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risualto · 3 years

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Mutually Inclusive (Pillars of Eternity)

Title: Mutually Inclusive Summary: Two Watchers and their boyfriends walk into a bar... No, that’s too easy. Two Watchers end up in the same bar due to some reality-crossing nonsense and vaguely bond over having feelings for alternate versions of the same two men, but only one of them is aware of it. Yes, that sounds about right for a Watcher’s Monday. Warnings: vague mention of being watched Notes: Happy birthday to @haledamage, a beautiful person with brilliant stories and one of the most wonderful hearts I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. You suggested a kiss on the cheek with Kai and Tai Lon, and I decided to take the opportunity to point out that my own mother was inspired to make Tai Lon romance both Aloth and Edér after I told her about “Home Sweet Home.” So this happened. I hope you like it, and I hope you’ve had a wonderful birthday.

The weirdest part of this particular interaction wasn’t the fact that it was a once-in-a-millennium celestial event, that some people were claiming to see visions of spirits, or that it seemed like realities were overlapping. All of that was almost typical as far as the Watcher of Caed Nua was concerned. Tai Lon absently wondered how bad her headache would be after this…and then whether Watchers in every reality had as dizzying of a fallout from visions.

Because the weirdest part was Aloth and Edér. In this reality, the one Tai Lon had tripped into while trying to make her way back to her friends at the tavern, things seemed perfectly ordinary at first. She hadn’t even noticed that things had shifted until she got to her table to find her crew missing, replaced by a red-headed woman in adventuring clothes much like her own. If the fact that this woman, now that Tai Lon was looking, seemed more solid than the rest of the room didn’t give away who she was, the trinket at her side would have.

It was the same one Tai Lon carried, a spoil from her adventures in the Deadfire…one that should have been unique.

“Hello, Watcher,” said the red-haired woman—also an elf—when she saw Tai Lon. Her voice seemed to tilt with a light smirk that Tai Lon felt in the depths of her soul: well, this may as well happen today, and at least the world isn’t ending yet.

“Hello, yourself,” Tai Lon said, coming to a stop by the table.

“If you’re looking for someone who’s supposed to be here, you might as well just sit down,” said the other Watcher, nudging the chair next to her out from the table. “It’ll right itself eventually, and walking away and coming back won’t do anything.”

Tai Lon sat, dropping tray of ale in her hands onto the table in front of her. The bottom of it, for just a second, seemed to dip into the table, like it was made of gelatin instead of wood, and the edges between the objects went fuzzy for a second before righting themselves. Tai Lon sighed, blinking away the disorientation. “I’m aware,” she said, not unkindly, but with the full intention of showing how unimpressed she was with the whole situation.

The other woman laughed sharply, but her smile was genuine. “Well, I’m Kai,” she said.

“Oh, ha-ha,” Tai Lon said. She held out a hand. “Tai Lon.”

Kai took it and shook once. “I wonder,” she said, putting her hand back on the table, “how it’s possible so many Watchers ended up in this same town on this day for this event.”

“I’m willing to bet the gods are fucking with us,” Tai Lon said bluntly, crossing her legs under the table.

Kai groaned, rubbing her forehead, cursing so colorfully under her breath that Tai Lon wondered if she had grown up around sailors. “Oh, I’m sure they think this is hilarious,” she said. “It’s either that or that there’s so many realities that the overlap is inevitable…and strangely, I find that more comforting.”

Tai Lon picked up the mug of ale meant for her and took a long sip, eyes fixed on the other elf as she spoke, glimmering with a smile. “I think I like you,” she said simply.

It was then that Tai Lon noticed a commotion from near the bar. When she looked over, noting that the farther she tried to focus from this other Watcher, the hazier everything became, she could see it was a game of some kind, one that Edér had just won a round of judging by the cheering. Aloth hovered nearby, though he almost blended into the shadows in the corner. If Tai Lon hadn’t known he should be there (because Edér was, because she—rather, the Watcher—was), she might not have noticed. And maybe because it was easy to see him, or maybe just because she always looked for the best hiding places in a room, she noticed something strange in the corner table, too, though it was too far to make out the details.

“You’re all up to something,” Tai Lon said, glancing at Kai.

“Oh, usually,” Kai answered airily before she laughed. “Chasing a lead on the Key. Your Aloth wasn’t adamant about it?” Tai Lon gave her a look. “I know. Anyway, at the moment, they’re both looking to see if anyone reacts…”

Whatever else Kai was saying—and to be fair, it faintly registered as a well-thought-out plan in Tai Lon’s opinion, designed to zero in on anyone particularly suspicious—it all faded momentarily as Tai Lon looked back towards the game table just in time to see Edér tug Aloth closer by the arm and say something. It didn’t quite carry, but Tai Lon focused—

Kiss for luck?

Edér, honestly. Here?

Yeah, 'less you’re invitin’ me upstairs already?

Aloth rolled his eyes, and Tai Lon was sure that would be that. Only it wasn’t. He leaned over, kissed Edér on the cheek, and then stood back up to prop an arm on the back of Edér’s chair. If not for the blush on his cheeks, Tai Lon would have said he managed to look imperious, somehow, in the middle of a tavern. Edér, on the other hand, was grinning like the cat that got the cream.

Something stirred in Tai Lon’s chest as she looked at them, like a dam had been released in her mind as all of a sudden, she was wondering. This Aloth looked and spoke like hers, of course, and so did Edér, and yet there was something very different. Not just in that they were together, but that Edér was willing to be, that Aloth was so comfortable with it.

“I’m guessing things played out differently for you, then,” Kai said pointedly, eyes suddenly as sharp as cut glass.

Tai Lon chuckled, ducking her chin momentarily as she realized how her interest must have looked. (Of course, if she’d looked over a few seconds before, she would have seen how Kai was looking at them—equally interested, but her admiration was softer, more secure.) “Seems like there’s a lot of ways all of this can end up, huh,” she mused. Her fingers drummed nonsensically on the uneven wood as she glanced one more time at the boys. Her boys? She’d always thought of them like that, but it always sounded a little discordant since she was only dating one of them, never mind that she’d also…

Her eyes flicked to that table behind where Aloth had been sitting, looking for a distraction. Whoever was there couldn’t see Tai Lon, of course; she’d figured that out the first time realities had merged like this. Which meant it was incredibly obvious that whoever was there was eyeing Kai from the one spot in the room Edér and Aloth couldn’t see.

“I’ve only met one other Watcher tonight who’s dating them both,” Kai said. The words jarred Tai Lon out of her train of thought, making her shiver and nearly tense like she’d been hit with a lightning spell. Kai kept talking like she hadn’t just shaken Tai Lon’s whole world. “I’m sure there’s others, though, even if we don’t…meet like this. But as far as I’ve seen, there’s no universe in which I—we—whichever has more meaning, I suppose—don’t love them in some way.”

“That’s true,” Tai Lon said, summoning all of the diplomacy she’d learned since Gilded Vale to keep her voice steady. “I know I don’t think I’d have made it this far without them. Without everyone, but those two…they’ve been here from the beginning.”

“They’re something special,” Kai agreed. She took a sip of whatever drink was in front of her and then laughed softly. Joining her, Tai Lon felt so light that it was almost an unhinged feeling. Was it possible in her world, too, that things could work like this, or had the chance already passed them by? Sitting here, in this tavern where reality went a little fuzzy around the edges, it didn’t seem so far out of reach.

Maybe it was something she should consider. Think about properly. The two most important people in her life, the ones with whom she always saw herself in the future…

Something shifted in the room, a little like the feeling of the world slipping from under Tai Lon’s feet when a vision gripped her, and she and Kai looked at each other. The other elf’s features flickered for a second, growing misty before coming back into focus.

“There we go,” Kai said, glancing around. She raised her glass. “It’s been a pleasure, Tai Lon.”

“Believe me when I say that the pleasure was mine,” Tai Lon answered, clinking her ale against Kai’s own drink. “Thank you, Kai.”

And before she could think better of it, Tai Lon held her breath, leaned over the arm of her chair, and gave the other Watcher a quick, shy kiss on the cheek. “And your guy’s at the table over Aloth’s shoulder. Good luck,” she whispered as she sat back, smiling as the two realities disentangled themselves with a whisper of essence.

She found herself back by the bar, still standing there, with the tavernkeeper giving her a bit of a weird stare. Quickly waving him off, she hurried back to the table (noting that her drink wasn’t quite full, because even though she apparently hadn’t moved, physics and time were optional, apparently) where her boys were waiting.

Something special, indeed, she thought as they both smiled at her. Something to think about.

#risuawrites #pillars stuff #oc: pillars tai lon #oc: pillars kai #pillars aloth #pillars eder #eder x aloth x watcher #ot3: team guilded vale #aloth corfiser #eder teylecg #haledamage

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ma-serannas-vhenan · 4 years

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#Kai Techternity #pillars of eternity deadfire #pillars of eternity #poe deadfire #my pictures #click for better quality #hydra speaks #my edits #yes she is talking to Aloth don't even look at mE-

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brightwaterforarainyday · 4 years

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Catching Up

@orime-stories and @risualto tagged me in this nice year-recap meme, thanks!

Three Ships:

@bi-stander and I started shipping our ShOH MCs in an AU and now I’m maybe more invested in the two of them than in Lev’s canon romance (I’m so sorry Trouble, ilu but you need to step up your game)

Watcher/Aloth gets the special commendation of being the only ship I’ve written actual content for this year, or any year, really.

Finally, Thanatos/Zagreus from Hades, one because it’s a lovely ship, and two because when I first met Than my reaction was “Hmmm. I think... They should kiss... They’re not going to, because this is an action roguelike and also I still don’t expect queer content from high-profile games like this. But like.... it would be neat. If they did.” And then Supergiant was like “Yea it would be neat. Here you go.” Thank you so much Supergiant I’m so sorry I ever doubted you.

Last songs listened to:

Everything by Seeming, Someday Lily by Seeming, Muscle Memory by Seeming.... There seems to be a pattern developing here.....

Currently watching:

It’s just me and my Polygon Content Background Noise Youtube Playlist against the world, baby.

Currently reading:

River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay! I probably did more reading in 2020 than in the three previous years combined, somehow. I think I mostly have my “GGK Quarentine Re-read Project” to thank for that, since it’s given me both a concrete goal to work towards and taken a lot of the decision-making out of figuing out what I want to read. I’m going to take a quick break after River of Stars to read House of Leaves, though, I’ve been in the mood for some good Haunted House content.

How’s it going:

It’s.....certainly going. I spent the first part of the year failing classes as usual (but online this time!) and being generaly miserable about it. All my ttrpg groups had to switch to remote meetings too, which was a bummer, I do so much better with in person sessions : (. BUT once I decided to stop banging my head against the wall trying to make Being In School work for me when it very clearly was not going to and started working towards being able to support myself with my art and my odd job/handyman/heavy-thing lifter/generic helpful person work things have been much much better. It’s still a long term, difficult goal, and kind of scary, but, more importantly, it doesn’t make me hate myself nearly as much as being in school did. Also we got a cat! Things just keep getting better!

Also, like pretty much everyone else Im sure, my online social life has been a huge, wonderful part of this past year! I’ve met so many fantastic people, especially through the Pillars fandom, and have had such a good time talking about these games and picking apart their lore and story.... it’s been really great everyone. ALSO also, shoutout to everyone in the ShOH and Void discords, @tropicrayder, @bimollymauks, @bi-stander again. Y’all should also do this meme, if you like.

#most of this stuff has been on my sideblog but this is still getting posted here

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speakergame · 4 years

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You mentioned writing PoE fics? Would you mind sharing your ships? I'd love to know but no pressure ☺️

I write Watcher/Aloth, Watcher/Edér, and Watcher/Rekke :) also some Aloth/Watcher/Iselmyr and Watcher/Aloth/Edér. all with the same Watcher 😅

I haven’t put my fic on ao3 in ages because I’m bad at titles, but this is my tag for my Watcher Kai on my personal blog, and I’m haledamage on ao3

#asks #not speaker related #kiki's tag is a bit of a clusterfuck and I don't know how wise it is to link to my personal blog #but oh well why not #I wrote Watcher so many times it no longer looks like a real word to me #Anonymous

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moonxtide · 5 years

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WATCHER OC MEME |

B A S I C S:

Full name: Mara Solarian

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Bisexual

Pronouns: She/Her

Background: Mystic from the Deadfire Archipelago. Would spend her days studying theology and getting visions from time to time. Armed with the knowledge of the past and the future, Mara would use her status as a Priestess of Eothas to bring comfort to the downtrodden and inspire those in need of a helping hand. A vision would eventually tempt her to leave her home and board a ship to the Dyrwood with her animal companion, Kai. The rest is history.

Race: Ocean folk

Class: Itinerant (Priest/Ranger)

O T H E R:

Family: Mother ( Vera Solarian ), Father ( Paolo Solarian ).

Job(s): Is a Priestess of Eothas. Her duties as the Watcher have not stopped her from worshipping her God and spreading his message.

Fears/Phobias: Has a deep fear of loneliness and failing her loved ones. Is also afraid of being in the center of attention and being made a fool of.

Guilty pleasures: She loves to drink wine. LOTS of wine.

Hobbies: Raised as an aristocrat, Mara possesses the traditional feminine graces of a lady from the Republics, with a keen interest in music, poetry, singing, dancing, embroidery, and other traditional feminine activities. However, she loves practicing archery, swordplay and studies religion. She also likes hunting and swimming.

M O R A L S:

Morality alignment: Mara loves helping people and becomes angry and righteous if she encounters prejudice or injustice in any form. Her compassion extends to mostly everyone, with the exception of those who harm others or people she cares about, and Thanos, whom she despises as she blames him for the death of her former love, Iovara. Mara has a habit of challenging authority figures and rules, though she is generally polite and respectful towards those who earn her respect.

Sins: Pride. Being a Watcher and a Mystic may have inflated her ego a bit. Mara is aware of her weakness and tries not to let her accomplishments go to her head. Deep down, she revels in her power and has lorded it over her enemies more than once. She also has a bit of a drinking problem and will drown herself wine to cope with her misfortunes. Her drinking has only gotten worse ever since Eotha destroyed her keep.

Virtues: She has a giving and kind personality. Has been known to give all the money out of her pockets to struggling families and was known to be a benevolent Lady of Caed Nua. All the gold she earned from her adventures go to orphanages, temples, etc.

T H I S - O R - T H A T:

introvert / extrovert

organized / disorganized

close-minded / open-minded

calm / anxious / restless

disagreeable / agreeable / in between

cautious / reckless / in between

patient / impatient

outspoken / reserved

leader / follower / flexible

empathetic / unempathetic

optimistic / pessimistic / realistic

traditional / modern / in between

hard-working / lazy

R E L A T I O N S H I P S:

OTP: Mara/Adaryc and Mara/Aloth. Mara held a great affection for Aloth back when they were hunting down Thanos and considered him her closest friend. That friendship would eventually deepen during the events of The White March but fear of ruining their friendship caused Aloth to distance himself from her. The pair would reunite in the Deadfire and after a heartfelt discussion, they resumed their budding romance. As for Adaryc... Both he and Mara understand each other due to their Watcher abilities and I genuinely believe that had he joined Mara in POE II they would have shared something beautiful. Two Watchers are better than one!

OT3: I prefer Eder/Mara/Aloth because there’s so much potential! A veteran soldier with a squishy priestess and a squishy mage! We could have had it all!!! I also have a fondness for Adaryc/Mara/Aloth.

Acceptable ships: Mara/Aloth, Mara/Tekēhu, MaraRekke, Mara/Adaryc.

BroTP: Edér. The two of them bond over Eothas and their love for animals. Mara’s lion is constantly being snuggled and cuddled by Eder because he can’t get enough of his big, fluffy mane. Mara sees him as an older brother figure and enjoys drinking him under the table.

NOTP: Maia/Mara. Mara/Xoti. She’s fond of Maia but the missive mission made her feel like she had been used. Xoti is just a little too much for her.

#Pillars of Eternity #pillars of eternity 2 #pillars of eternity oc #pillars of eternity deadfire #watcher wednesday

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haledamage · 4 years

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Home Sweet Home

After learning some dangerous information about her father and his connection to the Leaden Key, Kai Cirdani has no choice but to revisit her childhood home and face her parents for the first time since she ran away fifteen years ago. (Kai/Aloth/Edér) ~7600 words

I hope this is coherent and enjoyable for other people who have a bit less of an intimate understanding of the inner dynamics of the Cirdani family, but if I'm being honest I really just wrote this for me :P it wanted to be written and it also wants to be shared

(trigger warning for mentions of child abuse, specifically physical and verbal abuse, neglect, imprisonment. also a possible trigger for deadnaming)

“Akaia.”

Adelaide Cirdani looked like a ghost where she stood on the stairs, stark white skin and long, delicately-braided platinum hair, white lace dress and eyes black as midnight. She also looked like she'd seen a ghost, staring at her middle daughter like she was some shade of the past returned to haunt her.

“Hello, Mother.” Kai kept her chin up and her face blank, stern and imperious and exuding power and strength. She couldn’t have looked more different than her mother, with her free-flowing red curls and her practical armor and her brightly colored silks, solid and real where Adelaide was ethereal and cold.

She didn’t move from the doorway, didn’t say another word. Forcing her mother to extend the invitation or send her away. Aloth and Edér stayed at her sides, silent and supportive and she knew without looking that they were even less friendly than she was.

“Why are you here?” Mother demanded eventually.

Kai opened her mouth to answer, but before she could she heard the last voice she’d ever wanted to hear again.

“Well, well, well.” It drifted into the room like black smoke warning of approaching flame, and then Gaius appeared from the doorway to the left that she remembered leading to the parlor. Kai’s older brother leaned against the archway and crossed his arms over his chest, smug and just a bit threatening. Nothing had changed there, then. He looked exactly as she remembered him, tan skin unblemished by anything that could ever resemble honest work, white-gold hair falling in gentle waves around his shoulders, eyes as black as his shriveled heart, smile sharp and cold and vicious, like a crocodile without the charm. “I knew it was only a matter of time before you came crawling back.”

Kai looked at him for the space of two long heartbeats, fitting every ounce of hatred she had into that glare, and then she turned back to her mother, dismissing Gaius from the conversation. “I have business with Father. Believe me, I have as little desire to be here as you do to have me here.”

“Of-of course.” Kai took a quiet pleasure from seeing Mother so off-balance as she left the room without another word.

She stood in silence, still in the open doorway, refusing to step a foot into the house until she was explicitly invited. Refusing as well to so much as glance at her brother, ignoring his presence entirely.

“So this is where you grew up, huh?” asked Edér, and the warm amusement in his voice eased the tension in her shoulders a little. “It’s awful empty. Couldn’t your folks afford furniture?”

“Clutter is for poor people, my dear,” she said dryly. “You’ll find that the more one can afford, the less they own.”

“Sounds boring. Where do you sit?”

“On the backs of servants, no doubt,” Aloth sneered. He was peering around the limited area they could see as if searching the corners and curtains for assassins - though, Kai noticed, his eyes never fell anywhere near her brother, taking her silent cue to ignore him completely.

“Are these two the best your travels could offer you, Akaia?” Gaius taunted, his smile still cruel and sharp and never reaching his eyes. “I’m not impressed. Are you so destitute that you can’t afford decent bodyguards?”

She continued to ignore Gaius, addressing her companions instead. “Maybe I can show you my old room before we leave, if you’re looking for something a little more lived in. Assuming Mother ever remembers her manners and invites us in, or that they haven’t converted it to some sort of storage closet in the intervening years.”

“You should know better than to ignore your betters, girl.”

“You are not better than me, Gaius,” she snapped, finally looking his way again. “You are an insect buzzing in my ear, nothing more, and I am immune to your venom.”

A shadow passed over his face and his smile turned into a snarl. This was a more familiar version of her brother, the rabid beast barely concealed behind his crocodile smile. Kai swallowed down the automatic, long-ingrained fear that bubbled up at the sight of his rage, and kept her head high as he stormed toward her. “Why you worthless, insolent--”

“Kiki.” Garreth Cirdani rushed toward them with a surprised but warm smile. Gaius stopped in his tracks, though Father paid him no mind whatsoever, his eyes only for his wayward daughter. He was a tall man, especially for an elf, taller than anyone in the room except Edér, with tan skin, a shock of curly black hair, and green eyes almost as bright as his smile.

He scooped Kai into a hug with no hesitation, which she allowed but didn’t reciprocate. He didn’t seem to notice her reticence. “What are you doing standing on the step like beggars? Come in, my girl, come in! Who are your friends? What brings you home? Will you be staying long? You must at least stay for dinner, of course!”

“That will not be necessary,” Kai said, though not quite as coldly as she spoke to her mother and brother, and she finally stepped over the threshold and into the house, Aloth and Edér at her heels. “I have some matters to discuss with you, Father. Preferably somewhere…” she glanced pointedly at Mother, scowling behind her husband, and at Gaius, still seething with uncontained rage, “private.”

“Now wait just one minute,” Adelaide demanded sharply. “If you think you can just--”

“I’m sure whatever it is can wait until after dinner,” Garreth spoke over his wife. “You did come all this way, after all, from… wherever you’ve been.” He paused as if hoping she would tell them where she’d been, but she didn’t offer any such information. He shrugged it off and turned to Kai’s entourage. “I don’t believe we’ve been introduced. Lord Garreth Cirdani. And you are?”

“Edér Teylecg, m’lord,” Edér said sunnily, Dyrwoodan accent much thicker than normal, and Kai had to bite the inside of her cheek to fight a smile. He took Garreth’s offered hand and shook it vigorously and for much longer than necessary. “Kiki’s told me all about y’all. I’m sure glad she let me tag along.”

“Indeed,” Father said, trying to pry his hand from Edér’s firm grip but trying to look like that wasn’t what he was doing. “Have you known my daughter a long time, then?”

“Yessir, comin’ up on ten years.”

“I see. And you are her…” Garreth couldn’t help the distasteful twist of his lips as he looked over Edér with his battered armor and simple but clearly well-used weaponry, “bodyguard?”

“I guess you could say that,” he glanced her way, and even though his witless smile was fake the fondness in his eyes was genuine, “though she’s certainly capable of defendin’ herself. It’s more like I’m here to keep her outta trouble. Make sure she don’t start fights with gods or start throwin’ fireballs at her childhood home and everyone in it. You understand, o’course.”

“Edér.” Kai put a hand on his arm and he stopped looming over her father.

“Too far?”

“Too far,” she said, but she smiled slightly at him.

“Of… course.” Father’s smile faltered in the face of Edér’s over-exaggerated joviality. Behind him, Adelaide and Gaius made no effort to hide their derisive sneers which had manifested as soon as they heard Edér’s accent. Garreth turned to Aloth, who met his eyes with cool indifference. “And you are?”

“Lord Aloth Corfiser of Caed Nua.” He didn’t take Garreth’s offered hand.

At the word ‘lord’ Adelaide perked up, a sudden smile appearing on her face. Kai clenched her teeth until her jaw ached to stop from commenting on her mother’s predictability. “You should have said something earlier. If I’d known we had nobility come to visit, I would have had some refreshments arranged.”

Aloth laughed, but there was no humor in it. “That won’t be necessary. In truth, it’s just a formality. The title belongs to my wife, I simply inherited it when we betrothed.”

“Your wife.” Mother’s eyes darted to Kai, who couldn’t help but smirk at the flash of discomfort in her mother’s black eyes. “Of course. I didn’t know you were married, Akaia.”

“Kai.”

“Beg your pardon?”

“My name. Is Kai.”

Adelaide scoffed. “I have it on fairly good authority that it isn’t, seeing as how I named you myself.”

“Yes, and I had it legally changed some years ago,” Kai said, fighting the urge to roll her eyes at her mother’s apparent offense. “I left ‘Akaia’ behind when I left the rest of this accursed estate.”

“What did you say you were lord of?” Father said slowly, suspiciously, drawing her attention back to him.

“Caed Nua,” Aloth answered so Kai didn’t have to.

“I thought so.” All the humor drained from Garreth’s face like a switch had flipped. “I’ve heard many interesting things about the Lady of Caed Nua.”

“I’ll bet you have.” Kai met Father’s gaze fearlessly, his green eyes so very much like her own, and saw the exact moment he connected the dots and realized what ‘business’ she was here for.

“Caed Nua,” Gaius sneered, clearly tired of not being the center of attention. “I think I’ve heard of that. Rundown keep in the Dyrwood, run by a madman. Is that you, Akaia?” When Kai didn’t acknowledge him, still having a silent conversation with her father, he finally finished his enraged bull rush across the room. “Hey! Speak when you’re spoken to, witch!”

He reached to grab her, but Edér caught his wrist before he made contact. He squeezed it hard enough that Kai swore she could hear the bones creaking. In a very quiet, dangerous tone, he said, “Now, I know no one bothered to teach you how to behave like civilized kith, so I’m gonna give you a warning. You lay another hand on her and you ain’t gettin’ it back next time.”

“You dare!” Despite the order in his words, Kai had never in her life seen her brother so intimidated. It was almost enough to make this nightmare worth it.

“I’ve stared down the gods themselves for her, you think I’m gonna be scared of a bully like you?” He released Gaius, who staggered backward, clutching his arm to his chest. “Try it again and find out.”

Kai could have kissed him right then and there. Would have done so if it had only been them and Aloth in the room, or if not for the fact that Gaius would likely draw a sword on them if they gave him an opening like that. She resolved to show her gratitude later, somewhere safer.

“Well,” Adelaide clapped her hands together to break the tension in the room and Kai flinched at the sound, “I need to go speak with the chef, if we’re to have guests for dinner.” She said it like a question, like she was hoping their ‘guests’ would refuse again so she wouldn’t have to host them, but Garreth once again spoke over her.

“Of course they’re staying for dinner. I insist. Ak--Kai, I’m sure you wish to give your… gentlemen a tour. This is still your home, after all, no matter how long you’ve been away.” Kai scoffed and so did Mother, but Father didn’t notice. Instead, he turned a stern eye on Gaius. “Come with me.”

Her brother followed dutifully with one final, hateful glare, and then they were gone. Mother gave a half-hearted curtsey and left too, and then it was only Kai, Aloth, and Edér in the foyer of the estate.

Kai took a slow, deep breath, steeling herself for moving further into her childhood home. Aloth and Edér both put a supportive hand on her back, steadying her nerves and bolstering her courage, and after another deep breath she finally stepped forward. “Shall we? Father will be making himself scarce so we can’t have a chat with him early and skip out on dinner, so I may as well give you the tour.”

“You said you wanted to show us to your old room,” Aloth said softly. “It seems as good a place as any to start.”

“And maybe to take a sec to catch your breath,” Edér added. “Go on, darlin’. Lead the way.”

Before she could convince herself not to, she squared her shoulders and started toward the stairs. She kept her steps measured, refusing to get caught running away, though she did walk a bit faster than normal.

Up the stairs, first hallway on the left, second door on the right. Even fifteen years after leaving, she could have made the trip with her eyes closed. The door to the left of hers was Ariana’s, and Arabella’s room was right across the hall. She could almost imagine she could still hear music drifting from Bella’s room, a mournful cello or lively piano sometimes the only sound to be heard in this hall for weeks at a time.

The door opened at her urging, the hinges silent. Kai didn’t know what she’d expected to find on the other side; an empty room, maybe, or one filled with haphazard stacks of boxes that contained all of her childhood possessions. A guest room, plain and without personality. Maybe her own room, caked in a decade and a half worth of dust and neglect.

The room looked exactly as she remembered it and looked like it had been cleaned within the last week. The linens were fresh, the curtains drawn, and even the bookshelves were completely free of dust. It had never been this clean when it had been hers.

It was still horribly cluttered. It was a space belonging to a scholar and a hermit and an overly curious little girl, the walls lined with shelves upon shelves of books, groaning under the weight of them like she’d been trying to fit a whole world’s worth of adventure and life into her little cage. There was a desk in the corner filled with yellowing papers which were in turn filled with mindless, barely-legible scrawls of translations and spellwork. Her handwriting was hurried and sharp as if trying to escape from the page, as if she could never write fast enough to get all the thoughts out of her head. In the center of the desk, open to a page she only vaguely recognized, was Kai’s first grimoire, simple and singed on the corners.

The door slammed shut behind her and she jumped, but before she could react to it there were strong arms around her, pulling her into the comfort and familiar safety that was Edér. “You okay, Kiki?”

She melted against him. “No. I’m really not. But I appreciate your concern.”

“You know I’m here for you. So’s Aloth. Whether you need a shoulder to cry on or help hidin’ a body. And if you’re lookin’ for suggestions, I vote for the second one.” He pulled back enough that he could see her. He brushed her hair back from her face, studying her expression, looking for any sign of pain or panic, making sure she really was okay.

His sincerity was heartwarming. A reminder she desperately needed that ‘family’ had nothing to do with this little room and everything to do with the two men standing in it with her. She glanced over at Aloth whose eyes were full of the same affection and sincerity. They had a quick, wordless conversation spoken mostly in smirks and tilted eyebrows that ended with him squeezing her hand and smiling gently at her.

With her husband’s permission confirmed, Kai turned back to Edér. She grabbed his face in both hands, pulled him down to her level, and pressed her lips to his.

He kissed her back immediately, like he'd been expecting it, like he'd been waiting for it for years even if neither of them had realized it. She was dimly aware of Aloth's warm, quiet laughter next to them, and she could hear Iselmyr's smug 'I told you so' behind it.

When she pulled away, Edér gaped at her, dumbfounded. His hands fell onto her shoulders, and she could feel the tension in them where he was stopping himself from pulling her closer. "What was that for?"

"You know damn well what that was for." She couldn't keep the grin off her face. "That was one of the sexiest things I've ever seen, watching you put the fear of the gods in my brother like that."

He scratched the back of his neck nervously, but he still looked pleased at the praise. "It wasn't a big deal, Kiki. I couldn't just stand there and listen to him talk to ya like that anymore."

"I'm inclined to agree with Kai on this one."

Edér's hands dropped abruptly from her shoulders as soon as Aloth spoke. His expression was torn somewhere between guilty and coy. "Yeah? You gonna kiss me too?"

"Perhaps," Aloth deadpanned, though there was amusement in his eyes, "once she's done with you."

"I…" Edér was staring again, at a loss for words. "Really? I can’t tell if you’re jokin’ or not."

"I wasn’t." Aloth’s cheeks reddened as Edér went from confused to intrigued. He looked away, avoiding both Edér’s eyes and Kai’s. "I think that’s a conversation the three of us should have somewhere other than in the epicenter of Kai’s childhood trauma."

"That’s fair." He looked like he wanted to say more, but he let the subject drop. He stepped away from Kai and looked around the room for the first time since they arrived. "So this is it, huh?"

“I’m afraid so.” She walked over to her crowded little desk and picked up a random piece of paper. It contained notes about the translation of one of the books in the room, but the writing was so bad she couldn’t tell if she was translating from Vailian or Rauatian. She let the paper go and it fluttered back to the surface of the desk. “Not bad for a cage.”

"Maybe. I’ve seen worse." She could hear the lie in Edér's voice.

"A cage is still a cage," Aloth said, soft and far too understanding.

Kai sat down on the edge of her bed. Everything still looked the exact same way it had. The smell of it, the texture of the blanket under her hands, the patch of sun on the floor at her feet. As if they'd stepped outside of the normal flow of time. As if the last fifteen years had never happened. As if she had never left. Would she ever truly leave this little room, with its overflowing bookshelves and vase full of long-dead flowers and the rug with the ink stain in one corner? Or would a part of her always be trapped here, no matter how far she travelled?

"Whoa, hey." Edér sat down next to her, throwing an arm around her shoulders. A moment later, Aloth sat on her other side, taking her hands in his. "We’ve got you, Kiki."

She closed her eyes, blocking out the too-familiar room and everything except the two men sitting next to her. "I hate this place." Her voice shook, full of so many long suppressed emotions it was hard to tell what they all were. "I hate the hold it still has on me. I want to rip it apart with my bare hands. I want to set it alight and watch it burn to ashes."

"I’ve got some matches."

"I don’t think Kai needs any assistance with starting fires."

She couldn't see him, but she could tell Edér was smiling, could hear it in his voice. "Sure. I can get some kindling instead. Think I saw some downstairs. About yea tall, blond hair, punchable face."

Kai huffed, barely a laugh. "Don’t tempt me." She leaned back into Edér’s embrace and pulled Aloth along with her, and there in their arms, surrounded by the scent of pipe smoke and arcane magic, an old pain unwound itself from around her heart and it no longer hurt to breathe. "I’m so glad you’re here."

"Always," they said at the same time.

She shifted so she was still leaning against Edér but could drop her head down to Aloth’s shoulder. “Can we just… stay here like this?” she mumbled into his hair.

“As long as you need to.” Edér moved his arm so it was around both of them instead of just her, prepared to settle in and camp out here if that’s what she needed.

“Last time I attended dinner here, I cut off all my hair with a steak knife, climbed out my bedroom window, and left the country,” Kai admitted.

“Do you anticipate that same level of drama this evening?” Aloth sounded like he was trying not to laugh.

“Maybe. This place brings out the worst in me.”

“I know what you mean,” he said darkly. “Your brother had better hope dinner tonight doesn't require knives. Iselmyr is liable to stab him before we even get to the main course.”

“Hey, Miri?” Kai sat back so she could see Aloth's eyes, waiting for the miniscule shift that told her Iselmyr was actively listening. “I would not stop you.”

“Sweet talker.” The accent was still Aloth, but the words were clearly Iselmyr, the two of them sharing space for the moment. Kai took advantage of the opportunity that presented and kissed them. It was a unique aspect of their relationship, that even though the body never changed there was a marked difference between kissing them, depending on who was at the fore. And now it was different again, somewhere between deliberate, driven Aloth and aggressive, wild Iselmyr.

It should have been strange, too, considering the position they were in, her back still pressed to Edér’s chest, his hand still on Aloth’s back, but it felt like this was where she was always meant to be.

She leaned her head back on Edér’s shoulder as the kiss broke and Aloth carded his fingers through her hair before his hand settled on Edér’s shoulder. Silence fell over them, which was this room’s preferred and most natural state, but it didn’t feel oppressive like it sometimes had in the past.

“Is, uh,” Edér said slowly, like he didn’t want to break the quiet, “is anyone else havin’ a really weird day?”

Kai and Aloth exchanged a glance, and it was like something snapped, the last bit of tension giving away almost audibly. As if on cue all three of them collapsed into laughter. They laughed until tears sprung in their eyes, until their sides hurt and they fell back in the bed when they could no longer hold themselves upright. The bed was too small for three - it was barely large enough for Kai alone - but they made it work, curling up together as laughter faded to chuckles to helpless giggles.

“Thank you. I think I needed that.” Her head was pillowed on Aloth’s arm and Edér’s head was on her chest, their fingers laced together on her abdomen. She could have stayed forever just like this. She wished that was an option; then she wouldn’t have to face what she knew came next. She sighed and said reluctantly, “I guess we should get this over with.”

“It’s not too late, Kiki,” Edér said, making no move to get out of the bed. “Set the place on fire and run. We can be back in open water before anyone knows what happened. What’s that pirate idiom Engrim likes?”

“Dead men tell no tales,” Aloth answered dryly. “He's right, you know, though I suppose it holds less truth for a Watcher.”

Tempting, very tempting, but “I’ve got too many questions that need answering. The sooner we get back downstairs the sooner we can get back to our ship and figure out… this.” She put a hand over theirs where they still rested on her stomach and gave them a squeeze. Another sigh, and she added, “Let me up, darlings. We’re wasting daylight.”

They untangled themselves and climbed out of the bed. Kai glanced around the room again, but it no longer held any fear for her. It was just a room. It may as well have belonged to someone else, for all the attachment she felt for it. It reminded her of some of Iorena’s memories that surfaced sometimes; familiar, but separate, knowledge of the thing without the nostalgia that usually came with memory. She walked away from the room and didn’t look back.

After the drama of the rest of the day, dinner was a painfully boring affair. Garreth and Edér did most of the talking, with Garreth asking for any tidbit of information he could think of and Edér glancing at Kai for permission before he shared anything at all about her, even things that her parents would obviously already know.

Aloth spoke a little, always clipped and polite and sounding a little like a threat, and every chance he got he made a subtle remark about the Leaden Key. Nothing incriminating, nothing that would make Mother ask questions, but every time he did it Father would stumble over his words, his friendly mask slipping just slightly. If they had still needed confirmation, they certainly had it now.

Adelaide said nothing more than the occasional noncommittal noise in answer to something her husband said, and Gaius was blessedly silent, sulking from whatever Garreth had said to him when they left earlier. He didn’t stop glaring, though, his attention drifting between all three of them but mostly centered on Edér, though conveniently never when Edér was also looking at him.

There were no knives. Maybe because of what happened last time, maybe just because the kitchen staff was smart enough to avoid giving them weapons. Iselmyr didn’t say anything, but Kai could feel her disappointment anyway.

When the last course was cleared away, Kai immediately got to her feet. Adelaide made an indignant noise, started to protest, but Garreth held up a hand to silence her. “You’re right. We’ve wasted enough time. To my study, then?”

He looked like he wanted to protest when Aloth and Edér followed them, but Father was smarter than that. He opened the door and ushered them inside, shutting it firmly before Gaius could slink in after them.

Kai had never been allowed in his study, growing up. She’d snuck in once or twice, of course - this is where all the good books were, when she was young enough to assume that ‘good’ and ‘forbidden’ were the same thing. It bore more than a passing resemblance to her old bedroom upstairs, precarious bookcases and untidy desk, but it all seemed impersonal compared to hers. There were no keepsakes or mementos, no flowers or patterned rugs or personality; this was a space for scientific and magical pursuits, and there was no room in it for sentimentality.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Kai pulled out the Leaden Key amulet she had in her pocket, one that the Devil of Caroc had found for her in this very room some months back. She threw it onto the desk in front of her father. “How long?”

“Akaia--”

“How. Long?”

“Decades. Long before you were born.” The man that sat at the desk wore her father’s face, but he may as well have been a stranger. He looked at her like she was some newly discovered lifeform: wary, curious, a little frightened, and for the first time that she could recall, she saw a little hint of Gaius’s cruelty in his smile. “Is it true what they say? Are you the Watcher that killed the Grandmaster?”

“Yes,” she said, as casually as if they were discussing the weather.

“Are you…” his eyes darted to Aloth, whose cold silence he clearly considered the larger threat than looming, heavily-armed Edér, “here to kill me too?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“I’m your father. You would murder your own flesh and blood?” He looked disappointed, but not surprised.

Kai spoke through clenched teeth to keep from screaming. “Do not play the sympathy card on me, Father. Not after all the years you spent ignoring the things Mother and Gaius did.”

“I didn’t know,” he said, like it should have been enough.

“How could you not know?” She leaned over the desk like she was about to vault over it, her fingers digging hard enough into the edge that her nails left lines in the wood. “How could you not notice the bruises? The weeks upon weeks where I was missing? Locked away like some--”

He raised his voice to speak over her. “Well, as you know, my work--”

Kai scoffed. “Oh yes. Your work. I’d forgotten how much more important work is than family--”

He stood from his desk chair, clearly hoping to intimidate her with his height. “When you have a family of your own, perhaps you’ll understand--”

“I have one! I have a daughter!” That finally shut Garreth up. He fell back into his chair, stunned, but she wasn’t done. “She’s six, and she is everything to me, and I can’t imagine ever treating her the way you have treated me!”

“I have a granddaughter?” he said in a small, almost timid voice.

“Not by blood. She’s adopted.”

“Oh.”

“She’s an orlan.”

“Oh.” The disgust in that one word made Kai so angry she could barely see, and this time only Edér’s restraining hand on her shoulder kept her from throttling her father.

“And that is why I didn’t bring her here.”

“Ah! But see!” Garreth exclaimed, pointing a finger at her. “You have left your own daughter--”

“With the rest of her family. Surrounded by dozens of people who love her. Who would rearrange the stars themselves if she asked them to. I didn’t leave her alone.” She said ‘alone’ like some people would say ‘poisoned’ or ‘on fire,’ like there was no worse fate she could imagine.

“You weren’t alone, Akaia. You had--” he paused, thinking, realizing for perhaps the first time just how isolated she’d actually been “--your sisters.”

“Yes. And they ran away too, you’ll notice.”

There was nothing left to say to that, so she and her father simply stared at each other across the desk and the endless abyss between them. He’d been hoping she’d come home to rebuild bridges, she realized, but all she’d done was to make sure the old ones were still burning.

“Kai…” Aloth put a gentle hand on her elbow.

“You’re right. I’m sorry, darling, we got a little off topic.” She shook her head, and when she sat down across from her father she was poised and completely in control once more. “I need information. And if I were you, I’d be thorough. What you say could be a deciding factor on how many kith are walking out of this room tonight.”

Garreth looked at the three of them calculatingly, apparently recovered from the fight as quickly as his daughter had. He leaned his elbows on the desk and steepled his fingers together. “What kind of information?”

She shrugged. “Anything you have. Power structures, how things have changed since the destruction of the Wheel, what the hierarchy of the Leaden Key looks like now that it’s been years since Thaos died. Is that even common knowledge?” Kai couldn’t imagine the Leaden Key suddenly being free with information, especially about the death of their leader. Was this the first time Father had even heard Thaos’ name?

“It is, yes, though it was more than a year after his death before anyone knew. And your name and appearance have never been common knowledge, beyond ‘The Watcher of Caed Nua.’ You are considered a, how did they phrase it? Seditionist, anarchist, and a highly dangerous enemy to have.” He chuckled, but it wasn’t a friendly sound. “I don’t know if I should be proud or concerned.”

“Proud,” Aloth said immediately.

“Definitely proud,” Edér added right after.

“I’ve heard of you, as well.” He turned to Aloth, as if just remembering he was in the room, who visibly bristled at the condescending shift in Father’s tone. “Aloth, was it? I know your voice, boy. You were one of us once.”

“Yes. Until the moment I met Kai.” He glanced her way, a touch of softness in his smile. It was there and gone in a flash, and when he looked back at Garreth his pale eyes were cold once more.

“And now you hunt us. Your former brothers. At her order?”

“At her side. And at my own order.” He was calm and confident, his back straight and staring unflinchingly into the eyes of a man who had clearly been one of those giving him orders in the past. Kai was so proud of him she could hardly breathe.

“Do you know who you are to the Leaden Key now, boy?” If Gaius had a crocodile’s smile, Garreth’s was more akin to a shark, hungrier and toothier. “You are a bogeyman. A shadow. A phantom who destroys a congregation from the inside out. Entire sects have ripped themselves apart just on the fear that you might be among them.”

“Good.”

Garreth opened his mouth to say something else, but Edér stepped forward, drawing his attention to him. His smile was the least friendly Kai had ever seen from him. “Can’t help but notice you keep changin’ the subject.”

“Ah. Indeed.” Father had the decency to at least look guilty, and sat back in his chair again. “Very well. How much time do you have?”

“As much as it takes.”

It was very, very late at night when they finally stepped back out into the hall. They decided, ultimately, not to murder Kai’s father in cold blood, though they made it very clear that they were not in the habit of sparing members of the Leaden Key and that he may want to consider distancing himself from the cult before they finished burning it down.

They headed toward the exit without another word. No one tried to stop them or find some other contrived reason for them to stay. They’d worn out their welcome, what little they’d had to begin with, and it was time to go.

“I’ll see you soon,” Gaius threatened quietly as Kai walked past him to the door, the words meant only for her.

She turned and met his empty black eyes and, just for the fun of it, loosened the reins she kept her Watcher powers under. Her eyes filled with violet fire and he took an automatic step back. “For your sake, I hope not. I won’t be so polite next time.” She continued past him and into the humid summer Cythwood night.

The door closed behind them, but Adelaide followed them outside. If she’d looked like a ghost before, the resemblance was startling now. She almost seemed to glow under the moonlight. Kai couldn’t tell if she followed them because she had more to say or because she just wanted to make sure they were actually going away. She assumed the latter.

“Don’t worry, Mother. You’ll never see me again.” She didn’t curtsey or extend a hand to shake, she just turned to leave.

Adelaide called after her. “I only wanted the best for you, Akaia.”

Kai closed her eyes, praying to dead and absent gods that she could keep her composure just a little longer, and turned back around. “You had a terrible way of showing it.”

“Did I? Look at you.” She waved a hand as if trying to encompass everything that Kai was, her scuffed armor and battle scars and wild curls and unwavering companions. “A proper lady, an ambassador, a leader. I’m proud of you.”

Kai wanted to muster up more righteous anger, but she was wrung out and frayed at the edges. “You should have been proud of me when I was a little girl with frizzy hair and her nose in a book. I shouldn’t have had to stand toe-to-toe with the gods to get your permission to be myself.”

For the first time in her life, Kai saw uncertainty on her mother’s face. She’d had her fill of new firsts for the day. “Have you really done that? Met.. met the gods?”

“Yes.” She started listing her accomplishments in a bored voice, ticking them off on her fingers. “I’m also a pirate captain, and a thayn. I’m Awakened. I’m a Watcher. I’ve shaken hands with kings and monsters and the Pallid Knight herself. The gods all know my name and some of them seek me out for counsel. I’ve seen and learned and done things you could never imagine.” She dropped her hands to her sides with a tired sigh. “And I’ve done it all myself. Not alone, but still on my own.” There was nothing else to say. The wounds were too deep to heal and too old to hurt. “You have no power over me, Mother, and I don’t owe you a gods damned thing. Goodbye.”

She walked away without another word. After all of this, there was no way she was letting her mother get the last word. Aloth and Edér followed her in silence, too, and the three of them made their way deeper into the Cythwood and away from the Cirdani estate.

Only once the lights had long faded behind them did Kai sag against the trunk of a tree, all the tension of the day draining out of her.

“You wanna go see your family next, Aloth?” Edér leaned against a different tree and pulled out his pipe. A match flared brightly in the night for just a moment as he lit it. “Since we’re openin’ old wounds and all, might as well make the rounds.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” Aloth said quickly, arms crossed over his chest as if to ward off the very idea of it.

“I can’t profess to the same amount of self-control the both of you have.” Kai reached out for Aloth and he slipped his hand into hers. “If I were in the same room as your father, darling, the only way it would end is in bloodshed.”

“I would not stop you,” he said quietly, repeating her own words back to her, then smoothly changed the subject away from himself. “Don’t your parents live in Aedyr as well, Edér? Would you like to visit them?”

“Nah. There’s no bad blood there, but…” a shadow of old grief passed over his expression and Kai reached out and took his hand too. “Well, we haven’t really been close since Woden died, and I’m not sure they’d even recognize me after all this time.”

“Their loss.”

“Yeah, maybe. Hey.” He nudged Kai’s calf with the toe of his boot. “I’m real proud o’you, Kiki. Of both of you. Standin’ up to them like that. I don’t think either of you would’ve done that when we met.”

She laughed, and it was a lot less strained than she expected. “You’re not wrong. I certainly wouldn’t have.”

“Nor I.” Aloth fell into a contemplative silence before adding, “Paralyzed by fear would have been the more likely reaction to questioning a high-ranking member of the Leaden Key, I think.”

“Not now, though. You heard what he said, right? Boogeyman. The whole cult tearin’ itself apart out of fear of you.” Edér threw an arm over Aloth’s shoulders; Aloth pretended not to enjoy the attention. “You know, I didn’t think I’d be sayin’ this, but it was a pretty good day, all things considered.”

“You’re just saying that because I kissed you.” Kai was eager to change the subject, she didn’t want to talk about her family anymore, and that was a much more promising topic.

“Well, that certainly didn’t hurt matters. ‘Specially since it sounds like you might wanna do it again?” There was no denying or misinterpreting the clear note of hope in his voice.

“I might.” She exchanged a warm glance and a knowing smile with her husband as she echoed his sentiment from earlier. “After Aloth’s had his turn.”

That hope blossomed into a wide grin. “Not that I’m not all for that - because I really, really am - but… what brought this on?”

“You can thank Iselmyr for that, actually.” Kai took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to start. She’d practiced what she would say, but they’d already done this out of order. “I don’t know if you know this about me, darling, but I can be a bit oblivious. Especially about emotional matters. Especially when my own emotions are involved.”

“I may have noticed, yeah. Took the two o’you ages to finally figure things out.” He nodded back in the vague direction of her parents’ estate. “Growin’ up in a place like that, I can’t imagine there was much love or support to go around..”

“You’re not wrong.” In fact, she remembered how strange she’d found Edér’s casual affection when they’d first met.

“Iselmyr pointed out to us, in her way,” Aloth started slowly, but he grew more confident as he spoke, “that the way both of us are with you is very similar to the way we are with each other. And that it’s likely that once we figured out our feelings for each other, we stopped looking too closely at our feelings for other people. Namely, you.”

“We’ve done a lot of talking, and a lot of thinking, and we’ve come to the conclusion that she was right.” She squeezed her husband’s hand. “Loathe as Aloth may be to admit it.”

“Even a broken clock is right twice a day,” he said dryly. “This isn’t how we intended to broach the subject, but you know Kai. Jump in with both feet, worry about the details later.”

Despite his tone, she knew he didn’t hold it against her. “Hesitation is what kept me trapped in that house for fifty years. I don’t have room for it anymore.”

“You could have at least said something first.”

“Like I did with you, you mean?” They’d skipped straight to ‘I love you,’ and she knew he hadn’t forgotten that. “Besides, I think I made my point pretty well, actually. Don’t you?” The question was directed at Edér and accompanied by a coy smirk.

“Yeah, I guess you did.” He ducked his head, but smiled back at her. “I feel a bit like y’all pulled the rug out from under me. But in a good way, I think.” He paused to collect his thoughts, eyes darting between the two elves. “Let me make sure I’m gettin’ this straight. You’re asking if I want to, to court both of you?”

“That’s one way to put it, yes. It isn’t that uncommon for people to have multiple spouses, or three or more kith to share a bed and a life together. Isn’t that what we already do? It’s always been the three of us.” She indicated the way Edér had his arm around Aloth, the way she was still holding their hands. “We’re just asking if you want to… take the next step, as it were.”

“It wasn’t our intention to put you on the spot, Edér,” Aloth said gently. “Take as much time as you need to think about it. We won’t be offended if it’s not something you want, or if you don’t feel the same way. We’ll understand. But it didn’t feel right to keep it from you, either.”

“Right. Okay.” Edér fell very silent, staring into the trees for about thirty seconds, then he nodded. “Okay. I’m done thinkin’.” Without any more preamble, he slid his hand along Aloth’s jaw, tilted his chin up, and kissed him, the same way he’d kissed Kai earlier - like he’d been waiting for it, like he’d wanted to do it for a long time. Aloth made a sound that was too dignified to be called a squeak (if only just), but he responded enthusiastically.

Kai grinned, watching them with undisguised affection and delight. “Miri’s never going to let us live this down. She’ll be completely insufferable for weeks. At least.”

“Worth it.” Edér gave Kai’s hand a tug, pulling her closer. Both of them wrapped an arm around her as soon as she was in range and they all just held each other for a little while. Edér was right, Kai admitted silently to herself; despite the odds, it had been a good day.

Aloth chuckled, the last of the chill that had been in his voice at the estate finally melted away. “Maybe to you. She’s not in your head.” He stepped reluctantly out of their arms. “We should get moving. I’d much rather we continue this in our cabin on the ship instead of standing in the woods in the middle of the night, if it’s all the same to you.”

“You sure? We could camp out like the old days.” Edér gestured to the dark forest around them, heavy and dense with vine-covered canopies far above them. It was nothing like the oak and pine and maple trees of the Valewood where they had camped in the ‘old days.’

“No. Absolutely not.” Aloth shook his head vehemently enough that his hair fanned out behind him.

“I’d prefer to have an ocean between my family and me again as soon as possible,” Kai added.

Edér laughed, loud enough to startle a few birds from a nearby tree. “Neither of you are any fun at all.”

“Liar.”

“Prove me wrong.” There was heat in his smile and behind his eyes and she found herself leaning toward it.

Aloth rolled his eyes, but he was smiling too. “If you keep challenging her like that, we’ll be stuck here all night.”

“There’s worse places to be.” Edér conceded, though, at least for the moment. He wrapped an arm around each of them, and they finally continued their trek back to the Defiant.

#rhi writes #kai cirdani #ot3: team gilded vale #this was cathartic to write. I think kiki’s wanted me to do so for a long time #family being something you make and not something you’re born into is a very big theme for her #there is no universe where kai and edér ever get together without some outside influence #they’re both entirely too oblivious for it to be any other way #I wish I could have found a way to include the conversation between kai aloth and iselmyr #where iselmyr pretty much just said ‘hey have you considered that you’re both in love with edér and he loves you too?’#but I couldn’t find a good way for it to fit into the narrative here. maybe next time :)

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queen-scribbles · 4 years

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#fic rec #omg theyre so cute #i love them #also xoti is fantastic #and the image of adi on rekke’s shoulders is priceless (captainofthefallen)

I mean, what’s a girl to do when she can’t see and one of her best friends is literally twice her height? It is a wonderful mental image, and I love it so much. Rekke’s a very good sport about it; she’s used that method to read things carved high on walls/reach things taller than her a few times in the Deadfire(she did it with Kana in the Dyrwood).

She and Heodan are SO adorable and I love them and all the fluff they bring with them. They’re only slightly less fluff than Ederity and it’s great. (slightly less bc I have detoured into hurt/comfort with them) I’m ridiculously glad I ran with this whole Stars Rewritten AU bc it’s the best.(And Xoti. Ooohhh my girl Xoti is so fricking fun to write. I love her too.)

#oh gods I love them so much! #I know I say that about all of your babies but I mean it about all of them too! #and the lover's light rings! #kai and aloth wear them too I adore them #I wish they'd come back in the second game but that's what headcanons are for (haledamage)

heehee, thanks! I love my babies, so I’m glad other people do, too! :D Heodi’s my only pairing with those rings,largely bc I don’t often get that adventure, and I’ve had some fun with them. Starting with Sagani’s faux-innocent smug af “Here, Watcher, think you can use these...?” all the way through this. Part of that’s my added headcanon that you can’t just swap endurance; you can tell when your... ring-mate(?) is hurt, so you know you need to swap endurance. :3(technically, that might be included in-game, but it’s not clearly specified, so I”m considering it headcanon). And I didn’t see an effective range or anything on the wiki, so I’m figuring that means there isn’t one.(if there turns out to be one, I”m ignoring it, I’m committed to this now)

Which means Heodan felt, from a distance and what would seem completely out of the blue, with nothing he could do:

The initial destruction of Caed Nua + her effectively dying(there’s a reason he’s so relieved when she writes to say “I’m okay even if Caed Nua isn’t”)

That one naga with infuriatingly good aim on Hasongo

Her handful of close calls with rotghasts/nightmare sigils/shades in the Old City Ruins

The two KOs during BoW(dragon fights are nasty and wizards are not terribly tough; I’m braced for her to Not Have Fun)

Various other brawls/battles/ambushes/environmental fallout, let’s call it during quests

Everything that lays a hurtin’ on her in Ashen Maw

That One really awful ship battle she’s still to traumatized to let me write

etc etc

And the poor guy’s stuck in Aedyr cuz he’s helping his family and he can’t just leave(and what could he really do if he joined her; he’s still not terribly useful in a fight anymore), but he’s worried about her.. >.> And no wonder he writes Adi 3/4 of the way through and is like “Everything’s fine here, I can come join you if you want me to? Please want me to”(but she says no bc she doesn’t want him getting hurt and he doesn’t mention the rings at that point bc he doesn’t want her overthinking things and potentially increasing the odds of her getting hurt). So yeah. Very, very stressful year for poor Heodan. :D

#queean rambles #have some heodi feels i guess :D :D :D #heodi #and i'm real tempted to headcanon that he triggers the ring after the Caed Nua Destruction one #and just #PRAYS it actually helped #(it helps)#gosh i love these two

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acenettle · 6 years

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I love Iselmyr, for all that she can be a horrible troll, and in the spirit PoE Fic Appreciation week, I thought I’d recommend some Iselmyr stories I particularly liked.

Awakening by Barbedbeat

Calmy doony, sonny: ye dinnae like me, that’s fair. And nye am I crazy about ye, ken? But now we’re stuck together, and yer skin is my skin. And I’ll be damned if I let yer fuckin’ ninnies-- Iselmyr stopped abruptly, eyed locked on the window glass, where Aloth’s reflection stood out against the clear morning sky. He was a kid. Just a damn kid. And a scrawny one at that. How could you possibly blame him for… for anything, really?

An interesting take on how Aloth and Iselmyr got to know each other shortly after his Awakening. This story is particularly fascinating for how it highlights that Aloth is still just a child at this point; the lines about Iselmyr realising just that are some of my favourite.

Assistance by LunaRowena

“Sorry, I heard you arguing and…”

“I’m sorry,” he ran his hand over his forehead. “Didn’t mean to make so much noise but someone–”

“Don’t gae blamin’ this on me, ye started it. Bonnie nightdress, lass.”

“Don’t start.”

“I’m only sayin’ whit ye war thinkin’.”

“I was speaking to Aloth, thank you,” Talia said, a stronger edge to her voice than she had anticipated.

Iselmyr is trying to help Aloth with his love life, much as Aloth and the Watcher would that she didn’t. This story does an excellent job of showcasing how horrible Iselmyr’s meddling can be, even when she means well and even when everyone knows it’s her. I feel this story is just the right amount of romantic and bittersweet.

Reunion by haledamage

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Iselmyr was right. He was frustrated, chasing dead ends and false leads for months now. The Deadfire wasn't so bad, he supposed. At least it wasn't the Dyrwood.

Fye, as if ye wouldn't drop e'erythin' tae be back there wit yer lass.

Our lass, he corrected, but it's petty. He knew Iselmyr missed Kai as fiercely as he did.

In this alternative take of the Watcher encountering Aloth in Deadfire, Aloth and Iselmyr have finally found a way to co-exist. They may still bicker – because of course they do – but they also manage seamless cooperation, both in battle and when it comes to the woman they love. That’s a long way for the two to have come, and as much as I love exploring the potential for drama inherent in Iselmyr’s existence, I also love a happy ending.

#pillars prompts weekly #poe fic appreciation #aloth #iselmyr #pillars of eternity #fic recs

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tarotdeckshuffle · 5 years

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Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: Pillars of Eternity Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Aloth Corfiser/The Watcher, Edér Teylecg/The Watcher, Aloth Corfiser/Iselmyr/The Watcher, Devil of Caroc/Watcher, Rekke & The Watcher (Pillars of Eternity) Characters: Aloth Corfiser, Iselmyr (Pillars of Eternity), Female Watcher (Pillars of Eternity), Wolf Companion - Character, Edér Teylecg, Hiravias (Pillars of Eternity), Grieving Mother, Kana Rua, Pallegina mes Rèi, Durance (Pillars of Eternity), The Devil of Caroc Additional Tags: OC Watcher - Freeform, Ranger Watcher Summary:

The tales and tribulations of Watcher Echo and her companions! A mixed elf from a troubled background in the Deadfire, wandering the world with her companion wolf, Kai. A kind heart becomes her best vengeance.

Look, ma’, another fandom! I’ve had this one in my drafts for awhile, so let me know what you think and I’ll continue it if I get some interest!

#pillars of eternity #poe #fanfic #watcher #oc watcher

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nilesdaughter · 6 years

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Dragon Age Questionnaire

Tagged by the ever-lovely @lakambaeni! I’m sorry it always takes me forever to get to your tags.

Tagging: @battlefox, @tyishi, @aurianavaloria, and any other DA fans that follow me! But, as always, there’s no obligation to fill the tag :)

01) Favourite game of the series? I think DAI is my favorite in the series, because it was the one that really pulled me into the fandom.

02) How did you discover Dragon Age? As is usual for my entrance to fandom, it started with blogs I follow starting to share content about the game. (This was a little bit before DAI dropped.) It seemed cool, and @likhoradka had made a quick Handers comic that amused me, but I didn’t really get into it until @battlefox lent me a copy of DA2 so that I could see what all the hype was about.

03) How many times you’ve played the games? I’ve played all three games through to completion once; with DAO, I played most of the DLCs that were concurrent to the base game, but I only played the vanilla games for DA2 and DAI. HOWEVER, I have started several additional playthroughs, to the point where I have a small army of characters.

04) Favourite race to play as? Elves! Though, to be fair, this is a bias I generally have in fantasy settings.

05) Favourite class? Mages, because, again, the bias followed me from the fantasy setting in general.

06) Do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time? I try to play to each character, but I still usually end up making the same decisions (so far).

07) Go-to adventuring group?

DAO: Alistair/Dog, Leliana, Zevran

DA2: Varric, Fenris, Anders

DAI: Since this is the one that I have the most characters in, this is more varied depending on the playthrough, but my PERSONAL favorite combination is Varric, Dorian, and Iron Bull.

08) Which of your characters did you put the most thought into? Definitely Enansal, even though she’s just a glorified self-insert. I just write about her the most.

09) Favourite romance? Probably Cullen, but that’s because I’ve done that one twice.

10) Have you read any of the comics/books? I haven’t got a chance to, yet! I did buy myself a copy of “Asunder,” but I haven’t had time to actually read it.

11) If you read them, which was your favourite book? TBD ;)

12) Favourite DLCs? I mean, I do love “The Stone Prisoner,” because it gives you Shale, and I love them so much.

13) Things that annoy you. Mooostly the fandom. This is why I keep to myself and my little corner amongst the lovely people behind @dadrunkwriting and @asiansofthedas.

14) Orlais or Ferelden? Ferelden, because it’s always given me Celtic vibes and therefore reminds of Ireland :)

15) Templars or mages? Mages.

16) If you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one? I personally have them existing in parallel universes. However, I like the idea that all of the DAO characters end up joining the Wardens at some point or another. I also do have two separate Tabris playthroughs that have become my “Tabris twins” headcanon.

17) What did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc)

Veleda’s mabari is Rowan. Since my first playthrough with Sylvia was with the vanilla game, she didn’t have her mabari, so I still haven’t thought of a name. Enansal and Cullen name their mabari Buster. Most of my other playthroughs have named mabari, though, but I have way too many to name them all haha I also never named any mounts, probably because I didn’t know that they could be named!

18) Have you installed any mods? I wish I could, but I definitely don’t have the space or know-how to install them.

19) Did your Warden want to become a Grey Warden? Veleda definitely did not. She was actually more than happy to stay in the Circle, because she definitely started out as a huge Loyalist, and was upset that she was basically forced into leaving with Duncan. She was eventually glad for the opportunity to live in the “outside world” though.

20) Hawke’s personality? Sylvia ended up being true blue lol

21) Did you make matching armor for your companions in Inquisition? No. I usually prioritized stats (and sometimes individual colors).

22) If your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change?

Veleda: She wouldn’t have betrayed Jowan. Being away from the Circle made her realize that she should have put more value in his friendship.

Sylvia: Even if it ultimately spared his life, she always regrets NOT taking Carver to the Deep Roads with her, because she hates the time that they spent apart.

Elera: She never would have left her Clan prior to the events of DAI.

Enansal: She wishes she never had gotten involved with Aaric.

23) Do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon? Not particularly? I’d say my biggest canon-breaking content is my Tabris twins and my Kremquisitor playthrough.

24) Are any of your character(s) based on someone? Aisling Tabris, Sylvia Hawke, and Enansal Lavellan are all self-inserts, technically >_> Nan is the one that is most like me, though. Ash is my go-to persona when I make new characters, and Sylvia is really only a self-insert in the sense that all of her dialogue choices were based on what *I* would do in that situation.

25) Who did you leave in the Fade? Stroud, because holy frick, I could not break Varric’s heart like that.

26) Favourite mount? N/A

#tagged #tag meme #dragon age

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ohlawsons · 7 years

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HOMESICK

SUMMARY. Neria's used to spending her birthdays at home and with family. This year, she's spending it surrounded by undead. NOTES. written for @pillarspromptsweekly prompt 0006 birthday prompt! this turned out longer than i’d figured but hey, i finished on time, which is more than i can say for last week’s prompt. i’m still slowly working on the old flame prompt. slowly. anyway fun fact -- i opened up my copy of the pillars cookbook for the first time bc of this fic LINKS. [ ao3 ] [ Neria’s tag ]

She brings it up on their first trip into Defiance Bay, as they’re passing by the market in Copperlane.

“D’you think they have ymyran pudding?” Neria asks no one in particular, falling a bit behind as the group walks through the city.

“Do they have what?” Eder slows, letting Kana and Sagani pass him up as he waits for Neria to fall back into step beside him. “Sounds like some sort of fancy Aedyran thing.”

From just behind them, Aloth scoffs. “It is.” Eder can’t see the elf rolling his eyes, but he can assume. “It’s a very sweet, very heavy cinnamon dessert. I’m not surprised you had it in Rauatai.”

Neria shrugs, the movement quick and unsettled. “I didn’t, really. Myra used to make it for my birthday every year, even after she went back to Ixamitl. I just thought, since it’s-- well, nevermind.” She takes a deep breath, face tilting upwards to give a wide grin to both Eder and Aloth. “Just let me know if you see some? Dyrwoodans can’t bake for shit and it makes me kinda homesick.”

Kana turns to face them, his booming laughter reaching them easily. “That makes two of us, then. Maybe when you’ve gotten Caed Nua back to a reasonable state, we could try our hand at making some sweets. Rauatai pies, perhaps?”

“By the Effigy,” Neria groans, “I would kill for a Rauatai sweet pie right now.”

“Anything chocolate, really,” Kana agrees.

From up ahead, Sagani shakes her head. “The two of you have a sweet tooth as bad as an Aedyran. No offense, Aloth.”

The wizard sighs. “None taken.”

Neria and Kana continue to trade sickeningly sweet treats that they miss as the group walks through the city towards whatever horrors await them in Heritage Hill. Eder chimes in every so often, sometimes to defend the relatively bland Dyrwoodan cuisine or to offer a clever remark of his own. He pays particularly close attention to Neria, tucking away whatever little bits of knowledge he can about her as she talks, including the pudding -- which he’s already forgotten the name of.

There’s one point he really wants to ask her about -- her birthday, and the odd way she hesitated when she brought it up.

He doesn't get the chance, though, because they're leaving the populated districts of Defiance Bay and Neria’s bribing the guards, and suddenly they're surrounded by undead and half-dead. They stop to catch their breath in one of the partially collapsed mausoleums -- Neria pulls out some jerky, asks if it's distasteful, and Eder and Sagani laugh alongside her -- and once his pulse has returned to normal, Eder tries for a conversation.

“You mentioned something about a birthday, earlier,” he mentions, nonchalant.

Neria looks up from where she's sitting beside him, inspecting the blade of her axe. “Yeah, it's… It's weird. Don't worry about it.”

Kana perks up at that, his eyes lighting up as he turns his attention towards Neria. “What do you mean?”

She sets the axe down on her lap and sighs. “It’s weird,” she repeats. “I don’t actually know when my birthday is. I mean, my parents tried to abandon me in the forest to avoid the ire of Berath, so it’s not like they told me. All I know is the day Myra found me, which,” she pauses and shrugs, “would be today.”

“And we’re spending it in a haunted neighborhood chasing down cultists.” Kana shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Neria. Perhaps we’ll have time to celebrate when we get back to the inn.”

She grins. “Well, I’m not gonna turn down an excuse to spend the night drinking.”

They don’t spend the night drinking.

They’re ambushed by guls in one of the abandoned, run down manors on the east side of the district. Sagani takes a hard hit and she’s still standing but barely, so they gather in one of the rooms on the top floor and Neria barricades the door while Kana sings a quiet song of rest. Itumaak curls up beside Sagani, and between Kana’s singing and the bandaging they manage to stop the blood flow.

Neria offers to take the first watch, wanting to give Kana and Aloth plenty of time to rest. She pulls the last of her jerky out from her pack and settles onto one of the dusty armchairs, the upholstery torn and stained. It’s going to be a long, quiet watch, she knows, because they’re inside and there aren’t even stars to watch.

She’s on her last strip of jerky, tearing it into increasingly tiny pieces to make it last, when she hears a sound from the floor below them. It’s nearly time to wake Eder for his watch, anyway, so she shoves the rest of the jerky into her mouth and shakes him awake.

“There’s something downstairs,” she whispers, the words garbled through her mouth full of jerky. “I’m gonna go look.”

As Neria turns to leave, Eder reaches up to grab her wrist -- he’s sitting upright, and they’re nearly eye-level now -- and shakes his head. “Just leave it. We’ll worry about it if it comes up here.” He pauses and looks her over. “Besides, you need to rest.”

She frowns and tugs her wrist free from his grasp so she can cross her arms. “Fine, take all the fun out of this trip.”

He gives her a slow smile. “You mean you haven’t been having fun?”

“Oh, loads,” she assures him, hoping to draw out another smile. “I usually spend my birthday in Ixamitl with Myra, but going up against mindless undead and fucked up animancers? Huge improvement.” She pauses, then glances back towards the door. “I’m just gonna go look.”

“Neria, wait.” His smile has disappeared, and the soft, measured way he says her name is enough to break through the last of Neria’s resolve.

“Alright, alright,” she relents, letting her war hammer drop to the dusty floor beside her with a thunk. She rests her left hand on its haft, fingers drumming against the sturdy wood as she thinks. “I can’t believe I’m stuck in a fucking haunted house.” The words are bitter and quiet, meant only for herself, but out of the corner of her eye she just catches the way that Eder’s brow knits together. Neria bites back a curse; she hadn’t meant to bother him -- or anyone else -- about her birthday, but the combination of this Watcher bullshit and the fact that it’s the first birthday she’s spent away from Myra has put her in a particularly sour mood.

“Hey.” Eder puts a hand on Neria’s shoulder -- and it’s odd, because he’s still sitting and neither of them are used to being eye-level with each other -- and offers a warm smile. “Soon as we get back to Copperlane, we’ll celebrate with drinks and some of that immer… ymyr… whatever pudding it was that you were lookin’ for.”

She isn’t certain she should find his clumsy attempts quite so endearing, but they are, so she returns the smile and gently corrects, “Ymyran pudding. And I doubt they have it anywhere in this city and if they do, it’s probably shit. I’ll settle for drinks, though.”

“Good,” he grins. “I know where to find those.”

Even once they’ve dealt with the nightmare that is Heritage Hill, Neria doesn’t get to spend the evening drinking and celebrating.

She does drink, though it’s far from celebratory; the sensation of physically breaking someone’s spirit -- even if that someone was an undead animancer trying to take advantage of a tragedy for her own good -- had left Neria more than a little uncomfortable. The soul machine is destroyed, though, and that does bring her some satisfaction.

They find an inn in Copperlane to spend the evening, and Neria quickly retires to the room she’s sharing with Kana. Most days, she would gladly deal with such a state of mind by drinking until the discomfort has been thoroughly dashed, but this soul magic and Watcher nonsense is completely over her head and she hasn’t quite figured out how to deal with it.

So instead of staying down with the others, she curls up on one of the two small beds and pulls out one of the books that Kana had recommended to her. It’s filled with myths and legends from all over the Eastern Reach, and they’re as interesting as they are implausible and the sheer ridiculousness of some of them brings her a strange comfort; it’s as if perhaps everything she’s experienced the past few days is nothing more than a story, and will all one day end up in a book filled with fantasies like the one she’s reading now.

She’s in the middle of a story about a delemgan’s curse when there’s a knock at her door. She makes a face -- she really doesn’t want to have to deal with social niceties at the moment -- but slowly closes the book and sets it aside. “Yes?”

“It’s me.” Eder’s voice is muffled through the thick door. “I’ve got something for you.”

“Oh.” Curiosity piqued, Neria slides off the bed and pads over to the door, opening it to find Eder holding a small platter covered with a cloth napkin.

“No luck with the pudding,” he explains without pretense, holding out the platter. “But Kana had another idea.”

“O...kay?” With a little frown of confusion, Neria reaches up to take the platter. She glances up at Eder -- who’s watching her, almost expectantly -- before slowly sliding the napkin off. Beneath is a large piece of Rauatai sweet pie, warm and rich and sending a wave of nostalgia through her. “You found Rauatai pie.” Combined with the mention of pudding, the pie is enough to remind her of their conversation earlier in the day about the ymyran pudding she'd been craving.

He shrugs, as if to downplay the way he’s beaming down at her. “Least I could do, after the birthday you had.”

Unable to hold back her excitement any longer, Neria reaches greedily for the pie. “Want some?” she asks, almost as an afterthought. “It's a pretty big piece.”

“Already tried some. It's a little too heavy for me.”

“Dyrwoodan,” she mutters, glancing up to grin at Eder before taking a bite of the pie. It’s not as good as she remembers -- although that may just be the homesickness coloring her memories -- but it’s still rich and chocolatey and sweet. “Thank you,” she offers, wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand and awkwardly setting the rest of the pie on the dresser. “It’s been pretty shitty lately, but this… helps. Like a little piece of home.”

Eder’s still beaming down at her, giving her a warm smile that’s equal parts proud and apologetic. “Like I said, it’s the least I could do. Wish I could’ve done somethin’ more than just get you a pie.”

Neria plants a hand on one hip, leaning against the doorframe. “It’s more than enough, Eder. It’s a lot more than I was expecting, honestly. But,” she shrugs, “feel free to shower me with gifts when we get back to Caed Nua and I throw a huge party.”

“If I’d known you’d be throwing a party, I might not’ve wasted my evening trying to find a baker from Rauatai,” Eder teases, giving an innocent shrug of his own.

Before Neria can answer, she hears someone clearing their throat from in the hallway. “I don’t mean to interrupt,” Kana apologizes, behind Eder and just outside of Neria’s view, “but I’d like to turn in for the night. Unless you want to switch rooms,” he offers, a wry edge creeping into his voice. “I have nothing against staying with Aloth.”

“I was just leaving,” Eder says, stepping back to give Kana a hearty clap on the back. “But I’ll keep that in mind.” With a wink, he begins making his way back down the hallway.

Neria watches as he goes, aware that she’s staring and aware that Kana is still watching her with amusement. “He found Rauatai sweet pie for me,” she informs the aumaua. “I think I’m in love.”

“Technically,” Kana corrects cheerfully, “I helped. The two of us went out searching for the bakery.”

“You know I love you, Kana.” Neria grins up at him, then tilts her head towards their shared room. “C’mon, I’ve got a pie to finish and I want to show you one of the stories in this book I’ve been reading.”

#pillars of eternity #pillars prompts weekly #neria eleri tag #fic: neria #brooke writes things

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