fairyland fun! (your levels of fun may vary)

[fair_trouble]

[New day, new town, and hopefully new opportunities. Specifically opportunities to make some money because Zel and Emery’s funds have been running kind of low after their most recent misadventure. This has meant a temporary separation while Zelgadis goes to look for merc-type work and potential cure leads and Emery goes around chatting up the locals without terrifying them.

Or at least that was the plan, until Calanthe showed up.

By the time Zel gets back to the inn, Emery’s still busy talking to Calanthe in their inn room, although the conversation’s just about wrapping up. If he’s perceptive he might even catch a bit of Emery’s words.

“...some funds this time? ...Seriously, is that it? He’s always such a cheapskate. …Okay I got it. I’ll see you later.”

A few moments later a woman wearing a green cloak exits their inn room. Her hood is up, partly obscuring a pale face and hair, and she barely spares anyone a passing glance as she drifts down the hallway.

Emery is still standing inside the inn room looking pensive, but when Zel enters he’ll give him a bright smile.]

Oh! Hey, Zel. Did you manage to find anything?

Comments

[fair_trouble]

[Zel may catch the innkeeper going “...Isn’t this currency from-” before he leaves, but fortunately nobody bothers chasing after the weird hooded guy.

Emery is by the lake, and hopefully Zel was eavesdropping on Emery’s conversation with the innkeeper back at the inn so he’d know to look there. That was Emery’s intention, anyway! Either way, Emery’s not going anywhere until Zel catches up with him.

He’s found a relatively private corner of the lake- visible, but there’s nobody else within earshot- and is idly trying and failing to skip stones. His expression is distant, but once Zel shows up Emery’s mouth twitches into a smile despite Zel’s no doubt abject misery.]



Hey. Enjoy your meal?

[Please don’t dunk him in the lake.]

[chimerad]

Didn't die.

[so there's that. and honestly? if anyone deserves to be in the bottom of that lake, it's Zel. he should just walk in there, he has no buoyancy anyway...]

Did everything go alright?

[fair_trouble]

[Emery’s expression softens into something more concerned, but he otherwise doesn’t fuss. Zel will probably get over any embarrassment once he’s distracted, right?]

Yeah. Callie gave me the full story and we discussed a basic plan of action. [One which Emery figures will be easy to modify to include a Zelgadis in it.] It’s a pity you didn’t enjoy your meal, because we’ll probably be eating more fish in the future. You and I are going on a fishing trip~

[chimerad]

[he tilts his head slightly.]

Somewhere in this realm? Or back on the normal continent?

[fair_trouble]

Here! We’re going to the Ganarath River- the name’s the same in both realms, but Merry Morgan’s palace is located at the source, and it’s a very popular fishing spot. Lots of people travel there, so it’s not gonna seem strange if two people show up from abroad.

[Emery glances around, confirming they’re alone before he sits down to elaborate.]

So Merry Morgan is a noblewoman who presides over the Ganarath River and its tributaries…

[And then there’s a big infodump I’m not typing out twice when there’s a perfectly good summary right here. Hopefully, Zel will find the story more digestible than the soup was. Once Emery's laid out the essentials he looks at Zel expectantly, awaiting any questions.]

[chimerad]

...

[so...some fae bigwig might be making a play back in the human realm? Mazoku-coded indeed.]

Have you interacted with this Merry Morgan before? Will she know who you are?

[fair_trouble]

Never met her in my life. And if we can get through this without changing that, so much the better.

[Though Emery wonders, briefly, if Merry Morgan did see his actual face if she might pick up on a resemblance to the Field Lord. That’s a weird feeling.]

[chimerad]

[a covert mission, then. he considers that for a bit, hand on his hip as he watches the water.]

I guess...this face of mine will be useful for something. It's pretty distracting, compared to one like yours.

[fair_trouble]

[That earns Zel a sideways glance.]



Are you trying to insinuate that I have a plain face?

[Are you saying that Emery has a HOMELY COUNTENANCE that is BENEATH NOTICE? Huh???]

[chimerad]

Eh-?

[beat. blink.

he looks down and sees that look and flushes.]

N-no, I meant...mine's...ugly enough to draw attention. You know that.

[fair_trouble]

[Emery resists the urge to sigh and gets to his feet so that he can give Zel’s cheek an exasperated poke.]

You're not ugly, and if you draw attention it’ll be because everyone’s wondering who that mysterious, handsome man is. What is his agenda? Is he on a sacred mission? Running from a tragic past? Does he have a girlfriend? Perhaps five girlfriends?

[chimerad]

Fi-- [he makes a face, scoffing.] No sane person would be thinking that. Let's move on. What's your plan?

[fair_trouble]

[Emery might protest that he had similar thoughts when he first met Zel, but that wouldn’t exactly be disproving Zel’s point, would it? And fine, it’s time for serious plan talk.]

Nothing elaborate. I figured I’d use my abilities to disguise myself- [Zelgadis’s appearance may be more alarming than Emery’s, particularly in the human realm where being part rock is generally unheard of, but Emery’s fair beauty does attract attention in its own right.] -and we’d use the fishing trip as a cover story. Once we’re in the area we try and get close to the palace to do some recon, and I’ll chat up the locals. There’s always someone who wants to gossip. And if not… I can use my fey charm.

[Hopefully it won’t come to that! He's only deliberately used his charm abilities on a few occasions, but he's always felt kind of. Icky, afterwards.]

And maybe we’ll try sneaking into that tower to see what’s in there.

[chimerad]

Do you expect any resistance, or...chance that things might get dicey? [ie: is he going to have to throw magical hands? because he kind of had the impression he might have to.

then again, he was painting this mission based on his own past experiences rather than...black-souped reality...]

[fair_trouble]

…A little. Merry Morgan obviously wants to keep something under wraps, and I don’t think she or her underlings will look too kindly on anyone prying into her secrets.

[As much as Emery would like to pretend otherwise, nothing he’s heard about Merry Morgan indicates she’s the pacifistic type. The Field Lord certainly isn’t, and wouldn’t have any compunctions about Emery risking his life to fulfill the Field Lord’s whims.]

But let’s try and avoid that, alright? I don't like it when people get hurt.

[chimerad]

Right. [he won't instigate for the sake of it...not unless someone else starts kicking up a fuss first.

after a beat, Zel glances down toward the water and the wobbly reflections of the both of them. how is this going to work, then? Zel might actually be more burden than boon if it's all social wiles at play... he frowns thoughtfully.]

If anyone can go on excursions out there without too much suspicion, then, it may be easy enough...

[fair_trouble]

[As is typical, Zelgadis frowns and broods and Emery smiles and decides to take Zel’s statement as optimistic despite Zel’s usual everything. He claps a hand on Zel’s shoulder- Calanthe’s well out of town by now, so touching his boyfriend is back on the menu.]

That’s the spirit~! Let’s think of this as almost a real vacation.

[chimerad]

[his brow ridge raises a bit.] Vacation? [what the hell are those. it's weird enough as it is! he's on a mission entirely divorced from the end of the world or his own personal cause...this is rare for him, okay?] Is that the angle we're taking?

[fair_trouble]

Exactly! If even we think of our trip as a leisurely thing, then people will be even less likely to realize we’re up to something.

[It’s quite practical when you think about it, not at all just an excuse for Emery to fuck around.]

[chimerad]

[we. right.

together. perceived...together.

that hamster wheel's finally turning, giving him cause to properly flush.]

Y-yeah. That should...work. Probably.

[fair_trouble]

[Emery quietly admires that flush and slips his hand into Zel’s.]

So, did you want to look around town before we leave?

[chimerad]

[he notices the handhold via reflection before sensing the pressure on his palm and it makes him blink a couple times.

look around...hand-in-hand? that's awfully attention-grabby, isn't it?

or...is it? in a town where people have cow tails or are very very tiny...

he scratches at his cheek with his free hand.]

Is there something I should be looking for? [that he wouldn't be able to see elsewhere.]

[fair_trouble]

[Emery shrugs.]

Nothing in particular. We’ll need to get proper fishing gear at some point just for our cover story, but I think we’ll be able to rent some when we get to Zennor Lake. [And no sense hauling all that stuff all the way from here to there if they don’t have to.] But I thought you might be curious.

[He could gawk at all the tiny winged people and their dovecote-like houses like some kind of boorish tourist!]

[chimerad]

[thought he might be curious? why would he think that? besides being in a whole new world. does he think he's a nerd or something??

...he is a nerd, though.]

I...I guess if there's an archive or something around here, then maybe...

[fair_trouble]

[Yes. Emery thinks Zel is a very cute nerd, and accordingly he grins up at him.]

We won’t know until we take a look, will we?