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]

Right. I don’t know exactly how they constructed this thing, but I’d bet they wanted it to look odd enough to stand out, but not like an entrance to those not in the know.

[Emery’s doing the Weird Fae Thing which makes him hard to look at again. He’s a little bit in the fae realm right now, although still mostly in this one, enough that he can talk to Zel and move around.]

Can you see past it? The best angle is over here- [Nudging Zel into position.] It’s not just the light that’s different. The wall’s a gate in the fae realm, and there aren’t any trees in the way. There’s a proper path up the slope too.

[chimerad]

[Zel lets himself be moved, squinting.]

I, I don't--wait. The stairs? Is that what you mean? [it makes him feel almost cross-eyed, staring so intently, that he's unsure he's just blurring his vision to make it seem like that.]

[fair_trouble]

Er, well, there are stairs on both sides, but the ones on the fae realm look like they’re actually being maintained, and there are more of them.

[Describing what Zel is supposed to be seeing in addition to what he’s already seeing doesn’t seem to be helping very much so after a moment’s thought Emery decides to go a step further.]

Okay, I’m going to try going on ahead. You watch me go in and try to follow, alright?

[Emery sidles in front of Zel and walks towards the wall. He takes a few steps and just when he’s about to collide with the branches in front of the wall, he vanishes.

…At least, from a certain perspective. From Emery’s perspective the branches fade away and he’s able to open a gate and step fully into the early morning of the fae realm. It's nice out here! Scrubby hillside. Goats going 'baaaa.' He walks a little ways up the path and then turns to look back into the human realm to see how Zel is doing.]

[chimerad]

[it's hard for Zel's logic-brain to accept Emery just vanishing like that, but his magic-brain is rather excited about it. he hesitates just a beat, finding himself holding his breath before advancing forward, bracing for some gag where he'll just smack his face on those branches or tumble over the stones or--]

-?!

[whoa.

he nearly does stumble just out of reflex, gawking around after a few blinks to adjust to the change of light.]

It... [...] Wait, this is it?

[he straightens up, looking more confused by the second.] It looks...like some regular landscape.

[he might've been expecting inverted colors or nonsense, okay.]

[fair_trouble]

You did it!

[Emery’s so pleased to see Zel fully here that he darts over and practically throws himself onto Zel in an excited embrace. Which is a bit oof, at least for Emery, what with Zel being rock, but Emery’s happy enough not to mind.

The fae realm is indeed pretty mundane looking around here. The goats do have three horns each, but other than that they’re recognizable as goats. And the landscape is just… Cordial Hill as it might look if chunks of it were converted to scrubby pasture.

As Emery described though, there is a developed path and stone steps leading up and down the side of the slope. Where the narrow bit of wall was in the human realm, there’s a full sized stone wall that extends several meters in either direction, and an open gate behind the two of them.

There’s also a tiny stone hut up in the corner of the pasture, which has a figure sitting outside it which might be a person or it might be a statue. Hard to tell since they’re so still- and Emery hasn’t really noticed them since he’s been so focused on Zel.]



I knew you’d figure it out sooner or later, but wow, you’re quick. Calanthe had to drag me by the hand when I first entered the fae realm. I guess that’s a practiced sorcerer for you~

[His boyfriend’s so smart and talented and cool!]

[chimerad]

[Zel winces - for Emery's sake - and straightens up to hold the other's weight while he's still gawking around, finally noticing the oddity with the goats.

it takes a double-take, but he does notice the humanoid figure not too far away.]

Right. And we're not going to be expecting hostiles, you said?

[fair_trouble]

[Emery loosens his grip on Zel slightly and gives him a puzzled look.]

Hm? Nope. Are you concerned about the goats?

[Emery takes a reluctant step back, still holding onto Zel’s sleeve, and glances in the direction that Zel seems to be looking. Oh! Looks like they’re not entirely alone.]

Sorry if we’re on your land! We’ll be clearing off in a moment!

[The figure… makes absolutely no response, just continues to live slug react sit there. Huh. Well, Emery’s heard that shepherds can get a bit weird from spending so much time with only sheep for company, so maybe this person has something similar going on.

Anyway.

Emery slips a hand into Zel’s and moves to tug him down the path.]

Come on, Calanthe said the village is down by the lake~

[chimerad]

[he makes a face. look, he doesn't know how fey goats operate!! jeez...

tugged along by one hand, his other one fumbles to tug his hood up. never hurts to be careful, especially when he can feel the gaze of that shepherd as they hurry along the path cutting through what is probably their land.

Zel peers around uncertainly, as if expecting something else to be amiss or askew as they go.]

Run through what you were asked to do again...? [to keep it completely clear in his mind. and so elle doesn't have to parent-up thru the thread to find it again it's been 86 years]

[fair_trouble]

[It’s a lovely patch of countryside they’re in, and Emery remains blithe as he leads Zel along.]

The Field Lord wants me to gather some "private" information from a rival lord who lives nearby. Which lord, or the specifics of that information, Calanthe didn’t say, but we’ll go over it when I meet her in town.

[The gist Emery got is that he’s got to do some spy work. Which he’s actually done before, albeit on humans. He wonders if the fact that he’s working in the fae realm this time is a sign of increased trust… or maybe decreased trust if the Field Lord wants him closer… Or maybe he was just the most convenient underling at hand.]

I’m not sure if she meant I’d have to steal some documents or get some people to talk, or both.

[chimerad]

[flatly:] Nice of her to clarify... [stealing is...okay, maybe he can see Emery stealing in certain conditions. but interrogating?

...

...okay. if it meant sweet-talking...okay, sure.

for as carefree as Emery seems to be taking things, Zel can't help but be suspicious. rivals mean conflict...will this really go so smoothly?]

[fair_trouble]

[Zel’s sarcasm makes Emery laugh.]

Isn’t it just? I’d think that talking about it in the human realm would be less risky in some ways, but she outranks me so I have to do as she says.

[Woe is him! But really, now that he says it, he realizes that might sound concerning, so Emery is quick to assure:]

She’s not a bad superior, really. [Minus that time she kidnapped him.] Doesn’t throw her weight around or anything like that and I’ve never seen her get angry. She's just a bit odd. I think she's some sort of flower spirit.

[chimerad]

She doesn't really call on you often, either?

[considering the length of time they've been together, Zel can't recall mention of any contact or encounters of the like.

...

...wait. how long have they been traveling together? months already?

...

dang.]

[fair_trouble]

[However long was necessary for Emery to thoroughly seduce Zelgadis, at least!]

Not like this, no.

[Emery does semi-regularly communicate with Calanthe or occasionally the Field Lord via Vision spell, so it’s not like he’s given totally free reign. But for the most part, yes, Emery’s been gifted enough time and space to hang out with Zel.]

The Field Lord likes having someone available to keep an eye on things in the human realm, so that’s my usual job, just keeping up to date on the politics and other current events.

[Which is easy enough for Emery because people like telling him things.]

[chimerad]

That--

[he hesitates, second-guessing himself.

sounds like Mazoku, he thinks with a frown, looking around more skeptically.]

...Hmh. Probably not just to observe, either.

[fair_trouble]

[Their surroundings continue to look surprisingly innocent and idyllic. Emerald greenery, bright blue sky, gently sloped pathways… Speaking of pathways, Emery notes that the ones in the fae realm aren’t a perfect match to the ones on the human side of things.

It’s not enough to make navigation a problem, it’s just one of those little surprises and he’s content to leisurely make his way down to the main road while leading Zel by the hand. Even if Zel seems more dubious about things.]

Something on your mind?

[chimerad]

Mn. A few things. [Mazoku things.] But I don't want to jump to any conclusions. You know this place better than I do, so...I have to trust your intuition more than mine.

[which is a weird thing to not only admit, but let play out. few are the people he trusts in such a fashion - down to counted on but one hand, really.]

[fair_trouble]

[Emery can’t read Zel's mind, but he does know Zel well enough to guess that kind of trust doesn’t come easy, and he gives Zel a soft smile in return.]

We’ll be fine. I mean, with my irresistible charm and encyclopedic knowledge and you being an indestructible sorcerer-swordsman, I think we have our bases covered~

[Emery can just charm the socks off of whoever’s between him and whatever info he needs to gather, and if somehow he winds up in actual danger Zel can just hit the threat until it stops moving! It’s a perfect strategy!

At any rate, it’s a relatively short walk to the lake and village, only about twenty minutes of walking before it’s visible down the road, at the bottom of yet another slope. It’s a picturesque looking place, with a few boats out on the lake. The buildings are a mixture of fairly normal looking houses and a lot of structures similar to dovecotes.]



This must be it. Calanthe should be waiting for me at the inn.

[Emery turns to Zel.]

Does my hair look okay?

[chimerad]

[after a careful look-around of the area, Emery's question prompts Zel to look back at him and consider it thoughtfully.

after a beat, he reaches and carefully brushes a flyaway out of Emery's face.]

Yeah. [but his opinion might be a touch biased.]

...Do you not want me to follow too closely? For your work.

[fair_trouble]

[Zel’s opinion probably is biased, but it does earn another smile out of Emery. Alas, they can’t linger on the moment when there are other concerns at hand.]

…I think for the time being it’ll be better if Calanthe doesn’t realize I brought you along. [Emery considers.] Did she seem to notice you yesterday?

[chimerad]

She didn't run directly into me or stop to look back, if that's what you mean. [he frowns while trying to recall properly.] I don't think so, at least.

I can hang back, then. Still close enough to hear. [the pointy ears aren't just for show and teasing.]

[fair_trouble]

[Emery nods.]

That’s what I was thinking. You can enter the inn after I do- try and make it look like we’re not together.

[...Not together as in not-traveling-together, not… not-together-together? Although they’ll probably need to avoid that too, actually.

In that case he’d better give Zel a kiss while he can.]

Alright, before we head down-

[And Emery sets a hand on Zel’s shoulder and leans in to do that. Smooch.]

[chimerad]

[Zel, in the semi-distracted state he's in, nearly misses the cue, but catches the kiss before his head can turn to sweep another look around. he stills, then carefully presses back against the kiss before parting.]

Look my way if you need me.

[for however discrete he likes to fashion himself, he's still easy to spot.]

[fair_trouble]

[Emery nods at Zel and then, with that game plan in mind, turns and heads down.

The village is, in some respects, a fairly typical village-in-the-early-morning; there’s a pair of kids romping around with a big shaggy dog, housewives doing laundry out in the sunshine, a baker setting out his wares… it just happens to be that all of these people have pointy ears and some of them are green. (Their skin, not just their ears.)

Also within like a minute of setting foot into the village Emery spots a trio of tiny, colorful, winged girls fluttering around and while he resists the urge to double-take he does wind up making eye contact. However, a smile and a greeting allows him to segue into a conversation about the village and the three girls offering to guide him to the inn.

Emery accepts the offer and his diminutive flying escorts lead him to a building near the village center. There’s a sign designating it as the inn but that in and of itself isn’t needed for Emery to know he’s got the right place. About a third of the building is taken up by a giant solarium with wall-to-wall windows and a glass roof, and through that he can clearly see the main lounge and dining area of the inn. And seated at one of the tables is Calanthe.

Her hood’s down so the odd features she kept hidden in the human realm are now clearly visible: Pointed ears, and white hair with a bright shock of fuchsia in it.

Emery bids farewell to the girls outside the front door and heads inside.]

[chimerad]

[Emery did tell him how fairly mundane things were, yet Zelgadis still can't help but feel strange about it. an entirely different realm...reflecting the one he knew so well? maybe it's not too unlike the lands beyond the broken barrier, but that was the same plane, so there was cause for that to make sense! here, it's...just strange.

...is that why the superiors keep tabs on things? to reflect it? why, then?

he'll have to set that aside for now: he's waited a fair amount of time to move, to head toward the building Emery was led to. that solarium...that, at least, suits the notion of a different realm: it's too palatial in design sensibility for any humble town he'd come across before.

that said, it's handy: he needn't even come in to keep tabs on his beau; he takes point with his back against a tree, head canted down just enough for him to still peer and take stock of where Emery is sitting...and with whom.

is that her? the one who brushed past him two nights before? she definitely has an otherworldly quality...]

[fair_trouble]

[Calanthe has picked a table in a particularly sunny spot and is basking in the light when Emery enters. What follows is an exchange that Zel probably won’t be able to hear from outside but is also fairly mundane:

“Emery. You’re here.”]

Yeah, I just arrived. You’ve picked a nice spot.

[Emery takes a seat next to Calanthe as she responds “Mm. I wish we were allowed to sleep down here.”]

It’d still be dark at night you know.

[“Yes, but there would be more light when you woke up.”

Emery laughs, earning him a puzzled look from Calanthe.

The two of them make a bit more small talk and at one point the innkeeper comes over to ask if Emery wants anything. He politely turns her down and she smiles and heads off to attend to some other guests.

When she turns around it reveals a cow-like tail poking out of her skirt and, more startling, a low cut shirt exposing a hollow back, inside which a tiny swaddled infant is taking a nap.]

So, Callie, you had some things you wanted to tell me?

[“That’s right. Let’s go to my room.”

Unfortunately for Zel’s surveillance, the solarium is a bit too public for any kind of clandestine discussion. Emery and Calanthe stand up and head further into the inn; Calanthe’s movements are noticeably light and graceful.]