Tales from the Faelands

Hyacinthus · June 19, 2022, 03:56:23 PM

The girl nodded, still avoiding his gaze as he answered her question. Seemed like he may have just been passing through? Trying to stick to the wilds, avoiding human contact... And it seemed as though he was alone, as well. What a lonely-sounding life he must've led thus far, if he didn't spend it with any friends, or family. Sophie couldn't imagine... or perhaps she could, and didn't want to. But his question caught her by surprise, causing her to look up at him once more with a disarmed look on her face-- as if he'd said something offensive, yet true. "Me? I..." She sat there, non-plussed for a few moments, before ultimately looking away with a rather dejected smile; a saddened look in her eyes.

"...I don't know, really. Kinda pathetic, isn't it? I don't really know what I am." She sat there in silence for a moment before continuing. "I never met my parents. Never knew my blood-related family. My earliest memories are as a slave, in one of Conn... well, a slave in a human city, kept in a dungeon, locked in a small, metal cage. Looked down at as 'vermin' because of my ears, my tail. Occasionally let out on a collar, paraded around like a pet. 'Examined' from head to toe by potential 'masters'." Her eyes grew cold, distant-- as if she'd withdrawn from the world at large, to someplace else; Someplace dark. Her sad smile remained, even still. "Purchased like a plaything because I was 'exotic'. Insulted. Tortured for fun... And sold back to that dungeon... that small, metal cage. The people... they looked at me like I'd crawled out of a sewer."

Before long, Sophie'd forgotten she was even speaking; Her hands absentmindedly balling into fists, tight enough to drain the color from her knuckles, before releasing once more. "Not good enough to serve. Not good enough to entertain. Weak, frail compared to the rest. Water in an old, rusted bowl.. a stale bit of bread. I..." She paused, her gaze clearing up, before sighing, and shaking her head. "Sorry, I... no. No, I'm not sure I'm human."

visualspice · June 19, 2022, 04:08:48 PM

He couldn't have known what he'd trigger, the poor mouse girl now pouring out her heart. He..he couldn't even begin to imagine her plight. His own wasn't much better, his entire homeland tainted with a curse that threatened to consume it. He looked down at his hand, briefly catching the mark before turning away. He didn't want to think of it. What could he even do?

He didn't look at her as he said ,"You're probably as fae as me." His eyes were off, distant and in thought . "Better than being human," he muttered. Humans were vile things, this much he knew.

After a time he peered at her, wings lightly flapping in thought. "Why are you out here all alone?" Was she running from something too?

Hyacinthus · June 19, 2022, 04:41:15 PM

Surprisingly, Sophie's smile widened a bit at Miersck's words, a bit of warmth returning to her face again at the thought of them. As fae as he, was she...? She couldn't tell if he was merely merely showing a display of kindness or if he genuinely meant it; But in either case, it did her mind a bit of good to hear it. She might never know the truth of what she was, but she'd settle for being an 'honorary fae', for now.

"I'm running away from that life, for the most part." She said, lifting her gaze from the ground and upward to the skies. Oh, how she wished she had wings of her own... To know what it felt like to live on the wind, if only for moments at a time. "I travel from place to place, studying the land, the cultures, the history of it all. It keeps me distracted from... other thoughts." She said with a smile, as a calm, balmy breeze touched the grounds they sat upon, her platinum silver hair swaying gently in the wind.

She was no fighter, no great warrior or mage; All she ever had been good at was running away from her problems, or hiding behind others, while supporting them from afar. It was likely engraved as far into her psyche as her past. "I... Don't actually like to be alone, though. I visit settlements like these," She explained, looking back at La'marri, "To do small tasks, and help people in need. I... like to be needed, I think. I like to feel like someone truly wants my company." She giggled a bit, listening to her own words. "Kind of sad, right? I... guess I'm not very good at being alone. Not like you, I'm sure."

visualspice · June 19, 2022, 04:54:35 PM

Miersck frowned. Sure he preferred his quiet time, but even he missed the chaos of the fae wood, where friends and family were always laughing and there was plenty of good nectar to drink until your belly plumped full. But he hadnt a choice.. and the idea irked him that he was so helpless in his choices. He was no warrior, nor healer nor mage. He was.. just Miersck and he fluttered his wings a bit, like a nervous tick.

He thought back to her statement, his frown deepening.

"I'm just alone for now," he snapped, bristling a bit. "Someday I'll get to go home.. but right now I.. I.." How was he to explain it? He hesitated. Rotting acorns! He scowled.

"I just have to travel. "

Hyacinthus · June 19, 2022, 05:10:35 PM

Sophie's eyes fluttered over from the skies to Miersck's seeming indecisive, or at least conflicted response. She didn't need to question it, even in her mind; She'd unknowingly struck a nerve, and the moth fae was rather unfortunately bad at hiding the fact. From the sudden snapping motions of his wings to the frustrated look on his face, she could tell there was more to his story than 'just having to travel'. And yet, she reaffirmed her smile, looking away from him for a bit.

"...I'm sorry. That was a bit unfair, wasn't it; I guess I'm projecting my insecurities onto you now. You... don't have to tell me, whatever it is." She noted, aware enough of her own faults to acknowledge when they reared their head... usually, at least. But slowly, she looked back to him with a deep, warm smile, a bit of blush to her face. "I hope you get to go home someday soon. And I'm not sure what I could do, but when that day comes, if you ever need help getting there, I promise to be there for you." She happily committed, a smile as bright as any firelight on her face as she did so. Perhaps there was nothing she could do for him; Perhaps she was too weak or foolish to be of any real use to real fae, like Miersck. But even if it was just cheering him on, or being a shoulder he could cry on, she felt up to the task. 'Honorary fae' as she was, after all.

visualspice · June 19, 2022, 05:18:50 PM

Rotten raspberries! How was it that she made him feel terrible? Guilty? She had only just used words and looked at him with those big eyes.

He looked away, baring his teeth. But then he released a held breath, wings fluttering to remove their tension as he opened his eyes to examine her.

"How..well donyou know this area?" He asked, voice harsher thsn he intended. His cheeks reddened. "I mean.. maybe if you're like.. familiar with this area you could . Help me." Ugh the last part was so hard to spit out and he swore it left an after taste in his mouth.

Hyacinthus · June 19, 2022, 05:42:38 PM

Sophie could not have expected-- let alone hoped-- for the response that she got from Miersck. She started to turn her head away, and back to the skies as he did eventually speak up. For a moment, she thought she was hearing him incorrectly; Perhaps she was projecting again, and only hearing what she wanted to hear from him. But as he made his intentions clear-- or at least as clear as he'd been with her thus far-- Sophie's eyes widened with an unbridled joy, and her chest swelled with happiness.

"O-Of course! I'd love to!" She exclaimed, leaning in closer to him unconsciously as her mind raced at the opportunity. To work with... potentially travel with, a member of the fae! To... to potentially not be alone...! "I've traveled this area extensively, and had dealings with the nearby settlement, and most of the surrounding lands-- I'd be happy to help however I can!" She further clarified, suddenly quite proud of her extensive travels. Some of it had admittedly been with the caravan that'd rescued her from her life of servitude in Connlaoth, but experience was experience, and she was more than happy to share it with her new friend.

visualspice · June 19, 2022, 05:50:15 PM

Miersck wanted to mutter something, but brambles had his tongue. But not his stomach, which suddenly grumbled quite loudly that it made Miersck's wings snap back and tense.

Hyacinthus · June 19, 2022, 06:33:51 PM

Sophie flinched a bit in surprise, the sudden sound of a great and dangerous beast filling her ears, as if ready to-- Oh, no, wait, it was just Miersck's stomach. The realization caused her excited, bright-eyed gaze to shift into a more mischievous, knowing grin. "Aha-- I bet I know where you'd like me to show you around first..." She quipped with a sly tone, though it was hard not to hear the sheer enjoyment in her voice as she spoke-- as if she were secretly hoping for this outcome.

La'marri was home to a number of merchant stalls-- not all of whom sold weapons and items. There were a number of delicacies as well-- Imports and recipes from across the continent-- all waiting for the right mouth to try them. Sophie rarely spared the time for it, but to eat with a friend? That made it all the more worthwhile! "Come on! I'll treat you to something special!" She said excitedly, reaching down and taking his hand into her own-- absentmindedly lacing fingers-- before realizing what she'd done. No, not the fingers part; The hand she'd taken, bandaged up as it was, was the one he'd burned earlier. "Ah-- I'm sorry, I got ahead of myself... Does... does it still hurt?" She asked, somewhat concerned eyes on Miersck, thankfully, and not on the fact that his hand seemed... a bit 'off' in terms of color, compared to the rest of his body.

visualspice · June 19, 2022, 06:46:21 PM

There was only a subtle wince if anything as Miersck was pulled along.
"I'll live " he grumbled, his stomach, however, was still being a lot more vocal that only grew embarrassingly louder the moment the pair were inside the city and a lot of savory smells filled the air.

"Great towering oak trees," he murmured, eyes wide at the site. ",There are so many smells. So many..." Miersck's wings began to beat, nearly carrying the pair off their feet. "Do I smell cooked gooseberries? Acorn stew? Raspberry sap balls? Sugar soaked oakleaves!? By the guardian, I could eat the whole tree!"

Hyacinthus · June 22, 2022, 03:29:57 PM

Sophie giggled a bit, a little confused by Miersck's... 'preferences'. She had to chalk it up to the wild life-- For a fae, those were likely delicacies of the highest order, especially if they were enough to get his wings fluttering in a way Sophie hadn't seen thus far. "I'd be surprised if they did-- raspberries aren't native to these parts, and... most humans don't eat oak leaves." She tried to explain as gently as she could, some part of her feeling bad for potentially dashing the boy's dreams. "But don't lose hope yet-- You might be suprised by some of the more creative things people eat, after all!"

Sophie kept Miersck close as they wandered further into La'marri, the two drawing a few unsolicited glances every so often; Nothing that the mouse-girl wasn't already used to, but she did her best to pretend it wasn't happening for Miersck's sake. The settlement was a melting pot of different cultures and creatures, surely a mouse and a moth wouldn't stick out too much. She led him towards the marketplace-- towards a series of stalls in particular where the scents would likely be the strongest, as some of the food vendors put on display their wares. From stuffed cabbage rolls to candied berries, there was truly no end to the unique display of foreign dishes and desert-like treats... well, outside of the ones Miersck himself had mentioned.

"Humans trade for prepared foods like these-- So today, I'll treat you to what delicacies you might like to try!" Sophie happily explained, patting one of the pouches on her waist-- said pouch making an audible and metalic jingle in response.

visualspice · June 22, 2022, 04:00:20 PM

Miersck was too exited and hungry to care about anyone staring in their direction. Perhaps he should be wiser.. considering his kind outside of his home forest had been poached to near extention. But he didn't want to starve to death and well..

Miersck was nearly drooling. He half fluttered over to a nearby food cart, his red eyes glittering like rubies as he stared at hanging, steaming things that just smelled so delicious and had never seen before. And before he could think better of it, he asked, "That. What kind of good smelling meal is that!?:

Hyacinthus · June 23, 2022, 12:38:02 PM

It did Sophie heart some good to see Miersck so mentally involved in society, regardless of what form it took. She wasn't sure how he'd take to being in public, in hindsight... Fae didn't typically blend with human society very well, on account of their more mischievous nature by documentation, and humans'... well... being human. Thankfully, neither seemed to play a factor at the moment, as the fae boy moved about in very familiar wanderlust, eyeing the different stalls. He eventually decided on one, with Sophie not too far behind, doing her best to keep up with him. "That is called a dumpling," Sophie explained as she caught up, reaching into her pouch, "And quite a plump one at that!" She'd never seen them hanging over a steamer before! The ingenuity of some people...

Sophie stepped up beside Miersck and purchased two of them; One for her and one for him. There was a proper-proud glow in her face and eyes as she removed the hanging netting from the dumplings and extended one food-filled hand to her fae companion, excited to see his reaction. "You can bite right into these! Careful though-- it's a little hot." She said with a smile, watching Miersck intently. How would he like 'human food', she wondered?

visualspice · June 23, 2022, 12:58:20 PM

His eyes were as wide as saucers. The dumpling looked like some form of steamed onion, and if Sophie were warning him about it, he was none the wiser, mouth salivating as he began to chew at the netting, making a most interesting face. But then the steam part came into play and Miersck was yelping as his fingers got singed and the dumpling suddenly went sailing into the air.

Hyacinthus · June 23, 2022, 01:51:32 PM

If the boy's eyes went as wide as saucers, Sophie's likely matched in kind as she didn't know weather or not to worry for the fae, or the skyward dumpling that he'd just sent soaring. She was far more used to handling heat, and hot objects, as evidenced by her own nesting the heated dumpling between her lips, poised to take a bite. But when Miersck's flew into the air, she put her own hunger needs to the side in an attempt to assist with his. "Ah-- I'fe go'it!" She claimed, her mouth filled with warm dumpling, taking a balancing step towards Miersck as she positioned herself to catch the flying dumpling.

And she did, with some effort! It bounced off her fingers once, then twice, but Sophie was ultimately able to catch the dumpling in her hands, saving the day and Miersck's meal in one fell swoop! Kind of.

visualspice · June 23, 2022, 02:06:29 PM

Miersck was too much in shock to respond, his eyes widening in true dred for the fate of his dumpling. So when Sophie launched herself he was in awe... but quickly was his elation dashed as he watched her nearly spill over after her triumphant. He gave a single heavy beat of his wings to push himself forward, arms bracing around the girl before she'd fall, as he caught her round the waist and landed in a stumble on the city street. The pair didn't fall, but Miersck did stumble a little and caught both he and SOphie against a nearby stone building.

Hyacinthus · June 23, 2022, 05:01:49 PM

It was a great catch, Sophie couldn't help but think to herself, as the hot dumpling slowly settled into her hands. Great catch, but unfortunately the steps she took to make said catch certainly left Sophie a bit off her own balance; Her eagerness raising her up onto the tips of her toes and causing her to sway forward a bit dangerously. She didn't have much time to physically--or mentally-- attempt to balance herself, and as she felt her body begin to tilt forward, she wanted to chastise her shocking moment of clumsiness... That was, until she was practically lifted off of her feet.

Miersck leapt into action in a way only he could; Sophie braced her core (and her dumpling-saving hand) and let momentum take them where it would-- In this case, right up against a nearby building wall. She could feel the breath catch in the back of her throat as they stopped, leaving them in a rather... unfortunately familiar situation, with Miersck having managed an arm around her waist. Be it from the awkwardness of the situation, or the heat of the dumpling she was somehow still holding onto with her lips, a flush of red slowly rose to the mouse-girl's face once more, though surprisingly she merely smiled... or attempted to, from behind her dumpling.

"...Nice catch-- oh," She replied, a bit fog-brained at the closeness of the two of them, resulting in her accidentally letting go of the dumpling in her lips and it tumbling down between their two chests. Well, that was a perfectly good dumpling... but Sophie didn't exactly hate this situation, either. While her mind was still racing a mile a minute, having acclimated a tiny bit due to their encounter earlier, she could at least admit this one thing to herself right now-- Miersck was... rather handsome, when he wasn't scowling.

visualspice · June 23, 2022, 05:21:36 PM

The stumble into the building hurt... he'd likely have a bruise where his shoulder slammed into it, but thankfully his wings were okay. And the dumpling. And well, the mouse girl, Sophie.. but they saved the food, which was important.

"You okay?" He asked. But as she replied.. oh..
The dumpling in her mouth promptly fell out of her mouth and tumbled down between where their chests were held together as Miersck 's eyes went cross to following the falling food. He plucked the dumpling off from between their chests and offered it out to the girl.

"At least neither of them fell on the ground."
Hey he could be optimistic sometimes!

Hyacinthus · June 23, 2022, 05:57:54 PM

Sophie's bright smile only beamed ever brighter as she gently nodded, rather pleased with herself at Miersck showing concern. Sure, it wasn't that he hadn't before-- after all, he was probably only accompanying her because he felt sorry for her, something she'd already accepted-- but now both of them were, relatively, calmer-- clearer-headed. It made Sophie think that perhaps this was his 'real' persona-- Or at least, as close to it as she was going to get anytime soon. Thinking that he treated, or would treat, anyone else he met differently was a slight bit sad... but in some odd way, made Sophie feel surprisingly good about herself.

"I guess that makes us even, in a way." She joked, taking the dumpling he offered her, and exchanging it with the dumpling she'd caught for him. "Thank you, Miersck." She happily added, still a bit red in the face, and doing everything in her power to not draw attention to how close they still were. A futile effort, it seemed, as a passerby lady of likely some 50, 60 years saw them and let out an audible 'aww', and an amused giggle at the two of them, ruining what was otherwise a very enjoyable moment for the mousey girl with dreadful awkwardness.

visualspice · June 24, 2022, 03:32:22 AM

Miersck didn't entirely understand how awkward their position could be until the older woman had passed , making a fuss. It took a few moments for it to click before his own cheeks heated.

He took his dumpling as he withdrew, wings held in an awkward, almost shielding, protective manner. And without looking, he went on to bite into the dumplings netting again to it, having never removed it and the young man presumed it was just some kind of strange skin on the fruit, and he didn't seem to notice any if it tasted strange. Atleast, not any stranger than bark or apple skin. He did this as he began to look around, suspiciously.