#critical role fjord | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

peantbutter-honeycombs · 10 months

Text

I’ll Paint Your Picture, Darling Excerpt 2

Word count: ?

Characters: Fjord, Jester Lavorre(mentioned), Original Child Character

Warnings: No archive warnings apply.

Notes: Chapter from my archive story; I’ll Paint Your Picture, Darling

Written in collaboration with the incredibly kind @somethingwritey

———

It was a near-perfect beach day.

Fjord and Jester had seen many, many coastlines in their day, but they both agreed that Nicodranas had one of the very best.

They so rarely got to enjoy it, though, what with their boat life and shipping company, so when they did spend extended time at home in their little artsy house, it was a luxury. And one that they all intended to enjoy, at least for a little while. So despite all the work that still needed to be done on their home, all the gardening that needed to be completed, all the half-painted walls that never seemed to be done, Jester decided that they all needed a leisurely outing.

Which is how Eysel found herself swinging happily between Fjord and Jester as they walked together down to the beach, a picnic basket clutched in Fjord’s other arm.

“You look very lovely, Fjord,” Jester grinned, motioning to the frilly little basket. “Very handsome. So pretty.”

Eysel giggled, squeezing Jester’s hand. She liked it when Jester made Fjord all flushed in the face. No one else could really do that except for her.

As they strolled down towards the water, Eysel saw many other families enjoying the nice weather. Some of them were big. Others were small.

Once upon a time, she used to feel heavy in her chest whenever she saw things like that. Now, she just jumped higher between Jester and Fjord, using their hands to propel herself into the air as they swung her back and forth.

She didn’t want to be those families anymore.

She liked her own just fine.

———

“Whatcha doin’ there, Eyselcakes?” Fjord called as he and Jester set out the blanket on the warm sand and positioned the umbrella for shade. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, with a nearly cloudless sky and small wavelets that kissed the shoreline.

Eysel was currently burying herself in the sand. She’d spent the last twenty minutes chasing away any and all seagulls in the surrounding area, laughing and growling playfully. Now, she’d nearly covered herself in the mounds of golden grains.

At the sound of Fjord’s voice, she looked over—grinning widely. She so rarely got to let completely loose like this, and it showed in her face. She glowed. “Hi, Fjord.”

“Hi.” He shielded his eyes from the bright sun. “You’re very sandy.”

She laughed, nodding. “Yes. I am.” She noticed a shell sitting a few inches away and snatched it up, tucking into the sand burrow. Fjord suspected she had a whole hoard of shells in there.

He shook his head, continuing to help Jester lay out their supplies. “She’s a funny one.”

“That’s our Eysel.” Jester gave Fjord a kiss on the cheek. “I think she gets it from me.”

After their camp was satisfactory, Fjord decided it was time to cool off in the water. He ran straight into the surf, paddling, splashing and waving to Jester—who was currently curled up on the blanket with her new... romance... book.

The salt water felt divine, and he breathed a deep, calm breath as he thanked the Wildmother for the peace that had been returned to him. The ocean no longer provided such a terrifying pull; he no longer felt his old patron’s presence in his chest.

“Thank you,” Fjord said quietly, eyes shut as his legs treaded through the cool water. “For everything.” He was met with a warm ocean breeze blowing past his cheek.

Caduceus would probably call this meditation.

Fjord just... called it a conversation.

Once he was satisfied that the Wildmother felt his gratitude, Fjord floated closer to the shore, eyeing Eysel still happily hoarding her shells in the sand burrow.

“Eysel,” Fjord called, cupping his hands around his mouth. “Come swim.”

She eyed him, shaking her head. “No.”

“Oh, come on. Are you gonna make me swim alone?” Fjord waded into the more shallow water, beckoning. “C’mere, I’ll hold you.”

That, at least, seemed to be a more promising solution. Eysel crawled out of her burrow—sand raining off her body—and carefully joined him at the shallowest edge of the ocean.

She took thoughtful steps, letting the water brush around her toes, ankles, thighs, before nestling herself in Fjord’s arms. He held her, swaying back and forth. She was light as a feather in the water.

Occasionally, he splashed her, and she would growl—retaliating in equal force. Apparently, they were having so much fun that it was too good for Jester to pass up, because she set down her book and joined them, too.

Eysel grew a bit more confident the more she paddled about, still clinging a bit to Jester or Fjord—whoever was closer. She conceded to letting them swing her up and over the waves, just as they’d been doing on dry land.

She drew the line, however, at jumping off the nearby rocks into the water below. Apparently, the lack of flying in this form was a big detractor.

“Just jump!” Fjord called up to her, watching Jester try and coax Eysel to the edge. “It’s just like flying, I promise.”

“Nah uh!” Eysel shook her head, sending water droplets flying. “Flying doesn’t involve falling.”

“This is fun falling!”

Still, it took her another ten or so minutes to creep to the edge, and another five minutes (along with the promise of gelato before dinner) to actually leap off with Jester. Eysel landed right on top of Fjord, sending him plummeting into the depths below, but that was alright.

He didn’t mind.

“I told you I’d catch you,” he grinned, only wincing slightly as he rubbed his shoulder where she’d landed.

“I smushed you, Dadi,” she corrected, holding onto his arm as he paddled her back to the rocks. “Can I go again?”

Fjord nearly dropped her, heart stopping. It was the very first time she’d ever called him that, and he swallowed hard—a sudden tightness swelling in his throat. He gripped Eysel tighter, hugging her.

“Sure thing, Bee,” he said hoarsely, hoisting her back up onto the rock. “We can definitely do that again.”

As the sun slowly turned the sky golden, beginning to dip below the line of sea and sky beyond, the three of them entertained themselves by diving off the rock in increasingly crazy ways.

Fjord canon-balled.

Jester flipped.

And Eysel twirled—flapping her arms a little like they were wings.

Finally, the little girl seemed to grow tired, and they all paddled back to shore for some dinner.

“Gelato first,” Eysel reminded Jester.

“Yum.” Jester certainly didn’t seem to be complaining.

———

Jester didn’t think anyone else had ever had such a lovely picnic.

Surely, someone had, in all the years of Exandria, but her dinner with Eysel and Fjord had to rank among the top ten. Maybe even top five.

It wasn’t perfect.

Eysel accidentally dropped half her sandwich into the sand, Fjord forgot to pack the lemonade, and she used up all the napkins trying to clean gelato off Eysel’s face.

But that was okay.

They were laughing, and the food was good, and the evening was warm and rosy. Once they’d sufficiently stuffed themselves, she and Eysel decided to bury Fjord in the sand. He only grumbled a little bit as they set to work, digging a hole big enough for him to fit into before filling it back in with the sand—still warm from the day’s sunshine.

As Eysel went to cover Fjord’s head, Jester shot out her arms. “No, no. Air. Fjord needs to breathe, remember?”

“Oh, yeah. He’s not a fish.”

Jester smiled, and Fjord looked up at her thankfully. “My hero,” he winked. And then grunted, trying to twist and break free from his sandy bonds. “I may not be a fish, Eysel... but I’m still a sea monster!”

With one last roar, he broke free—chasing a squealing Eysel all around the beach. He chased Jester a bit too, grabbing her around the middle and kissing her neck when Esyel wasn’t looking.

“Fjord,” Jester laughed, pretending to struggle. Secretly, her heart leapt, and butterflies stormed her stomach. She’d never get used to knowing that he was hers.

This life... this family... it was more than she’d ever thought she would have.

“Ew!” Eysel had spotted them now, sticking out her tongue.

“What?” Fjord kissed Jester’s cheek quite dramatically. “Am I not allowed to kiss my Jester? Huh, Eysel?” He took off after her again, sending the little girl screaming away.

The chase slowly became a leisurely stroll, and the three of them fell into line as they walked beside the shoreline. It was definitely sunset now—the remaining dregs of sunshine putting on quite a show before they let the night take over.

Eysel ran ahead, collecting shells and running them back to Fjord and Jester to hold while she gathered more. She always seemed a bit confused as to how they disappeared when she returned, and Fjord and Jester shared a small smile with each other.

“This is nice,” Fjord said quietly to Jester as they walked.

“Yeah, it is.” She couldn’t agree more. “It’s funny. I’ve lived in Nicodranas my whole life, practically. But I never saw it like this before.”

Eysel crouched down ahead of them, inspecting something.

Fjord took Jester’s hand in his. “Same place. New chapter.”

“Something like that,” she laughed.

Tiny footsteps alerted them to the approach of Eysel, who was scurrying back to them with something cupped in her hands. “I found something,” she told them.

Jester knelt to get a better look, and saw a tiny little crab nestled in Eysel’s palm. “Oh. A little creature.”

“I want to keep it.” Eysel tried to hand the crab to Fjord. “She can go with my shells.”

Jester glanced at Fjord, chewing on her lip. She carefully touched Eysel’s wrist. “Little Bee, why don’t we let her go? Instead of keeping her all locked up?”

Eysel pouted a bit, shoulders sagging. “Why?”

“Well,” Jester’s mind searched. “She has a family. A little crab family. And we can’t split them up, right? Families belong together.”

Slowly, Eysel’s pout dissolved into a pensive expression. She nodded, opening her palm and setting the crab down on the sand.

“Mama?”

Jester blinked, realizing suddenly that Eysel was talking about her. She was Mamma. The name washed over her like the waves themselves, bathing her. She wanted to jump and cry and scream, and she didn’t do any of those things. She just nodded—patient, present.

“Will the crab be happy?” Eysel asked.

Jester bundled Eysel into a hug, trying not to cry. “Yes, Sweets. So happy. She has a mamma who loves her very, very much.” Pulled back, she tapped Eysel’s nose. “Like you.”

They watched the little thing scuttle back into the ocean, waving goodbye.

The stars eventually came into view—slowly at first, then all the sudden there were hundreds of them. They winked and flickered high, high above.

Jester held Eysel in her arms, leaning up against Fjord as the three of them stared at the sky. Occasionally, he would point out constellations, telling Eysel their stories. She liked the way his low voice rumbled against her body.

It wasn’t long before Eysel’s breathing evened out, and Jester knew the little girl had fallen asleep in her arms.

“All tuckered out,” Fjord commented, a smile in his voice.

“She had a big day.” Jester made sure Eysel was asleep. “We had a big day. Did you hear what she called me?”

“I did.”

“Did she— for you?”

“In the water.”

Jester resisted the urge to squeal, not wanting to disrupt the sleeping child in her arms. “That means we really are parents now.”

“We were always parents,” Fjord assured her. “It’s been quite the adventure.”

“A good one, though.” Jester liked adventures. “I don’t want this one to end.”

“It’s not ending.” Fjord stared up at the sky for a long moment, exhaling gently. “I think it’s just beginning, really. There’s a lot more in store for us. I feel it.”

“I hope so.”

And that was the absolute truth.

#critical role #critical role fic #the mighty nein #mighty nein oc #critical role fjord #fjord stone #critical role jester #jester lavorre #found family #a lot of fluff #campaign 2 spoilers #campaign 2 #mighty nein spoilers #critical role oc #critical role spoilers #dungeons and dragons #dnd #dnd 5e

5 notes · View notes