Fantasy Primacy [Closed]

[cleopat]

Drazhan frowned at Kirsikka as she separated from him, and he followed behind her to the library like a lost puppy. After she had thrown herself willingly into danger, he didn’t want to be separated from her then.

And he wanted to talk about what had happened when she went to that damned library, and which books would be most likely to control her soul.

“Maybe you should try to not piss off our host as much, given that he’s housing and feeding us,” Drazhan said, not entirely too serious about it, as he walked up behind Kirsikka and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Or at least, don’t surprise him with it.”

As if telling him and ignoring the ‘no’ Mikhail was bound to give would be any better.

“How did everything go?” He couldn’t immediately see any injuries on Kirsikka. “I’m a little surprised you didn’t push Malina to the wolves back there.”

~~~

Tamsin moved further into Varick’s side after he wrapped his arm around her. She enjoyed the warmth his body gave off. And his masculine scent. “I know Mikhail would encourage drinking and a performance.” And he would rope everyone else into it if they didn’t want it.

But obviously she didn’t want that. She wanted a willing audience, and she didn’t know if Malina, Kirsikka, or Drazhan were the sorts to enjoy her songs.

“But this may be one of our last times together, all alone.” She placed her hand back on him. “We should enjoy it while we can.” What that entailed, whether something innocent or more, Tamsin honestly didn’t care.

She just wanted to be selfish and have Varick all to herself for a little bit longer, until they went on the road with Kirsikka and Drazhan, and their peaceful time together was interrupted for an unknown amount of time.

 

[Lucyfer]

Kirsikka wasn’t surprised when Drazhan followed her into the library. She began to skim titles for something that would help with the necromancy books and possibility of possession. She grabbed one just before Drazhan wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned back into him as she opened it to start skimming the contents.

“I’m no worse than normal,” she said, focusing on the texts and not really on the question, “We got several books. Malina destroyed some,” Kirsikka sighed, obviously disappointed in that part, still, despite the nature of the situation. “None that I needed, but still.”

The book seemed to be what she wanted. It was about cursed objects in general, but it went into details on types. It ought to be good enough, “I want to read this book, Draz,” she chuckled, “if you want to stay, you need to go find a place we can be cozy.” Though he’d still have to behave. She didn’t really know how we’ll he’d manage such things as that, but she was willing to find out if he could behave, or if she was kicking him out of the library.

She’d put money on the latter.

~***~

Mikhail certainly seemed the sort to enjoy parties, to some degree. Parties that Varick didn’t have much interest in, with all sorts of wizardry tricks. Varick still wasn’t inclined to trust him. Tamsin didn’t have much of a mind to do much practicing, though.

She did seem more inclined to pursue their time alone together, and not in a bed. Varick didn’t mind getting dirty, though he would have at least preferred to have brought a blanket to lay out for them.

Not that he’d let such a thing as that get in the way, as he pulled Tamsin into him and pressed his lips to hers without another word of encouragement. The wilds was better than the house – after all, he didn’t have to worry about damned mages being around, after all.

Not that he really cared what they heard, anyways, as he’d try to guide Tamsin down towards the ground.

 

[cleopat]

Drazhan hummed as he listened to Kirsikka recount briefly what had happened. It came of no surprise that Malina destroyed some books, but thankfully ones that Kirsikka didn’t need, apparently. The magic of fire mages were always unpredictable, just like their wielders.

“She was in a prime spot to betray you, and yet she didn’t.” He hated that. It meant that perhaps Malina was truly trying to change and distance herself from the cult. “I still don’t trust her.” And he never would.

Every time he looked at her, he would forever see the body of his former beloved swinging by the noose.

But he distracted himself from the unwanted thought by seeking out a comfortable spot for both of them, a loveseat with just enough room for both of them. Though Drazhan gently coaxed her over to the seat with the intention of dragging her into his lap. He could behave. For a time. “I’ll be good, or as good as you want me.”

~~~

Tamsin was more than pleased with how their outing went, given the issues of the morning. And with no ears nearby to hear them, she allowed herself to make as much noise as Varick drew forth from her.

Later, she rested against Varick’s bare chest, listening to the gentle rhythm of his heartbeat after making sure their horses were still nearby. Thankfully, they were. “Are you glad we took that walk yet?” she asked with humor.

Tamsin was certain he was.

“I think I’m ready to leave. I may ask Malina for one or two more lessons, but after that, I want us to get back on the road,” she stated, eyes focused on the creek a few feet from them. “Besides, we can’t let you get too soft from being idle too long,” she joked, gently poking him in the stomach.

 

[Lucyfer]

“You don’t have to trust Malina,” Kirsikka said as she moved to the loveseat Drazhan found, “you just have to trust her hatred,” Drazhan didn’t actually need to drag or encourage Kirsikka to his lap, she didn’t bother with the other cushion at all, simply took her seat on his lap and adjusted herself until she was comfortable enough to read.

Drazhan could tell her if he needed to move.

She’d decide if she wanted to.

“I want you good, Draz,” she said, the emphasis meant to mean she meant Actually Good, “you don’t want me to come back a hollowed out shell from one of the necromancy books, do you?” it was serious, no matter how much he was playing with the idea of being good. She actually did need to research this to prepare for diving into the texts, even if she was willing to tackle them without the research.

She was always ready to do ridiculously stupid things, like rob the Council of Light of necromancy books, with little to no preparation, after all.

~***~

Varick gave a simple snort at Tamsin’s question, aware they were both familiar with how he preferred this walk, since it was quite a bit more than a walk. He held her near to him as they rested on the grass, “Yes,” he still answered, just to reassure her more obviously. He didn’t need to lead too much to doubt, after all.

It seemed that Tamsin also put some thought into leaving.

He assumed after their activities, as they rested with each other. “If you’re certain,” he didn’t mean to push her, and didn’t want her to feel rushed. “I’m sure Kirsikka can always bring us back here, if we need to return,” he’d allow that as an option, to keep the momentum for leaving, though.

He definitely wanted to leave, and he grunted at her playful poke, and rolled onto his side, facing her, “I suppose we should head back and let them know we’ll only be here a little while longer.” He assumed Kirsikka and Drazhan were ready, but it’d be best to let them know, sooner than later.

Not that he really wanted to leave the grass, “Another week could make me soft, after all,” he said it with a teasing smile, of course, as if that were the most important thing to prevent.

 

[cleopat]

Trust Malina’s hatred Drazhan could do.

He could trust that she would annihilate anything in her past to get her vengeance on years of brainwashing into believing lies.

But he didn’t want to think about Malina, not when Kirsikka seemed accepting of sitting in his lap. His arms tightened around her, and he rested his chin on the top of her head, breathing in her delectable scent that only made him want her more.

But the tone in her voice told him to behave, and her next comment solidified her seriousness. “Okay, I’ll behave, because I like you just the way you are, and not a hollowed out shell.” He placed a chaste kiss on her cheek before he settled in, enjoying the warmth from her body.

His arms would remain around her body, and his chin on her head, being good like they needed, until the book in her hands closed.

~~~

Tamsin relaxed as Varick reassured her that they could return if absolutely necessary. She nodded, “I’ll talk to Malina about it, but I feel confident to continue forward.” And not just for his sake. “But I will definitely take the possibility of returning into consideration.”

If Kirsikka wanted to do that.

Or if they don’t do something to overstay their welcome at Mikhail’s place before leaving.

Tamsin shifted as Varick rolled over, making it easier for each of them to face one another. She didn’t want to leave as much as Varick did, even if she knew they should put their clothes back on and head back to the house. Shame. “As much as I would love to just stay here and not move, I guess we should head back.”

Tamsin sat up and stretched her arms up for a moment before lowering them and standing up to put her clothes back on, which were strewn in a haphazard pile. “At least the horses didn’t go too far,” she commented, looking over at them grazing on the grass.

 

[Lucyfer]

Kirsikka could remember plenty of times just reading in Dravon’s arms. Usually they were reading the same book, or he occupied himself with another task he could do. It was familiar, both a positive and a negative.

She shouldn't compare Drazhan to Dravon, and she didn't.

But it didn't stop her from acknowledging this was something she had liked.

Something she had missed.

And, something far too comfortable for it's own good with the little sleep she continued to force on herself. The book never closed, but her grip loosened. Went slack. It slid a bit and a few times she caught herself.

Until she didn't, and then the pages just stopped turning as she dozed against Drazhan’s warmth, page opened with the illusion that she was reading, but everything about her posture clearly indicated that reading had stopped.

This had, also, been a foolproof method to get her to sleep.

~***~

Varick didn't want to leave the moment itself, but he was terrible at lingering when there were decisions being made. It couldn't be normal pillow talk with no pillow, he supposed. They would take action, and he would rise from the dirt to pull himself together and dress to return to the cottage.

And not wonder if Mikhail could spy on them.

“No. Didn't really expect that they would.” Varick agreed. The horses hadn't gone far at all, thankfully, and were easy to get back in order as they began the walk back together. Varick didn't want to ride back when he could linger closer to Tamsin’s side and occasionally let his arm or fingers graze hers.

While he would miss the peace of these moments, he'd still trade it. The confinement was killing him.

They got the horses back in the stable, before heading in. Thankfully, Drazhan was nowhere to be seen, so Varick resisted the urge to leave the area, and instead be present for the conversation with Malina.

He did at least acknowledge Mikhail with a nod. That was polite enough, right?

 

[cleopat]

Drazhan could’ve sat there for hours, just enjoying Kirsikka pressed up against him like she was, engrossed in her book while he was engrossed in her presence.

It was clear, though, that she was slowly dozing off, and eventually, she succumbed to her exhaustion.

About damn time you slept. He was too aware of how she never seemed to get enough sleep. She worked herself far too hard, and she didn’t seem to understand that lack of sleep meant she set herself up for easier attacks.

Drazhan hummed to himself as he checked to make sure Kirsikka was truly asleep. Once he did, he gently took her book and closed it, laid it on the sofa next to them, and carefully picked her up, mindful to not wake her up.

Her face was softer in sleep. Less worry and stress marked her features. Drazhan smiled softly at her as he carried her to their bedroom and laid her down on the bed. How I wish you would sleep more often. You need this.

With nothing else to do, the primal took off his shoes and laid down on top of the blankets next to Kirsikka, allowing himself to meditate in the silence.

~~~

Where Varick would let his arm and fingers graze Tamsin, she would eventually grab his hand to hold on their stroll back.

Oh how she hoped Mikhail didn’t know of everything that happened on his magically-protected property.

They got back when there was still plenty of daylight in the sky. Malina was in the main area, enjoying a book and some tea in her relative silence. For a split second, Tamsin actually saw a serene look on Malina’s face before it broke at the unexpected noise. But she held no hostility towards the bard and the primal. Not this primal.

“Malina,” Tamsin said with a polite smile. “Do you have a moment?”

She looked at Tamsin with a raised brow before gesturing to her book and tea. “As you can see, I’m dreadfully busy, but I suppose I can spare a second.” She moved to get up, but Tamsin gestured for her to remain sitting, and Tamsin joined her in a nearby chair.

“I just want to say…thank you, for teaching me, but I think I’m ready to leave. We’re ready to continue our journey to the next stop.”

“You think you have your magic under control?” Tamsin nodded, and Malina scoffed. “Learning about these powers of yours could take years to master, but if your goal is to not hurt someone you don’t wish to,” she gestured with a hand, “then I suppose you’re good to go.”

Foolish, foolish bard.

She held up one finger. “But we will have one more lesson.” Tamsin looked at her slightly startled. “Just one more, tonight or tomorrow morning, then you can go on your way.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Of course, sleep still couldn’t be long, no matter how Kirsikka needed. An hour, maybe two, and she was already stirring from the sleep she got. She didn’t quite register that she wasn’t where she remembered being. She registered the warmth she’d curled around, and considered drifting right back off as she readjusted herself to be a bit more comfortable, draping a bit more over Drazhan.

Probably wasn’t too great for his meditation.

Or for her reading, which she abruptly remembered, as well as being in a library which wasn’t exactly a private location. She sat up all too quickly, and then sighed in relief to see the room around her.

She brushed her fingers over Drazhan’s forehead, and through his hair.

“You should have woken me,” she complained only mildly, and looked for the window to get a sense of the time, and if she needed to run off to Mont Pellinor to do some of her other reading, or if she had more time to work on the non-possession by evil spirits part of the work.

~***~

Varick followed Tamsin to speak with Malina, though of course, he offered no input into the decision, and monitored Malina’s reaction. She didn’t seem terribly upset with this, nor terribly worried, although she insisted on another lesson.

Varick nodded. “We were not planning to leave until at least the morning,” that meant at least one more night. He assumed Drazhan and Kirsikka would at least need a bit of warning.

Which meant someone had to go tell them.

He was not volunteering himself for that, although he’d at least broach the topic, “Are Drazhan and Kirsikka within the home? Tamsin will need to inform them, as well.” They could have wandered off. He mostly wanted to know if they were decent, but he doubted Malina actually knew an answer to that.

Unless her crush on Kirsikka extended to voyeuristic tendencies relating to Kirsikka’s love life. He didn’t need to know.

 

[cleopat]

Drazhan stirred into the present as soon as Kirsikka shifted and began to wake up. He tightened his arms around her as she snuggled further into his body for warmth, and he wasn’t about to push her away. How could he? Why would he?

He felt fingers run through his hair, and he hummed as he opened his eyes to look at Kirsikka, lifting his arms to try and get her to lay back down on him. He wanted her warmth back just as much as she yearned for it.

“Wake you up when you desperately need some sleep? Never.” He lifted a hand and gently grabbed hers that ran her fingers through his hair. “Reading can be delayed a few hours. Sleeping may even help you concentrate better.” That was his logic for the entire situation of them in bed. Sure.

“Stay just a little longer,” he pleaded with a slight pout. “A little more rest, then off to do whatever you intended on doing next.”

~~~

Malina hummed at Varick’s announcement that they weren’t leaving until morning. Yes, another lesson that night would be wise, to tie up some loose ends she had with Tamsin’s training.

The girl needed more lessons in the future, but if for some reason she didn’t want to wield her powers as often as mages did, then she held enough control.

Foolish, really.

Tamsin gave Varick a quick look at the mention of her informing them of their leaving, but she didn’t question it. Nor did she argue. She knew why. He needed more time and space away from them before they were forced together.

Malina shrugged, “I know I heard them upstairs earlier, from the direction of the library,” she waved with one hand in the direction of the staircase. “I haven’t seen them leave, so I’m sure they’re somewhere in here.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Despite the suddenness of sitting up, Kirsikka wasn’t awake enough to really have much strength to resist the encouragement back down. She was still tired. And Drazhan was still warm. She knew, of course, that she ought to resist anyways. But she did have some time, and she wouldn’t be alone dealing with possessed tomes, anyways.

Rience probably wouldn’t let her lose her mind, if only because it was a threat to him if she did.

“You’re hopeless,” the words were a bit muffled as she did let herself lay back down over him.

So was she.

“Fine, just ten more minutes,” definitely a lie, but she could pretend she didn’t know that, and so could Drazhan. She’d either fall back asleep, or the activity would shift to something definitely not sleeping, but still in bed.

~***~

Varick didn’t know there was a library, but it wasn’t a surprise. It was a fairly standard thing for most mages to want, so why not have one? Especially when access to the usual, larger libraries weren’t available, given changes to the mage hierarchy.

Although, Varick did wonder if Mikhail was explicitly kicked out of the Council of the Light so that he couldn’t access their library, or if Mikhail would be one they’d try to court into their favor.

Given his sister’s decision, perhaps not any longer.

“I’ll let you inform them,” Varick had likely made that clear already, but he figured he ought to make it clear he didn’t plan to follow her towards that end, either, as he sought a seat in the living room for the moment. He could be silent around Malina, so he figured it wasn’t an issue. The only animosity he held towards her was any unsafe practices she might put Tamsin through – but Kirsikka seemed the only one who did much of that.

Malina was clearly the superior teacher, so he didn’t have qualms.

 

[cleopat]

Drazhan smirked as Kirsikka folded so easily to lay back down. One hand decided to wonder, brush over the fabric Kirsikka wore, before traveling underneath the fabric, touching her skin with light grazes.

But he wouldn't be able to initiate anything before a knock sounded at their door.




Tamsin knew she had to go inform them alone. Varick wouldn’t budge on that. So she headed upstairs, first checking out the library, but they weren’t in there. With a light blush, she realized she would have to go to their room, maybe while they were…busy.

Taking a deep breath, she made the short trek, and paused outside their door. She didn’t hear anything uncouth, so she knocked on the door in hopes that one of them was in there.

Drazhan’s hand paused, stilling on Kirsikka’s skin, as the knock resonated in his mind. He lightly groaned at the interruption. Great timing. “Do you wanna get that?” he grumbled.

 

[Lucyfer]

Sleep definitely wasn’t on the agenda as Drazhan’s hands wandered. Sadly, Kirsikka didn’t even get to considering teasing or playing with him, as her mind just started to wake up to the alternative options, when there was a knock. As Drazhan groaned, she could only chuckle at their luck, before she would, indeed, take the initiative to get up and go see what was wanted.

The odds of it being for her, and not Drazhan, were notably higher.

She opened the door to see Tamsin there, looking a bit sheepish, “Do you need something?” it wasn’t asked unkindly, but she imagined Tamsin had to have a reason, or she wouldn’t have come up there – may as well get to the point.

Even without Varick looming over Tamsin’s shoulder, Kirsikka doubted this was a social visit.

Drazhan would just have to sulk in bed now that he knew Kirsikka was awake and up. She may already miss his warmth, but her mind was kicking back into what needed to be done before night fell, and she lost even more sleep.

 

[cleopat]

With the time it took for Kirsikka to answer the door, and the fact that she looked like she may have just woken up, Tamsin figured she didn’t interrupt anything too private. She hoped.

Still, the sheepish expression didn’t quite leave her face as she cleared her throat and nodded. “I just wanted to give you two a heads up. If there’s no objections or anything else you need to do, we’re planning on leaving in the morning.” They were all getting a bit too antsy being cooped up in Mikhail’s place, and he may enjoy his solitude once again. She couldn’t imagine there being too much objection to the decision.

She hoped.

Drazhan perked up at what Tamsin said, looking over to the door to glance at Kirsikka. He knew she still wanted to do a few things, but whether or not they could be done on the road remained to be determined by her.

But then they would be on the road with Varick. No more walls separating them. That he wasn’t looking forward to at all.

 

[Lucyfer]

It seemed they were going to be leaving soon. Kirsikka was glad for it, despite all it came with – needing to change her face being one consequence. Regardless, she wanted to get back to moving, and figuring out more about Tamsin’s situation. Sure, she intended to keep doing research, but plenty could be found roaming, too.

“That shouldn’t be an issue for us, right?” Kirsikka glanced back at Drazhan though she was sure of the answer.

He was really only there because of her, wiling away the time until the next part of their adventure. He probably wouldn’t enjoy closer quarters with Varick, but they were all going to have to suffer that.

At least the sooner they figured out the Tamsin situation, the sooner they could split from Varick.

“Do you know where we’re going? I may be able to make us a portal there,” depending on if she knew it well enough or not. Either way, she could get them closer, she was sure of that.

 

[cleopat]

Drazhan looked over at Kirsikka and shrugged. “I don’t see any reason why it would be, if you’re ready.” She was the one doing research. She was the one who may need further access to Mikhail’s library. He was just going along with things for now.

He would be more useful on the road than cooped up in an idyllic little cottage.

Tamsin breathed a slight sigh of relief and smiled. “Okay, good.” They would be back on the road the next day.

She could start performing again.

She faltered for a moment at Kirsikka’s question. Where were they headed next? Varick mentioned his siren friend before, and that she may have some answers for Tamsin. If Kirsikka could portal them there, she didn’t see why they couldn’t do that next.

“I need to confirm with Varick, but he has a friend in Tresse who may have some answers we’re seeking.” Should she mention this friend was a siren? Oh well. “Do you think you can get us there?”

 

[Lucyfer]

Kirsikka couldn’t really remember Tresse as any notable place, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t figure it out with a bit of scrying. “It’s by plenty of water,” she knew that much, “that makes it easy to access. So long as there’s a reflection, I can find anything,” and there were always ways to find reflections.

Figuring out Tresse from the thousands of other places was the difficulty, but she wouldn’t admit that right then. That was a problem for the morning.

There was probably a sign, or some locations they could tell her about, right?

“We’ll be ready to leave in the morning,” she confirmed for both of them, “and we can discuss more exacts in the morning as well,” since it seemed Varick had the location. He likely wouldn’t be anymore agreeable in the morning, but Kirsikka would be too tired to care about his mood, so it would work out.

Probably.

 

[cleopat]

Tamsin nodded as Kirsikka explained her situation with Tresse. She should be able to find it. Something to do with all the water. Was the reflection by water the reason why she was able to find Tamsin?

“Alright,” she said, clasping her hands together. “I’ll let Varick know. Have a good night.” She raised her voice a little higher, so Drazhan could hear her. “Both of you!”

The Primal chuckled and wished her the same.

Tamsin left to go back to where she left Varick. “Well, it seems like we just have one night left,” Drazhan said, sitting up in bed. I would suggest we spend it together, but something tells me you have more to do before tomorrow.”


Tamsin returned to the main room, where Malina was still reading, ignoring her surroundings. “They’re okay with leaving tomorrow morning,” she told Varick, sitting next to him. “Kirsikka mentioned she could teleport us to Tresse.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Drazhan’s suggestion was no surprise, but he already knew the answer. It was apparent, but it didn’t make the denial any easier to say, “I’m sorry, Drazhan,” she really did need to spend more time researching things, and taking what time she could to run off. “There will be other times,” though not much while she was disguised.

She didn’t…enjoy that thought at all.

So when night fell, Kirsikka slipped back out to Mont Pellinor, and found her stash of books stolen from the library was safe where she’d placed them, in one of the few buildings that still had a fully intact roof. Not that she stayed there.

She preferred the broken tower she’d stayed in while the war waged, and she brought up many of the books with her, expecting Rience to eventually appear, but not all that concerned if he didn’t, as she read through the information on various creations of the undead in a ‘How To’ guide about liches.

She was pretty sure it wasn’t cursed, but it certainly engaged her in a way that almost felt like it.

Perhaps because she was also pretty sure she was getting closer to the truth.

~***~

Varick straightened up a bit as he heard Tamsin’s returning steps. She didn’t look disappointed, and her words soon confirmed why. Varick did sigh at the thought of teleportation but he wouldn’t argue with it. It could make life significantly easier, but he didn’t enjoy not being in control that way.

Not being sure the portal wouldn’t take them to a lava pit and kill them instantly.

And not sure he could trust Kirsikka or Drazhan to go first and confirm the safety, either.

So he nodded, and stated the obvious, “That will make things quicker,” he didn’t know how far away they were from Tresse, after all. He had a feeling they were much further than where they left off, though. “I’ll be glad to be on the road again. Hopefully, Calliope will know something.”

Although now, Varick had his doubts.

 

[cleopat]

The night Kirsikka slipped back to Mont Pellinor was the night her little friend would also visit to exchange information on Dravon. Rience…would be lacking in any news, much to his chagrin.

He couldn’t find anything in the last few days of research, but he would for sure leech off of anything that Kirsikka had to offer.

Eventually he teleported into the decrepit tower, moonlight filtering in through the cracks in the roof. He slowly stepped over the rubble left behind, while his gaze focused on the other mage in the room. “You’ve been busy,” he stated, noting all the books she brought.

Surely some of them would have answers, as he read over the titles he could see. If they didn’t, then he would be surprised.

~~~

Tamsin nodded, agreeing with Varick and pleased that he didn’t seem upset with the decision of teleportation. He’s not one to shy away from voicing his opinion or displeasure of anything, so he didn’t seem completely adverse to teleporting to Tresse.

The trepidation was still there, she could tell, but he was going along with it.

Tamsin bit her lip while silently thinking about Calliope. Tamsin’s own story just seemed to get more and more complicated by the day. Would his friend know any more about her that they hadn’t already uncovered? That Dravon didn’t tell them?

“Do you think Calliope will know something?” Tamsin asked. She glanced over at Malina to see if the woman was tuned in on their conversation, not that it was one that needed to be secretive. But the woman was still engrossed in her own book and was not aware, or not caring, of the world around her.

 

[Lucyfer]

It was there.

Kirsikka was all but certain of her findings, but not certain enough. There was something missing, something uncertain, with what she found. The flowers found nagged at her mind as a clue to resolve it, to be certain enough to go to Dravon with it. She’d been reading on rituals, and that gave her ideas, but not enough. She needed the component.

She needed to find out all it could be used for.

As Kirsikka looked up from her book to skim the titles, Rience darkened the doorway, stepping in.

“One of us has to be,” she put her current book aside and pulled one from the pile – Soul Lodging: A Comprehensive List of Flora Found In Graveyards. Kirsikka wasn’t entirely sure this one wasn’t cursed. There was something off about it that she couldn’t put her finger on, which was enough of a reason to be uncertain.

Enough of a reason to offer it to Rience, “Are you any good at recognizing curses? I think this book might have something I want, but there’s something off about it.” In other words, he could contribute in that way.

And then read some other book, of course.

The book was, in fact, very cursed. It was woven into the material, the paper, the cover, the glue, all made of components found in the book itself, sealing the soul of the author in the hopes that one day it would find someone to possess and complete its work of returning to life.

~***~

Varick hummed and glanced up, wrapping an arm around Tamsin as she asked about Calliope’s knowledge. “I don’t think so,” he admitted, “this has become far beyond what I expect to Calliope to know, but,” and he supposed this was the only important part, “I’ve been surprised before.”

And if Calliope didn’t know?

“After we check in, we can head north, to try and find any clues from your father’s hometown,” whether or not any existed was debatable. There were still too many mysteries, and he was trusting a war criminal with uncovering them.

He wanted any other path forward that didn’t involve said war criminal, who was likely to sell them all out to Dravon.

If only he knew.

“I suppose the alternatives after that would be Pomachion,” which, he didn’t want to go to. He didn’t want to get close to the White Sun until they knew what they were going to do, but where else were they going to find information?

Well, hopefully the journey told them.

 

[cleopat]

Rience smirked when Kirsikka asked him about cursed books. He didn’t have a definitive way of proving if a book was cursed, but he could sense something was off with the one Kirsikka held. It was enough for him to not want to open it and deal with the curse himself.

“Open it and find out,” he offered with a sly smirk, looking over the other titles in Kirsikka’s temporary collection with a gentle brush of a finger along the spines. He couldn’t feel any other cursed tomes in the mix.

The one Kirsikka held was definitely cursed.

Sending the argument he would bound to have with Kirsikka, he sighed. “I’m not sure I can stop the curse before the book is opened, but I can destroy one that may leech onto you, depending on how powerful it is.” Rience glanced at the title and scoffed. “A book on flora shouldn’t have a curse too powerful on it.”

Or maybe it did. Maybe it truly hid what Dravon was, which was a big mystery to the elder mage for some reason. Maybe a genuine reason. Rience was more than curious to solve this little mystery, for more reasons than just finding his old friend.

~~~

Tamsin almost wanted to drag Varick into their bedroom so they could have more privacy, and so she could cuddle up to his side even closer without worrying about anyone watching them.

Almost.

“Well, I guess all we can do is hope that she knows something, and if not, then that our next destination after Tresse would hold something of value.” Like her father’s home. Or something, somewhere else.

“I would rather avoid Pomachion if at all possible,” she said with a wrinkle of her nose. But would it remain possible to avoid it indefinitely? No, they would eventually have to face the White Sun, but that was to wait a while longer, she had hoped.

Tamsin leaned her head on Varick’s shoulder. “I guess we’ll just have to take this one step at a time to see what happens next.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Kirsikka glowered at Rience’s response, fully intending to argue the point of its stupidity to just open the damned book, or throw it at him to make him open it. However, he elaborated on how he dealt with curses, and she sighed. Did she know how to remove a curse from a person? Not off hand. She could figure it out, but it might take longer.

She trusted Rience’s studies more than her own in that regard, given the nature of his own preferred magic. “Fine,” she could trust his desire to learn the truth to earn a favor from Dravon, if nothing else. “I’ve almost cracked it, I was just waiting to make sure we had a hope if I opened this book of finding the last piece.”

Which might not even be in there, but she had to try.

So, she opened the book, flipped to the contents, eyes glazing as they were drawn to letters and words. She felt the pull of the possession, felt the way it was likely written into every page so it would be impossible to just flip to another page and avoid it – but she tried all the same.

The new occupant of her body made it known quite obviously, dropping the book with a start and shivering, “Cold, cold, why is it—” an anxious gaze darted to Rience, and the body stepped back, “What are you, some necromancer?” why else would the body be cold as death? Not that the spirit remembered what being alive felt like, but it couldn’t be this! Had it been duped into a zombie?

~***~

Hope.

It was such a fickle thing, but Tamsin was right, it was all they had now. Hope, that they would find answers, and hope that they would find them in enough time. Hope, that the answers could actually lead them to overcoming the White Sun and the problems it caused by letting monsters of all sorts enter the realm.

Hope.

Varick hated it compared to cold logic, but he didn’t have that right now. He didn’t have the answers, and he didn’t know how to find them. He just had ideas. “I’m not keen to go there sooner than necessary, either,” he agreed, “I don’t think the others are, either.” Not based on what he’d grasped of their own misadventures.

Pomachion wasn’t a good place to do research.

And yet, it might be the only one.

He wouldn’t think about that right now.

There was little point in continuing to talk about this, though. “You know. We’re going to have to start making money to cover our new freeloaders,” he had a feeling Kirsikka and Drazhan wouldn’t exactly be the money makers of the group. “Do you want me to keep a tab on what they’re going to owe you?”

A small joke. He doubted Tamsin would do that…but it would redirect the topic.

 

[cleopat]

Rience raised a brow when Kirsikka agreed to his idea rather than argue it out further. That…surprised him a little. She wasn’t necessarily one who agreed with a plan without some argument beforehand. At least, from what he has heard.

“Alright then.” He watched Kirsikka as she opened the book and flipped through its pages. At first, seemingly nothing happened, and Rience was almost disappointed that nothing came of the book. No curse, no spirit, nothing. What a let down.

But then he saw the pull of the curse. Kirsikka looked no different, but the subtle changes in her face and posture indicated that someone else was in her body. Already, Rience slyly weaved the sigils together to begin the end of the cursed spirit. “She’s been known to be a frigid bitch, maybe that’s why you’re cold.”

Rience cocked his head to the side. “No, no necromancer, just someone curious about the contents of the book my associate was attempting to read.”

~~~

Tamsin readily agreed to the subject change with a light chuckle. It was far better than to imagine their most likely future venturing into Pomachion. “Oh, I don’t think you’ll have to quite do that,” she insisted with a grin.

She had ways to make them useful for her.

“I could always subject them as a test audience of sorts for any new songs I may write.” Not that they could buy food or lodging with that idea, it was still a humorous thought. They may even enjoy their new jobs!

Malina sighed and snapped her book shut before standing up and leaving the room, heading back upstairs to the silence and privacy of her own room.

Tamsin watched her as she left, and she smiled a sheepish smile. “I guess she didn’t enjoy our conversation.” Without anyone else in the room currently, Tamsin snuggled closer to Varick. “But back to the conversation, I probably will have to try and get more gigs to pay for the extra mouths and the extra room we’ll need when we’re in a town.”

 

[Lucyfer]

The spirit didn't know who's body it possessed, but it doubted bitchiness was the reason for the chill. It could be the environment. The air itself felt strangely cold. Almost necrotic. Although the other denied being a necromancer, the spirit was wary.

Who besides a necromancer was looking into their book?

The spirit did puff up. “Just my life's with exploring the flora that develops around the dead and undead,” it answered, “I'll need to take it back,” the spirit reached to retrieve the dropped book, “but once I'm more corporeal, you can borrow it.”

It needed to either anchor itself into this body or, ideally, raise it's own and return to life, but it wasn't sure how long it had been, how decayed…it had much to learn about things, still, after all.

That's why it had to seal itself to a book to make sure it could continue things later.

“If you'll excuse me.”

~***~

Varick would have been quite willing to keep a running tab to make sure they were paid at the end of this, but he supposed he would not. He would, however, keep notes on where their money went and if it got ridiculous, he'd make sure that they were reimbursed.

He hummed at the thought of them being test audiences, though. Drazhan might be decent at that job. But it certainly wasn't enough work.

Malina wasn't enthused to humor them and Varick snorted as she departed, before taking the opportunity to make himself a bit more comfortable on the couch.

“Mmm. I'm thinking I will, as well,” he noted. “I'll just have to make sure they're quick jobs,” that was the hard part, so many took a whole and he didn't want to work with Drazhan to make it go faster.

He would.

But he didn't want to.

He had no idea if Kirsikka would even contribute but he thought Drazhan might. “I'm not sure making them work as an audience is good enough payment, though. You should find some other difficult tasks while we have them around.” Not that varick was vindictive out anything like that, at all.

 

[cleopat]

Well, the spirit wasn’t going to play along with Rience and give him his answers without something in return. Shame.

The sigils in place, Rience hummed as he gently kicked the book away from the spirit before it could reach it. “Sorry, it’s kind of time sensitive information, and I need this book now. Not later.”

And he didn’t need this spirit getting in his way. Also, he guessed that he should help Kirsikka get her own body back. He muttered an incantation under his breath, and a wind picked up and swirled around Kirsikka’s body as he started the incantation to break the curse’s hold and destroy it for good. No chance for it to return to the book.

“I know we only just met, but it’s time for you to go to where you truly belong in the afterlife.”

~~~

Tamsin snorted at Varick’s insistence that the other two be put to harder work. As if adventuring with them to help solve Tamsin’s own mystery wasn’t enough! “I’m sure we’ll think of something along the way. Maybe their perfect job will smack them in the face on the road somewhere,” she chuckled.

Kirsikka’s teleportation was a useful skill in itself to warrant some payment, Tamsin mused.

She shifted her legs and laid them across Varick’s lap. There, comfy.

“There’s plenty of odd jobs I know we’ll come across in our travels. Maybe Kirsikka’s magic will come in handy at a perilous moment. Or maybe some village is plagued by a monster that only two strong Primals can vanquish.” They could come up with scenarios all day.

But nothing would compare to what they perhaps will see on the road.