Fandom The Dragon Prince: Deep Trouble [Closed]

[cleopat]

I wish I could speak with those dark mages. Since shattering the mirror, he remained in the dark of exactly where everyone was in their adventure to release, or stop, him. But by the end of thirty days, someone will be there.

And with his newfound freedom during Lethe’s dreams, he could learn more of everyone and not be caught unaware for whoever reached his prison first.

“You’ll see, one day, that you’re still mine.” Aaravos walked to her chair and leaned over to get face-to-face. “And when I have all the freedom I’ve yearned for for three hundred years, I’ll be sure to remind you.”

He leaned forward to place a chaste kiss on her cheek, before pulling away and straightening back up. “Be sure to give everyone my love.” With that, he would leave Lethe to the rest of her dreamspace in peace.

Or was it a nightmare now?

And if she didn’t reverse the spell back on his name, Aaravos would have to pay her a visit again.

~~~

Willow was more than aware of why Finnegrin shifted, and reveled somewhat in what she could do to him. In those little reactions. Of course it only caused him to shift his hands on her, reminding her of his warm hand on her thigh, closer to where she wanted it, but still too far.

She snorted at his comment regarding Deadwood and the rest of the crew. While there were some on the crew she wouldn’t call ugly, Finnegrin certainly had them beat.

But that power and danger merely added to the charm.

Willow swallowed at his salacious suggestion. She had already made up her mind on how things would go when she asked him to stay, to prolong being kicked out in her sopping wet clothes, to enjoy the warmth just a little longer, but that still wouldn’t stop some nerves.

But as he guessed, it thrilled her more, and so she teased him, “Exactly which parts of me are the best?” Her grip on the blanket loosened, but she still remained covered.

 

[Lucyfer]

The chair was a trap. Lethe knew that, but she still went to it, still tried to sink further back into the cushions when Aaravos loomed over her again, making his declarations that she would be his. That tremble returned, but this time, she was mute against his threats. Mute, against the kiss to her cheek, even if it brought up more terror.

And more, terrible memories, of all the times she’d flit around him just to do similar, before flying too high up. Not that he couldn’t have chased, he knew the sky arcanum, but….

Friends….

No wonder everyone thought more. They were right. Lethe and Aaravos just hadn’t admitted it to each other, and now that just tightened the noose around her throat.

Aaravos left, but Lethe sat in the chair with the book unopened for several minutes, maybe hours – time was always strange in the dream – before eventually conceding to trying to make all of this normal by opening it up, and returning to the memories.

To sorting them.

Until she was woken by all the sounds of the waking world starting to move. She groaned as she rolled over onto her side and stared out at the dirt. At the tent flap. She knew exactly where she was, though it took Jove’s crowing to get her to start moving. ‘Aaravos….’ Right, she had one thing to do before she was disturbed.

Opening up her little portal, she pulled a book from cosmic-space, her own stupid little journal, and set it down on a desk, turning to find the page where she’d written Aaravos’s name and every epitaph he’d ever held. It was meant as a warning to herself; the only one who could remove the spell was Aaravos himself, if he got free. The book would have tipped her off.

Now it would serve as a tool again to lock him back up, as she finally came to that page, still bleary-eyed and sleepy.

She created that terrible symbol again over the page. “Damnatio….”

~***~

Finnegrin laughed at her question, as if Willow hadn’t guessed precisely what he meant. No, she likely had, she just wanted to hear it. “Well, I haven’t determined that yet, and won’t be able to until I see,” her clothes gave some idea, but not nearly enough. And when she’d been in her underwear he hadn’t given much time to examine.

Not to mention she’d been sitting, and hiding as much as she could from his gaze.

“I do like a good booty best, but there are some chests out there that put the finest booty to shame,” but he knew he was a booty man. A chest was well and good, and he liked a bit more to them, but they simply couldn’t compare to a good booty.

But every pirate had a weakness to one or the other.

It was probably some unwritten rule that they had to like one or the other when they became a pirate, if only for the jokes at their own expense.

He felt the loosened grip and moved the hand on her waist up a bit, to take hold of the blanket, though he let the arm still rest along her side as he tugged at it a bit, “It’ll only take a glance to decide, love. And then I can let my mouth do more than talk about how beautiful I’m sure they are.”

 

[cleopat]

Callum woke early the next morning, with the sounds of Ezran’s and Bait’s snoring still present in the tent, with the latter far louder. He smiled at them and relished in the soft moment, being near his brother, with Rayla nearby, despite the dangers ahead. Or maybe because of them.

Soon they all were rising and congregating out of their tents, one after the other, with Rayla being the last to rise. Well, minus their new companion, who still hasn’t made herself known. She must be a heavy sleeper, Callum wondered, looking over at her tent.

“Should we..wake her up?” asked Soren, unsure. He certainly wouldn’t be the one to wake her up, as he would feel uncomfortable to disturb anyone’s slumber.

“We need to get going soon,” Ezran said.

“I’ll do it!” Callum volunteered. Maybe it was their brief connection with the Sky primal that made him feel like he should do it, but nevertheless, he went over to her tent and called out her name.

There was no response. Frowning, he briefly debated whether or not to go in, before finally sucking in a deep breath and walking in. “Lethe? Are you awake? We need to-”

Lethe had just completed the spell, and Callum looked wide-eyed at her, the book she held, and back up at her. “Um…what’s going on?”

~~~

Willow scoffed at the horrible word play. It was almost enough to make her want to delay and tease even longer, see how much she could get away with, but she erased that thought with the tug.

She did briefly think about once again what she was doing, the dangerous waters she treaded in such a seemingly intimate moment by an elf with blood on his hands. And all over his ship.

She didn’t want to think about the violence that had occurred by a simple command from him. That would ruin the moment, and she would be forced to return to her quarters in her ruined clothes.

No, she would enjoy the heat and the thrill of the moment.

“I personally prefer a decent sword,” she chuckled, allowing the blanket to fall, leaving her lap the only part still covered. “But I’ve learned that decent swords mean nothing if its owner does not know how to properly wield it.”

 

[Lucyfer]

"...memoriae." Lethe completed the spell despite hearing Callum call for her. He walked in as the names faded, the epitaphs vanished, leaving the page blank. Relief settled on her shoulders as fear twisted her guts. Callum saw the words vanish, she had no doubt, as she closed the book and snapped open her cosmic space.

She put the book away, and closed it.

"Can you keep a secret, Callum?" She asked without looking at him, going back to the bed she'd been allowed to borrow and taking a seat. "Someone needs to know, but if everyone knew, I think morale might crash and burn."

She forced herself to look up at him, aware the vague terms were…wrong, for a child. "No, no, that's too much to ask. You're old enough to decide, and you know them better. I'm sorry, you all have no reason to trust me yet," she laid her hands flat on her lap and smiled. Not happy, not strong, just reassuring.

Apologetic, as she motioned to the chair in the room. Callum might want a seat.

"Do you remember after I lifted the spell, how Stella reacted?"

~***~

"I think you'll find I've had plenty of experience with mine, love," Finnegrin promised as he turned her more in his lap to better face him, and bundled her up close to take her lips in a kiss.

No one disturbed them for quite a while, and he did let her leave in a tunic he had returned not long after, not that it went down far enough to cover all the marks he'd left on her legs. She'd be thinking about it for a while.

Hopefully, she'd be back, as well.

They did return to port sans leviathan, though Finnegrin was making plans for his next outing when they returned to port, blissfully unaware of what was about to fall into his lap.



And that was in the form of another earthblood elf who was seeking passage. After their raft wrecked, Terry promised Claudia he'd find them passage with a tested sailor, so into Scumport he went, asking around to no avail once he mentioned they were humans. Well, he couldn't hide it!

Not to mention their lack of gold, though he promised his magical skills! And Claudia's.

Then his eyes landed on the other earthblood – with five fingers.

He lit up.

"Hello! Trees to meet ya!" He ran up to her with a cheery smile. "I need some help and no one around here seems able to help me out, but I think you could. I need to find a ship that's willing to go out to the Sea of the Castout like – immediately," he looked like a worried puppy. "A friend's life is at stake, so if you have any leads on some, ah, human friendly ships? Maybe needing some work done?"

 

[cleopat]

Callum continued to stare wide-eyed at Lethe, mouth opening and closing as he struggled to think. Her question sent a wave of panic through him, sensing something terribly wrong. What was the secret she hid that would make their morale dissipate?

And he was about to ask, but she interrupted, and continued. His mind kept thinking of the worst case scenarios, that Lethe had a secret that would kill them all, and he wondered at their trust of taking a stranger with them on their journey.

No, listen to her first!

So Callum took a seat when prompted. “Yeah, Stella did act a little off then, and even Rayla thought so as well.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Did lifting the spell…do something else?” But what could it have done that the cuddlemonkey could only see? And not the group?

He leaned forward in his seat, elbows leaning on his knees. “What’s going on exactly?” If she was going to put her friends in danger moreso than they already are...he didn't know what he'd do. But something!

~~~

Willow hated Finnegrin. She hated how he only gave her a tunic to wear to return to her room, which did nothing to hide what had been going on in his cabin. A few crew members glanced her way, but no one said anything. They all knew why.

She hated how much she enjoyed their time together, too.

They returned to port, and on the next day, the shining sun a welcomed contrast to the storm, Willow decided to go on a stroll through Scumport, with Pucca accompanying her in a bag hanging off her shoulder.

She needed some time on solid ground, connected to the earth, as her memories of nearly drowning were still fresh.

Willow was startled by the sudden appearance of another earthblood elf and the familiar greeting. Sure, earthblood elves come through Scumport every now and then, but it was even rarer that one talked to her. So she smiled at him, “trees to meet you!”

He quickly explained what was going on, and she recognized why he wasn’t able to find any help. Biases against humans still lingered, although better than before, and most sailors here wouldn’t be willing to take them anywhere without actual payment.

Willow hesitated, and sighed. “I may be able to help, but I can’t offer any guarantee.” She didn’t know if Finnegrin did this sort of thing, but dammit, she’d have to try for this earthblood elf! “But I wouldn’t recommend offering him manual labor for passage.” It was a warning. She didn’t want to see them sucked into something far worse than they were seeking.

“Is there anything else you can offer? If not,” she hesitated, looking down at Pucca peeking out from inside her bag, before looking back up at the young elf, “I’m sure you two can work out a deal.”

 

[Lucyfer]

The panic was obvious and something Lethe hated herself for inspiring in Callum. Yet, he took a seat. He asked, reaching for the source of the problem, and so Lethe was able to nod in response. "It did. I didn't know the spell had done this."

Deep breath.

"When I unsealed Aaravos's name, a phantom of him appeared. I thought I was imagining it," she sighed and looked down at her lap, "but then he showed up in my dream." Her fingers curled into her palm, tension apparent.

This was too much to put on a child.

But what choice? He was the one that understood magic.

"The star arcanum is what links us. It's why Stella saw him, too. As a phantom he can only linger. Be seen. Speak. In the dream…," one hand ventured up, though she was barely even aware of the act as it settled on her neck. "it's much worse."

Exhale.

"I'm still willing to help if you'll have me, and unlock his name when necessary, but you needed to know the additional risks of that." If they needed more, they'd have it, Lethe was behind them…but they couldn't go into this ignorant.

~***~

Terry lit up as the woman offered to help, knowing someone who might be of assistance. She did seem to understand his situation without him spelling it out too much, for which he was grateful. "Oh thank you, you're a lifesaver – literally!"

Of course, she wanted to know what could be offered.

"Well, I've got my magic and I am very handy! I don't mind physical labor if it'll help." He puffed his chest out a bit with a grin. He then slacked his posture, "I'm traveling with an amazing woman and her dad. She can do," he glanced around, then leaned in to whisper, "dark magic," before pulling away and straightening up, "and she's very good. It's her dad that's, uh, sick, and the cure is out there, but he doesn't have long." Terry clasped his hands together. "I haven't known him long, but he's a good man who would do anything for those he cares about. He doesn't deserve to die. I'd do anything to help them."

He saw the pichi poking it's head out and smiled at it, "Hey there little one – sorry to be so stressed, I promise I'm not angry or anything. You're so cute."

 

[cleopat]

Callum offered Lethe a reassuring smile as she began to explain, in hopes it would ease her nerves in whatever it was she had to say. Whatever it was, it had to be huge for someone of her experience to be nervous over it.

And…well, it was pretty huge.

His eyes widened as he processed the information. “And you didn’t know this would happen?” It sounded like she didn’t, that she was truly worried and sorry it happened to begin with.

If Aaravos could travel like that with his name unveiled, was he still capable of possessing him? Callum shuddered at the memory, at the helplessness he felt while Aaravos took over his body. Sometimes he still had nightmares about the incident.

“Of course we’ll still have you!” If she truly did not know, he didn’t see why she shouldn’t come along. “I don’t know if we’ll need to unlock his name, and we’ll do our best to find a way around it if we can.” To avoid his appearance again.

It truly did spook Lethe.

“Aaravos…did he learn anything about us when he appeared? Such as where we are?” Or…anything else, really. He didn’t know what Aaravos could do in that prison, but did they really want to risk it?

~~~

Willow couldn’t help but to smile at Terry’s antics, instantly feeling at ease around him. Oh how she wanted to help him and those two who cared for deeply!

When he leaned in and whispered that the woman he was with could do dark magic, she froze, thinking she hadn’t heard correctly at first. Someone who knew dark magic? What luck, to find the very thing she needed to gain her freedom. Oh how she could kiss the earthblood elf!

She looked down at Pucca, who was now looking at Terry with mild curiosity. “This little girl here is Pucca. I don’t think she’s met another earthblood elf before.” The pichi kept it’s gaze on the two of them as Willow refocused back to what the elf needed, and what she could offer him.

“Come with me,” she motioned with a tilt of her head. “I believe Finnegrin will be willing to charter you three to the Sea of the Castout, if your dark mage can do something for us.” She lowered her voice at the end, mindful that no one overheard. “I can’t give you the details of that right now, but when we get to Finnegrin, I’m sure he’ll give you those answers.”

She still refused to call him captain, the one semblance of control she felt. Did it actually bother him? She didn’t know, but she liked to pretend it did.

“By the way, what’s your name? I’m Willow.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Lethe shook her head in immediate denial. She hadn't known at all that this would happen, and she felt relief when Callum agreed to keep her involved…and try not to need the spell reversed. He understood. He didn't blame her.

More and more, she liked the kid.

He had an understanding streak to him that no doubt explained how he learned an arcanum. "He knew our location at the Bookery but no where else. He picked up you were looking for ways to kill him."

He was forewarned which was dangerous.

"I didn't speak of how nor do I think he knows," so that was one advantage, but a slight one. If he broke out, he would still be terribly dangerous and know his enemies. "It's best we don't let him escape."

She stood up, "I'm sorry I slept in. It was…well, a night," the laugh was half-hearted. "I'll get ready and be out in a few. You can tell the others." If he so chose.

She'd endured worse.

~***~

"Pucca, eh? Trees to meet ya!" Terry greeted her as well now that he had a proper name, "hopefully I make a good impression for all of us," although he understood not all earthblood elves were good. They were stubborn more often than not and unwilling to accept change easily.

To his fortune, it sounded like Finnegrin wanted someone with dark magic. "Oh, good! And I understand," this wasn't the sort of thing one talked about openly. There was still a lot of prejudice around it and he still had misgivings about it.

If it would save Viren though, they had to try.

So he followed Willow. "Oh! I'm Terry. It's short for Terrestrius but that's a mouthful, so Terry is just fine," he went along as he was led onto a ship and to a door with an interesting lock system.

They were let in by a tidebound elf, tall and, well, intimidating, but Terry still smiled in greeting and offered his hand. "Trees to meet you! I'm Terry."

Finnegrin did not take it. He looked dubiously from the stranger, to Willow. "What is this?" This was not worth interrupting his day for.

 

[cleopat]

Callum had no reason to not believe the elf when she assured him she did not know any of that would happen. Maybe he was like Ezran, and wanted to believe in the good of people.

“Alright, I think we should be okay, especially now that the spell is back in place.” And he couldn’t overhear any more of their plans.

Could he do something to stop them if he knew of their plans? Could he communicate with Claudia or Viren? There were too many unknown variables, and they needed to move fast.

Callum smiled softly at her. “Take your time. I’ll let the others know you’ll be out soon.” He wouldn’t sleep well either if Aaravos took over his dreams. He walked out of the tent, and the others looked in his direction, questions clear on their faces.

“You were in there for a few minutes. Is everything okay with Lethe?” Ezran asked.

“Oh! Uh, yeah! She just…didn’t sleep too well last night and needed a few extra minutes to get ready. She’ll be out in a few minutes.” Smooth, Callum, real smooth.

~~~

“It’s nice to meet you Terry.” She led him on Finnegrin’s ship, engaging in light conversation on the way. Once on the ship, and in the office, Terry didn’t hesitate to offer Finnegrin the standard earthblood elf greeting, as when she did the same greeting, he didn’t look one bit amused.

Rude.

“Terry here is traveling with two human companions, and he says it’s important for them to get to the Sea of the Castout immediately. He says they have no money to offer, but,” she held up one finger before there could be any interruption, “one of the humans he’s traveling with? She’s a dark mage.”

Willow couldn’t wait to see the reaction to the news that she had already managed to bring him something he greatly desired - and she couldn’t wait to renegotiate that debt. “So, I was thinking, a favor for a favor.” Surely using the dark mage to help bring down an archdragon was worth passage to the sea.

“I didn’t leave anything out, did I?” she looked at Terry for confirmation.

 

[Lucyfer]

Rayla frowned at Callum’s answer. She knew he was lying, however, he hadn’t pressured her about her own secret, even when she was caught sneaking into Viren’s old chambers. He had simply accepted she had a good reason. She would have to extend that trust to him, too. Even if it was a bit hard.

She trusted him.

It was Lethe she’d hold some doubts about, for Callum holding a secret from them. “All right,” she agreed, “well hopefully she’ll be quick, Zubeia won’t wait forever.”

Thankfully for them, Lethe was quick, changed and with everything back in cosmic-space. Hungry, but she could eat on the way as she approached them with Jove. “Sorry everyone,” she greeted as she stepped out into the open.

“It’s okay,” Ezran smiled at her, “you’re not used to this kind of schedule yet!” he was encouraging as ever, “Zubeia’s waited for us, and there’s breakfast in my pack!”

“Oh, good, can I get some? I’d rather not add to Zubeia’s burden when I don’t have to,” she was, of course, referring to using Jove to fly along, though as they reached Zubeia, Jove had no qualms whatsoever about hopping up on to Zubeia’s back, as Ezran was digging out breakfast for Lethe.

“Hey! Jove, don’t do that, that’s the Queen of the Dragons.”

Jove made some sort of chortling noise in his throat and Ezran giggled, “He has a point. Everyone else is, and there’s more than enough room,” Ezran encouraged, “It’d be nice to have you join us.”

‘Join. Talk. Be a part of you all.’ Yeah, Lethe got it, it didn’t mean she wasn’t anxious about it.

“I’ll give you the jelly tart up there,” he said, before moving to climb up onto Zubeia’s back.

Lethe sighed, but relented, swiping her hand at the ground and using that old cantrip of gusting winds to push herself up into the air, to land on Zubeia’s back. “Sorry, Zubeia….”

Zubeia just tossed her head from side to side, “You hardly add any weight. Jove weighs more.”

“I know,” Lethe gave the stormbird a sour look, but Jove just fluffed his feathers and peacocked down the dragon’s back a bit to find a better position, as everyone climbed up onto the dragon to enjoy a free ride.

~***~

Finnegrin was going to protest – he didn’t help the poor – but Willow indicated what they did have. Dark magic. His brows lifted in intrigue, as this Terry shook his head about leaving anything out.

“Interesting,” Finnegrin mused, “How skilled is this dark mage?” he asked, canting his head, “what I want isn’t an easy task to perform, you see.”

“Oh, she’s amazing!” Terry said, “She can fight dragons, she can bring people back from the dead, she’s – oh, you’ll love her, I’m sure,” Terry gushed, “and she’d definitely, definitely find a way to help you do what you need if you can get us to the Sea of the Castout.”

“That desperate, huh?” he didn’t sugarcoat it. “Good. Bring your companions to me, I’ll judge for myself. Is it just the two humans?”

“Well, uh, there’s also Sir Sparklepuff. I think Viren called him a…homunculus?”

‘Viren.’ Now that was a name that Finnegrin knew. That was a dark mage he’d heard of, but why wasn’t Terry talking about him? Could it be someone else named Viren? Finnegrin found that hard to believe, but he didn’t question that just yet. No, he’d obviously meet this Viren, and he’d see for himself.

“A homunculus,” Finnegrin stated, more than asked.

“Yeaaah – he’s a good help! A bit, ah, weird – but who isn’t without their quirks, right?” Terry beamed.

Finnegrin sighed.

He could already tell he was going to be exasperated by this one. Nonetheless, “Right, of course, of course,” he waved it off, “go fetch them, I’ll be right here.”

“Thank you sir! You won’t regret it!” he all but bowed as he got up and backed off, before sprinting off, evident glee in his expression.

 

[cleopat]

Callum climbed onto Zubeia, and he gave Lethe an encouraging smile, happy that she was joining them. It would be a great bonding moment! Jove certainly thought so, already making himself at home on the dragon.

“Hey Ezran! Got a jelly tart for me?” he called out, which Ezran replied in the affirmative and passed him one of the sweet, sweet treats he missed from home.

Once everyone was one, Zubeia took off with the flap of her wings.

“Do you want to try a jelly tart? There’s more than enough for everyone!” Ezran offered, holding the pastry out towards Lethe. His quiet symbolism of welcoming her to the group.

“You should definitely try one!” Soren said, right before he stuffed his mouth with a jelly tart. “It’s really good!” Though the words were muffled with a mouthful of pastry.

~~~

The way Terry gushed about this dark mage of his was adorable. It was clear how much she meant to him, and she certainly hoped the mage could live up to his bragging about her. For all of their sakes.

But she liked him. She hoped to get the opportunity to talk to him more, maybe learn more about earthblood culture.

Willow watched him leave, then turned back to face Finnegrin, a grin on her face. “You heard that? She can fight dragons and bring people back from the dead. She sounds like the dark mage you needed.” How could she not be!

“And if she is the one to kill Domina, then remember that I am the one to bring them to you.” And Willow would expect a discussion of the debt owed. Something like that? The debt should be erased! She expected to be released from her servitude.

 

[Lucyfer]

This mysterious ‘jelly tart’ was passed out, everyone seeming to want one. Even the glow toad took one up, and so a bit bemused, Lethe accepted the treat. And Jove, naturally, marched over to look at it himself, so she tore him off a portion and offered it out.

He pecked it out of her hand, and made another trilling, chortling sound, before he tried to peck the other part out, “Hey – hey no,” she moved it away, and Jove gave her a death glare that she ignored before taking a bite of the strange treat.

It wasn’t half-bad.

“This is good,” she said, finishing it off – and giving Jove another small piece, which he crowed about, before marching back to another resting place on Zubeia, “is this from your kingdom?"

Ezran nodded, “Yes. They were my mom’s favorite treat,” he said, “and they’re definitely Bait’s, and I think, Rex Igneous,” Ezran chuckled, “we gave him a new one my chef had just invented, and he really, really liked it, enough to try and help us, though, it all went awry.”

Lethe held a smile, but didn’t feel any happiness for Rex Igneous finding a delicious pastry to enjoy. “Well, he’s fickle.”

“Oh—no it wasn’t his fault, not really,” Ezran denied, “we went to him to find out about Aaravos, because he had a map—”

“—and then Claudia and Viren showed up and put everyone to sleep so they could get the map instead.” Rayla explained.

“But I saved the day.” Soren smiled.

Rayla groaned, “I would hardly call your smelly feet saving the day…but yes.”

Lethe was definitely lost – but she nodded as if she was following along. “So…Igneous had the map and the dark mages got it?”

“Well…not exactly. The map was imprinted on his tooth.” Ezran said.

“And they…took his tooth?”

“No….” Rayla said, “It’s more like, they took a copy of the tooth on same strange goop.”

Lethe was really lost.

“So…why don’t you all have a map if he still has his tooth?”

~***~

Finnegrin’s lips curled a bit at that, “So she does,” he agreed, and leaned back in his chair, “we’ll have to see if she can live up to that buck’s gushing or if it’s all just exaggeration, but we’ll see soon,” he waved it off, “Domina won’t be too difficult to find.”

Not with her promise to kill him if he ever ventured too far.

She’d come to find him if she heard, and he’d make sure his appearance was loud to draw her out. He wouldn’t miss the opportunity. “Otherwise, well, most of you will all be dead,” he chuckled, as if it wasn’t something to worry about. It wasn’t for him, of course. He had no plans of dying.

He could escape Domina.

Of course, the matter of the debt was brought up. “Oh yes, we’ll discuss it if she succeeds,” how much more was needed, all of those good things would be brought up. “But you can’t really want to leave so soon, can you?” he teased, of course referencing the time they’d spent together not that long ago.

That hadn’t been solely for her debt.

He knew that.

 

[cleopat]

Callum chuckled at the antics of Jove. All of the animals enjoyed the jelly tart, really, and he couldn’t blame them.

The conversation turned to reliving the moment they were at Umbar Tor, and how Claudia and Viren were there as well…his heart twisted in slight discomfort as he recalled how far gone Claudia seemed, caught up in her mission to free Aaravos.

Soren was the one to answer Lethe’s question, “Do you want to be the one to try and get a map off of a tooth from an angry dragon?”

Callum shook his head. “Yeah, things went…downhill pretty fast, before we had the chance to get the map as well.” And because of what went down at Umber Tor, Claudia and Viren were two steps ahead of them. They could already be at the site of Aaravos’ prison for all they knew!

“And this is why we’re going to see this Archmage Akiyu!” Ezran said. “We’re hoping she could help us in telling us where Aaravos’ prison is located.”

~~~

Now Willow really hoped this mage could kill the dragon. She hadn’t considered that a failure in the mission would leave behind a very angry dragon, and since she couldn’t swim, she was as good as dead.

She depended so much on this mage already. She just hoped Terry wasn’t overemphasizing everything to put this woman on a pedestal out of love, or whatever was going on between those two.

Naturally, the bastard had to bring up their time together. Sure, it was a great moment, with pleasure and thrills she would love to experience again, but really, only under different circumstances. There was something else she preferred to have.

Willow rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “You can’t blame me for wanting my freedom, can you? I would prefer to have my debt erased.” The artificial debt that Finnegrin made up on the spot.

 

[Lucyfer]

Soren’s question was answer enough, and Lethe sighed. No, she wouldn’t want to do that, but that was rather infuriating that Rex Igneous wouldn’t help them out, and Zubeia couldn’t force him, even though the dark mages had the information. ‘More reason to dislike the dragons.’ So petty. So difficult.

She kept that within. It’d be a bad idea to say that while riding on a dragon. Let alone around people who likely…didn’t realize how bad dragons could be.

She just hummed in understanding, “Right….” Akiyu….

Ezran realized, “You know Akiyu, don’t you?” he was excited, more than worried.

Lethe sighed, “Yes, I know Akiyu,” they weren’t on…bad terms, exactly. They’d both chosen isolation after what occurred. As far as Lethe knew, Akiyu was more or less forced into it based on knowing too much.

Perhaps that was why they were sent towards her.

“What’s she like?” Ezran asked, “She must be powerful and knowledgeable.”

“She is,” Lethe agreed, “I knew her better as Tina, once upon a time.”

“Tina?” Rayla’s nose wrinkled.

“Tidebound Tina,” Lethe grinned, “It’s just what we called her, I can’t even remember how she got the name,” she leaned back and watched the sky pass, “It’s been centuries since I’ve seen her.” Only a couple of times since The Incident.

~***~

“Really now? You seemed to me the sort who might love some binding up, pebble,” he teased, but Finnegrin didn’t get further than that before Deadwood was opening the door to let in four figures.

Terry, of course.

The woman with the black and white hair had to be Claudia.

An older man with graying, brown hair followed, dressed rather…well, drab. He was holding the hand of the homunculus, some sort of startouched creature. A rarity, and yet, it was obvious what it was all the same.

“Finnegrin, meet Claudia, Viren, and Sir Sparklepuff!” Terry introduced, “Claudia, this is Finnegrin, he can get us to the Sea of the Castout—”

“I can,” Finnegrin interrupted him, “Claudia is it? Pleasure to meet ye,” he said, “I have but one question for you: can you kill an Archdragon?”

Claudia looked a bit taken aback by that question, but her gaze hardened immediately into a determined expression. “Yes. Absolutely.”

No doubt. No hesitation.

“And how would ye go about killing Domina Profundis?”

“Do you have a unicorn horn? Because that’s one good way. Oh! Oh! And the last breath of someone she killed, and someone who loves them.” Claudia added, “That’s how Avizandum was dealt with.”

“Oh? You know that?” he didn’t find he was actually surprised. “Were you the mage who did it?” He knew she wasn’t.

And she shook her head, “No, um, no, but I can do it! And I—I have other ideas if those ingredients aren’t possible!”

Desperate.

Just how he liked them.

 

[cleopat]

Callum wasn’t as enthusiastic over Lethe’s reaction to Akiyu as Ezran seemed to be. It sounded like there was a history between them, which with her connection to Aaravos, there could be.

And he didn’t have to wait long for an answer. She did know Akiyu, but she didn’t explain much. There was more, but he was confident they would learn more soon enough.

“Tidebound Tina?” echoed Soren. “Doesn’t sound like a name that should belong to a powerful archmage. It sounds like…it sounds like it belongs more to a child!”

Callum sighed and chuckled at Soren’s comment. “Just make sure you don’t underestimate her as you would a child.” He knew Soren wouldn’t, though. Soren knew not to underestimate anyone.

He looked back over at Lethe. “Are you excited to see her again? I mean…centuries!” He still couldn’t fathom how old some elves got. “Wait…how old can tidebound elves get? Or is she special? Like you!” They all knew Skywing elves didn’t live as long as she had. She was certainly a special case.

~~~

Willow didn’t give Finnegrin any answer to his statement. She was fortunate, for Deadwood returned that moment with Terry and three others. She moved off to the side so they could approach his desk.

She observed the others with mild curiosity while the young woman spoke. She was rather pretty, and her hair color was interesting. A product of dark magic? Then the older man, dressed like a hermit, was just…standing there. Not really looking at anything. She frowned, wondering what was wrong with him.

Then the third…creature. Willow had never seen such a thing before. It was so ugly, it was kind of cute. But she didn’t think too much about the creature, when Claudia said with such determination that she could kill Domina. And she knew how.

Foolishly, Willow allowed herself to have some hope for this endeavor to succeed. Which would mean her days on the Sea Legs were numbered.

“Well unless you have more time to find the ingredients, which I doubt you do,” remembering how Terry said they needed to get to the sea immediately, “you may need to go ahead and tell us your other ideas. You may be able to find a lot of rare and illegal goods here, but I can guarantee you those three will not be among them.”

 

[Lucyfer]

“Well, she did get the name in her childhood, Soren,” Lethe said lightly, “we were all children once,” and some nicknames carried forward, although she really never wanted to hear ‘star’ again. Not that she’d earned it as a child, but all the same.

“Tidebound elves can get pretty old,” Lethe said, “Although they seem to start…passing on at 500,” she’d never know how long she could live until she got there. Certainly, it couldn’t be much longer. ‘Well, not if Aaravos gets free.’ She was going to stop thinking about being murdered one day. “I’m…not sure how I feel. I don’t enjoy the circumstances. That complicates everything.”

It wasn’t like she was visiting to actually see Akiyu. She was visiting to…hinder Aaravos. Possibly even to kill him. That made everything difficult. “After so long, you’re a bit…afraid to see someone, no matter how good things were.” Not that they were great with Akiyu at the end, but they weren’t terrible.

They’d both learned their own forms of isolation, for their own reasons.

Rayla nodded, “Yeah. Though – now I’m wondering – how do you live so long? It isn’t some secret cult like the Blood Moon hunters, is it?”

Lethe immediately shook her head, showing disgust, “No! No, that was something Luna should have banned in her own time, but…well, never mind that,” she sighed, “it’s the star arcanum. Understanding it…well, Callum knows,” she gestured, “once you understand an arcanum, it changes you.”

“And…Aaravos taught you that. Right?” Ezran was tentative in asking.

Lethe glanced down. “In a manner of speaking.”

~***~

Finnegrin snorted, “Oh, I have a unicorn’s horn,” he noted, kicking his legs up onto his desk as he leaned back in his chair, “the other two would have to happen in the midst of the fight. Not impossible,” very likely, actually, “but I’d rather limit damage to ship and crew,” he noted, “what other options are there?”

Claudia nodded, pounding her fist into her palm, “Right,” she agreed, “the other option would involve multiple spells, but not all of them are difficult! I’ll need some coral,” freezing the water around Domina, and freezing Domina herself, seemed like the first route to take. It would at least start to hinder her movements.

“Then I’ll need the tongue of an abyssal whale, and ah…Domina’s blood,” which might be difficult to get, but Finnegrin looked intrigued.

“Her blood?”

“I’m sure you can harpoon her! I’ve seen similar done to a dragon, and with the ice spells she’ll be slowed down.”

Slowed down. Finnegrin chuckled, “Cute. What does this spell of yours do?” He wasn’t entirely convinced, but he was willing to listen.

“It’s a spell to remove liquid from an area, but it has to touch that liquid. Since Domina is a water dragon, I thought at first we could remove the water – but then I realized it would also work to just, you know – remove her blood!” Claudia laughed a bit, more nerves than anything, as Terry looked at her in a bit of horror.

He’d looked a bit horrified through this whole conversation, “Do we really need to kill Domina Profundis?”

“Terry,” Claudia turned back towards him, “this is the only way! And besides, you know the dragons have been hunting us down! And they’re the ones who imprisoned Aaravos!”

‘Aaravos?’ Finnegrin…knew that name. Someone once told him it was the name of the dark-eyed sailor in the song. A terrible, vengeful figure, if so, but he’d heard the name whispered about among mages, and never quite knew who, or why.

“I know love, I know, it’s just…it seems like we’d have a lot more problems if we did this.”

“Nonsense,” Finnegrin smiled, “I’ll take all the blame for Domina’s death, you two will be safe as lambs.”

 

[cleopat]

Callum nodded with Lethe’s comment. Knowing, understanding, the arcanum…it did change him, some in ways he didn't quite understand yet. Would it affect his aging at all, like the star arcanum affected Lethe’s?

He wanted to ask her more about Aaravos teaching her the star arcanum, especially as she mentioned it was only ‘in a manner of speaking.’ What did that mean exactly? He hesitated though, mindful of how she reacted that morning.

“Hey, maybe since you and Akiyu know each other, she'll be more likely to help us out and tell us where Aaravos’ prison is!” said Ezran, full of childhood hopefulness.

But Soren was far more interested in asking about what he knew very little about. “So, this arcanum, how does it change you? I mean,” he gestured towards Soren, “he still looks the same

~~~

Willow raised her brows, wondering exactly how Finnegrin came into possession of a unicorn’s horn. She didn’t even know they were possible to find anymore. And for the breath of someone Domina killed, in the midst of the battle? She didn’t like that.

Well, as long as it wasn’t her, she didn’t care too much. She hadn’t bonded with the other crew members well enough to care about their deaths just yet.

The mage certainly seemed confident she could help kill Domina, if not eager, and her Earthblood boyfriend, an odd pairing right there, looked a little horrified by it all. And that name they mentioned…Aaravos? Whoever that was, he seemed important.

Finnegrin assured them that they would be safe, and Willow couldn’t help but to snort at that. Yeah, like lambs to the slaughter. The little…homunculus looked over at her with a cocked head, and she just merely raised a brow at it.

Weird creature.

“That…sounds like a lot to consider when battling an archdragon,” she said. “And the other guy right there,” she motioned toward Viren, “is he alright? He hasn’t said anything….or blinked.”

 

[Lucyfer]

There was the possibility that Akiyu would be more willing to help.

There was also the possibility, Lethe knew, that Akiyu would be less willing. Ezran seemed willing to forget the suspicions everyone held for her, though, so she didn’t bring it up to deter his optimism. Especially as Soren somewhat changed the subject to that of arcanums and how it changed people.

“I don’t really understand it myself,” Rayla admitted, “but I was just born this way,” Callum and Lethe were the only two who learned arcanum, which was a feat unheard of. “I just know the moon, I don’t have to think about it,” Rayla also didn’t use it for magic, which she supposed could be another reason she didn’t understand it well.

Ezran leaned forward, “Yeah! Callum hasn’t really explained it to us,” he giggled, “Well, he’s tried.”

Lethe smiled, “I’m not sure I can do much better,” she confessed, “It’s like learning to walk,” that was something they could all relate to, even if they couldn’t remember when they learned to walk. “You have legs, your whole life, but you don’t know how to use them. Once you know how to use them, everything changes. You can reach things higher, you can move faster, you can jump – it opens up a whole new world! It’s a change that’s physical, as much as mental. Your whole world expands at that moment. That’s what it’s like to learn an arcanum, and the changes….” She shook her head a bit, “it’s the same, but every arcanum changes you differently, just like learning what every part of your body does, offers new changes.”

Learning how to grip things, learning how to walk, learning how to talk – the moments their parents marked with glee.

“Huh,” Soren seemed to understand, “but then, how is the sky arcanum going to change Callum?”

“It’s not going to give him a longer life,” Lethe said, “but if you’re talking about physical changes, he should be quicker.” Lightning, wind, all of these were quick things, “one who understands the storm understands agility and quickness. Their reflexes are like lightning, they understand when and how to move, better. I guess you could say, it’s the legs of the arcanum, too.”

“So wait, what’s the moon then?” Rayla asked. “What are stars?”

“I don’t know the moon,” yet, she wanted to say, but she had…stopped looking into it seriously after learning the star arcanum, despite going towards deep magic. That was still something she’d only recently begun again, “so I don’t know. Why don’t you tell us?”

“Uh, well—I—I’ve never put much thought into it. I haven’t studied the other arcanum to know how to compare it,” Rayla frowned, realizing more and more how much she ought to pay attention to this. How much she ought not to take it for granted.

And disregarding that Lethe wasn’t answering what ‘star’ was as she pondered.

~***~

Claudia looked back at Viren, and then stepped back to him, “He’s…not well. That’s why we need this trip,” she confessed, “the cure for him is in the Sea of the Castout, and only there,” she insisted, “so if we help with Domina, will you take us there?”

“Sure,” Finnegrin agreed, “we’ll get on our way, I know where some of those tongues are sold so I’ll make sure to purchase a few, and load up on coral,” he said, “Willow, show them to your room, would ya? They’ll be using it as their guest quarters for the rest of the journey.”

She might not like it – no, she definitely wouldn’t like it – but he didn’t have much space left beyond the brig, and that would just be rude to send their guests there.

“Oh! Sorry to put you out, Willow,” Terry looked genuinely sad about it, and Claudia a little nervous. She had a feeling this was a surprise sprung on the other elf, but she wasn’t going to argue on the pirate’s behalf.

They needed this, and she didn’t want anymore delays. They couldn’t handle anymore, or her father would die.

It was bad enough their raft got destroyed by the last dragon they met. That already put them back by a few days.

 

[cleopat]

Did Callum change at all by the sky arcanum?

He had never been…the most athletic, despite Soren once trying to train him on the sword. Maybe he did run a little faster now. Maybe he could catch something a little better now. A little better in surviving when they’re out of Katolis.

“Maybe it’s just a…change that you don’t really consider too much, because of how natural it feels.” He looked down at the palms of his hands, thinking of what they can do now. How with a simple movement and utterance of a spell, he can do primal magic that no human had accomplished in centuries, at least.

“Well, I think your reflexes may be a bit faster! Not as fast as mine, of course,” Soren grinned.

“No one's as fast as yours,” Callum chuckled, shaking his head.

“Wait, is the star arcanum any different? Surely you know how to describe how that one has changed you, if it’s one you learned later!” Ezran asked, leaning forward in his spot with eagerness to hear more about the mysterious arcanum.

~~~

Wait, show them to her…what?

Willow snapped her gaze over to Finnegrin, which then hardened into a glare as what he just said finally processed. I bring you a dark mage able and willing to kill this archdragon, and this is how you repay me?

She opened her mouth to argue, but thought against it. Not in front of the others, she didn’t know how he would retaliate, but after she showed them to her room? She would definitely come back, and try to figure out where the fuck she was supposed to sleep for the time being.

So she turned back towards their guests and gave them a smile. “Of course, follow me.” They didn’t deserve any of her anger. It wasn’t their fault she was being kicked out of her room, when she was certain they had some other rooms available for them.

No, Finnegrin was just a damn sadist.

Willow led them out of the office, with Viren and the…weird creature hand-in-hand following them. It was almost cute. “Don’t worry about the room issue,” she assured them. “I have somewhere else I can sleep for now.” She hoped.

 

[Lucyfer]

Lethe nodded her agreement with Callum’s thoughts. It was that – or it should be that, at any rate, and perhaps if learning the star arcanum had been less than it was, Lethe wouldn’t have thought too much on it. But learning the star arcanum was not simple, not something she could just brush aside.

“It’s supposed to be natural,” Lethe said, “like walking. We don’t remember learning that,” but Ezran brought it back to the star arcanum. ‘For Callum’s sake….’ For all of theirs, perhaps, but how did she explain it.

“You can see how it’s changed me in my unnatural lifespan,” Lethe pointed out to Ezran, “stars are…constantly changing, and ever-steady. All we see from our vantage is how steady they are. How they seem to form patterns in the sky that we can use, but that’s not true. They’re constantly shifting, constantly moving, we’re just not close enough to see it. If you look back at old books, the patterns in the sky were different than what they are now.”

Rayla perked up, “The constellations changed?”

“Some didn’t exist,” Lethe confirmed, “it takes a long time for the light to reach us. Everything with stars is…slow. Until it isn’t.” Until a star exploded. Until everything was crystal clear. “It’s hard to explain. I had…a moment of clarity.”

Like understanding mortality.

“And I couldn’t come back from it.”

~***~

Terry did look worried, of course, as they left the office. Even as Willow reassured them that she had a place to sleep. He bit his bottom lip, but Claudia accepted it at face value, “Thank you! I promise we won’t get into your things and you can come in to get whatever you need!” It was probably going to be difficult enough to figure out sleeping arrangements with four of them, and just one bed, but they’d figure it out!

They could probably make the floor comfy.

And Claudia didn’t really think Sir Sparklepuff needed to sleep.

“We owe ya one. Several, really,” Terry noted, “if this all works out for us, for matching us up to Finnegrin.”

Claudia nodded agreeably, as they reached the room and were able to step in, Viren just walking in numbly, not even looking around the room, the homunculus keeping hold of his hand – but evidently wanting to go bounding around and exploring the new area.

“Um, is there anywhere we really shouldn’t look at all, or…?” Terry asked, hesitant to touch anything in the room despite it being lent to them.

 

[cleopat]

“That sounds…amazing,” Callum whispered in awe, glancing up at the skies as if he could see any stars in the daytime. To think that the constellations they looked at every night were different from what their ancestors saw.

To be able to gaze into another arcanum like that…Callum didn’t get his hopes up that something like that would ever happen to him. A human knowing one arcanum was already unheard of. Two? A story fit for children!

“What was this moment of clarity like? If you can explain it, that is,” Callum wondered. If she was able to describe it, would he be able to understand it? Would it help him think of a way to kill Aaravos?

“We know that Aaravos is old,” Ezran started, “and we know that knowing the star arcanum extends your life,” he motioned over to Lethe, “but do we know how old those like Aaravos can live? How old those born with the knowledge of the star arcanum can live?”

~~~

Willow gave Terry a reassuring smile. Don’t thank me just yet for bringing you to Finnegrin. She hoped he wouldn’t add anything extra to their deal, or go back on it. She may have just met Terry, but already she wanted to protect him!

Though Claudia seemed to be able to protect herself, she didn’t want anything to befall her either.

And as Terry mentioned owing her one, or several, she had half a mind to ask for a big favor after everything was done. Could they take her away? Could Claudia use dark magic to make sure she escaped Finnegrin?

Shaking the thought from her mind, for now, she shook her head at Terry. “Nah, I don’t have anything personal in here. I just have some clothes in that top drawer over there,” she nodded over to the dresser, “but other than that, feel free to make yourselves at home. Really.”

“Oh!” She leaned forward towards Terry with an additional thought. “There’s a bag of pebbles under the bed, if you need it.” She straightened back up, and prepared to leave, but paused. Looking over her shoulder to make sure all was clear, she then faced the group. “And be careful around Finnegrin, alright?”

 

[Lucyfer]

Lethe missed that innocent wonder Callum had about the arcanum. She wished she still had it, but seeing it was still…well, nice. To know there were still people out there who weren’t corrupt, or malicious. Who had a genuine interest in these things, too – and didn’t believe it was all impossible.

Callum had the potential to go far.

She still resented his question, though. She looked off to the side, as if in thought, though she knew exactly what it was like. One didn’t forget something like that, after all. “The closest thing I can think of, and forgive how dark it is, is the moment you realize you’re mortal.” Which was at odds with the life-extending powers. “When you actually understand that even the stars die, and they aren’t as steady or stable as you thought, it’s reliving that realization on a grander scale.”

It made some, as Aaravos complained of, impassive and dispassionate. They cared for nothing, because nothing mattered. The universe was temporary.

It turned others into swirling balls of fire, full of passion, vim, and vigor.

Lethe had fallen into dispassion for many, many years.

Rayla, Soren, and Ezran definitely looked a bit startled by that. Even Bait had his jaw open. “S-sorry! I said it was a bit dark,” she laughed, trying to shake it off, “I know that it seems to inspire to very…different sorts of reactions in people who are born with it. There are those who take a nihilistic approach, like…well, like most of the stars,” she sighed, “and there are those who…don’t.”

She didn’t need to say his name again.

“I guess that makes sense,” Soren said, that rare lucidity of his coming up, “If everything’s temporary, that’s all the more reason to pursue your dreams! Shoot for the stars! Even if it kills you!”

“That’s…not a good lesson, Soren.” Rayla stated, more because of the ‘even if it kills you’ part. Not a good lesson to be instilling in Ezran. Or others. Caution was wiser.

Soren shrugged. Of course, his history with living and dying was a bit different, considering he’d faced death very young, and then was paralyzed. He knew what it was to face death and disability, and he’d been spared both times. He wasn’t going to be afraid when death came for him at last. He would chase his dreams, like those stars! He’d go out with a bang!

~***~

“We’ll try not to mess anything up, still,” Claudia noted, and saw then how Willow leaned into Terry. She scowled just a moment, before hearing what she said and almost laughing. She just rolled her eyes instead with a huff.

Pebbles!

But she remembered how helpful they were. Were all earthblood elves this way? Well, no, she knew that wasn’t true. Terry had a lot of bad stories about others refusing to accept him for who he was, which was shameful behavior.

Terry lit up, of course. “Oh! Thank you! I promise, I won’t crack a single one,” he moved a hand over his heart, “they will be as smooth as the day you found them.” And the serious demeanor faltered into a softer one, “and you can come use them whenever you need. I know it must be hard out here on the sea somedays.”

“It’s just the sea. Isn’t there like…sand beneath all of it anyways?”

“Well, yes,” Terry said, “but it’s harder to sense, you know? Like how you know there’s water in a desert, but it’s hard to get at.”

“Mmmm…well not really with the right spells,” Claudia took a seat on the bed, “but I guess if you didn’t have the right ingredients….”

“Exactly! And I don’t always have the right grasp to sense that,” Terry said.

“Well, then I’m glad we have the pebbles,” she said. “And we’ll be careful around Finnegrin,” her smile was more cutting, then, “if he tries to mess with this deal, we’ll just take the boat!”

“Um, Clauds, we don’t know how to sail a boat like this.” They barely knew how to sail a raft.

“How hard can it be?” she flopped back on the bed.

Terry just chuckled nervously, “Let’s not find out, okay?” Not that it was in either of their plans.

Viren let Sir Sparklepuff go and he immediately went to go jump on the bed, despite Claudia laying there.

 

[cleopat]

Callum chuckled nervously at Soren. His brush with death several times already caused the man to not fear death like most did, to a point where Callum almost feared for him and his decisions. “Shoot for the stars is a good motto, but let’s not add that part about it killing you.”

That was a little too ambitious.

Soren merely pouted, but accepted his lesson may be too extreme for some. Not everyone could be as fearless as he!

“It sounds like it may be for the best that I try not to learn the star arcanum,” Callum said. “It almost sounds…like it’s too much.” Maybe not everything was meant to be understood. Would the star arcanum drive a human like him mad? Would he lose himself in the knowledge he unlocked?

“You wanted to learn the star arcanum?” Ezran asked.

Callum shrugged. “I don’t know how possible it is, but I wondered if I could attune to one primal magic, if I could attune to them all..”

~~~

Willow chuckled at them. They were like a cute family. A weird one, with an earthblood elf, two humans, and some homunculus, but cute nonetheless. She could feel the care and love between them, and it made her chest ache.

“Right! Well, I’ll let you guys get settled in, and if you need anything, feel free to try and find me. I’ll be happy to help you.” She gave them a wave, with a chorus of ‘good byes!’ following as she left her quarters.

Her eyes narrowed as she made her way back to Finnegrin’s office. Reaching the door, she rapidly knocked on it, “Finnegrin! I need to talk to you!” He had to know. He always knew. She was let in his office, and she made sure the door was closed before she strolled further in.

“What the hell, Finnegrin?” she all but yelled in her anger and frustration. “Giving them my room?” The one place on the ship where she could escape from everything and everyone, and relax in peace. “I thought you'd be happy that I brought you a dark mage. Where am I supposed to sleep?”

 

[Lucyfer]

Callum wondered, and Callum doubted. Lethe felt bad for that doubt, and she shook her head a bit, “It’s not…bad,” Lethe said, “it is a lot, but I think every arcanum is, and they all take an adjustment of sorts. We learn a lot of things as we grow up, and some of the lessons…they impact us more than others. The way we learn them matters, too.”

She sighed, “I learned the star arcanum when I saw Aaravos imprisoned.” There. Get it out. “I had been trying to learn it until that point,” she was never sure he was actually trying to teach her, or just being a pain with his cryptic words. “Everything just…clicked when I saw his reaction. It wasn’t the best way to understand it.”

But as she said – she couldn’t take it back.

“I believe you can learn them all, Callum. It used to be my own goal, and I know two. Six isn’t impossible – you just have to figure out which one next. I know for Aaravos, the Ocean arcanum was the hardest,” she tried to lighten it with that. To let him know even the great Aaravos had struggled with one, maybe one he could pick up easier.

“Ugh, two mages,” Rayla groaned, but it was playful, to take the edge off the serious note of Lethe’s lesson, “all I’m ever going to hear about is the arcanum!”

Ezran giggled at the mock complaint, “We could talk about swords! And muscles! While they’re talking about magic,” Soren suggested, and Rayla just groaned louder, which caused Ezran to giggle more.

~***~

Finnegrin knew that Willow would return, for one main reason: she had no place to sleep. He let her in with a bit of a smug look on his face as she stormed in, all fury, over his decision. As if he didn’t have a plan. It wasn’t like he was going to condemn her to sleep on the deck.

“I am happy, love,” assuming they could do their job. Finnegrin went back around his desk to drop into his chair, “but rules are rules – the newest on the ship gives up their quarters. Now, you were very lucky I had quarters to offer and didn’t just throw you into the line-up of hammocks below deck with just a trunk for your supplies.”

That was where plenty of others ended up, but he’d decided to give her the room that had opened up due to unfortunate circumstances. She was, after all, going to be there a while, and a touch more valuable than others on his crew due to her magic. Admittedly, he’d also been a bit concerned she might suffer more unwanted abuse from some of the crew. He wasn’t sure of that, but he knew better than to trust them when he wasn’t around. He could keep them in line…but that counted on Willow letting him know it was going on.

“Which, of course, there isn’t one available as I’m not movin’ anyone else into that room instead,” he said, “but you didn’t seem to mind my bed at all, so I thought it’d be no harm to simply have you stay in here.”

It was probably a lot of harm.

She likely didn’t want to make that a regular thing, or admit too much she’d enjoyed it.

He knew.

 

[cleopat]

Callum chuckled at Soren’s antics. “Don’t worry Rayla, we won’t always talk about magic. Well,” he put his finger on his chin in faux contemplation, “we’ll try not to!” He wasn’t making any promises.

He finally had someone to talk magic with!

Bait croaked in a response he could’ve surmised as an objection.

“Oh Bait, don’t worry, we’ll make sure we talk about other things!” Ezran said, patting the glow toad on the head.

Callum chuckled at their little glow toad, as he wondered about what would be the next arcanum to learn, if he ever learned another. What if it was the ocean arcanum, one that this seemingly powerful Aaravos had a difficult time to learn? Or what if it was something he perceived as the opposite of the Skye, the earth arcanum?

“Okay, I swear we won’t only talk about magic, but I am curious,” he started, turning back to Lethe, “are you still interested in learning any of the other arcanums?” Or were the circumstances around the Star arcanum enough for her to stop that pursuit?

~~~

Willow froze a moment, unsure if she heard him correctly. But no, it was too ridiculous to even entertain! “...What?” How dare he could assume she would stay in there with him, willingly! It was perverted and sadistic.

And the memories of their night came flooding back.

With a scream of anger, she grabbed a paper weight off his desk, or what she assumed was one, and chucked it at the wall. She hardly cared if Finnegran got angry at her for that. Not with her own emotions boiling over.

Oh how she wanted to slap the smug grin off his face!

“And I bet this is exactly what you wanted.” Willow put her hands on his desk as she leaned on it. “You wanted nothing more than to drag me into bed with you, and you found a way to do it.”