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"As far as girlfriends. I have had two people who could fit that definition. The first was a dragonkin named Verangia...We were going to partner bond. That's something dragonkin can do. They can telepathically bond to a single partner," he explains as an obvious aside, then pauses. It takes him several seconds to continue.
"Right before we were going to do it, she died in a raid. She was targeted by a group of archers. I don't know how many arrows it took to take her down and she crashed in a crevasse so we couldn't recover her body."
Quasit listens with interest, perhaps a little surprised to get such an answer. Her smile fades into a look of empathy and concern, and she clasps one of her hands with his as she look up into his face.
"I keep forgetting about the war on your world. And all the ways it can intrude onto your life. That must have been really hard to lose her like that, and to not be able to find her. I'm sorry you had to go through that." She also seems to regret bringing up a depressing topic.
She closes her eyes sleepily and heaves out a deep breath. "Verangia. I like that name. But I don't think I'd want to bond telepathically with anyone. My soul isn't vibrant and deep enough to stand up to that sort of scrutiny."
Opening her eyes again, she lays aside some of the drunken coquetry. "And I haven't been fair to you, have I? Poor Kal, I'm giving you all these mixed signals. Like a cat that rubs against your leg, then runs off if you try to pet it. I'm sorry for that."
"I think I told you I messed up my last relationship. I really thought he was the one, but he went off on a six month mission for the Pathfinders and I ended up cheating on him with some guy I barely knew, just because I was lonely. And I haven't quite known what to do with myself since. No sense trying to try and fix what I wrecked -- you can't make spoiled milk sweet again. But I still feel guilty about it, and I don't quite trust myself. You've probably noticed I can be... I don't know, emotionally volatile? I have a knack for painting myself into corners, you know?"
"So I think I haven't been fair to you. Here you are on a strange world, with a bunch of aliens, and you must be so lonely. But I think I've gotten to know you and Chest Thumper a little better at least."
She falls silent and looks for a long moment up into Kalchine's eyes.
"You can kiss me if you want." she finally says, clearly and quietly.
At some point Anastasia transitions from weeping to dozing off out of wrung-out emotional and physical exhaustion from her ordeal.
Gently, Maka lifted Anastasia into a cradle. She moved slowly across the room, her footsteps careful on the creeking floorboards, and laid the girl down on a bedroll near the fire. She pulled a warm blanket up over her, then smoothed it down, tucking it just slightly under one shoulder.
"It was hard to lose her. Sometimes, with all the death around you during a war, you forget how much losing one person can matter. It all just seems like assets and capabilities and shifts in danger and success potential as you meet and lose people. But then, one person is lost and you remember that they're all people and they're all people who are important to someone and everything comes into crashing perspective again," he replies.
"I wish you would not do that. You are the only one here...except maybe Selena and Baba Yaga, if they're watching, who doesn't think you're special and deep and vibrant. You have to learn to see yourself through other people's eyes. Do you think everyone is a fool and would follow the guidance of a fool? No. Everyone trusts you because you are a dynamic person who fights on even when things seem hopeless," he chides her.
"I would like to," he replies to her offer of a kiss.
"But not now. When you haven't been drinking," he clarifies, as he continues to stroke her face and shoulder.
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"I wish you would not do that…Everyone trusts you because you are a dynamic person who fights on even when things seem hopeless,"
”Eh, I have my moments.” admits Quasit.
"I would like to," he replies to her offer of a kiss.
"But not now. When you haven't been drinking," he clarifies, as he continues to stroke her face and shoulder.
Quasit’s arms collapse to the floor dramatically. ”Of course. I should have known you’d be a gentleman.” she says, apparently to herself, and a trifle impatiently. Then she catches t.he druid’s eye again. ”And a girl always appreciates when a man is honorable. Unless they’re creeping into his room in the middle of the night and throwing themselves at him.”
She sits up and rubs across her eyes and forehead heavily, then glances over at Chest Thumper and considers something.
”Ah, screw it.” she decides, then grabs Kalchine by the tunic, throw the other arm around his neck, and leans in for a rough lusty kiss, banging teeth and bumping noses.
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"I’m already 115 years of age…"
"Wait! What? You're 115. That's older than my dad. I mean, I knew that elves aged differently but I didn't know it was that different."
Sakitu looks more closely at Fin. He doesn't look like an old man but then he's not. He's a young elf. Didn't he say that he could live to be 700? So then at 115 he is only a fifth of the way through his life. So in elf terms, he's barely an adult. Just like her.
"As for magic, you’d know much better than I. While I know of none that can extend life directly, other than reincarnation I suppose, there is magic that can let you avoid the affects of age, in both appearance and physicality…"
Sakitu scoffs and shakes her head. "Nope. That's not good enough for me. From what I have seen, magic doesn't follow any rules. So I'm going to find the magic that let's me live as long as you."
She shifts from her vulpine to human form and scoots towards Fin, leaning into him. This close, she feels the radiating warmth from his skin. She never wants to lose that feeling.
"If I can change like this, then I think anything is possible."
And a new necromancer is born…
Quasit’s arms collapse to the floor dramatically. ”Of course. I should have known you’d be a gentleman.” she says, apparently to herself, and a trifle impatiently. Then she catches t.he druid’s eye again. ”And a girl always appreciates when a man is honorable. Unless they’re creeping into his room in the middle of the night and throwing themselves at him.”She sits up and rubs across her eyes and forehead heavily, then glances over at Chest Thumper and considers something.
”Ah, screw it.” she decides, then grabs Kalchine by the tunic, throw the other arm around his neck, and leans in for a rough lusty kiss, banging teeth and bumping noses.
Kalchine is understandably surprised. So surprised that he doesn't resist at first.
But then, he doesn't resist for other reasons, though he does coax the kiss toward something not quite so violent. It is no less lusty as he puts his arms around Quasit and drags her closer.
His eyes, wide at first, close and his ears relax, flicking occasionally at the sounds of enjoyment, though he isn't exactly sure which one of them is making those noises at any moment.
He is lost in the moment so he does not know how long their mouths explore each other before breaking off by silent, mutual consent.
"See? Your plans are almost always better," he says.
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”I DD have my moments.” she reiterates with a cheeky, satisfied, muzzy smile as she hangs with both arms around Kalchine’s neck. She leans in for another quick kiss, as a prelude or a stopgap, then falls back on her haunches and quickly wriggles out of her shirt, then stares intently into Kalchine’s face, to gauge the effect this has on him. Pale in the darkness, her small breasts peek up at him as well from her bony torso, honest and unassuming. She bites her lip in excited anticipation, then moves forward for another kiss,
”Now about that discussion of anatomy…” she whispers huskily, as her fingers interrogate the fastenings of his trousers…
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l"Wait! What? You're 115. That's older than my dad. I mean, I knew that elves aged differently but I didn't know it was that different."
”I was a mature Elf, physically, at the same age as most humans…it’s just we train in many areas of our life, physically and scholarly, during our youth…for many years…and aren’t considered adults in Elven society till we’re thru…it’s an Elf thing…”
Sakitu scoffs and shakes her head. "Nope. That's not good enough for me. From what I have seen, magic doesn't follow any rules. So I'm going to find the magic that let's me live as long as you."
She shifts from her vulpine to human form and scoots towards Fin, leaning into him. This close, she feels the radiating warmth from his skin. She never wants to lose that feeling.
"If I can change like this, then I think anything is possible."
Fin nods but is otherwise silent. He notices Sakitu still hasn’t answered his queries on her father but he lets that drop; she obviously feels uncomfortable with that and he will not press it. He just enjoys the warmth as she snuggles into him, stroking her hair and gently caressing her arms, enjoying the moment…
Winter gently gets off Anastasia as she is wisked away to a bed. The fox stretches and shakes , then wanders around catching what’s going on, clearly rolling her eyes at Quasit in a very similar manner to Selena, before moving on to watch the skeleton man for a while.
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Fin gets his two hours sleep in, gently rises so as not to awaken Sakitu. He goes thru his monk forms, plays cards for a couple of hours with Bones, then mounts his loaned horse and heads to see the victims about an hour before dawn. He finds them better after the fish soup from last night and a good night’s rest. Thru broken Russian and hand signs, he gets his point across and gets them moving to the village…he lets the ones that are worst off take turns riding the horse…
…once there, he turns them over to the kindly villagers, returns the horse, and, after procuring another bottle of ‘vawdka’, thanks the villagers, saying, ”Da svidaniya!” with a distinctive Elvish accent, one of the few Russian phrases he can recall. Then he starts the hike back to the hut, arriving early to mid-afternoon…
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The morning after Rasputin’s fall was cold and sharp. Maka stood barefoot in the frost, steam curling up from her skin. She inhaled, slow and deep. Fire stirred in her core.
With the exhale, she moved, swift and fluid. Her hands and feet swept in familiar arcs, flame trailing from every motion. The cores of her fire flared blue now without effort. And when she pushed deeper, pouring more of herself into it, the flames brightened to a brilliant blue that nearly turned white.
Purple fire bloomed from her palm next. Slower than her other flames; deliberate, thicker, like burning oil laced with a violet shimmer. She directed it toward an arcane sigil Tazuzu had etched into the stone for her. The flames wrapped around it like a serpent. The rune flared once, then shattered in a pop of sparks and steam.
She grinned.
Maka had been refining that technique for weeks, but the clash with Rasputin, his magic, his wards, the sheer weight of his power, had forced the final pieces into place. But that hadn’t been the only lesson she’d drawn from that fight.
Watching Bulvi's ring. Surviving what should have killed her more than once. She finally understood how to turn her pain into fuel.
She rolled her shoulders. Power gathered beneath her skin, hot and rhythmic, pulsing like a second heartbeat. Her draconic features shimmered faintly in the morning light, and her silhouette cast a flickering shadow across the snow.
She took out a knife.
With a smooth motion, she made a shallow cut along the back of her arm. It burned, but not with pain, with purpose.
The wound glowed like curling parchment, embering at the edges. The flesh flaked away into ash, and the wind carried the last of it into the air.
Gone.
Maka nodded in satisfaction, grabbed a towel to clean off, and headed inside to prepare breakfast.
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When Maka gets to the kitchen, Chest Thumper is there, rummaging through the food stores. He is wrist deep in a bag of oatmeal, shoving it raw into his mouth by the fistfuls. As may be imagined, he's not particularly diligent about it and a fair amount of the food is ending up on the floor.
Of course, he plans on eating that, too, so it's not wasted.
He hoots gently to Maka around a mushy mouthful of oats.
Kalchine is conspicuously absent.
Maka blinked, then a toothy grin spread across her face. “Good morning to you too. Kal sleeping in and you couldn’t wait for breakfast, huh?”
Shaking her head with a chuckle, Maka stepped around the oat disaster zone and headed to the stove. "“You’re lucky I like you.”
She coaxed a flame into the hearth with a twitch of her fingers, setting water to boil and beginning to clean and meal prep.
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Quasit sidles into the kitchen moments later, singing some nonsense with no discernible words. She looks tousled as well as cheerful, shirt not buttoned up all the way, hair unusually mussed, barefoot, but well-rested for once. She laughs freely when she sees Chest Thumper picking single flakes of oat off the floor and putting them into his mouth, then leans in and hugs one of his giant biceps. "Save some of the rest of us, you lunkhead." she says tenderly.
She crosses in front of Maka, looking slyly at her, then settles into a chair, crosses her legs and hikes her elbows onto the chair back. "Goooood morning. Need any help?" she asks, chirpy as a sparrow.
“Someone’s in a good mood! Here, peel these.”
She handed over a bowl of root vegetables and a small knife. “Did you actually get some sleep last night?”
Maka side-eyed Quasit, the corner of her mouth twitching upward. Her brow furrowed slightly, something clicking behind her eyes.
“Wait.” she said, narrowing her gaze. “Did you finally have sex?”
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Normally Quasit might be annoyed by that 'finally', but at the moment she seems utterly delighted to have her 'secret' discovered. Swiftly she skips to her feet (roughly putting aside her potatoes), squeals like a piglet caught by the tail, and bounces to Maka to catch onto the monk's arm.
"It's a miracle Chest Thumper slept through it." she gloats in a low voice. She looks around warily, making sure no one was about to intrude on her gauche girl talk, then leans in.
"Maka, he's fuzzy all over, it was like when you kiss a guy with a mustache but all over. And he went for this weird position I've never even conceived of before -- I don't know if that was a Triaxian thing or just him. And to be perfectly honest, I was a bit hammered, and some of the details are cloudy. I think I pretty much threw myself at the poor guy. But jeepers, i needed it. And he was so sweet. Almost a little too sweet. Like, a little rough wouldn't have hurt my feelings, if you know what I mean. But I seem to recall yowling like an alley cat and biting his neck like a vampire woman."
She giggles. "I think I chipped a tooth when I kissed him. My upper lip feels bruised. And I think I must smell a bit like an old cheese. But I think he enjoyed it too. I hope it doesn't make things weird. He wouldn't make it weird, would he?"
All this spills out of her like the contents of a burst water balloon.
She giggles. "I think I chipped a tooth when I kissed him. My upper lip feels bruised. And I think I must smell a bit like an old cheese. But I think he enjoyed it too. I hope it doesn't make things weird. He wouldn't make it weird, would he?"
Maka reached out and gently took one of Quasit’s hands in hers.
“No.” She said it steady and sure. “I mean, Kal is always a little weird, but not in a bad way.”
She gave Quasit’s hand a small squeeze, grounding the words with quiet affection.
“I’m really happy for you.” Maka’s smile deepened, warm and genuine, eyes crinkling at the corners. “And relieved. You’ve been pent up for so long I thought you were going to pop.”
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"You’ve been pent up for so long I thought you were going to pop.”
"I'm pretty sure I did." Quasit answers in a vaudeville voice.
"You know, one good thing about being stuck in another dimension is that I don't have to worry right away about bringing him home to meet my mother. 'Hey mom, I'd like you to meet my new gentleman caller, he's an alien druid with body hair like a cow.'"
"Oy, Mina, you couldn't maybe have found a nice dentist maybe?"
Chest Thumper gives Quasit a look and grumble that suggests that he might not have slept through quite all of it. But, for the moment does not press the issue, but rather takes one of the potatoes and starts eating it.
Kalchine's hearing is exceptional, even for a Triaxian so, as he makes his way toward the kitchen, it is easy to identify Maka and Quasit's voices and he's well out of sight when he can make out the contents of their discussion.
He hesitates, listening. He knows he should not be eavesdropping and that Quasit deserves her privacy but he does not want to interrupt them and he can't quite bring himself to walk away, his urge to hear Quasit's unfiltered thoughts simply too strong.
The satisfied, pleased, bleary smile he was wearing fades to intense concentration as he listens.
Maka burst out laughing, nearly dropping the ladle in the pot. But as the laughter settled, she tilted her head, frowning slightly in honest confusion.
“Why would your mom be more impressed by someone who cuts hair than a super powerful druid?”
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”Cause she’s a shallow dope.” answers Quasit with a blithe flick of the hand, in too good a mood to even be angry at her mother.
As she says this, she notices Chest Thunper eating one of the potatoes out of her peeling bowl. ”Hey!” she says, then reaches over and swats his hand. ”Wait til it’s peeled!”
She then turns back to Maka. ”I hope he’s going to stay with us. He’d talked about maybe staying here. When he said that, I realized I’d really miss him, even though I’ve only known him a couple weeks. I’m not sure where he and I go from here, but I think I like him a lot. And I think he feels the same.”. She thinks on some memory. ”He was a nice cuddler. Like a big fuzzy cat. It was nice falling asleep in someone’s arms again.”
Maka looked at Quasit for a long moment, then gave her a deeply warm smile.
"He'd be crazy not to want to stay with you," she said reassuringly. "I'm glad you're happy. You deserve it."
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A very tired Fin enters the Hut after a long cold hike back from the village, after having had a long time to ponder that they appeared to be near the end of their quest…his feelings were mixed on that, as he saw both good and bad...
He nods to Bones, then heads to find Sakitu and Izzy. After he kisses her lightly, he murmurs, ”Hlao-roo, I’m beat…and I smell like four Hells…I’m gonna take a bath with Izzy. I’ve neglected him for far too long and need to maintain my bond with him. When I return, can we take a nap?”
Fin bends down and scratches Izzy between the eyes. ”Heel, Izzy!” he says as he grabs a bottle of vawdka heads to report to Quasit and Maka…
Upon finding them, he approaches Quasit. ”The vampire victims are at the village and seem to be doing much better; they will be fine, I think.”
Turning to Maka, he asks, ”Can you please heat the water in the bath, Maka, if it’s no trouble? I smell like hell and need a bath; gonna bathe Izzy as well, I fear I’ve been neglecting him lately and I need to strengthen our bond.” He hesitates a moment, shakes his head, then looks up to her again before asking another question. ”Maka…I know you’re Aasimar and have dragon blood in you…I’d like to ask you another question, an odd one, if I may. How long is your lifespan?”
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Upon finding them, he approaches Quasit. ”The vampire victims are at the village and seem to be doing much better; they will be fine, I think.”
"Oh... I kinda thought the villagers would come to them, at least for the first day or two while the soldiers got back on their feet. Well that's good anyway. We probably should have had Kal give them a once over before we marched them away, I'm guessing they don't have any cleric healers in their village. How far away is it? Maybe Kal and I can walk over there today and check on them. I speak enough Russian to translate and make sure they understand how to care for those men properly. And we're just hanging around here waiting for the Space Merchant anyway."
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Fin nods. ”It’s a few miles east of the encampment…while the villagers were very willing to take in the victims, they seemed afraid of the camp…and of Rasputin when I spoke that name. I would’ve woke you up but I left well before dawn and, after the day we had yesterday, figured everyone could use the rest. Some of the victims were already moving around a little when I got there…they were eating some of the leftover fish soup. They seemed to want to get away from the camp, not that I could blame them for that…there were a couple that were worse off than the others and I let them use the horse…
“I think they’ll be fine now, the villagers got them set up in the local church, giving them some potato soup and some kind of tea…and a little vawdka to calm them…but I can draw a rough map for you and Kal, if you wish…plus the tracks we left even a blind man could follow…”
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Quasit nods at the correctness of Findurel's decisions.
"A church, huh? Maybe they do have clerics here. But without healing magic. That mother god with the baby and the crosses must not give spells to her priests. Funny religion. I'll see what Kal thinks about checking on them once he comes in for breakfast. It might be better if we just withdraw from the scene discreetly and not interfere in local affairs anymore."
"Want some potato soup and tea, alá Maka?"
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"A church, huh? Maybe they do have clerics here. But without healing magic. That mother god with the baby and the crosses must not give spells to her priests. Funny religion."
Fin nods. ”Aye…but I think they used the church there because it was the largest structure in the village to house the victims…
“Once they got settled in, I had to leave though…the crosses reminded me of being nailed to the door of Rasputin’s temple,” he adds as he shudders at the memory, turning slightly pale for a moment…
"Want some potato soup and tea, alá Maka?"
Fin nods again. ”I’m pretty ripe and need to get to the tub…but maybe just a quick taste of the soup first…this damn ring keeps my hunger away but I miss Maka’s cooking. No tea for me, I’ll be trying some of that potato brew the village gave us while I soak…”
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"...No tea for me, I’ll be trying some of that potato brew the village gave us while I soak…”
Quasit laughs. "Yeah, I tried a large skosh of the vawdka last night. At first I didn't think I liked it, but it sorta grows on you. After awhile you hardly taste it. Lemme know when you're done, I actually wouldn't mind a quick soak myself. Haven't washed myself properly in days."
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Quasit laughs. "Yeah, I tried a large skosh of the vawdka last night. At first I didn't think I liked it, but it sorta grows on you. After awhile you hardly taste it.”
Fin smiles. ”…and it couldn’t be any worse than that Triaxian fermented lichen swill I drank so much of while we were there…”
”Lemme know when you're done, I actually wouldn't mind a quick soak myself. Haven't washed myself properly in days."
”Will do, Q, I’ll try not to be too long...I sure do miss the communal hot baths we had in Irrisen and then on Triaxus…plenty of space for all of us, we could just relax, enjoy a soak anytime of the day, and talk about stuff…I found myself missing that recently…nothing like that here and not likely wherever we’re headed to next…and then our quest will be over, one way or another…“
He sighs, then looks to Maka. “My compliments to the cook, m’Lady, as always…guess I had best hit the bath now…”
”Maka…I know you’re Aasimar and have dragon blood in you…I’d like to ask you another question, an odd one, if I may. How long is your lifespan?”
Maka shrugged, her tone casual. “I don’t know. Longer than humans, I think. Suji is a half-elf, and we both grew up slower than a lot of the other kids our age.”
Maka handed Fin the bowl of soup and gave him a small nod. “I’ll go warm the water.”
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Fin nods at Maka’s answer, pondering for a moment…he quickly finishes the soup and then he and Izzy follow her to the bath…
”Thanks, Maka, much appreciated,” he says as she warms the water…
”Sorry about the odd question, Maka…but you’re the only one I could ask about this and I value your opinion. You are in a similar situation as me; we’re both in relationships where we could likely long outlive our significant others. As an Elf, I could live from 600 to 700 years of age or so, Sakitu only from about 70 to 100. Providing we live thru all this, have you ever thought of what you’ll do when Bull passes?”
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Maka didn’t answer right away.
She finished warming the water, trailing her hand gently along the surface as the last of the chill faded. Steam curled upward in soft waves, blurring the air between them.
Then she sat back on her heels, hands resting lightly on her thighs. When she spoke, her voice was calm and steady. "Of course I’ve thought about it.” She looked over at Fin, not with sadness, but with clarity. “But, I’m not afraid of it. I knew from the beginning that I might have more years than Bulvi. That’s just… part of being with someone.”
She shrugged, slow and honest. "Yah bhee gujar jaega. This too shall pass. We don’t get to keep anything forever. Not people. Not moments. Even mountains crumble if you wait long enough.”
Her gaze softened, a flicker of warmth in her eyes. “But that doesn’t make the time I have with him less valuable. It makes it more. Knowing there’s an end means I pay attention. I hold him close when I can. I laugh when he laughs. I try not to waste what we have worrying about the day it’s gone.”
She tilted her head. “If I lose him, I’ll mourn. But I won’t regret. Not one breath of it.”
Maka exhaled, then gave Fin a toothy grin. “And besides… who knows? I get myself nearly killed every week. He might outlive me.”
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Fin silently listens to Maka's reply, impressed by her insight. He ponders her words while picking up Izzy and putting him in the tub, then unconsciously disrobing and following the croc in...as he feels the heat of the water melt his fatigue, he lets out a relaxing sigh...
"Maka, you are as wise in life as you are brave in battle; I appreciate your thoughts on the matter and hope I can evolve to have your outlook on life, it is so refreshing. When we Elves take a consort, it is usually with other Elves, and it is for life...unless slain, we pretty much live very long lives together. After my father was slain by the mummy, my mother faded quickly...at least quickly for an Elf. She passed not long after I reached my majority...she would have gone sooner if not waiting for me to grow up…
“I find myself wondering now though...I could live hundreds of years after Saki passes...I did not take my father's nor my mother's passing well, both should've lived much longer...and while Kezhia was human, she too died way too young as well and I took that even worse...that jaded my outlook for the worst and the Razmirans paid the price...I do not know what I will do or how I will react when...that time comes again...I can only hope, that like you, I can just appreciate the time that we have…”
He relaxes a big more, scratching between Izzy's eyes. "Thank you for listening, Maka…and thanks for your insight. Also appreciate the hot bath; I was just telling Quasit how much I miss the communal baths we had in Irrisen and Triaxus...I can tell Izzy here has been missing that as well...and I have neglected him for much of our time here..."
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Maka remained kneeling by the tub as Fin spoke, listening without interruption. She didn’t offer immediate comfort or platitudes; Only silence, steady and present, as the steam curled around them and his words found their way out.
When he finished, she sat with the moment for a breath longer. Her eyes were soft, thoughtful. It was difficult to translate her thoughts appropriately into Common, but she tried.
“How lucky are you, to have had so much to lose?” she said at last, the words quiet but sincere. “It sounds better and nicer in Vudrani, but… the idea is to appreciate even the pain.”
She gave him a small, lopsided smile. Not comforting, exactly, just true. “That kind of hurt only comes when something mattered. That’s not something to be afraid of. That’s proof that you lived with your heart open.”
She looked down at Izzy, now melting fully into the water, eyes half-lidded with bliss. “You still do.”
She reached out to give Fin’s shoulder a quick squeeze, then rose to her feet, the steam parting around her as she left Fin to his bath.
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“How lucky are you, to have had so much to lose?” she said at last, the words quiet but sincere. “It sounds better and nicer in Vudrani, but… the idea is to appreciate even the pain.”
Fin’s face goes slack, nodding slowly, as he considers Maka’s words…words he’s never heard, nor considered before…
She gave him a small, lopsided smile. Not comforting, exactly, just true. “That kind of hurt only comes when something mattered. That’s not something to be afraid of. That’s proof that you lived with your heart open.”
She looked down at Izzy, now melting fully into the water, eyes half-lidded with bliss. “You still do.”
She reached out to give Fin’s shoulder a quick squeeze, then rose to her feet, the steam parting around her as she left Fin to his bath.
Fin’s face scrunches up as he tries to keep it together, giving her a weak smile, murmuring ever so lightly that he doubts she can even hear him, ”You’re a good friend, Maka…”
He manages to hold on to his bearing till she clears the room…only then do the tears break, flowing unabashedly down his face as he slumps down deeper into the water…
Once Fin and Maka are gone, Kalchine decides that it is safe to come out.
Yet, he isn't at all sure of his footing with Quasit. She seems pleased based on what he overheard, which makes his heart swell with delight. she also seems to have no regrets, though she, like most people, doesn't always show her true self and feelings to others. Especially when it's the people it matters to the most.
So, he is not sure whether to be casual or intense when he makes himself known and ends up doing the worst option, which is a bit of both and a lot of neither.
"Good morning," he says in greeting. He kisses her awkwardly on the cheek though puts his arms tightly around her.
Despite his intention to be calm and cool in the situation, he keeps smiling broadly. "How are you feeling this morning?" he asks. Ostensibly, it is in regards to her likely hangover. In reality, he is fishing for her true feelings regarding their liaison so his words are rather obviously loaded.
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Quasit brightens as she hears Kalchine come in. She falls into him as he moves to kiss her, beaming like a sunflower. ”Hey you.” she says with sultry warmth, wriggling against him a little as she goes onto her toes for a proper kiss.
It’s only at this point that she seems to realize that Kalchine is feeling awkward. Her smile slips sideways and she gives him a wry look. ”I’m Feeling Wonderful.” she says intently, trying to answer his real question. ”No regrets.”
”You want some breakfast? Maka fried up some spicy potatoes. Or I could make you some oatmeal, if Thumper hasn’t eaten it all. She brewed up some tea.” she slips out of his grasp and busies herself in girl business, taking care of her man. ”Tez gave us some mushrooms, I could cut some of those up and cook them into the potatoes?”
Digging into someone’s pack, she finds a jar of preserves and helps herself to it with a whinny of excitement. She grabs a spoon and savors the first enormous sweet bite with swooning yummy sound, then bounces over to Kal and slides a second spoonful toward him. ”Raspberry.”
She leaves the jar and spoon in his care and goes back to puttering. ”I know what you’re thinking.” she says, tossing a glance over her shoulder at him. ”Now that the mad little b$*!~ is sober, does she even remember anything? Was last night a fluke? Do we have to be coy around the others? Am I reading too much into all this? Yada yada yada.”
”Well. In your place, I’d probably be equally skittish, considering how weird I’ve been. And how drunk I was. And I don’t know how we’re gonna feel in a week or a year. But right now? Right this moment?” She swoops over and sits in his lap, her big brown eyes looking deeply into his, arms draped about his neck loosely. ”Right now all I want is to ride this slide with you.” She kisses him succinctly twice.
Then she gets back to business. ”Fin’s already been over to the camp this morning. He actually already led all those men to the village, and they’re put up in the local temple. I don’t know where he finds the energy. Do you think we should walk over there and check on them, just make sure they’re ok? Fin seemed to think they’re already out of the woods, health-wise.”
Winter steered clear of any hot water, especially giant tubs of it, but when breakfast rolled around she very much followed Quasit around, intensely watching her, almost like she is waiting for something.
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Fin awakens to Izzy’s snout nudging his cheek. He starts for a moment to get his bearings, as he had strange dreams that made no sense…of his parents…of Kezhia…and to his surprise, Rasputin…and then a brief disturbing image of himself nailed to the door…but just images, nothing else…
Feeling that the water is still pretty warm, he figures he dropped off for no more than thirty minutes or so; kinda surprising since he’s not dropped off like that since he started wearing the ring. He guesses it might be due to the hot bath, not to mention the talk with Maka had been very cathartic…
Izzy nudges him again. ”OK, OK, I’m getting out already…”
He rises, dries off, and goes over to the smaller tub where had his clothes soaking. He wrings them out, hangs all of them to dry, except for his undershorts which he puts on…he picks up the still full bottle of Russian spirits, and looks to Izzy…
…to find him rolling on the he floor. ”You are such a funny l’il croc, my friend…heel, Izzy!”
The croc follows him back to the ‘breakfast’ room where Fin looks to Quasit and Kal. ”The bath’s all yours, Q…it’s still warm but you might wanna ask Maka to heat the water up for you a bit…’sup Kal…”
He and Izzy head on to find Sakitu…
Kalchine is still wary as Quasit settles into his embrace and extends it, though the purr in her voice causes the fur along his spine to raise nicely.
He relaxes as she confirms that she doesn't consider the previous night a mistake but is even more disappointed because of that as she begins to bustle around the kitchen. He smiles, his ears perked up as she bounces around the kitchen, full of energy and, what he hopes is joy.
It's only a little diminished as he sees the mess Chest Thumper has made. He snatches the bag of oats from the frost ape and glares, though his much bigger brother just smugly starts eating the spilled oats off the floor as though he's outsmarted Kalchine.
"You don't have to do anything special," he protests as bustles around rattling off options.
He gladly, but confusedly takes a bite of the raspberry jam, nodding his approval at the taste. But, as with most of the food, its communal so he doesn't take any more, simply setting the jar and spoon aside.
He blinks and his ears droop as she seems to read his mind and he stares with his mouth open. Until she comes and kisses him again then slips from his grasp once more. He doesn't know what "ride this slide" means and might ask Fin about it later. It's clear that, while they're delightfully compatible, physically, there are still some things culturally that are different. She seemed quite surprised by at least one of the more common things done on Triaxus and he was likewise confused (but delightfully) by one of the things she did.
"That's what I want, too," he confirms, forcibly stopping her from moving and staying in one place for a moment to embrace her and kiss her.
"Hello, Fin," he says, not coldly, but still awkwardly.
But he nods to Quasit at her question when she gets back to business. "Yes, I would like to follow up and see how they're doing, before we leave."
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"The bath’s all yours, Q…it’s still warm but you might wanna ask Maka to heat the water up for you a bit…’sup Kal…”
"Hello, Fin," he says, not coldly, but still awkwardly.
But he nods to Quasit at her question when she gets back to business. "Yes, I would like to follow up and see how they're doing, before we leave."
Quasit, sitting on Kalchine's lap still, glances quickly between the two men, possibly enjoying the awkwardness just a bit.
"Good. I'm going to take a bath then we can go. Wanna join me? I'll wash your back."
The way she says 'wash your back' makes it sound like a euphemism, especially as she wiggles her eyebrows at him. She helps herself to another big spoonful of preserves and a gulp of tea, then gives Kalchine's thigh a slap and stands up to go find Maka.
Winter yaps at Quasit angrily when she leaves the eating area and if she continues to be ignored, will go try coaxing food out of the other girls.
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Quasit hears Winter bark at her and looks back.
"Oh, hey Foxy. You need to go outside and do your duty?" She reaches down and pats it a couple times. "Have the skeleton guy open the door, k? Goooooood foxy."
She resumes her walk to the tub. "That creepy thing is always following me around and watching me since Selena died. It can't think I'm her, can it? I don't smell like a halfling, do I?"
"Probably just lonely. Poor little thing." Then she snuggles into Kalchine and doesn't give the fox another thought.
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Sakitu wakes to find Fin has left. She's starting to get used to that. He told her once that he doesn't need much sleep, if any, and so often, after she falls asleep, he rises. He says it's because he doesn't want to 'disturb her slumber' but she thinks it's also because it's boring to just lay there in the dark next to a sleeping body.
Bright sun streams in through one of the hut's windows and the smell of breakfast food floats in the air. She hears someone open the front door. It's Fin. She recognizes the sounds he makes just in the way he moves. A moment later he comes around the corner and spots her. She smiles and lifts her arms to him as he approaches.
After he kisses her lightly, he murmurs, ”Hlao-roo, I’m beat…and I smell like four Hells…I’m gonna take a bath with Izzy. I’ve neglected him for far too long and need to maintain my bond with him. When I return, can we take a nap?”
Her nose squishes up in a tight wrinkle and blinks tightly a couple times. "Yeah, you, uh, really do smell bad. I'm not sure that Izzy will want to get in the water with you." She giggles and rubs his forearms. He has such nice muscles in his arms.
"A nap? But I just woke up and I'm starving. You go take a long bath then when you're done, come find me. Maybe we can go for a walk outside or something. I don't even know when we're making this hut move to the next place though."
Once Fin is off to find his hot water, she cleans herself up and follows the smell of food. Approaching the kitchen she hears Maka and Quasit talking but strangely, she sees Kalchine standing just outside the kitchen door, his ears twitching. Is he listening in on their conversation? That is not like him. Maybe there's something else going on. She doesn't want to embarrass him so she backs away without him noticing. She goes back to her backpack to scrounge a snack from her stash.
After quite a while, Fin returns. He's smelling much nicer now.
"Good bath? Want to go for a walk or did you have something else in mind?"