middaeg | Iuneril Catch all

Entry tags:

Iuneril Catch all

Who: Keith and YOU
When: Up through mid-June
Where: Aefenglom, the Wilde
What: Quest time: Berry Picking, Silent Forest, Outpost Progress
Warnings: Will add as necessary. some fighting, some inebriation

A. Berry Picking

[So Iuneril is off to a great start. All the chaos from people unexpectedly bursting out of mirrors and reflective surfaces may have disappeared overnight ... and really, that's for the best. No more middle school rivals showing up in the bathroom, no more so-called allies stealing his cat. Except that it also means that Shiro's disappeared on him for the second time Keith has been here. Of course, it's not anyone's fault in particular, but it still puts Keith in a bit of a stormy mood. Hard not to feel like the universe is out to mess with him in particular.

...which is probably why it ought to be strange that iunerberry picking is actually cheering him up. Keith hadn't exactly signed up for this expecting to have a good time, just that cunes are cunes. As he straightens up to move onto the next cluster of bushes, he wobbles.]

Woah... [Grabbing onto the nearest person, he starts laughing.] Sorry, just lost my balance there for a second. You doing okay?

B. Outpost Progress

[And after that bit of embarrassing overshare, it's time to never show his face around the house again. At least for the next couple of days anyway. Keith is well packed for the excursion to the outpost, with a large bag of camping supplies and two swords strapped to his back. He hasn't been near the settlement in a while, and it has developed a good deal more than he remembers it last.

It's around dusk that he makes his way to one of the camp's fires that have been set up for the evening. Now that the sun is starting to make him a litttle letharigc, it's easier on him to do the night shift. Technically being a vampire, he doesn't need to eat normal food either, but he plops himself down by the fire where a cut of meat is being roasted over a spit. He turns to ask the person next to him a question.]

Anything interesting happen yet?

C. Silent Forest

[And since he's now fully committed himself to staying busy instead of dwelling on all of his problems, Keith has agreed to show up for body guard duty for the witches who are casting purifying magic.

Maybe a particularly touchy witch told him they don't need protection, or maybe he just got distracted by something seeming to move in the shadows between the twisted trunks and branches of the Cwyld infected trees -- one way or another, he's wandered off on his own. Keith squints, drawing his sword to push aside some rotting foliage that's frosted over. Breath visible as he exhales, he turns sharply at the sound of someone approaching.]

Oh. [He doesn't lower the sword yet, but he nods in greeting.] Hey.

[But maybe there's a time and place for proper introductions later because something is definitely out there and whatever it is is getting closer.]

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[ The instant her body language gets defensive, Keith freezes in turn. Something is very obviously wrong here, though he doesn't want to outright drop her either. He tumbles back onto the grass, this time with an attempt made to hold her aloft to avoid crushing her. ]

Hey.... is everything okay? I'm sorry if I spooked you.

[Somehow she ends up on top of him. It takes her a moment before she relaxes, slowly uncovering her face to look down at Keith. Even through the drunken haze, she feels awful.]

I'm sorry. I shouldn't have. I just... I got scared and didn't want to get hit. Even though you wouldn't hit me.

[ The few seconds it takes for Bernie to move her hands away and talk to him stretch out far longer in his head than they do in reality. He didn't know -- of course he didn't know, but he didn't mean to mess up like this. Even with the placating haze of berry, it's hard not to feel dread. Just when he was starting to think all of Lance's friends could really be his friends, too.

He's relieved of course, when she starts talking to him, but he doesn't make any attempt to move from under her just in case touching her again might shatter a very unsteady equilibrium. ]

No, no -- it's not your fault. Shouldn't have grabbed you. I just.. thought you might fly away and I didn't want you to do that? [ Gah. Even if true, it sounds stupid said out loud. Keith flushes, embarrassed as he looks away. ]

I'm sorry. We were having a good time and -- I'm sorry.

Edited 2020-06-29 06:20 (UTC)

[No sooner do the words leave his mouth than she's actually sitting up on top of him looking down. She almost looks panicked as she shakes her head so much she makes herself dizzy. Woah. Won't be doing that again. Wobbling a little, she plants her hands on his chest to balance herself.

Honestly it probably looks completely inappropriate. Luckily no one else is around and they're both too out of it to realize. Currently.]

No, no, no! I...just...

[She hesitates, her fingers curling to hold onto his shirt.]

Promise you'll listen? It's okay if you know. We're friends. I hope we're friends. I wanna be friends.

[Please just answer so she'll stop rambling, Keith.]

[ It says so much about the miracle of berry that Keith hasn't flailed away from all this physical contact and is, if anything, actually soothed by the fact that she's sitting on him and talking to him.

Though he still feels ashamed of his conduct here, he looks Bernie in the eye again when she speaks. And as she does so, some of the anxiety tying up his stomach slowly starts unwinding.]

I wanna be friends, too.

[ A phrase that would have never left his lips with such sincere hopefulness if he weren't inebriated, but hearing her say it so plainly makes it feel alright. More than alright. Warm. ]

Of course I'll listen.

[Oh thank goodness he's stopped the rambling. It takes a moment for her to realize and then she takes a deep breath. She can do this. She's told other people before. So he can know too.]

My father is Count Varley. He wanted a boy to be his heir and got useless me instead. So he did his best to make me a submissive housewife so at least he could marry me off. There were lots of days of being grabbed and tied to a chair in my room. Left there until I couldn't cry anymore and I was quiet enough he'd untie me.

[She just wishes she could have been good enough for him that he wouldn't have needed to do that. But she knows she's just a failure...]

I get really scared if I think I'm going to get hit or grabbed. Because it makes me remember and...

[Bernie sniffles a little because she won't cry! She won't!]

I'm sorry. You're a really nice person and I just really want to be your friend and I'm a mess. Please don't hate me! I know I'm completely useless and really weird but I promise I'll do my best! I just...don't know what I'll do if you don't like me.

[ It's weird. In all of Keith's travels, he's heard so many kinds of tragedies. From his best friend being abducted, experimented on and forced to fight in death matches in gladiator pits, families torn apart by the ravages of war, entire planets turned into slave labor camps or simply outright destroyed. Every time he thinks his understanding of just how bad the universe can get, something manages to one up it every time.

This isn't like that. What Bernadetta's been through is on a much smaller scale and it's not even something Keith fully understands. Whatever his parents had wanted from him -- one way or another, they weren't around to enforce it. But all the same, it still makes him angry to hear. With so much in the world that's wrong, surely if you're lucky enough to have a family then they should be a source of support? People who elevate you rather than lock you up and break you down. ]

Don't say that about yourself.. You're not useless, you're not weird, you've been nothing but a wonderful person to everyone I care about and you shouldn't have to feel that you're not good enough as you are. And if it's okay with you, I'm gonna give you a hug.

[ He sits up slowly, carefully enough to give her time to move away if she wants to. But she deserves a hug and he wants to (gently) squeeze the bad feelings out of her. ]

[He...wants to hug her? She blinks in surprise but at the same time hungers for affection from others. Especially those she cares about. Being a Fae now makes it easier for her to reach out to accept that affection too so she nods her head.

Please. She really wants a hug.]

[ And with that bit of permission granted, Keith pulls her into a hug. Once again, the berries are a godsend because otherwise this might have been a potentially awkward half-hug + backpat combo. Instead it's proper tight hug. ]

Thanks for telling me. I'm sorry about your dad. You deserve a lot better than that.

Edited 2020-06-29 08:06 (UTC)

I'm sorry I get scared easily. I'm trying to be better.

[He gets to have her head flop right onto his shoulder as her arms wrap around him to cling to him a bit. Look, hugs are something she got so rarely back in her world. She gets so many here that she finds herself longing for them all the more.]

...thank you for being my friend.

[ The clinging surprises him a little, but in the end he doesn't mind. In a way... it's unexpectedly nice. A very tangible feeling that his presence is wanted. He tells himself that it's not something he needs from other people, but it's hard to deny it when face to face with warm affection. Briefly his arms tighten around her in return. ]

I get scared, too, sometimes. [ His voice is soft, quiet as he looks over her shoulder towards the berry bushes in the distance. ] About losing people, I mean.

[ A beat. ]

My friend.. my best friend. Shiro. He disappeared again today and I ... [ God what the fuck is he saying. Why is he saying any of this. ] ... I know he just went home and he's probably safe? I just... I need to be better about telling my friends I care about them.

So... thanks, Bernadetta.

I'm sorry.

[That must be so hard. Her gaze softens for him as he tells her about his friend. He must have been one of the many who were here for a month then were just gone. It must be so hard...]

I hope you'll get to see him again soon. But...you can spend more time with me if you want to. I'm really weird and probably not a lot of fun but I can try to be better so you can have more people to spend time with.

[ He laughs, fingers briefly curling into her back. ]

It is a little hard, yeah. Sometimes it feels like I'm chasing after him and not getting there in time

[ But he shakes his head and draws back. ]

But seriously, you need to stop worrying so much. I like spending time with you as you are.

I feel that way about my friends sometimes. Like I'm always chasing and I'm twenty steps behind.

[She sits back then, lowering her hands to her lap.]

Sorry. I'm trying not to worry so much.

It's okay.

[ He offers her a warm smile as she sits back. ]

It'd be easier if you could sit on them or something. Just to make sure they're safe. Kinda like you're doing right now, come to think of it.

[ Hm. /thinking emoji ]

[Her drunk mind doesn't comprehend what he's saying. At first. When it catches up with her, she looks down at their position and stares at it awhile. Then slowly she turns bright red before squeaking.

And promptly falling onto the ground in a graceless FLUMP.]

[ He'd pointed it out without giving it any real thought, but seeing Bernadetta do her best impression of a tomato, Keith can't help feeling increasingly aware that this is ... probably not how he wants to be seen with her at all.

But she squeaks and practically jumps out of his lap and as embarrassed as he is, he can't exactly stop laughing. It's a little uncontrollable, and he struggles to catch his breath. ]

I -- [ WHEEZE. ] I'm really hoping nobody we know was around to see this?

Edited 2020-07-18 09:38 (UTC)

Oh no! I hope not! I'll look!

[But she's too drunk to properly do that. So she goes to try standing up to look around them and just ends up right back on her butt all over again, blinking in confusion. How did that happen. Isn't she supposed to have stood up?

Ummmm...]

I don't think it worked.

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Iuneril Catch all

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