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

[chimerad]

[it still quietly astounds Zel that these goblins - strangers - haven't just hung them out to dry (or drown, as it were). sure, most people are decent and not cruel...to other people.

maybe they'd be decent to you if you interacted with them more than just in transactional situations, Zel.

he fully climbs out, perching on the lip of the trunk before getting a foot out and onto the wagon properly. what a weird (useful!) contraption... he closes it shut once he's free, quickly noticing his weight starting to register on the wagon and hopping down, starting to walk behind it, eyes sweeping the area.]

...If something like that happens again, we may need to cut our losses. [and lose the entourage, no matter how helpful they've been.]

[fair_trouble]

[Emery follows partway after Zel, taking a seat at the back of the wagon rather than opting to hop out.]

Cut our losses? I thought we got out of there pretty quick. [Not as quick as he'd like, of course, but Emery thinks it goes without saying that "before anyone got injured" would have been the ideal.]

[chimerad]

I mean-- [he gestures at the wagon before looking around to see if any of the goblins are in earshot, lowering his voice all the same.] Bothering these people. Silver aside, they have no reason to save our hides more than once.

[fair_trouble]

[Ah, Zel being a paranoid mctrustnobody. Still Emery glances briefly at the back of the goblin driving the wagon and considers.]

I guess it isn't fair, since they hadn't intended to bring some fugitives along.

[Not that Emery and Zel were fugitives at the time, or became so on purpose, but- you get his point.]

[chimerad]

[he grunts an affirmative sound. that's pretty much what Zel means. making liabilities of themselves that could hurt other people...that's not what this is about. his bumbling around shouldn't be wrecking the livelihoods of the locals.]

We can feel it out. If we get that unwelcome sense as we go, at least.

[it shouldn't take too long to notice angry glares or pick up disgruntled mumblings.]

[fair_trouble]

[Emery gives Zel a thumbs up.]

Got it.

[Does this mean Emery has to reapply some charm? Emery's taking it to mean that he needs to reapply some charm, and he hops off the back of the wagon to walk on the road.

He assumes Zel will follow him- bodyguard and all- as he strolls over to some caravan members leading some donkeys and blithely greets them.]

Good morning!

[They aren't met with any glares but the goblins do seem uncertain and returned greetings are mumbled. Nevertheless, Emery soldiers on-]

Kiestun, right? And Watixi? I remember we talked last night over dinner, but I didn't see you again after what happened at the spring. Did anything happen while we were hiding?

[The goblins give Emery the cliff's note version- apparently the village elder arrived a little while after they did and got into a long argument with the Hob, but everyone denied having seen them.]

We really can't thank everyone in the troupe enough. You've all been such kind, generous people.

[Sparkle, sparkle. The goblins blink a bit, looking rather stunned at the assault of shojo bubbles.]

[chimerad]

[by contrast to all that pleasantness and sparkle, Zel is a grumpy silhouette walking just behind him; he'd be something of a boogieman were there any intensity in his stare, but he's just quietly sweeping the area, watching and listening for problems. just like a bodyguard should! look, he's done this professionally, so this isn't really a ruse.

the Hob had to get into it with a village leader, huh... that's not good. burning the reputation of mainstays as a traveler isn't great for anyone, least of all Emery and himself. they're liabilities...unless they turn it around. or leave. but there may be safety in numbers on this road, especially if disgruntled spirits are afoot...]

We won't make ourselves a burden if we can help it. [seems fitting to add that on, just in case there's any assumption.]

[fair_trouble]

[Emery is also a bit dismayed that there was an argument, but all things considered he thinks it could have gone worse! And as Zel says, neither of them have any intentions of being a burden-]

Although I think maybe we shouldn't help get water next time.

[Before Kiestun and Watixi can reply, a cluster of goblin children pop up from behind the canvas flap at the back of the wagon in front of them. The children immediately begin peering at Zel with interest. They're the bright green of fresh leaves and, since each of them is around the size of a cat, there are a lot of them fitting in there.]

Oh-

[One points at Zel and asks "Are you the one who beat up the spring guardian?"

And another asks "And cut off his hand?"

And a third asks "Do you still have the hand?"]

[chimerad]

[Zel balks at the barrage of questions, absurd and full of eagerness as only kids can provide. he gawks back at them from behind hood and mask, too taken aback by their brazenness to feel kneejerk offense as he would were they adults.

for a second, he considers leaning into the bit and telling them he ate it or something ghoulish, but...but he's not out here to make their reputation more fraught than the incident may have already been made!

sorry, kids. he has to be boring.

relatively boring.]

I left it there. I didn't need a spring guardian's hand.

[but yes, he is a cool guy who beat up a water monster and cut up his hand. thank you for noticing.]

[fair_trouble]

[Since Zelgadis has proven himself willing to answer questions, he's rewarded with more. Is that the same sword he used? Why was he fighting the guardian? Did he really destroy the spring? And so on and so forth.

While the adult goblins seem a bit bemused by all this, Emery casts Zelgadis an amused sidelong glance; this isn't exactly what he had in mind when he'd suggested Zelgadis should try talking to people in the fae realm, but he can certainly accept it. It's just a pity the hood and mask make it harder to gauge Zel's expression.]

[chimerad]

...

[okay, so they just keep going,huh.

Zel used to be more used to kids, back before Rezo altered him. he'd assist in gathering and distributing supplies to orphans, though being younger than Rodimus or Zolf often meant being more the guy - still quite the kid himself - who would wrangle and herd them in some big-brother fashion.

that was years ago now; so much has changed, even beyond his form.

still, even here, kids are kids. he recognizes the exuberance for what it is, even if he can't match up to it anymore. he's buffeted with questions that move too fast to bother answering, and in that time Zel's gaze moves to Emery, finding him smirking his way. behind the hood, his ear twitches; behind the mask, his face gets warm. it's nice, but also...what does he do about it?]

...I'm going to scout ahead.

[yes. that's what he'll do. he'll cast levitation and fly up and ahead to check out the road!

see you in like an hour or whatever, once he's frustrated enough with the pace of the caravan and the fact he's not really getting any alone time with Emery along the way. the pantry doesn't count.

by then, he'll have his feet back on the ground and waiting near a fork, curious to see where the caravan chooses.]

[fair_trouble]

[Zel's sudden departure provokes a range of surprised reactions, from Emery's more mild expression (this has hardly the first time that Zel has decided to abruptly Leave), to the more awed reaction of the children ("He can fly!?"), to the less impressed and somewhat bewildered reactions of Kiestun and Watixi. ("What kind of...?")

Emery decides the most useful thing he can do right now is take charge of the kids.]

Zel's learned all kinds of magic. You know, he once had to fly us to safety when we were attacked by bandits.

[So, while Zelgadis is scouting ahead and avoiding people, Emery winds up spending that hour or so hanging out in the wagon with a small hoard of children, entertaining them with carefully edited stories and, by the time the caravan is arriving at the fork in the road, by losing at multiple rounds of Old Maid.

This far from the village, the trees are thinner and the roads are semi-paved, lined with cobblestones that aren't entirely maintained and thus makes for a somewhat bumpy ride. There are also a few more travelers around- no groups as big as the caravan, but various peddlars on foot, a naked lady on a giant horse, etc.

As with the last fork there aren't any convenient signposts, but the caravan knows the way to go and unerringly takes a left turn. And when Emery spots Zel by the side of the road he immediately brightens and leans partway out of the wagon to greet him.]

Zel! Hey~!

[-And then the wagon goes over a particularly bumpy bit and Emery nearly topples out of the wagon entirely, though he manages to grab the side of the wagon before anything calamitous can happen.]

[chimerad]

[Zel is there just as quickly, having been close enough to lunge forward and catch Emery, a broad step that has him bent at the knee and braced to ensure he doesn't use any momentum to jostle him too much.

a beat. exhale.

honestly, he goes to all the trouble to scout for trouble, and Emery's gonna go ahead and crack his skull open on the all-clear? tsk.]

That's a bit dramatic.

[fair_trouble]

[Emery just laughs, only a little embarrassed by the near-mishap.]

More dramatic than I intended, sure. It would have been quite tragic if I'd damaged my face~!

[...Maybe that's kind of a tactless quip considering Zel still bears some marks from the spring guardian's attack. Oh well.

Emery settles back, resting his forearm against the side of the wagon.]

We're making good time, apparently. The kids here say we'll probably be at Fairford sometime after lunch, as long as the traffic isn't too thick.

[And what's a more reputable source of information than a bunch of small children?]

[chimerad]

[once Emery's secure, he starts back into motion, following along, adjusting his mask.]

So no more pitstops or chances to get jumped. [good. he'll take it.] From there it's a ferry?

[fair_trouble]

Yep. There should be loads of boats traveling up the Ganaranth to Zennor Lake, so it shouldn't be hard to find transportation. [With a wink, Emery adds:] Let's try and book one with a private cabin for the two of us.

[chimerad]

[he cants his head to the side slightly. a boat, huh? the lake must be quite large, or they could just fly it...]

Right. I--[wait. was that wink?? sir did you WINK at me?] ...Well. Right. Obviously.

[what, like he was going to eagerly join steerage?? on a lake boat?]

[fair_trouble]

[Jeeze, you act like Emery winking is somehow unusual.]

I'm glad you understand.

[Emery nearly asks if Zel's taken a riverboat on the Ganaranth before, in the mundane realm, but remembers they are sort of trying to seem like fae realm regulars so he pivots slightly.]

How are you with boat travel?

[chimerad]

[well honey i'm very often the anchor.]

...It'll be fine. I can cast levitation to offset my weight. [it's not his favorite mode of travel, but he's gotten by so far, hasn't he? only...how many shipwrecks...?

none of them were his fault. Lina isn't here, so it should be fine.]

[fair_trouble]

Huh...

[Honestly, Emery's so used to Zel not plunging through floors and things that he rarely considers Zel's weight as an issue except for when he's trying to drag Zel somewhere.]

Does levitation affect seasickness?

[Because motion sickness is an angle Emery was thinking about, although surely the well traveled coolguy Zelgadis doesn't have that issue.]

[chimerad]

[he considers that.]

...Not sure. Never really had a problem with motion sickness. I imagine if your eyes were closed, it wouldn't matter.

But if the boat's large enough, I won't have to worry about overloading it.

[fair_trouble]

[Were Emery a bit more scientifically inclined, he might be interested in running some experiments with the levitation spell. But ehh, they have other stuff to do once they reach Fairford.

In the meantime, idle chatter.]

Have you sunk very many boats before?

[Very kind, empathetic question brought to you by Emery.]

[chimerad]

[flatly:] No. That's Lina's work.

[fair_trouble]

[Emery laughs.]

Well I don't expect we'll find her in Fairford, so I don't think we have anything to worry about.

[chimerad]

The fact it's even possible makes it more likely than not, Emery. [you don't understand. she has ways. even when she's not intending those ways, she has them!

he sighs.] It'd be fair cover for whatever you have to do if she's riling up the countryside...