thehauntedfrequency | fairyland fun! (your levels of fun may vary)

Alright, I'll be back in a minute.

[Emery feels around for the doorknob and then crawls backwards out of the caravan with about as much dignity as one can muster under the circumstances. It's a relief to be out of the cramped, warm caravan, but he hopes Zelgadis will be okay alone with the Hob...

It's shortly after Emery's left and is presumably out of earshot that the Hob speaks.

"There's something I'd like to clarify before we finalize our agreement." The Hob frowns at Zel. "Your companion, Emery. Is he a human?"]

[the question catches Zel off-guard, who stays quite still for a beat to consider how to answer. what are the consequences of being human in this land? do the creatures here like to take advantage of their like?

and moreover:] Isn't that a question for him?

[The Hob looks nonplussed by the deflection, and then his gaze gets positively gimlet.

"No. I'm asking you."

(Meanwhile, elsewhere in the area, Emery is getting into small talk with some members of the caravan.)]

[his eyes narrow.]

Why does it matter, one way or the other? [maybe it's an upcharge? maybe it's something worse.]

[And now the Hob's beginning to look irritated. "Have you ever dealt with humans before? Do you know how much trouble it can be? If you're really just a pair of vacationers going to see the Ganaranth then I have no quarrel with that, but if you're one of those fools trying to curry favor with the nobility by bringing them a human then our caravan doesn't want any part with that sort of thing."

(Current Emery status: Asking for the whereabouts of Tantabel.)]

[Zelgadis bristles, feeling a hot feeling in him; his eyes sharpen.]

I'm not a trafficker, and I have no business with higher-ups. Emery's here of his own accord, and I'm here at his request, no other's.

[is that what humans are seen as here? toys for nobility?

...is that what Emery is?]

[A touch of befuddlement colors the Hob's wrinkled features, but he's still clearly suspicious.

"Then what are you? What is your relationship to that person?"

(Emery's current status: Found Tantabel, is asking about the tisane.)]

[this is none of this guy's business! does he want the money or not?!

prickly:] As I said before: I'm his bodyguard. So if anyone tries any of that business, they'll deal with--

[with Emery poking back in, prompting Zel to bite back on his remark and glance over his shoulder.]

[Emery squeezes his way into the caravan, holding up a small box with flowers carved into it.]

Hey~ I got the tea! I do hope you two weren't terribly bored without me.

[Emery grins as if he's entirely oblivious to any tension within the wagon... Though his gaze goes from the Hob's suspicious face to Zel's pricklier expression, then back again.

Alright. What the fuck did these two talk about while he was gone.]

So. Are we drinking this or what?

[The Hob accepts the box Emery holds out, but he doesn't open it and still frowns. After a moment's thought, he seems to come to a decision.

"Are you a human?"

Emery blinks.]

No. I mean, I have some human ancestry, but the rest of me's seelie.

[The Hob's brow furrows but after a moment he shrugs. "Oh, I see. You're one of those situations. You'll pardon my directness, but your bodyguard was being evasive."

So saying, the Hob turns to the little wood stove and begins preparing the herbal tea.]

[irritably:] I'm not in the business of airing out other people's business behind their backs.

[the pout is hidden by his mask, but Emery doubtless can imagine it lining his features as he shoots a glower his way.]

[Emery's expression is sunny, as if the Hob just pointed out a silly little quirk of Zelgadis's and Zel had laughed it off.]

He's very protective. And terribly loyal. I couldn't ask for a better guard.

[Emery doesn't actually see any pouts directed his way, as he's keeping his eye on the tea making process. But the Hob doesn't do anything untoward, and when he hands Emery a steaming cup of minty tea Emery can't detect any whiffs of magic to it.

The Hob raises his own cup as if to propose a toast. "Your silver in exchange for room, board, and transport to Fairford."]

Cheers~

[Emery blows on the tea and takes a swig; if Zel hesitates to do the same Emery will carefully elbow him and give him a smile. It's fine, don't worry.]

[Zel does look for that cue, though he does feel a bit of indignation. what, like he should be embarrassed about being wary? no way! he's doing his best, dammit!

that said, he ducks his head a bit after taking the tea, hoping his hair can obscure much of his face when he pulls his mask down to have a small sip, after which the mask goes back up and his hand moves to push the silver toward the Hob, nodding.

done is done. he hopes they won't have to talk with the Hob every night of the trip...]

[The Hob accepts the silver, slipping it into some secret pocket within his vest, and Emery downs the last of his tea. He gives the Hob a genial bow, insomuch as the size of the wagon allows for it.]

Thank you for your hospitality. I look forward to the rest of our trip.

[Emery dearly wants to ask about the conversation Zel had with the Hob, but when they get out there are a bunch of random members of the caravan loitering around the Hob's wagon. Doubtless curious about the weird, tall guests they have, but trying not to make it obvious.

Resigning any proper conversation and privacy for later down the road, Emery stretches, then turns to Zel.]

Tantabel mentioned there's rabbit stew cooking. Want to grab some?

[despite the usefulness of being in secure company, part of Zel wishes negotiations had turned south, given them an excuse to bug off, be alone... how many days was he going to be under goblin scrutiny now? he's not secure enough in himself to be the boyfriend-bodyguard in such company, so he must now be punished by boiling in frustration.

the prompt pulls him out of said boil:] Hmh? [what? food?] Oh. Sure.

[he'll follow Emery along to the cooking fire.]

[A few flimsy benches and chairs are arranged around the fire, where various other goblins have gathered in anticipation of supper. Tantabel and another, slightly younger goblin woman are busy attending to the rabbit stew. The pot is big enough that they have to stand on a stool in order to comfortably stir it.

Not trusting any of the chairs to hold Zel's weight or fit either of them comfortably, Emery opts to sit on a blanket that's been laid out instead, and gestures Zel to sit with them.

And naturally Emery and Zel attract attention, so Emery takes it upon himself to chat with the goblins that sit near to them.]

The Hob's letting us tag along to Fairford. [...] I'm Emery, that's Zelgadis. He's my bodyguard. [...] Yeah, I do! And we're just sightseeing, what about you? I hear you've got a stall at the Fairford Market? [...] Oh, what kind of boxes?

[And so on and so forth. Soon enough, the stew is ready and the women are passing out bowls of fresh stew and hunks of chewy, unleavened bread.

As soon as Zel's had some:]

How do you like it?

[it feels much more comfortable to be Emery's silent prop sitting at his side, letting the other chat leisurely and leave a far better impression than Zelgadis himself could even in his best mood. he's about as content as he can be in the situation to be as such, but does lift his head a bit when Emery prompts for a response.]

Decent.

[it's just trail food, you know? not like a good sit-down place.

...but also, he almost fucking died at the last sit-down place, so:] ...Pretty decent.

I think it's good. Beats eating fish on a stick over a campfire at least, right?

[Emery can tolerate such simple fare of course, but he prefers his fish cut up and deboned before eating. ymmv

Ale is passed around after a good chunk of the stew has been consumed, and several members of the caravan grow more gregarious, particularly since Emery's proven himself receptive to socialization. Thus, there's quite a bit more conversation to be had by Emery while Zel sits there like a rock.

A few goblins will try and engage Zel in conversation as well... but Emery decides that Zel has probably had Enough by now so he tends to draw those people in as well.

And at the end of supper, despite Zelgadis having paid money for the two of them to stay and not have to work to earn their keep, Emery volunteers to go fetch water from the spring for washing up.

Actually, he volunteers Zel as well.]

Zel's really strong, so it'll go faster if we do it!

[Zelgadis squints, silently rising to his feet and following Emery, only speaking up when he deems them far enough out of earshot.]

The silver wasn't enough to endear us to them, was it.

[that's why they're doing extra? to up their standing? surely not to just be polite.]

[Emery strolls along, swinging an empty bucket in hand (Zel has been given two) and awaiting Zel to take advantage of the distance to voice any concerns he might have... He isn't really expecting the remark that Zel does come up with, and blinks.]

Hm? What do you mean? I didn't notice any real hostility.

[As far as Emery can tell, the goblins' opinions on them are probably "friendly but slightly stupid nobleman's kid" and "large, quiet."]

Their boss tried to insinuate I was marching you off to get pawned off on a noble or something. [and from his sour tone, Zel's not pleased by that. it's bad enough he looks a freak, okay, but a nasty trafficking freak?? come on. he's stolen and defaced things before, but...come on!!!]

Is that normal in this realm?

[And now there's the matter Emery was expecting Zelgadis to bring up. Except. The part about Zel pawning Emery off.]

...Ah. That explains the weird vibe I got when I came back.

[Emery hums, looking ahead.]

Most fae don't see humans enough to easily identify them, but the Hob looked pretty old so maybe he's more experienced than most. Sorry. I guess I've sprung surprises on you twice already without meaning to.

[he's quiet for some steps, his ears picking up the giggling of water ahead.]

I guess that means...looking as I do is actually an advantage. [rare turn of the tables - at least as far as dealing with people goes. combat? easy - not much can take down someone with stone skin, after all!]

See? I told you, you look like you could be an earth fairy. Honestly, you look more like a normal fae than I do.

[Aaand now they're close enough to the spring to see it- a cliff face with various spouts of water burbling from cracks and holes in the rock, filling up a pond below and flowing into a few streams from there out into the woods. Unsurprisingly, there are several other people also at the spring to fetch water, so it's probably best to table the conversation about neither-of-them-being-normal-fae for the time being.]

Ah, we're here.

[Emery steps over to the water's edge and sets his bucket down beside him, before dipping his hand in the water. He flinches a little as he does.]

Ih! It's really cold.

[Nevertheless, Emery scoops some water out of the pond and takes a drink from his hand.]

[Zel exhales a contemplative sound, taking in the sight of the place, craning his neck to see up to the top. what a peculiar kind of falls...was it natural? was there a river that failed to crest the end of the cliff and simply...bored holes through it in this way?

he lingers in place considering that, his gaze trailing down and then idles on Emery before some reflection or movement in the pond pulls his focus. he blinks, frowns, and stares for a beat, uncertain of what it was.

...maybe a fish or a frog. or some...fey variant of such? possibly.

he tries to put it out of mind while walking over toward the cliff wall and stake a claim at one of the nearby falls.]

[After taking a drink Emery lets his hand drop back into the water, letting it acclimate to the cold temperature. He watches the water flow around his fingers and meditatively swirls his hand around for a few moments. It had a refreshing taste, and it almost seems a shame they'll be using it for washing dishes.

Emery finally withdraws his hands from the water and glances around until he spots Zel by one of the falls.

He wonders exactly what the Hob said to Zel, and whether Zel's still thinking about it. Emery kind of hopes he isn't. It's not that he doesn't trust Zel, it's just- Well, that's sort of the problem. Zel's a good man. He's not likely to brush off Emery's situation if he figures it out, but there isn't much either of them can do about it. And Emery can't imagine Zel taking that well.

Zelgadis has enough burdens as is. Emery doesn't want to add to that.

After another moment of thought, Emery turns back to the pond and scoops up some water, then moves over to where Zel's standing. Emery holds out his hands to Zel, cupped together with water pooled in his palms.]

Here, try it~ It's good.

[Never mind that there are other people- including possibly some residents in the spring- around to observe them. Emery certainly doesn't!]

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