittering gold. Beside her, Xan remains quiet for a moment, then retrieves something from the pocket of his robes.)

Xan: This ring has been passed down in my House. Through trial and tribulation, and the endless march of time, its magics are gone, having long served their purpose; it holds only its history now. I carried it with me from Evereska thinking, perhaps, that I would give it new life—that when it was ready, I would present it to you in ceremony...

Xan: But perhaps I have been thinking too long.

Xan: Here. My ring, unfinished and unpresentable as it is. If it pleases you, even in such a state as this, it is yours—but I promise you, I will strive to make it worthy of you someday.

Radri, meeting his eye warmly as she accepts it: I love it, Tahlimil. It is already worthy.

Xan, embarrassed and relieved: Why does my mind insist on tormenting me with thoughts of your judgment, when my heart already knows what you will say? Though now that it is on your finger, perhaps it is time to let go of my frivolous dreams of holding a formal ceremony. We may as well just find a quiet spot in which to say our vows.

Radri, kissing him on the cheek: No, we must still have the ceremony. Because you wish for it, it must be so, and it will be grand and beautiful.

—

Radri: I lost it.

Xan: Lost what?

Radri: I lost it! Linvail's ring! I had already been thinking of getting rid of it since it only takes up space in my backpack, but—to not even be able to recoup the barest fraction of its value by bringing it to a shop?! Oh, I can't believe I—Xan?

(Radri looks up in time to see Xan shaking in silent laughter, which then bursts out in a full laugh.)

Xan: Of course! Of course, you would care so little about a ring powerful enough to belong to royalty that you let it be misplaced! What an absurd life it is we lead!

Xan: Meanwhile, mere trinkets are given the treatment of kings—even the blooms I had set upon your hair a year ago were kept carefully preserved in your journal, as though they were imbued with a lifetime's worth of magic and not merely painfully ordinary. Sentiment will not save your life, but you hold it dearer than the things that could.

Radri, half insulted: I think I strike an appropriate balance between sentiment and practicality.

Xan: Oh, Estel'amin, smooth the furrow in your brow; I do not laugh at you, but at myself. I see that even if I spent centuries in study, you would not love the ring I enchanted for you for its boons, but for my efforts. What pointless, pointless jealousies I bear…

(His rare mirth fades as he sobers once more.)

Xan: But I am sorry that the ring was lost—it was truly in a class of its own, and now you will earn nothing for it.

Radri, still in shock and awe of what she’s just witnessed: No, I... think in the end, it paid for itself.

[sovonight]

fever

Xan: You're smiling. You enjoy my suffering.

Radri: What? No! Well—not really your suffering, per se…

Xan, sulking: So it is true: even my beloved is laughing at me. Certainly the world's cruelty knows no bounds.

Radri: I'm not laughing! It's just—you know—(noticing how Xan has turned resolutely away from her, his face and shoulder barely visible above the blanket) Oh, Xan, you are adorable.

Xan: Just the words that every man wants to hear on his deathbed.

(Radri kisses him on the cheek.)

Radri: It's a good thing you're not on your deathbed, then.

Xan, stubborn, bleak: I am.

Radri: It's just a fever! Jaheira says it should pass by sunrise.

Xan, mumbling: It will not. It will plague me for the rest of my days... which are surely numbered... which means I will soon be granted an escape from this suffering... but which also means I must soon say farewell to joy and happiness... of which I had not partaken nearly enough... and will never see again without you by my side—

Radri: Shh... You talk very much for a dying man. Try to focus on resting.

Xan, in despair: Oh, Seldarine… I have lost everything already. You no longer even care to listen to me…

Radri: *sigh*

(Radri leaves her seat by his side and lays down on the bedroll beside his, facing him.)

Radri: Alright. If you want to talk that badly, then tell me a story.

Xan: …Are you serious?

Radri: Completely. Oh, but it has to be a story of hope—

(Xan opens his mouth, about to answer—)

Radri: —With a happy ending.

Xan, taken aback by her near-impossible request: Radri. What constitutes such an ending is highly debata—(she puts a finger to his lips)

Radri: Ah-ah! Think on it. Or is that the beginning of your story?

(Xan, already tired from the fever, attempts to think through the prompt, but falls asleep in exhaustion. Radri smiles quietly at her success, and drifts off into reverie beside him.)

—

(Radri wakes to see Xan already sitting up beside her, clearly feeling much better.)

Radri: Xan…? Are you alright?

(Xan glances at her, his expression a little closed off.)

Xan: I am much recovered. …It seems that Jaheira's estimation was correct.

Radri, with a sleepy smile: That's good.

(Xan gazes at her a moment longer, then turns away.)

Xan: …You stayed with me, throughout the night. Thank you. I am aware that I am not the most tolerable… patient.

(He says the word with some disdain. Radri, somewhat puzzled by this but still sleepy, just reaches out to him.)

Radri: We still have a few moments before the others wake. Spend them with me?

(Xan's strange mood fades before her imploring eyes, and he joins her, laying back down. Radri quickly pulls him into her arms, and sighs contentedly; Xan slowly puts his arms around her in turn, cautiously relaxing into her embrace. Then he thinks.)

Xan: …Why were you smiling at me?

Radri: Mm? I'm just glad you're feeling better.

Xan: No, last night.

Radri: …

(He feels her tense a little, losing the looseness that her sleepiness had afforded her.)

Radri: Um… you know… you were just… cute.

Xan, flatly: "Cute."

Radri: Yes! And um—um—

(Radri struggles to find a better excuse, until finally she releases him and turns away, crossing her arms defensively.)

Radri: Oh, fine! I hate lying to you. It just… felt nice… to be able to take care of you for once. Even if it was something small.

Xan, genuinely puzzled: Why would you want that?

Radri, embarrassed, ears bright red: I—I just do! Do I need a reason?

(Xan remains silent, and Radri rambles on nervously.)

Radri: I mean, sometimes I look at you, and I just want to—I want to—

(Helplessly unable to match words to the feeling, she grasps the air in front of her, her hands closing into fists.)

Xan, filling in the blank, brow raised: Strangle me?

Radri: No! It's—you—augh!

(Xan's serious demeanor fades, and amusement rises in its place; he rarely gets to see her like this, and he prompts her further.)

Xan: Shake me? Cry out in frustration?

Radri, frustrated: More like wrap you up and take you home with me and make sure nothing bad ever happens to you again.

Xan, sobering: …As if I were merely a pet.

Radri: No!

(Embarrassed though she still is, she faces him and takes him by the shoulders, looking seriously down at him.)

Radri: It's love, okay? I want to take care of you. I want to protect you. I want to hold you. You do all of these things for me, but you never really let me do the same. You're so—self-sufficient! And that's—it's fine, but—it just feels like—like—I can't do anything for you!

(Losing steam, she lets go, pulling away.)

Radri: So, fine. I was pathetic enough to be glad to watch over you for an evening when you were too weak to excuse yourself from my attention. I'm sorry.

(She stands, shoulders stiff, turning to leave. Xan stands quickly with the intent to stop her—to say something—but finds himself swaying, lightheaded, from moving so quickly, so soon. Radri turns at the sound of him stumbling, and rushes to catch him before he can fall.)

Radri: Xan!

(She steadies him, lowering them both back to a stable, seated position on the ground; Xan wears a look of mixed frustration and shame.)

Radri: Just stay here, alright? Forget what I said, just rest. I can see if Jaheira has…

(Radri pulls away, wanting to leave not just out of concern for him, but out of embarrassment for how she's behaved—but Xan catches her hand.)

Xan: …….I did not want to be a burden to you.

(Breath caught in her throat, Radri turns to look at him, but Xan doesn't meet her eye.)

Xan: Illness often befell me as a child. My poor constitution followed me into adulthood... there were those who doubted my suitability as a moonblade wielder, even after the blade had chosen me. Even among adventurers, where I primarily serve as a wizard, I am painfully aware of the fact that I am the first to tire.

Xan: I had assumed that my habits made things more convenient for you. ...That it might cause you distress had never crossed my mind.

Radri: …Oh.

(He lets go of her hand, his gaze cast dejectedly away from her. Radri looks at him a moment longer, then sits back down next to him.)

Xan: Radri…?

Radri: There are still a few moments left. Can I stay?

(Xan stares at her, kind of in disbelief that his vulnerability went over well.)

Xan: …That depends. (The words freeze her heart in her chest, but he only tilts his head thoughtfully:) Will you be wrapping me up, or simply holding me?

Radri, turning red as she realizes which words of hers he's referencing: Wh—Wait—

Xan, with a hint of a pleased smile: I never realized you felt that way. What other secret desires do you harbor, I wonder?

Radri, grumbling: Sometimes I wish you knew when to stop talking.

Xan, fondly: Come here, then, and obtain my silence.

[sovonight]

just one bed | xan/radri, bg1

—✧✧—

[BG1, at an inn. Most of the party is waiting/resting in the common area; only Imoen has joined Radri in securing their rooms from the innkeeper, and Imoen lifts one of their obtained keys on a finger.]

Imoen: So, are we sharing again?

Radri: Actually, I was thinking…

Imoen, without skipping a beat: You wanna share with Xan?

Radri: Huh? How did—Wait, you—?

Imoen: You've been falling asleep holding hands together, sis, it's kinda hard not to notice. (Grins) You've had the hots for ol' grumpyrobes for a while now, right? Congrats!

Radri panics, clamping a hand over Imoen's mouth.

Radri: Shh, not so loud!

Imoen, muffled: But everyone already knows—

Radri, whisper-panicking: It's not what it looks like!

Imoen: …

Imoen, still muffled: Then what is it supposed to look like?

Radri, bringing her hands back close to her chest: …You know those… nightmares… I've been having? He's been helping me with them. That's what the handholding is for—it's just so that I can shelter in his mind.

Imoen, joking: Is that the excuse he came up with?

Radri, admonishing: Imoen! Please, not when—he could hear.

Imoen: …Okay. You only want to room with him to deal with your nightmares, and he's only helping you because he's just that upstanding and helpful of a fella. There's nothin' else going on here at all.

Radri: (sigh) Do you need to make fun of me?

Imoen: I'm not! I'm just making sure I have my facts straight.

Radri gives Imoen a skeptical look, and Imoen sobers, growing worried.

Imoen: …I didn't know the nightmares were this bad, Radri. You coulda told me…

Radri, managing to summon a quick smile: You don't need to worry about it, Imoen. It's no big deal.

Imoen: If you asked him for help, it is.

Radri blinks, then gives a tired smile.

Radri: Actually, he offered. I had never thought, to…

Radri: He's really kind, Imoen. And patient.

Imoen looks at her, then puts a hand on her shoulder with a small smile.

Imoen: Okay. If you're sayin' that, you have my blessing.

Radri: Bless—? (Realizing, annoyed) You've read too many love stories, I swear. Nothing's going to happen between us!

Imoen laughs as Radri shoos her and her blessing away.

—

Having said that, though, she still has to ask Xan if he wants to share a room. She gives keys to Jaheira & Khalid, Branwen, then stops before Xan. Xan holds his hand out for the last key out of habit, but Radri doesn't yet release it.

Radri: U-um, I…

Radri: I was hoping we could share a room, this time. (Branwen and the others shuffle away) To… continue to… share our reverie together.

Suddenly worried it might come across as her coercing him, since she's already handed out the other keys, she stammers—

Radri, bright red, staring down at the key clutched in her hand: Y-you can refuse. I know I've already imposed on you, so much! A-and—I don't know if your offer of help has expired, now that we're not camping outside—

Xan: It has not.

Radri peeks up at him—his expression is neutral, and slightly pink, but she doesn't have the presence of mind to process that—and Xan takes the key from her palm gently.

Xan: I will join you once I have memorized my spells.

Radri: Ah—well—I still have to write in my journal, too. Rather than force you to stay down here, we could go up… now… together?

A new wave of heat crosses her face, and Xan's gaze softens a little, but he shakes his head.

Xan: You can go ahead. You prefer to write alone, do you not? I will not distract you.

Radri: T-then… I'll see you.

She leaves, heading for the stairs, risking only one glance back to see Xan standing where she'd left him, gazing at the key.

—

Her journal entry is complete. Through writing, she's managed to bring her nerves down… and then comes the knock, which just spikes them back up again. Radri jumps up, rushing to the door, and cracks it open. Xan's gray eyes meet hers through the gap, and they stare at each other, until Xan nods towards the door.

Xan: Will you let me in?

Radri: Oh! Right. Yes.

She pulls the door open wide. Too wide. Xan comes in, with his bag over the shoulder, and she realizes she could've offered to bring it up for him, until she sees his spellbook peeking out of it, and remembers he would've needed it for his spells, so no she couldn't have brought it up for him, and—

Xan: Are you going to close the door?

Radri: Oh—yes.

She closes it. Too hard. It's loud, and she cringes, still facing the closed door, closing her eyes tight. There were no doors in the forest; no rooms, no confines with perceptions of intimacy. Her first night outside of Candlekeep, she thought she would never miss the outdoors, but here, she does; it is so much easier to find Xan by the dying fire, to lay her bedroll beside his, than to hand him a matching key that defines the space they will share and ask him to join her in it.

Xan: Are you alright?

His voice floats over her shoulder, from mere paces behind her.

Radri: Y-yes—why wouldn't I be?

She turns to face him, just to prove that she can still be normal, and her gaze is drawn to his—his eyes, in shadow, his figure edged in moonlight. His cloak is gone, and his traveling robes with it, leaving only the light layers he rests in.

She jerks her gaze away from him, feeling suddenly overwhelmed—and takes proper notice, at last, of the room. Outside, their bedrolls were placed side by side, so that they could take each other's hands with ease; but here, the beds are apart, and so set in the floor that they cannot be pushed together without making what would surely be a horrible, loud, drawn-out screech. They could use the beds as they are, and reach across the nightstand at the center to hold hands, but the distance is awkward and the edge of the wood would dig into their arms, and she would not be able to rest knowing she was at fault for his discomfort.

Her chest grows cold. She'd been so wound up about asking him, having him here, that she hadn't taken the time to survey the room beforehand. She's wasted his time; her request is not possible after all. But Xan takes one glance at her dilemma and says,

Xan: Choose a bed; I will set my bedroll on the floor beside it.

Radri: What? No! That's—I couldn't ask you to do that!

Xan: (shrugs) I am accustomed to cold, hard floors—they are an unfortunate reality for any traveller, and I have spent much more time on the road than you have.

(This has the opposite effect of reassuring Radri, and she just feels bad for him)

Radri: All the more reason for you to take the bed! I'll take the floor.

Xan: It would only make your reverie less restful, and you would regret it in the morning. If you will allow me…

He smooths a strength spell over his shoulders, and before she realizes it, he's picked her up in his arms.

Radri: Xa—Xan!

She can't help but clutch his shoulders, still so unused to the vulnerability of not standing on her own two feet, and he brings her towards the bed by the window.

Xan: I have a feeling…

He sets her down gently, her head perfectly aligned with the pillow. With a hand, he smooths her hair from her forehead, and gazes down at her with a small smile on his face.

Xan: …That you are so tired that you will not want to get back up.

Her nervousness had kept her amped up, but exhaustion is setting in now, and she can feel it in her leaden limbs, which have begun to find this inn's common, worn mattress to be the softest cloud they have ever rested upon. She doesn't want to stand again, but if she's tired, so is he—and though his amusement brightens his features, if she looks she can see the exhaustion behind them. She grips his sleeve.

Radri: …You should take the bed.

Xan, shaking his head, ready to refuse: I am resolved to—

Radri: We should share it. Shouldn't we?

Xan stills. Radri finds herself gazing up at him, her mind in that space between states of consciousness where her anxieties fail to sound. Her eyes are no longer on his features in order to gauge his reaction, but merely to observe: the blink; the slightly parted lips, mid-word; the light flush that touches his cheeks. She lets the weight of her arm pull his sleeve down, in turn pulling him to her— his hand meets the bed, his arm straight, braced against it.

Xan: Radri… I…

Radri: I liked laying beside you, in the forest… tracing the patterns in the treetops, trying in vain to spot the stars through the gaps in the leaves. The only part I didn't like was how hard the ground was under my bedroll.

Xan looks as if the treetops and the stars are the furthest thing from his mind right now, but somehow, her words contained the assurance he needed; that frozen expression on his face softens.

Xan: There are no stars here, save for the ones caged by the lone window… but perhaps I can show them to you, still. Shall we walk in my memories again, tonight?

Radri hears the word "walk" and her lips quirk to the side, dissatisfied.

Xan: What is it?

Radri: (sigh) Nothing. Just come over here.

Xan pushes himself off the bed, escaping her loosened grasp on his sleeve, and for a moment she thinks this was all a ploy for him to just sleep on the ground like he'd suggested, but Xan walks around the bed to join her on the other side—to avoid having to crawl over her, she realizes. It's polite, but she wouldn't have minded if he'd done so. Imoen had crawled over her legs to join her, to read stories by borrowed light deep into the night, many times in Candlekeep…

Xan's hand slips into hers.

Xan, prompting: Radri?

Radri: Hm?

Xan: Shall we center my mind, or yours?

Radri: Yours. I want to see your promised stars.

Xan: You seemed rather unimpressed by them, just seconds earlier.

Radri: No, I was only thinking I'd rather have you carry me.

Xan: Carry you?

Radri: Instead of walking. "Walk in your memories…"

She smiles at her little joke, and she can't see the look on his face when her eyes have already fallen closed, but Xan squeezes her hand lightly.

Xan: Then I will. The world will move around us… you need only watch.

—

When Radri wakes, she's curled up on her side, against a warmth that bears Xan's scent. She nestles in closer, until her waking mind realizes that if it is Xan, then she should be keeping herself a modest distance away—

She opens her eyes in a panic. It's a pillow. Radri sighs in relief, then looks across the otherwise empty bed to realize two things: one, she is alone, and two, at some point during her reverie she had escaped her half of the bed, sprawling over to Xan's side. Now that she's well-rested, it occurs to her that intruding on Xan's personal space is a real threat now that she's not bound by the confines of her narrow blanket and bedroll. Had she sprawled across him, too? Is that why he left? She's ruined all of this in a single night, hasn't she?

Sighing, she rolls onto her back, letting her arm hang out over the edge of the bed—and in the corner of her eye, sees Xan, sitting quietly on the opposite bed. He looks up from a collection of items scattered across the blanket—spell components?—and meets her eye.

Radri: Oh.

Xan: Just in time. The others are awake, and we are still set to leave as planned, if you eat in the next ten minutes or so. Shall I bring you something from the kitchen?

Radri stares at him. He doesn't seem to hold any extra disgust for her, which is a relief, but she can't completely read the look on his face, either.

Xan, at her lack of response: Or do you need to rest an hour longer?

Radri, embarrassed, mumbling: …No… I'm…

Xan: I doubt your nightmares will visit you in such a short span of time, but I can watch over you, regardless.

Right. It's just another task for him—an obligation. Perhaps protecting her is just another aspect of his duties as a moonblade wielder. Although, in the back of her mind, she must admit she can't imagine Xan allowing just anyone into his memories, nor offering to fetch any other waylaid elf breakfast in bed… but she pushes those thoughts out of her mind before they can sow hope in her chest.

Radri: I didn't… bother you too much… did I?

She can't help but ask, and Xan pauses before delivering his answer.

Xan: ...Not particularly.

"Then why did you leave me?" is right on her tongue, but she can't say it—it's too petulant, too needy, especially when he has hardly "left her," merely moved across the room. She sits up, letting her loose hair fall into a curtain between her face and Xan's gaze.

Radri: It's just gruel, isn't it? In the kitchen.

Xan: It is, but there are dried blueberries to be added to it, if you wish.

Radri, sighs: They're already gone. Imoen polished them off yesterday—I didn't even get more than a handful.

Xan: Are you certain?

He holds up a small pouch, and she looks over at it: peeking out from the drawstring opening are dried blueberries.

Radri: Huh? But—how?

Imoen would've found them; Radri rarely bothers hiding anything with how nosy she is. Xan wears a slight, smug smile.

Xan: A wizard has his ways. Here.

Radri: You're… you're giving them to me?

Xan: You sound as though I am giving you water in the middle of a drought. Radri, it is only fruit.

Her face heats a little, but she quickly accepts the pouch before he has a chance to change his mind.

Radri: If it's "only fruit," I'm having all of it, then.

Xan, shrugs: Such was my intent.

Radri: ….

There's no winning against him, is there. Xan moves some of his organized spell components aside and stands, lifting the moonblade from its place beside the bed as he does so.

Xan: I will return with your breakfast.

And he's gone, before she can even form the words to stop him. He doesn't need to—she can get her own breakfast. But sometimes the cook is brash and impatient, and her request is drowned out by morning chatter and the clangs and clatters of the kitchen, and she forgoes even gruel in favor of whatever she has left in her pack…

Radri looks down at the small pouch of blueberries, and after a moment, lifts one to her lips. Perhaps this feeling in her chest is gratitude, too.

[sovonight]

i had a lot of opinions on xan's age in the mod to the point where i had a post in my drafts all written up about it, essentially just to say that xan should be younger. anyway this is that post

first off let me just put his canon portrait aside. seeing as how bg2 said "hey don't look at the old portraits, jaheira is blond and has slanted eyes now, and viconia is super hot," let's just disregard it as something that can and would probably have been retconned if xan had been brought back officially (especially since he was airbrushed in heroes of baldur's gate).

second off let's set aside all timeline considerations, because bioware doesn't care about timelines, and the video games certainly don't care about timelines, so i don't want to hear "but how could erevain reference xan's depressing attitude in iwd if xan was only in his fifties when erevain--" shhhh shh shh sh. it's okay. bioware forgot about elves when they stated that gorion's ward was 20 years old (and don't even get me started on the flimsy excuse that they're "physically adults" at 20, this is clearly a story meant for a protagonist who is emotionally considered a young adult for their race, elves are elf-20 when they leave candlekeep, thank you), the timeline issue is bigger than all of us.

now, to my point. in the bg2 mod xan's age is stated to be 263, but i disagree. here's why:

elf lore reasons (dnd loremasters avert your eyes):

according to a period-appropriate 2e text, 263 would put him in "old age". just... ruminate on that for a moment. does the bg2 mod remember that elves do still show physical signs of age? if he's 263, shouldn't xan be comfortably tucked away in a wizard tower by now? or like, just generally residing in the safety of his beloved evereska? i know forgotten realms is its own campaign world or whatever, but let’s just assume for a second that the cultural lore here can be directly translated over, because the book also says that not many elves choose to keep adventuring past adulthood. so what is xan doing still adventuring at the age of 263?

"but he's a greycloak!" putting aside how the "greycloaks" were invented solely for the video games so we know next to nothing about them, let's dig into that for a second. just because he's a greycloak doesn't mean he still has to be doing fieldwork. how is it that at 263, he hasn't already been offered some higher up position back at headquarters where he's the one coordinating who takes what missions where? it's not like he's bad at his job--both mods imply that he does well in his career. even if he's not one for management and really just excels in the field, the bg2 mod mentions that xan had a mentor in the greycloaks when he first started--so how is it that he's never mentored anyone else yet?

"sovo he's not good at his job he was literally captured by mulahey and held captive for a month" first of all how dare you, mulahey was a difficult fight with a full party and xan is just one sad little guy. second of all i kind of agree; rookie mistake to head in there completely alone. hmmm, wouldn't that invite you to place him closer to the beginning of his career...? one could even assume that this is his first big solo mission without his mentor...

xan himself

in the bg1 mod, his anecdotes are largely about his time as a student at the academy of magic & the death of his father as a child. to me, that says that he's still close to those periods in his life, and hasn't yet created many experiences beyond them. it's only in the bg2 mod, where his age of 263 is stated for the first time, that he starts telling anecdotes about past greycloak missions and lamenting about how old he is compared to charname.

confusingly, the bg2 mod also gives him a new voice that's rather young compared to his supposed age. yeah yeah i know it's a feat to get voice acting for a mod at all, and the perceived age of a voice is subjective, but it still strikes me as a weird choice that's at odds with the new narrative and dynamic that the mod is trying to push on xan and charname's relationship.

xan and charname's dynamic

in the bg1 mod, xan occasionally calls charname a child when he thinks she's being immature, naive, or optimistic (which is, to him, synonymous with naive). iirc, this is mainly in their earlier exchanges when they're getting to know each other, and charname says things that he thinks are ignorant or rub him the wrong way. this never stuck out to me because it's a usage that fits neatly into the fantasy setting, and it's not saying that he views her as a child. when he does comment on her age outright--like saying that she's surprisingly capable for someone so young--it points out that there's a gap in age between them, but it certainly never gave me the impression that it was on the scale of, like, 100+ years.

in bg1 the gap in life experience between them feels more balanced. xan has much more experience on the road, with adventuring and combat and loss, but he's clearly not... the most well-adjusted or well-rounded guy. he excels both academically and professionally, but his social ties are severely lacking for it--he's isolated, already an outcast before he ever even exiles himself. meanwhile, charname has been confined to candlekeep until adulthood, and so has very little real adventuring/combat experience, but (depending on your rp) has a much more generous view of the world than xan does, and has more long-lasting and close relationships with others (not just considering the game's companions, but the inhabitants of candlekeep).

i read xan's bg1 romance as, this is his first time being in love, ever. and he doesn't know what to do with himself, with these feelings that make his heart soar and sink and that comfort and frustrate him, to the point that his solution is to just up and leave the party. also, his justification for leaving is that he's afraid of what he's heard love will do to him--he's heard that in bonded couples, if one dies, the other will likely die of heartbreak. d'you see the picture i'm painting here?

meanwhile, in the bg2 mod, xan and charname's gap in life experience is newly defined and emphasized. a new array of conversation topics imply that xan was already past all of his firsts in life, including love. xan also now occasionally calls charname "silly girl" or "foolish girl" as some weird admonishment/term of endearment, which... i'm not a fan of, given the new emphasis on how he's so ~old and experienced~ and she's so ~young and innocent~. there's also a dialogue option i despise where charname can tell xan to focus on how young and beautiful she is to take his mind off things, and in another exchange there's an option that starts with an admonishment of "you're not my father," which given everything else that the mod has pushed forward, that comparison is kind of um, ew? charname and xan no longer feel like equal romantic partners to me in bg2, and when he calls her "foolish girl," i don't hear endearment--i hear a statement of perspective. to a 263 year old xan in bg2, she is just a girl, one year out from home.

the significance of 263

"but WHY is he 263," i hear you ask? well, it's simple. it's so simple that they literally stated it in the mod. you see, xan was apparently born in 1105 dr...the year of the guardian.

YES. YOU READ THAT RIGHT. the ONLY reason he's 263 is so that he could say he was born in the year of the guardian! you know, like how he's?? a guardian??? because of the moonblade?? OH, HOW CLEVER!

it’s just yet another way to tie everything about him back to the moonblade (which is funny, considering how he has such mixed feelings towards being a moonblade wielder, and how in the retcon happy ending, he's released from it, so, what's the point) and it’s kind of nonsensical too, because what, everyone who was born in that year turned out to be a guardian of some kind? surely not!

and in case you have any lingering doubts, you're pretty much told outright that the name was part of the reasoning because xan starts guessing charname's birth year.... based on her class. yes, he starts suggesting year names with "blade" or "shadow" in them if you're a thief class. and i thought he was supposed to be intelligent.

my fix

i prefer to think of xan as being 140, about halfway through the conventional adventuring age range of 110-174. this would put him as being born in 1228 dr, year of the tattered banners, which honestly, if you really want the name of the year to be tied to him in some way, "tattered banners" sounds worn and depressing enough to suit him. it’s a fitting age for him to be bleakly thinking that he’ll die before he ever reaches middle age bc the adventuring life will be the death of him, to still have his years as an academy student actively on his mind, and to act like he already knows everything about life without recognizing that he still has a lot to learn.

this may feel like a very simple and underwhelming answer for the journey we took to get here, and it is. really, though, i can't get over the year name reasoning. you know there's a "year of the trembling tree"? you know who also trembles? xa--

[sovonight]

some pieces of the sarevok!radri au i’ve been thinking about

—

[recruiting xan, who's sitting in the tavern alone studying his spellbook]

Radri, putting on her best polite tone: Excuse me…

Xan, barely glancing up: I am not interested.

Radri: I haven't even made my proposition yet.

Xan: You do not need to. I am happily occupied with my studies and have no interest in a romantic or sexual dalliance--

Radri, annoyed and embarrassed, dropping a heavy pouch of coins onto the table: I seek your services as a wizard, elf, if you can get over yourself long enough to hear me out.

—

[retaliation]

Xan: (sigh) Radri... This is an evocation spell. Which, as I have told you before, I cannot copy into my spellbook.

Radri, brightly: Really? I didn't know that. After all, I'm just a foolish, reckless mockery of an elf with no sense to speak of.

Radri: It still cost 1000 gold, though. (smiling brightly) Don't worry, I'll dock it from your pay.

(later)

Xan: ...Radri. I believe we started on the wrong foot. I have been needlessly judgmental of you. While I still find you foolish and reckless, you are not without sense--far from it. For that, I wish to apologize.

Radri, who has never been apologized to in her life: Huh?

Xan: ...I apologize.

Radri: ...Apolo-wha?

Xan, assuming she's making fun of his sincerity: (sigh) If you are still displeased with me, so be it. I will bear it.

—

[After their quest is over]

Radri: You should come with me. I'm sure I can find you further employment--

Xan, pale: With the Iron Throne?

Radri: Yes? (Seeing his reaction) What are you worried about? You're not actually concerned with our reputation, are you? It's not all murder and blackmail, you know.

Xan: …I still do not understand what you see in them. Betrayal around every corner, and deceit woven into every conversation--it sounds exhausting.

Radri: It's an easy life.

Xan: I do not think anyone but you would describe it as "easy."

Radri, bitter: Is that a no, then? Oh, I forgot: you have your beautiful Evereska to return to. How stupid of me.

Xan: Radri. Don't be so--

Radri: Petty? Childish? I don't know how an elf who calls me such things has gotten me to chase after him like a charmed idiot.

Radri: Do what you want. I won't bother you anymore.

—

[reunited; xan is mid-explanation]

Xan: I was told that I could only return to Evereska when I was ready to accept the moonblade. I agreed to wander the land and spend my time in reflection until that time came. Before I knew it, fifty years had passed… and I still felt no more ready to take his place than I did then.

Xan: To join you would have meant acknowledging what I had spent every day of my exile dreading. That I… would never fulfill my father's wishes.

Radri: …

Radri: That's ridiculous.

Xan, hurt, offended: Of course. I should have known better than to confide in--

Radri: You were still a child when they exiled you. And to what? Reflect? Couldn't you do that at home?

Xan, not expecting her to defend him: …I--

Radri: And so what if you didn't want the moonblade? Don't you have six siblings who could have stepped up if they wanted to? All this for some vision your father had when you were born--who's to say it was some great, prophetic vision and not just wishful thinking, anyway?

Xan: …I… It… But it was my duty. To refuse, was….

Radri: No, I don't care what you think. I'm angry for you. It's unfair, is what it was.

Xan, touched: …

Radri: …Don't look at me like that. I'm still angry at you, too, you know. Leaving me without a word, then showing up a month later--

Xan: "Without a word"? I left you a note.

Radri: You should have told me face to face.

Xan: No, I could not. I knew that if I let you speak to me, my resolve would crumble, and you would convince me to stay.

Radri, red, flattered despite herself: Whatever! You didn't let me finish. You show up now, looking for a job? Who says I still want to give you one?

Xan: Then let me prove my dedication to you. Who do you need charmed, manipulated, or thrown into the depths of despair? If it is information you need, I can delve into the minds of even the most reticent--

Radri: That's enough. I don't need anything like that from you. (Quiet, mumbling) Just promise me you'll never leave me like that again.

Xan, who didn't hear: What was that?

Radri, flush with embarrassment: Nothing! Ugh, you're so irritating, giving me such short notice. I'll find something for you in the morning.

[sovonight]

Hello!

I love your art! Can I ask what are ur hyperfixations rn? :>

thank you! hmm, probably xan/radri and sewing

[sovonight]

bridal carry

fullbody ver:

[sovonight]

near death | xan/radri, bg2

—✧✧✧—

notes: in bg1, radri never got the premonition that bodhi would kill xan. they had zero warning. also, promise explains how i'm treating the moonblade

—✧✧✧—

Blue light burns itself into the backs of her eyelids, and Radri's eyes open to find Xan lying unmoving at Bodhi's feet, the hilt of his moonblade barely caged by lifeless fingers.

Dead, Radri thinks, and then, Not real. She's seen this scene in her nightmares too many times before. Radri pulls herself forward with her forearms, her stomach and knees scraping across the ground as she crawls towards his fallen body. When she reaches him, she will wake.

But the air is strangely quiet, devoid of the usual echoing, villainous laughter, and the graveyard grounds are hard and cold, its every stray pebble and cracked stone pressing unpleasantly into Radri's flesh. And despite her triumph, Bodhi retreats as a snarling wolf would back away into its lair—not triumphant, but defensive—as though Bodhi, too, had been blinded by blue flame.

Xan is within reach now, and dread sets into the pit of Radri's stomach. Not real, she thinks helplessly, taking his corpse into her arms, and yet she does not wake—

"Radri," Xan says quietly, "Are you with me?"

In a blink, the graveyard is gone. Radri's arms are empty, save for her own arm held in her opposite hand's grip, a grip tight enough to press crescents into her skin, even through the sleeve of her robe. She's seated on the edge of a bed fit for two, and ahead her is a dresser, upon which she and Xan's belongings have been haphazardly stacked. To the left of the dresser is a door—to the bath, she remembers.

"I…" Radri says. "Yes. I'm with you…."

With effort, she pulls her curled fingers from her arm, and presses her hands into her lap—though her hands can't seem to bear such inaction, and begin wringing each other, instead. As Radri casts her gaze down at them, hoping to stare herself sternly into stillness, a damp tendril of her hair falls into her vision from the lowering of her head. Xan's hand, moving briefly into her periphery, pulls it gently back for her, returning it to the towel with which he's drying her hair.

Soon, Xan's movements still, and the towel leaves her hair. The mattress shifts—he's moving off of the bed—he's leaving.

"Xan…" There's a tremble in her voice, yet she can't turn around, as though she were frozen in place. "Xan. Come… Come back—"

"I'm here," Xan says, and his shadow falls across her, enveloping her as his arms do a mere heartbeat later. His skin brushes against her neck, his head a comforting weight upon her shoulder, and as his breaths move against hers, guiding her heartbeat to slow, she feels herself begin to thaw in his embrace. Slowly, she finds the strength to wrap her arms around him in return, curling her fingers into the fabric of his robe.

"I still don't understand," Radri whispers. "What did… How are you alive? Did the moonblade… save you?"

Xan had coughed up blood in her arms, weak yet undeniably alive, and Radri had been so overcome with relief that she could have kissed him, even if it meant tasting iron on her tongue. Her body, however, decided that she should burst into tears, and in the end she wept over him as Jaheira healed him—and healed her too, for some reason, even though she hadn't been targeted in the attack at all. With little time left to waste, she had then directed Anomen to lead the charge into Bodhi's lair as planned.

Her memory of the fight itself is hazy, but she remembers lifting her gaze once all sounds of combat had stopped. Imoen had thanked her for the return of her soul, then Xan had met her eye and seen something in her expression that summoned a grave, concerned look upon his face, and he had quietly taken her arm. The moonblade had knocked into her hip then, and she'd glanced down at it—its gems were still dull, still displeased with him.

"Save me?" Xan says, quietly. "It did intend to, in a way. It wanted to spare me from Bodhi's undeath, and tried to kill me to do so. But you bore half of the blow, and I survived."

Radri pulls away, staring in blank disbelief into his eyes.

"It… what?" Her voice spills out, trembling and incredulous. "Then… if we hadn't created that failsafe… you would have died tonight?"

Xan only nods. Unable to release the responding emotion in her chest in words, Radri pulls him back into her arms, hugging him tight. It's only now that she notices the slight tremble in his shoulders, the only hint that he, like her, was shaken by tonight.

"I'm sorry," Radri says, "I should've run her through with my blade before she could reach you, I should've predicted what she was planning, I should've left you behind—"

"Don't," Xan says, pain in his voice, "Don't speak of leaving me again… please. It is no kindness to be left alone and waiting, fearing for your safety. I would rather remain by your side, and face what you face, no matter what may come."

"…But have I wasted it?" Radri asks, a terrible thought occurring to her, "Our failsafe?"

"You are still tied to the moonblade," Xan says, "but I cannot say for certain what will happen if it chooses to kill me again. It is possible that it will learn from today's events, and next time, it will succeed…"

Xan's voice trails off, and she realizes that he's pulled back to look at her, taking in the expression on her face with quiet concern.

"But let us not dwell on such thoughts tonight," Xan says. "Tonight, I am grateful to have been granted one more night with you, and will make every effort not to waste it speculating on my own demise."

Amongst all the fear and worry of tonight, this line draws a tentative smile from her.

"That reminds me of our first night together," Radri says. "Well, not together, but you knelt down beside me and said your farewells as if—"

As she says so, she realizes that Xan in the present is on his knees before her now, on the cold, hard floor of their room. He had to kneel, for their earlier embrace—to meet her at her seated height upon the bed.

"Xan!" Radri gasps, "How long have I kept you on your knees? Why didn't you say something?"

"It was worth it to comfort you," Xan says, but rises, letting her pull him back onto the bed.

"You could've comforted me from up here," Radri says. "You know Jaheira won't spare you a spell if you bruise."

"I do not bruise that easily," Xan says with a roll of his eyes.

Settled now, Xan holds a hand out to her, and Radri takes it, letting him draw her into a gentle recline against the pillows. Nestled against his side, Radri casts her gaze around the rest of the room. This inn is nicer than the Copper Coronet, and new to her, but Xan had known exactly how to reach it. Knowing him, he'd originally found this place to take her under more pleasant circumstances, as a surprise to lift her spirits. Their room has a private bath, but she had hardly been able to lounge and appreciate it; her thoughts still filled with visions of the graveyard, she could do little more than go through the motions. Xan had tended to her then, washing the blood and grime of their battle from her body, patient and attentive.

Shifting her body to turn towards him, Radri takes Xan's arm in her elbow, and leans her head against his shoulder.

"Thank you for taking care of me, Tahlimil," Radri says. "I'm only sorry I couldn't have appreciated it more."

"You speak as if the night is already over, Estel'amin," Xan says. "We have many hours yet."

"Well… yes, but we need that time to rest," Radri says. "If we're going to wake early—"

"Do we need to wake early?"

Radri stares at him, then puts her free hand on his forehead.

"Did you catch another fever?" Radri asks, evaluating him with concern. "Now that Bodhi is dead, Irenicus is almost in our grasp, and our troubles are nearly over. Shouldn't we wake early?"

"That depends," Xan says, lifting her hand to return it to her. "How do you feel, Estel'amin?"

"I'm alive," Radri says with a light shrug. "What does it matter, how I feel?"

"It matters because you have scarcely had a moment of peace since the moment you left Baldur's Gate," Xan says. "You have encountered misfortune after misfortune, been called upon to save far too many, and been forced to remain strong under incredible duress. You may have divine blood in your veins, but you are still mortal, Estel'amin, and you should take care of yourself as such."

With the arm that she has hooked in her elbow, Xan takes her hand, meeting it palm to palm, intertwining their fingers—holding her tight.

"I worry for you, always, but never so much as I have in the past few days," Xan continues quietly. "I fear that your burdens will push you to break at the worst possible moment, and I would ease them, if I can. I recall that you once promised me you would rest once Imoen was safe… many, many weeks ago."

"Oh, but I did rest," Radri says, "during our time in the forest. Remember?"

"We only stayed a few nights in the forest. Unless… when you broke down crying?" Xan says, with a furrow in his brow, "Radri… that was not rest. That was exhaustion."

"Well, it's close enough, isn't it?" Radri says, and when Xan's flat expression says, Absolutely not, she amends, "I'll do it after. After we kill Irenicus. And we can celebrate then, too. Aren't you looking forward to that?"

"I am afraid that I will have nothing to look forward to," Xan says. "I fear that if you face him in this state, he will kill you."

The light numbness that had settled back over her emotions begins to fade. If Xan had hoped to lead her to relax, he had done the opposite. Radri feels her expression beginning to crumple, the corners of her lips tugging downwards, and to make matters worse, she can feel the familiar ache of tears starting to well in her eyes.

"Estel'amin…" Xan's voice is gentle, and she scrunches her eyes shut, turning her face into his shoulder.

"I have to do it after," Radri says. "I have to face him now, because if I let myself relax, if I let you bring me too far back to myself, I might not ever manage to step foot outside again."

"Strange—you speak as though you think of yourself as a coward, when I know that not to be the case," Xan says. Radri scoffs.

"Please, you saw it," Radri says. "The way that I stalled on the way to Spellhold. If Imoen hadn't been taken captive, I would have run, in order to never face him again."

"And I would have encouraged you to," Xan says. "Better to save yourself than risk your life in the name of revenge."

"I still want to run now," Radri admits quietly. "I'm afraid, Xan. I… I haven't… Sarevok was different, you know? When he… when my father… I ran. And so much had happened by the time we were in the ruins of the old city, I was only occupied with the challenge of killing him. He had been a terrifying figure in my nightmares, but in that temple, I saw a mortal man.

"But Irenicus… I just keep remembering his pale, unfeeling face beyond the bars of my cage, just watching me as I… suffered. I couldn't move, I couldn't look away. And then the visions, invading my reverie… Spellhold, trapped again in that small cage, having my soul ripped out of me… it's too much, Xan. It's too soon. I… I don't know what I'll see when I face him again."

Somewhere in the midst of her words, her tears had spilled too, so heated she that had barely noticed them fall. Xan is quiet, then he tilts his head against hers, squeezing her hand in gentle reassurance, as though even without their bond he could still lift her burdens from her heart.

"I am sure that for no small number of your opponents, a vision of you lurks in their nightmares," Xan begins. "They see a powerful Bhaalspawn who leaves only death in her wake, and fear you before they even face you—but they fear your image, not your real, tangible skill with a blade. Like you, Irenicus is indeed a powerful adversary… but not so powerful as the one your mind has built. Remember that he is also a broken, mortal man with a stolen soul, and see him for the mage that he is."

Wiping her tears roughly away with her free hand, Radri can't help but break into a small smile.

"Leave it to you to encourage me as you insult me," Radri says, to which Xan looks at her in surprise.

"When did I insult you?"

"'Not so powerful as the one your mind has built?'" Radri quotes, and gives him an unimpressed raise of her brow, "I'm fully capable of living up to my reputation, thank you."

Xan rolls his eyes.

"Ah, of course. I forgot whose presence I am in." Xan dries the last of her tears for her with the edge of his sleeve, and leaves an affectionate kiss upon her cheek. "That of my reckless, overconfident leader."

In truth, Radri has never felt that she's lived up to her reputation—whether in her enemies' eyes, or her companions'. She has never possessed the unshakeable certainty that she imagines a leader in her position should. And yet, if she looks back, her actions show what her feelings do not: even when weighed down by doubt and fear, she has always managed to pull through, defeating every enemy who has stood in her way. Irenicus had expected her to die long before now, yet here she is, alive and beside her beloved, whose life she had managed to steal back from the clutches of his moonblade.

A sense of gratitude begins to unfurl in her chest, along with a tentative glow of pride. They have escaped death not once, but twice today—there is her real, tangible skill. And regardless of what awaits her when she faces Irenicus, right now, she has tonight.

"Xan," Radri says, "is that break... still on the table?"

Xan's gaze, which had held merely tentative hope when he'd seen her smile, now softens with obvious relief. 

"Of course," Xan says, "I have only been waiting for you to accept it. What do you wish, Estel'amin? Shall I draw another bath, for you to savor this time? Shall I give you a massage, to ease the tension in your shoulders?"

His voice is so sweet, so gentle, and his touch is so soft and comforting... and yet, as Radri gazes at him, she feels she wants something else entirely. The moment she realizes exactly what, though, her face warms, and she wrenches her gaze away from his bare, exposed collarbone.

"I—ah—the bath, is fine..." Then the thought of Xan tending to her, if not outright joining her, occurs to her and she switches tracks, "I mean, the massage! Is fine—" But then the thought of Xan's touch on her bare skin has her burning further, and Radri buries her face in her hands.

"M-Maybe we should do this in the morning," Radri says.

"Why? What is it, Estel'amin?" Xan asks.

After laying her heart bare and freeing her mind of all the turmoiled thoughts she'd kept caged inside, what she had felt in her subconscious has now risen into her awareness. Their closeness, their attire, their surroundings, even the mix of terror and exhilaration after a difficult fight—it all reminds her of that first night in the Ducal palace, and she can still feel the memory of that night in her body, which now wants, very much, to hold Xan against her. Radri lowers her hands slightly, peeking out at him from above her fingertips, sneaking another look at him: his warm skin, his tired, relieved eyes, and the tension still strung through him, from his shoulders to his pinched brow. She could release that tension, she thinks. The thought brings a new bloom of warmth to her face, and at that, the look in Xan's eyes changes.

"Is there something you hesitate to ask of me?" Xan asks, low and knowing.

He draws one of her lowered hands away from her face, cupping her cheek gently in his hand, kissing her forehead—and even this small act has her closing her eyes, feeling a gentle thrill run through her at her contact with his warmth.

"Your desires are safe with me," he says softly, "You need only speak them."

His voice winds its way around her hesitant thoughts, wrapping her in assurance as she relaxes into his touch, and she wonders how this isn't a charm spell—it can't be, because his hand is still at her cheek, and his other hand has found the small of her back, neither one free to weave magic. The delicate, bare skin of his wrist is in her hand now, and her fingers shift the hem of his sleeve lower as she leans into his touch. Radri opens her eyes, meeting his gaze; Xan's dark, grey eyes are cast in shadow at this angle away from the light, yet hold their own warm glow within.

"Tahlimil," she says, and feels the barest shiver run through him at the way his name falls off her tongue, "I want to hold you again."

"Then I am yours," Xan says, and he meets her in a kiss.

Hers... Her fingers find their way into his hair, tangled into the strands at the base of his head, possessive in a way that she was not on their first night. No death or undeath will ever come so close to him again—this she swears silently—but she can't hold onto such dark and serious convictions for long when her arms are filled with him. Draping her arms around his shoulders, she finds the tension in her body fading into the steady rhythm of his kiss. Soft, warm, and longing... he kisses her as though he wishes to savor her, and she finds herself doing the same, committing to careful memory the way that his lips move against hers; the soft sounds of his contentment; and the feeling of his hand at her waist, with his thumb across her ribs.