asterfairbank-blog

[asterfairbank-blog]

@briellemccaffrey​

“That’s me.” Unlike their previous encounter, Brielle wasn’t drowning in a pool of enthusiasm tonight, though she’d always have one foot in it. Sleep had evaded her last night, and had left her in a slump, of sorts, for most of the day. The stress her thoughts never failed to add wasn’t doing her any favours either, so perhaps company was best after all. If Aster was sticking around, that was.

“Feel free,” she added, gesturing lazily to the food in front of her, “If it’ll help you decide. I’m probably not gonna be able to finish ‘em on my own.” That was something else that’d been happening lately - it was a vicious cycle of barely enough sleep, far too much stress, and a wishy-washy appetite. “You here by yourself?”

He considered the breadsticks for a moment, before taking one. She’d offered, and while a less hungry Aster might have said no, out of politeness, he was not less hungry. And cheese was truly a gift to the world. He didn’t know how vegans did it, honestly. He nodded, waiting until he’d finished to speak. “Yeah. You too, I assume?” He asked. Aster didn’t frequent the pub as much as he did places like the Rookery, or La Caverna, but he liked it alright. He had memories there, like the time, when he was younger, by fey standards, at least, and had gone through a phase of asking his father all the time what it had been like, back in Ireland. His father had brought him there and talked for much longer than Aster had really wanted him to. After that, he’d stop asking, but he always found himself coming back.

[asterfairbank-blog]

@whyvette​

“Just one,” Yvette said. She held up a finger. “Number eighteen. But I think I’m gonna … well, I’m gonna take it easy on them for a while.” 

Saying it out loud like that made her feel more certain about her conviction, even as she thought to herself: there are more. She knew about ten, eighteen … Ro had mentioned a sixty-nine, now that she thought of it, and Nadia a ninety-nine. There was some kind of shortage of that one. 

“I’ve heard of others, though,” Yvette added. “The one called ninety-nine–I mean–” 

She lowered her voice to a hush. “How does that even work?”

The way she said that, that she’d be taking it easy, Aster couldn’t help but let a tiny smile creep into his expression. It was easy to categorize elixirs with other drugs, human drugs, but he never felt like that making them. They were art. And the idea that you could become addicted to an art, well. It was intriguing, wasn’t it?

He almost laughed at her question. He should know better than anyone how it worked, being Malachite’s apprentice, and yet it wasn’t necessarily something he fully understood. And even if he did, it wasn’t something he could just tell Yvette. Instead, he countered her question with a question of his own, leaning lazily back on his seat. “How do you think?” Clearly she’d done her own digging, and he was going to find out exactly what she’d found out. He just had to be strategic, that was all. 

[asterfairbank-blog]

@huntsfey​

“Amen to that.” Knox replied with a simple raise of his glass in a gesture before taking a rather considerable sip from it. He then observed for a brief moment, the exhaustion almost exuding from the younger male before him. Knox was almost certain he had seen his face around the rookery the few times that he had been here, though he could have been wrong since he’d only been focusing his attention here for a few weeks now. So many faces would always seem to blend into one if he wasn’t careful when he was creating mental notes on the reoccurring faces he came across. 

He needed to dig deeper with this man, if he could acquire a name today then he’d consider it a successful mission, despite not even being here for those kinds of intentions. Knox wanted to decipher if he were ally or foe. Whether this man could help his cause or if he needed to add another name to the ever growing list of fey. “Next round on me? Looks like you could use it, no offence, of course.”

Sometimes, Aster wondered if the world had always been like this - Fast paced, people always pushing themselves more than they ought to. But he’d been around, what, not even fifty years, so what did he know? And he wasn’t about to go asking older fey about it, like some little kid looking for stories. He sighed, a bit, and gave a half smile to the man. “Why not?” He said. “And none taken, I’d rather know I look like hell than not.” He stuck out his hand, an introduction. “I’m Aster.”

[asterfairbank-blog]

@whyvette​

Aster’s boss. Aster was a bartender, by his own admission. Yvette felt silly, casting her mind back to their very first meeting, when she’d asked for a #10. “Oh,” she said. “Oh. That makes sense! I mean–well, it’s not like … we just talked about … you know. The elixirs. He asked me a lot of questions, about what I thought of them.”

And he’d given her her very first taste of #18. She sighed, thinking of the sudden wash of clarity, of ease. Yes. Tiger had been right to be worried. Yvette liked this kind of poison a little too well. 

Now, it felt like it was Aster’s turn to be the curious one. So Malachite had talked to her about elixirs, but what about them? What had he said, specifically? He wanted to ask everything, but he knew, it was different with a human, then a fey. With fey, often, if you pressed with specific enough questions, you’d get an answer. But humans, well, they could lie. Lucky them.

“Oh,” He said, doing his best to keep his voice light. The elixir running through his own veins helped, at least a little. “So, you’ve tried more now?” There was a note in his question that might make it sound like he thought he already knew the answer, although honesty, he had no idea. You never could tell with humans. “Which ones, then?” What else did she know? 

[asterfairbank-blog]

@jasminefairbank​

“So you enjoy it while it lasts, I think.” Jasmine shrugged and smiled. She tore off a piece of her roll and dipped it in the soup. “Or do you miss getting to compete in the games?” she asked, popping the bit of bread into her mouth. Being Queen could be kind of alienating, in that sense. You were set apart from the rest of the crowd. And there was the chance that someone could resent your ruling over a close competition. Many fey, even the prideful ones, took the results of the games in good spirits, but there was always somebody. 

He shook his head. The games had always kind of just been another thing that he wasn't quite good enough at, something where his talents didn't really come in handy. "Nah, I've never been much good at.. Any of that stuff, really." When he was younger, he'd always tried something, but at a point, he'd given up. What was the point of trying at something if you knew you wouldn't be any good at it, or at least not better than your competition? 

[asterfairbank-blog]

lacha → aster.

Lacha: If you're not preoccupied with customers, I'd like to speak to you in my office as soon as possible.

Lacha: Preferably within the next half hour.

Aster: On my way right now.

[asterfairbank-blog]

@whyvette​

“I’ve never actually had bourbon,” Yvette said, in a small voice. She crinkled her nose. She laid her hands in her lap. She’d give a lot for Brielle’s easy manner, or for Nadia’s straightforward dignity. 

“I …” Yvette tried to interpret that laugh, the echo of her comments. “I’m sorry, I, uh … you must work together.”

"What? Never? Well, we'll have to change that, I suppose." Aster smiled. He couldn't help but soften, just a bit at her apology. "I mean, yeah, he's like.. My boss. That's all." Finishing the dregs of what was left in his cup, he looked at her a bit curiously himself. "What about him, though? What did he say to you?"

[asterfairbank-blog]

@whyvette​

“Apple and bourbon? Like–together?” 

Yvette pushed back from the bar, her fingers lacing into knots. Vera, her longtime study partner and closest school friend, loved pumpkin spice everything; Yvette liked it every now and again, though she tended to prefer actual pumpkins. He seemed happy to keep the conversation here forever. 

She needed to be more strategic. She needed a better plan of attack. Yvette sucked in a breath, steadied her nerves. There was one person here that she would give anything to know more about. “Oh, I … one of the times I was here, I met someone–not that I found out their name till later–I mean–have you … do you know someone named Malachite?”

"I mean as flavors in general. Although, alright together, too." He was prepared to keep talking about cocktails, about seasons, the weather - Small talk. He was alright at small talk, he thought. But then, of course, she had bigger questions. Malachite. Aster laughed, he couldn't help it.

"Do I know Malachite?" He repeated, it was almost funny to him, although likely the elixir had some effect on that. "Yeah, you could say that."

[asterfairbank-blog]

@whyvette​

“What do you recommend for fall?” Yvette rested her chin on the heel of her palm, the fingers of her other hand in the crook of her elbow. “I mean–I know it’s pumpkin spice season–oh, and cider, too. And hot toddies … is mulled wine too wintery … ?” 

She might as well list everything else that was drinkable and not an elixir. 

"Personally, I really like anything with cider-y flavors, you know. Apple and bourbon, I'd say are my favorite fall drink flavors." He said, taking another sip of his drink. "Personally, I think pumpkin spice is a bit over rated, but if that's someone's favorite thing, there are plenty of things you can do with that. For winter, I love an Irish coffee, but I wouldn't go for that for fall.  If you're looking specifically for something seasonal, that is." He wondered what sort of information Yvette had found on elixirs, because surely, with all her questions, she’d have found out something - But he’d stick to cocktail talk unless she changed the subject herself.

[asterfairbank-blog]

@thewinteress

Would there ever be an undramatic demifey? Gale, Lark, Aster - they would never be happy. He’s young, cut him some slack. She sighed and leaned forward against the counter, fixing him with a raised eyebrow. “Welcome to New York City, Aster. Murder is a possibility here.” She took the glass he pushed toward her and lifted hers, draining it with ease before setting it back down. “So is rape, assault, robbery and countless other crimes. If you haven’t recognized that fear yet, we can chalk it up to your status as a man. It’s much safer for you to walk around at night than it is for me. Even as a fey.” Nearly a century later and her skin still prickled with fury at the thought.

All he knew was peace. He hadn’t been there during the Great Depression, when crime spiked. He hadn’t been around during World War II or after when people lived in constant fear of nuclear war. Frost remembered the helpless, infuriating fear in her chest at the knowledge that these stupid fucking humans could let loose an atomic bomb and wipe everyone off the map. Portals might save them but what would they come back to? A wasteland? 

Her expression softened and she ran her nails along the bartop, keeping her voice low between the two of them.  “This isn’t the first hunter in history and I doubt that it’ll be the last.” Frost pressed her lips together, wracking her brain for the name she wanted. “Spruce’s death is a tragedy, no one is denying that. Certainly not me but I also refuse to be cowed by it. It all comes down to being smart and careful.” How many times tonight had she wanted to press a freezing hand against a forward customer’s advances? She was tempted by the possibility of his skin ripping clean off. 

It was true, murder was a reality here more than other places. It had always been, and even now, things different than they'd been when he was growing up - Still. But that was for humans, or it was in whatever part of Aster's brain stored thoughts of those sorts of things. Death at all, really, often felt like something for humans. 

He bit his lip hard. He'd never really thought of himself as being part of gender at all, but that was not the point, not in this context. It wasn't even something he could properly think of a reply to. Instead, he just sighed and looked at the bar.

Of course, people trying to put this death out of their mind wasn’t about not being afraid or upset. It was likely just more practice. “Right.” He said quietly. “Death just.. I don’t know. Feels like a human thing. At least... Like that, y’know.”

[asterfairbank-blog]

@whyvette​

“I haven’t really had time to do anything creative,” Yvette said, honestly. “Oh–it’s–” 

She blushed harder. Get it over with, she instructed herself.

“It’s a lavender martini,” Yvette admitted, huffing a small sigh. “I haven’t gotten sick of them yet. Maybe soon. Oh, no, I mean, no–they’re really good! It was my drink of choice all summer, I loved it. I’m just gonna need a new one for, um, next season … although, actually, I should be going out to bars a lot less with school and stuff going in full force.”

Of course it was the lavender martini, still, Aster thought. He was great with drink recommendations, even if he wasn't as much with elixirs. Everyone had skill sets, and that was just one of his. "Of course. Floral flavors are more for summer, definitely, maybe spring, but I’d say lavender season particularly.. That’s a summer thing.” He nodded. Maybe that had been one of his problems, in school, he’d never really bothered giving up going out to commit to academics.

[asterfairbank-blog]

@fuisecg​

          Just being with you is enough. If only Lark felt the same way about herself, wishing that being alone with her thoughts was enough to get through the days and nights when they were at their worst. But it wasn’t. She needed to be around someone else, needed to be kept close as Aster was the one to fill that void. He wanted to be there. He wanted to be by her side. He wanted what she could give him, never asking for more than that as she felt a satisfaction rush through her as they slowed until they were safe.

Her lungs burned but she laughed regardless, taking the tiger before slinging her arms around his neck and pressing her lips against his and sinking into the taste of him. Adrenaline and sweat, mixed with just enough of an elixir that Lark believed that she could live off of Aster, that it might actually work, and she would be enough for him. “I more than like it,” she admitted after breaking apart, a breathless smile on her features as she brushed back her hair to gaze up at him. “Though now we can’t go back there without disguises.” The gleam in her eye only grew as she held her finger under her nose, pretending to have a mustache before she broke out into another small fit of laughter as she moved away only enough to clasp her hand in his. “But I would rather be ostracized with you, than welcomed back there by myself.”

Never in his life, Aster thought, looking at her, would he have expected someone like Larkspur to be into someone like him. It was all the success he felt he needed sometimes, like nothing else mattered.

He grinned. It was all he needed to hear from her, really  - That she wanted to be there, wanted to be with him, liked the stupid stolen tiger. "No, we can't go back. Not there. But there's plenty of other things to do." He said, squeezing her hand a little. "We could get sick on carnival food, ride the rides, whatever we want. Anyway," He continued. "You've got a prize, so we don't really have any reason to go back there. Unless you really want to, and then I bet we could find some funny hats. Perfect disguise.”

[asterfairbank-blog]

@whyvette​

She recognized Aster, and lifted a hand to make a little wave. Yvette didn’t know what to do about the wink. Should she wink back? Was the widening chasm between receiving a wink and deciding what to do about the wink now too wide to be crossed with a return wink? What was the time limit on winks? How many seconds had passed? Would it be awkward? Her hand was still lingering in the air. What would be less awkward?

She turned the wave into a little finger gun. She winked. Why? Why did she do that?

“Hi!” Yvette said, brightly, trying to kill the sudden flood of panicky regret she felt. Her cheeks burned. Aster was connected to the elixirs–to alchemy–and therefore to Malachite. She didn’t know how, and she didn’t know how she’d make him elaborate on that, however much she wanted him to. That little bottle–that must have been an elixir.

“Um–working on any, uh, new paintings?” She paused, before adding, “What are you–uh, whatcha drinking?”

"Well, hello." It flowed off his tongue, more charming than he usually was when not behind the bar - Or at least, in his mind it was. Her response, it'd been... Cute. Endearing. It was the sort of thing that many fey, probably Seelie in particular, Aster thought, would have found amusing, the sort of thing that seperated themselves from humans. The clear awkwardness being the kind of thing that made it so easy for them to see humans as less than themselves. Aster didn't think that at all. In fact, it was quite the opposite. It reminded him that he was like that too, that they were all probably more like humans than they liked to think. 

"Vodka cranberry," He responded, simply. "And I'm always working on new paintings." It was true, he could never do just one at a time. "Yourself?" He said, gesturing to her glass.

[asterfairbank-blog]

@jasminefairbank​

“He trains the Seelie Players, yes.” It was a brutal, ugly word, overseer, one that both Courts bandied about with little care. It evoked human horrors, terror and death distinct from the Fidchell board. Yet another thing the fey would never understand, or did not care to. 

“Maybe you remember him; he won Fidchell two years ago.” Jasmine realized too late that to an Unseelie that statement might sound like bragging. The last thing she wanted to do was extol the proficiency of the Seelie Court at training humans to murder one another. When Aster presented an opportunity to change the subject, she leapt at it. 

“You’re probably right. By the law of averages, half the Courts must have been married like this at one point or another.” Jasmine picked up a bread basket that had been passed their way and took a roll, then offered it to Aster. “So what’s it like being Queen for the day?” 

Aster shrugged. He didn't care much for Fidchell. It was one of those things that was just tradition, it was just something they did, but he didn't find it pleasant to watch, or think about. He avoided thinking about it as much as he could - Which also tended to avoid interactions with any players. He had no qualms getting attached to most humans, but it was harder knowing how likely it was for the players to die. 

"Yeah." He laughed a little, taking a roll, and passing the bread on. "I'd love to get statistics or whatever, on how much of those actually last." He'd seen marriages like this end fairly quickly and dramatically, but for the most part, he didn't actually know how many of the ones he'd seen were still intact. "Oh, it's... Well. I suppose I shouldn't get too used to it, only one day."

[asterfairbank-blog]

ponder and candle light!

ponder: what do you want to do with your life?

Honestly there are SO MANY THINKS Aster wants to do, it’s kind of absurd, even given a hundred and fifty years or so. His biggest dream, when he was younger, was to have big gallery show in the city, something everybody would talk about, that was what he imagined would be his big break. That was what would make him happy. And it’s not necessarily that he doesn’t want that anymore, it’s just that there are things that seem bigger. He wants to live long enough to properly take over for Malachite, to be someone important when it comes to being the fey, but in the grand scheme of things, more than that, he really just wants to live, to enjoy himself, and experience things. 

candle light: are you an indecisive person?

I think a bit. Mostly, he just goes with what happens, and avoids situations where he might have to make big decisions himself. However, there are things that he can be very decisive about, when it benefits him.

[asterfairbank-blog]

when: september 15th where: the rookery who: @whyvette

Aster sat down heavily on the one of the couches, his drink splashing just a little. The elixir was starting to wear off, he was painfully aware - He always found himself being more hyper aware about the effects of his own than Mal's, something that was a constant reminder that he was always at least a notch below the older fey when it came to quality. There were times he could tell himself that he had an advantage, with his having more of ana addictive quality.. But most of the time it didn't matter. He was still not as good, and he often wondered if he ever would be. Sighing, he looked around, and then reached into his jacket pocket, tipping the contents of a small bottle into his mouth, and chasing it with a sip of his drink

It took him a moment to notice though, that he hadn’t been alone. And not only had he not been alone, the person who had likely seen was none other than Yvette. The curious girl. But the elixir was setting in already, and he grinned, giving her a wink.

[asterfairbank-blog]

Nightmare. Soothe. Slumber.

nightmare: what are you most afraid of?

While it's likely very common, Aster's worst fear is death. His own, but also the death of the people around him, who he cares about dearly. He knows that there really is no way to make anyone live forever, not even full fey, but he doesn't want to get old, to die. He's watched his mother age and it's the main reason he stopped wishing he was just a human. He knows that no one really wants to die, but being a demifey has only strengthened this fear - He's in some weird middle place, he'll live a long time, but he knows it won't be long enough.

soothe: what's one thing that always makes you feel better when you're upset?

As someone who has to at least try to be somewhat in touch with their emotions, Aster likes to think that he has a pretty foolproof strategy for feeling good - Music. It doesn't really help when he's in the middle of something, but when he can, he'll either listen to sad music, and use it to propel him through the bad feeling, or listen to something upbeat, as a distraction.

slumber: what's one thing that helps you fall asleep when it feels impossible?

Aster is someone who gives up relatively easily when it comes to not being able to sleep - If he can't sleep, he'll just  get up, paint, read a book, go for a walk. He hates nothing more than lying in bed, waiting for sleep and knowing it won't come. That being said, lavendar is something that helps him get to sleep most of the time, and if all else fails, there's always elixir # 22, although that's a last resort for them.